Access All AreasHouse of Lords members voted in favour of an amendment in the Digital Economy Bill to strengthen consumer law around ticket resale.
FanFair Alliance has welcomed the support of the amendment, which was voted for yesterday (29 March). The law would extend obligations in the existing Consumer Rights Act, specifying that resale sites must provide the tickets reference or booking number and have the conditions attached to the resale of the ticket.
“By backing the amendments, the House of Lords have demonstrated a commitment to curbing the profiteering of the secondary resale market, which we welcome,” said Richard Davies, founder of Twickets. “We would urge the government to go further and ban secondary ticketing for profit outright, properly protecting fans and industry alike.”
This change in the Digital Economy Bill would help cut down on ticket touts, give buyers greater certainty that the purchase is real, ensure that standing tickets are given equal protection in law to seated tickets and provide consumers with essential information about resale T&Cs.
FanFair Alliance published the following statement after the vote:
“Despite concerted media and political scrutiny, the resale of tickets on platforms like Viagogo, Get Me In!, Seatwave and StubHub remains wholly lacking in transparency. This is the only online marketplace where buyers are given no identity about sellers – a peculiarity which is massively helpful to touts whose activities are anonymised, but not so much to consumers. It’s is a recipe for bad practice at best, and outright fraud at worst.
“That’s why this small amendment to the Consumer Rights Act is so important, as it could help provide more certainty that a ticket actually exists in the first place, as well as crucial details about terms and conditions of resale. FanFair Alliance warmly welcomes the Lords’ decision last night, and alongside the other recent commitments we look forward to further discussions with Government about how ticket resale can be made more transparent, honest and consumer-friendly.”