UK watchdog launches investigation into Oasis ticket sales

Competition and Markets Authority says it will look into ‘dynamic pricing’ and if Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law

An investigation has been launched into the sale of Oasis concert tickets, the competition watchdog has announced.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its investigation would look at how so-called “dynamic pricing” may have been used and if the sale of Oasis tickets by Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law.
The investigation will also consider whether Ticketmaster had engaged in unfair commercial practices, and if people were given clear and timely information to explain that the tickets could be subject to so-called “dynamic pricing”.
It will also look at whether consumers were put under pressure to buy tickets within a short period of time – at a higher price than they understood they would have to pay.
The CMA said it would now engage with Ticketmaster and gather evidence from various sources, which may include the band’s management and event organisers.
Sarah Cardell, the CMA chief executive, said: “It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation.
“It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out.
“We want to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so that we can investigate whether existing consumer protection law has been breached.”
It comes after Oasis insisted they did not know dynamic pricing would be used in the ticketing of their reunion tour.
Fans complained of concert prices rising by as much as 140 per cent as they waited for hours in online queues for Oasis Live 25.
The practice of dynamic pricing is legal provided that businesses do not mislead consumers about what they will pay. The CMA has said it should not be assumed that Ticketmaster had broken consumer protection law.
Oasis addressed the ticketing controversy for the first time on Wednesday, saying that while their management agreed to dynamic pricing being used to try to keep general ticket pricing down and reduce ticket touting, they accepted that “the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations”.
They also announced on Wednesday that tickets for two new Wembley shows for Sept 27 and 28 next year would instead be sold by a “staggered, invitation-only ballot process”.