The UK financial watchdog has launched a probe into whether ticket sales for the Oasis reunion tour by Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law.
The Competition and Markets Authority said its investigation will consider whether Ticketmaster engaged in unfair commercial practices and whether people were given clear and timely information to explain that the tickets could be subject to 'surge pricing’.
Also, it will look at whether fans were "put under pressure to buy tickets within a short period of time", ie at a higher price than they understood they would have to pay, following numerous complaints about the ticket sales process.
Still, at the initial stage of its investigation, the CMA said it will now engage with Ticketmaster and gather evidence from other sources, possibly including the band’s management and event organisers.
"It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation," said Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive.
"It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out."
She said the CMA wants to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so they can be investigated to see if consumer protection law has been breached.
The new government’s recent announcement of a consultation about potential measures to provide stronger protections to consumers buying tickets directly and second-hand was also welcomed by Cardell.
"This has been a priority focus for the CMA for several years, having previously taken enforcement action and recommended changes to improve the secondary tickets market. We are committed to working closely with government to tackle the longstanding challenges in the ticket market."