Consumer group Which? has called on Oasis and Ticketmaster to “do the right thing” and refund fans hit by inflated ticket prices. Many fans were shocked by the price of standard tickets for the reunion tour more than doubling from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster amid surging demand, prompting the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they will look into the use of dynamic pricing. Following the controversy, Which? asked Oasis fans to send in screenshots of the ticket-buying and checkout process to see if they were warned that ticket prices could surge due to high levels of demand.
Which? said it received dozens of screenshots from fans who had tried to buy tickets – both before and after prices increased – none of which showed a warning message that Ticketmaster would increase prices during the sale. Instead, Which? said it saw evidence that fans were shown one price for tickets, only to have that price taken away at the last second and replaced with a far higher, and unexpected, ticket price. Which? cited one screenshot showing that due to ‘in demand’ pricing the cost of standing tickets at a Heaton Park show – originally advertised for £148.
50 – surged to £337.50 each. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs), traders must not mislead consumers with how prices are presented or leave out key pricing information that they might need to make an informed decision about their purchase.
Which? said many fans were not.