Whilst I apologise for the crude abuse of a Beatle's song, I'm sure Beatles fans would recognise the below scenario.
Tickets are sold out. Nobody you know has got a spare one. And that colleague’s cousin’s friend who knows someone who works at the venue hasn’t been returning your calls. Your only option is to go online and trawl the secondary ticket market, keep your fingers crossed, and hope somebody somewhere has a spare. (For the uninitiated, the 'secondary ticket market' is made up of platforms where people re-sell tickets which were originally bought from the venue or rights-holder - some of these people are what used to be called ticket touts).
Websites like Seatwave, Viagogo and Get Me In are a good bet. You’ll be able to find tickets for concerts, plays, festivals and sporting events. You know that chances are you’ll have to pay more for your ticket than face value, but as long as you get in you don’t really mind.
This is where problems can arise. Under current rules, those selling tickets on the secondary market do not have to provide any specific detailed information about the ticket. No seat number, row, block, or face value. They do not even have to include the terms and conditions of the ticket, which can often prohibit resale. You may turn up to the big game only to find you’re turned away because the ticket was not allowed to be resold in the first place- or is fake.
If you do get in it’s possible that you will be unable to see most of the event because of that huge concrete pillar right in front of your seat. You may also find that you have been sold a concessionary ticket (and you don't look like an under-14), that you are with the wrong set of fans, or that you are in seating that is restricted in some other way.
The lack of information sellers on secondary ticket markets are obliged to offer provides poor protection for consumers. In an attempt to rectify this problem, a cross-party group of Peers have tabled an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill currently passing through the House of Lords. Big names from the sports world like Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, Lord Moynihan and Baroness Grey-Thompson have lent their support, while many others are making the case for this change to the Government.
The Amendment would provide better protection for all fans by clarifying what information needs to be listed by the seller. This transparency would allow consumers to make a fully informed choice about the ticket they’re buying, and help eliminate dishonest or disingenuous sales.
The Amendment is due to be debated this week. If it passes, it will not help your chances of getting a ticket first time round, but it will allow you to see exactly what you’re buying on the secondary market.
Read more about our policy work on this area.
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