Channel 4 Dispatches beats injunction attempt by Viagogo to air 'Great Ticket Scandal' tonight (23 F

[busybeeburns]

Scandal: Coldplay was one of the acts that Dispatches found major promoters allocating hundreds or even thousands of tickets to be sold through Viagogo at well above the face value.

 

Channel 4’s Dispatches programme (9pm, GMT, Channel 4) has defeated an attempt by ticket reselling website Viagogo to get a High Court injunction against broadcasting its investigation into how ticket reselling websites work. The show exposes how customers are paying the price for hidden practices used by the 'fan-to-fan ticket exchange'.

 

The current affairs programme went undercover and found that major promoters allocate hundreds or even thousands of tickets to be sold at well above the face value. Tickets for recent gigs and tours by Coldplay, Rihanna, Westlife, Take That, and the V Festival have been allocated by the promoters in this way. The probe also found large scale organised ticket re-selling.

 

In May last year This is Money exclusively revealed allegations from a former member of Viagogo’s staff who claimed that workers at the firm used company credit cards to buy tickets for popular events which were then re-sold at escalated prices on the site. This is Money first started its campaign against ticket rip-offs in late 2007, calling for the end of expensive booking fees as well as an investigation into the way tickets are sold.

 

This is Money was contacted by the team behind the Dispatches programme and helped by providing information during the research stages of producing the show.

 

Channel 4 said that Viagogo has applied for an injunction on the grounds of 'breach of confidence' but this was dismissed on all counts at the High Court yesterday. Edward Parkinson, UK director of Viagogo, said that the website sought an injunction to 'prevent customer information being made public' as it’s 'number one priority is to protect our customers' data.'

 

A Channel 4 spokesperson: 'We are pleased that we can now broadcast in full a programme of important public interest. It is disappointing that having provided Viagogo with a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations uncovered by our investigation several weeks ago, they chose instead to seek an injunction which would have effectively stopped the broadcast of our programme.'

 

Viagogo say its website is for 'real fans' to resell tickets they can no longer use.

 

The programme, which airs tonight at 9pm, claims that many tickets offered for sale through Viagogo are not from individual fans but from large scale professional ticket resellers or tickets allocated by promoters to Viagogo.

 

The programme also shows how Viagogo staff compete directly with real fans to buy tickets from primary ticket sellers and how it has a special team dedicated to dealing with professional re-sellers. Edward Parkinson, UK director of Viagogo, said about the Dispatches programme: 'Viagogo exists to provide a safe, secure marketplace for the buying and selling of live event tickets. The vast majority of sellers are fans selling to other fans, and around half of tickets sold sell for face value or less.

 

'To ensure we can offer our customers the best seats possible, we have on occasion partnered with promoters or artists as this enables us to go above and beyond for our customers.'

 

Many fans are infuriated by the reselling of tickets at inflated prices on 'secondary ticket websites' minutes after gigs have sold out. They are often left empty handed when tickets to popular events go on sale as they are often gone within seconds, only to reappear on ticket exchange websites within minutes of selling out.

 

Earlier this week, another secondary ticketing website Seatwave sent an email to customers warning them that the Dispatches programme was almost certain to contain information on the website. The email said that the reselling website had 'done nothing wrong' and that it 'helps fans get better access to tickets in a safe, transparent way. Our mission is to ensure that people get to see their favourite band or sporting event – without ever having to venture into a car park with a wad of banknotes again.'

 

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2105305/Channel-4s-Dispatches-beats-injunction-attempt-Viagogo-air-great-ticket-selling-scandal-TV-tonight.html#ixzz1nDo2H6R9

[Carkidder]

They got a great deal, I'd pay £1,344 to touch Chris!

[worldtrav]

Good Programme!!!!

[dman23]

SHOCKING!!! NOT................

[worldtrav]

Think it is shocking for the general public.

[Texasluvsjonny]

Join them next week for their 5 year investigation into Sky:blue; water:wet!

[busybeeburns]

Fans of bands such as Coldplay are being forced to pay extortionate amounts for tickets by secondary selling sites

 

Viagogo Boss Denies Ripping Off Consumers

 

Ticket selling site Viagogo, has been forced on the defensive over accusations that the company routinely rips off gig goers.

 

Channel 4's Dispatches programme on Thursday evening exposed a culture of "immorality" at Viagogo as employees made huge profits buying up tickets in bulk and then reselling them, usually at many times their face value.

 

One ticket for a Coldplay gig was shown to be selling on Viagogo for over £2000.

 

Viagogo had attempted to prevent the airing of the programme citing a "breach of confidence".

 

Tickets for gigs and tours by the world's biggest artists such as Rihanna and Coldplay have been subject to the dubious practice of secondary selling with accusations that concert promoters themselves are allocating large blocks of tickets directly to companies such as Viagogo and Seatwave.

 

However, Viagogo director, Ed Parkinson, fought back on Friday in an interview with BBC 6 Radio, defending his company's actions as providing "a secure market for people to buy and sell tickets".

 

He continued by adding that secondary selling ensures that tickets are legitimate and that they get to customers in time with a money back guarantee if anything goes wrong.

 

Responding to accusations from 6 Radio of a culture of immorality amongst his employees, Parkinson said: "t is easy to misrepresent [practices] through editing and secret cameras."

 

A previous attempt by Shadow Education Minister Sharon Hodgson to introduce a bill to cap the amount at which tickets for sporting and cultural events could be sold was scrapped earlier this month. A second attempt later this year will see the private members bill debated by a number of MPs.

 

Appearing on the same radio programme as Parkinson, Hodgson said: "It will be hard for the government not to listen to the volume of outrage from the public."

 

In response to Parkinson's assertion that there is as much chance as him playing for Chelsea as there is of a law being brought in to cap ticket prices, Hodgson retorted: "Who are you to decide what laws are brought into this country?"

 

Parkinson argued that legislation would "drive ticket selling underground, leaving consumers open to fraud and scams". He continued: "A market solution is better than a free for all."

 

However, it would appear that it is the business model of companies such as Viagogo that is driving up prices and causing the need for consumers to seek out alternative sources of tickets in the first place.

 

The blogosphere this morning was awash with references to unfair ticket prices. Friday morning is the traditional time for tickets to go on sale to the general public.

 

Gigs by Blur, One Direction and Pulp all appeared to sell out in minutes and then appear on Viagogo's site soon after at marked-up prices.

 

Hodgson urged people to raise the issue with their MP.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/24/viagogo-rip-off_n_1298740.html?ref=uk

[Tash]

Another article, probably saying the same things.

[Black Rose]

Busted :P

 

I'm suprised there was no mention of Get Me In.

[getithom]

Join them next week for their 5 year investigation into Sky:blue; water:wet!

 

:lol:

[Black Rose]

"If promoters put tickets into the secondary market then the result is that prices are brought down whilst also ensuring that some of the tickets available in the secondary are actually genuine one"

 

LOL

 

"Those fans would be happier that a premium paid "went to the artist via the promoter rather than went to a tout", it said"

 

Yeah right, I bet the artists don't get any more money than they would if that ticket was sold at face-value.

 

"tickets that touts put onto the secondary market don't actually exist and those that do are not in their possession to sell on".

 

Well as the venues don't send the tickets out until a few weeks before the show, it is likely the touts won't have the tickets in their possession, neither would any other ticket holder.

[dman23]

well, they are not completely wrong...

if viagogo and etc would not buy those tickets then professional scouters will... its what they do and they have the resource and connections to get the tickets before us

and in that case there will be much more fraud to deal with, and higher prices for us(real fans) to pay

its not the best situation but it could be worse...

[Jenjie]

so instead of spending the ticket company's money inflating ticket prices, they could put that money into beating touts. but oh yeah, wait a minute, the ticket company wouldn't get that extra profit if they did that would they?