The Gallagher brothers might have buried the hatchet but the battle to secure tickets for the Oasis comeback tour has triggered a major row, with one Government minister vowing to outlaw so-called “dynamic pricing” and the ad watchdog urging disgruntled fans to report their concerns.
It has been claimed that millions of people tried to buy for tickets for the band’s 17-date UK comeback tour next summer when they went on sale at the weekend but after battling through hours of online queues on Ticketmaster, they were then faced with tickets appearing for inflated prices; some rose to more than £350 – up from £135 when the sale began on Saturday.
Dynamic pricing, where prices rise due to demand, is not a new phenomenon and is permitted under consumer protection laws. However, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she wants to end “rip-off resales” and ensure tickets are sold “at fair prices”. A consultation into ticket resale websites had already been announced by the Government, and will start in the autumn.
Nandy said it was “depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans” from gigs.
Outlining the scope of the Government review, Nandy said ministers would look at “issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it”.
Meanwhile, the Advertising Standards Authority has urged Oasis fans to lodge a complaint if they feel they have been misled by the pricing structure. According to reports, it has already received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster, the majority over misleading claims about both pricing and availability.
A spokesperson said: “We encourage anyone with concerns to get in touch with us and we’d carefully assess whether there were any grounds for action. Our rules are clear – quoted prices must not mislead.”
Ticketmaster denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson said: “Ticketmaster does not set any ticket prices.”
Late last week, Oasis fans were being urged to remain vigilant against scammers and cybercriminals, amid reports that Taylor Swift “Swifties” in the UK were scammed out of more than £1m from fake tickets during her recent global Eras tour.
It is well documented that scammers often take advantage of high-profile events like this by selling counterfeit tickets or falsely advertising ticket sales on social media, causing fans to lose money and miss out on the chance of seeing their favourite band live.
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