The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority, or ASA, has taken action against four large resellers as part of a sector-wide investigation over misleading pricing information in online event ticketing.
The British watchdog revealed in a March 7 statement that eBay Inc.'s StubHub UK, viagogo, Ticketmaster's Seatwave Ltd. and GET ME IN! have not been fully transparent with consumers about additional charges and fees.
Going forward, ticketing websites will need to include the total ticket price at the start of the booking process, including booking fees, non-optional taxes and delivery fees, the ASA ruled.
"Many of us will recognize the frustration of being happy with the initial price of tickets on a secondary website only to be stung by hefty fees when we come to book," ASA's CEO Guy Parker said in a statement.
"The message from our rulings is simple and it’s clear: the price you see at the start should be the price you pay at the end," he added.
In addition to this, ASA ruled that viagogo could no longer claim to be an "official site" with the "100% Guarantee" label on its website, given its status as a secondary ticketing outlet, rather than a primary vendor, as there is a "reasonable risk" that holders of tickets obtained through its website are not being granted entry.
FanFair Alliance, a campaign group targeting the online ticketing sector, said that the ASA ruling had gone some way to addressing issues in Britain's secondary ticketing market, which is worth £1 billion each year, but it stressed that enforcement would become "absolutely crucial."
"Without proper sanctions, we fear that much-needed reforms will not be implemented, particularly by Viagogo, and the public will continue to be duped," the group said in a statement.
ASA's rulings follows a broader investigation into the secondary ticketing market over potential breaches of consumer protection law by the Competition and Markets Authority, as well new guidelines for the sector issued by the U.K.'s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which are set to come into force this April.
Meanwhile, advertising giant Alphabet Inc. enforced recently a certification process for event ticket resellers looking to advertise through its AdWords online advertising service. The group said the update to its policy was due to concerns about the lack of transparency over additional costs and fees, as well as resellers' association with a specific venue or event.
