Viagogo sued by watchdog for illegal ticket resale practices

COMPETITION watchdogs have issued court proceedings against Viagogo over concerns that it is breaking consumer protection law.

The ticket reselling website faces legal action by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as it has failed to make changes to its selling process requested by the consumer watchdog.

Rival resellers Stubhub, Getmein and Seatwave have all agreed to provide better information about the tickets sold on their sites following a CMA investigation into the sector.

Consumers buying tickets through Viagogo risk being denied entry, may not know which seats they will get and often have no way of finding out who is selling the tickets.

Legal proceedings have now been brought in the High Court and could result in Viagogo being fined.

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive officer at the CMA, said: “People who buy tickets on websites like Viagogo must be given all the information they are entitled to.

“It’s imperative they know key facts, including what seat they will get and whether there is a risk they might not actually get into the event, before parting with their money.

“This applies to Viagogo as much as it does to any other secondary ticketing website. Unfortunately, while other businesses have agreed to overhaul their sites to ensure they respect the law, Viagogo has not.”

Alex Neill, of Which?, has previously accused Viagogo of “playing fast and loose with the rules”.

“The agreements … must now lead to much greater transparency, so consumers have a better chance of getting the best tickets for popular events at fair prices,” she said.