Great conversion
‘Zero-tolerance’ move sees tickets axed and fans refunded
NOT so long ago Viagogo was the “official resale” partner of Scottish Rugby Union.
Thankfully those days are gone as the fight continues to stop fans being ripped off by profiteers.
The SRU have now adopted a “zero tolerance” approach to touts in the lead up to Saturday’s Six Nations opener against England.
It’s good news for the Murrayfield faithful that their loyalty will no longer be exploited.And not before time.
It now seems there is a sea change in attitudes towards touts which the Daily Record’s long-running campaign has helped bring about.
The FanFair Alliance described the SRU’s position as “hugely encouraging” but there is still a long way to go.
Sporting bodies, music and events promoters, and venues have much more to do to stop their supporters and customers being fleeced.
However, the SRU’s off-field conversion marks another welcome step in the right direction.
SCOTTISH Rugby bosses are hunting down and cancelling touted tickets – then refunding fans as part of a “zero-tolerance” approach to touts.
The move by the SRU – which bans resale of tickets for profit – has seen fans duped by tout sites being allowed to buy tickets for face value after they are cancelled.
Extra staff have been drafted in to audit sales patterns for Six Nations matches, including tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup, and a page on safe buying has been installed on the body’s website.
The SRU’s approach marks a change from when Viagogo was its “official resale” partner. This stopped after the Record exposed the site’s strategies. New measures allow staff to tell fans if tickets are valid. If they have been bought on Viagogo or StubHub, efforts are made to cancel them. The same ticket is then given to the ripped-off fan for face value, which could be a quarter of the tout price. The Record found tickets selling for five times their value on StubHub, with a tout wanting nearly £540 for a £90 ticket. No warning was given it would not be valid for entry, breaching the Consumer Rights Act. Scottish Rugby said its terms and conditions did not allow any resale of tickets on secondary ticketing sites.
It added: “We are launching a new online space for fans to ask us questions about buying tickets safely and navigate the purchase process more easily.
“We are saying, if in doubt, give us a shout and we are happy to help ensure all ticket purchases are valid and don’t result in cancellation or denied entry.”
It said some people had bought tickets at vastly inflated prices, not knowing the seller was a tout, adding: “In reaction to this, we have contacted the seller, advised them they have breached our terms and conditions and refunded them with the original price which then invalidates the tickets.
“We then have sold the same tickets to the fan who purchased from the tout at face value.”
Scottish Rugby CEO Dominic McKay said: “Ensuring our tickets are available at face value to our fans is an absolute priority for us.”
Adam Webb, of the FanFair Alliance, which battles touts, welcomed the move, adding it would be “hugely encouraging” if Scottish Rugby followed musicians in “making a serious dent in online ticket touting”.