UK Government announces more protection for consumers from ticket scalpers

The UK Government has continued its battle against ticket scalpers by tightening the rules of reselling concert and sports tickets.

From April, those who resell tickets will have to provide more information so consumers can make a more informed choice.

Consumer Minister Andrew Griffiths said: “All too often people are left feeling ripped off when buying tickets from resale websites.

“Whether it’s a major music festival or a stadium concert, people want to know they’re paying a fair price for tickets to see the events they love.

“We are already taking steps to crack down on touts (scalpers) using “bots” to bulk buy tickets for resale and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating suspected breaches of consumer protection law online.

“We are going even further, making it easier for consumers to understand what they are buying to help save them from rip-off ticket prices.”

As part of the Consumer Rights Act, those putting tickets up for sale have to provide:

* The original price of the ticket printed on the ticket;

* The block, row and seat number of the ticket;

* If there are any restrictions on how people can use the tickets.

For instance, the ID, the original payment card and buying confirmation are required before the buyer can enter the venue.

* Promoters can identify tickets with a Unique Ticket Number (or UTN).

If stated in the Terms & Conditions, secondary ticketing platforms would need to detail this UTN if the relevant ticket was listed for resale.

This could provide extra protection for standing tickets.

* They also have to divulge their link to the event’s promoter or online facility as the music industry insists that these are often in cahoots with dodgy behaviour.

Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, emphasised: “We want real fans to get the chance to see their favourite stars at a fair price.”

Resale ticket sites that break consumer laws and advertising rules will also feel the heat.

The CMA and the National Trading Standards are joining forces to clamp down on their operations even harder, after a series of raids late last year.

Later in the year will come a consumer green paper on how fans can “engage with markets to find the best deals.”

The music industry’s anti-scalper lobby group FanFair Alliance was pleased with the moves, with two of the new rules something that it had recommended to the Government.

It said, “If properly enforced, we believe these clarifications and updates will better protect UK audiences, artists and event organisers.

“They should also provide greater clarity to secondary ticketing platforms of their legal responsibilities, and increase overall transparency in what is still a murky and under-regulated sector.”

The UK clamp-down comes a week after Google introduced transparency rules, demanding that all resale sites had to be certified with the service before they could advertise on it.

Earlier this month, campaigners said that 70% of tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert in Glasgow in July had mysteriously gone to scalpers before the public got to them and were selling them at seven times the original price.

They pointed the finger at VIPs who had access to the tickets.

These included American Express customers and Timberlake fan club members who were given a presale code allowing them to buy up to eight tickets.