Viagogo going to court in the UK

Ticketing platform Viagogo is facong some dark clouds in the UK. Indeed, the CMA announced that it has issued legal proceedings against the company in the UK’s High Court, accusing it of breaking consumer protection laws. This, after the service declined to make the changes demanded by the CMA earlier this year.

CMA boss Andrea Coscelli stated:

People who buy tickets on websites like Viagogo must be given all the information they are entitled to. It’s imperative they know key facts, including what seat they will get and whether there is a risk they might not actually get into the event, before parting with their hard-earned money. This applies to Viagogo as much as it does to any other secondary ticketing website. Unfortunately, while other businesses have agreed to overhaul their sites to ensure they respect the law, Viagogo has not. We will now be pursuing action through the courts to ensure that they comply with the law.

Also, CMA is seeking an interim enforcement order from the court that “will put a stop to some practices in the period up until the full trial”. That has the potential for considerable impact on Viagogo’s business in the UK.

Today - September, 5th - Viagogo’s head of business development, Christopher Miller, is scheduled to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into live music and secondary ticketing, alongside representatives from Ticketmaster, StubHub, FanFair Alliance and Kilimanjaro Live.

The approach that British regulators and politicians are taking to secondary ticketing is sure to influence further and future situations elsewhere in the world, so the interest is very high.