Hundreds of official complaints have been lodged over the way tickets were advertised for Oasis’ reunion tour after fans faced a jump in prices during Saturday’s sale.
Ticket prices were hiked by over £200 from £135 originally during the sale as hundreds of thousands of fans descended online to try and secure their spot to see the Gallagher brothers’ first gig together since 2009.
According to seller Ticketmaster, which has faced scrutiny over the move, the decision to hike prices laid in the hands of the “event organiser” and was made to reflect “market value”.
As of Monday afternoon, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority had received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster's adverts for the Oasis tour.
A spokesperson from the regulator said that many argued “misleading claims” were made “about availability and pricing”.
Though such use of dynamic pricing, brought to light by Uber, is not uncommon, the move to target fans already facing technical difficulties and waiting in lengthy queues online has prompted a backlash from punters and the government alike.
Many were left out of pocket or forced to give up hopes of seeing Oasis’ return, while the government has said dynamic pricing and its use alongside online queuing systems would be investigated.
This will be part of a consultation into the secondary gig sales market, according to culture secretary Lisa Nandy.