Anti-ticket touting campaigners have welcomed an announcement from the European Commission that Viagogo, the ticket touting - or “ticket resale” - platform has committed to make some changes to its website. But only in the European Union.
In a statement yesterday, the EC said that Viagogo “has committed to better inform consumers on the conditions under which tickets are resold and to stop pressuring consumers with excessive countdown messages”.
The EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network began talks with Viagogo back in 2021. This came after the EC and national consumer authorities around Europe received various complaints. These included criticisms over the lack of transparency on the ticket resale platform and the tactics it employed to motivate a quick purchase. Similar complaints have been made in countries across the world, with Viagogo generally only taking action to address issues when it has been forced to do so by regulators.
Although talks with Viagogo have been ongoing for a while at an EU level, the platform has had extra legal obligations to meet in Europe since the passing of the Digital Services Act.
Under the new agreement covered by the EC announcement, Viagogo will also have to clearly identify if a customer is buying from a professional trader - rather than another punter shifting a ticket they can’t use - as well as stating delivery fees upfront where there is only one delivery option. Viagogo has also been told it needs to amend terms regarding the company’s guarantee scheme and give better information about how customers can pursue complaints.
Pan-European organisation FEAT, which has campaigned for better regulation of ticket touting in Europe, has welcomed the agreement.
Its director Sam Shemtob says: “FEAT has been calling for better enforcement for rogue ticket resale marketplaces for five years. This is the EU’s first coordinated action and introduces some of the most far-reaching consumer protection for European consumers to date”.
“The changes will also prove incredibly useful in promoters’ efforts to curtail ticket touting”, he adds. “We expect this will save lots of time and money in legal battles, which the live performance sector can ill afford”.
The EC’s statement concludes, “The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network will now actively monitor how Viagogo implements its commitments. If Viagogo does not implement the commitments properly within the agreed timeframe, or if it fails to address the remaining concerns raised by the CPC Network, national consumer authorities may decide to take measures to enforce compliance, including sanctions”.