TOUT BLITZ BOOST

House of Lords votes for new rule to fight the secondary sales rip-off

CAMPAIGNERS have hailed a legal breakthrough against ticket touts.

The House of Lords voted for an amendment that would tighten up rules for anyone selling on briefs on secondary ticket sites such as Viagogo and Get Me In!

The change, tabled by Lord Moynihan, would make it compulsory for such sellers to specify tickets’ reference numbers and any attached conditions. The tweak in the Digital Economy Bill would stop touts and crooks selling tickets they haven’t been able to buy or which don’t exist.

And it would enable venues and artists to cancel tickets listed by rogue traders if malpractice is suspected.

The potential new legislation beefs up existing conditions in the Consumer Rights Act, which has routinely been ignored by secondary sales platforms. And it follows a Government commitment to outlaw computer “bots” that bulk-buy tickets from primary sites such as Ticketmaster. The Record hasbeen campaigning to Stub Out the Touts. The FanFair Alliance, who have led calls for a crackdown, said the murky world of reselling needs light shed on it.

A spokesman said: “The amendment supported by the House of Lords, if it becomes law, could be really beneficial for consumers.

“As the many Daily Record exposés have shown, the current status quo of ticket resale works mainly in the interest of touts.

“What we need are laws with teeth that prosecute touts and work in the interest of fans.”