Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 

Consumer NZ welcomes action against Viagogo

Consumer NZ welcomes action against Viagogo

Consumer NZ is welcoming the Commerce Commission’s announcement it’s taking ticket resale website Viagogo to the High Court, seeking declarations the company has breached the Fair Trading Act.

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said the organisation called for action against Viagogo after its own investigation of the ticket resale market in 2017 found evidence of misleading sales tactics.

“Consumers are being duped by Viagogo’s sales practices. Many purchasers who end up on the site don’t know they’re dealing with a reseller. They’re pressured to buy by claims tickets are in high demand and selling fast when that may be far from the case,” she said.

Unclear pricing and hidden fees also resulted in consumers paying significant mark-ups on tickets. In one case, a consumer was charged $445 by Viagogo for a ticket that had a face value of just $59, a 654 percent mark-up.

Regulators in other countries have already taken action against Viagogo. Last year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced it was prosecuting Viagogo, alleging the company had misled consumers.

The Commerce Commission action alleges Viagogo made false or misleading representations about ticket prices, that it was an “official” seller, that tickets were limited or about to sell out and that consumers were “guaranteed” to receive valid tickets.

The commission is seeking an injunction restraining Viagogo from further breaches of the act and corrective advertising orders

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
GenPro: General Practices Begin Issuing Clause 14 Notices

GenPro has been copied into a rising number of Clause 14 notices issued since the NZNO lodged its Primary Practice Pay Equity Claim against General Practice employers in December 2023.More

SPADA: Screen Industry Unites For Streaming Platform Regulation & Intellectual Property Protections

In an unprecedented international collaboration, representatives of screen producing organisations from around the world have released a joint statement.More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.