Paying more – sometimes much more – when demand is high: this practice of “dynamic pricing” has angered Oasis fans, surprised by the exorbitant prices of tickets for the Mancunians’ reunion tour. The British competition authority has opened an investigation against the reseller.
The action “follows reports from fans of significant issues with ticketing giant Ticketmaster,” the regulator wrote in a statement.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will investigate whether “buyers were given clear information” and whether they “were put under pressure to buy tickets in a short period of time at a higher price than they thought they would have to pay, which could impact on their purchasing decisions”.
The Gallagher brothers announced at the end of August that they were reforming Oasis, the iconic Britpop group, for a series of concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland, sparking great excitement fifteen years after their split.
But the chaotic sale of tickets on Saturday for the Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin dates – all sold out during the day – has sparked anger and frustration among buyers, who have been faced with outages on saturated sales platforms and the unpleasant surprise of discovering at the last minute this pricing which has sent prices soaring: from 150 to more than 350 pounds for some tickets.
In total, more than 1.4 million tickets were still sold, according to a BBC estimate.
Widespread practice
Fans are invited by the CMA to share their (bad) experience via a dedicated online form, where they can send screenshots of the problems encountered.
“We want to know whether you received clear and timely information throughout the purchase process, including about the price you would have to pay” and “whether it was clear that the tickets could be subject” to “dynamic pricing”, the CMA wrote to them.
This method of setting prices, which is widely used in the purchase of train or plane tickets, “consists of a company adjusting its prices according to changes in market conditions,” notes the regulator.
It effectively excludes less privileged consumers, unlike raffles or the “first come, first served” principle, which can also be implemented in the sale of tickets for concerts or sporting events.
“By invitation only”
“Although this practice is not automatically illegal, it may in certain circumstances breach consumer protection or competition law,” the CMA adds.
Faced with the controversy, the British government had also promised to look into these controversial methods.
“We are committed to cooperating with the CMA” and “sharing more information about ticket sales with them,” Ticketmaster told AFP on Thursday.
Accused of being responsible, Ticketmaster UK had already defended itself by stating that the “organizer” of the tour, namely the promoters and the artists, had chosen to set the prices “according to their market value”, thus validating the application of such pricing.
In a statement sent to the British news agency PA, the group denied being behind the price increase, blaming “its promoters” and “its management team”.
Oasis have also announced two additional London concert dates in September, pledging to change the way they sell tickets, which will be sold via “an invitation-only draw”.
Before Oasis, there had already been controversy surrounding the sale of tickets by Ticketmaster for the 2023 tour of American singer Bruce Springsteen in the United States.
Due to dynamic pricing, some tickets were sold for several thousand dollars.