New UK Government Rules On Secondary Ticketing In Effect

New rules on secondary ticketing in the UK’s consumer law, which came into force April 6, demand that ticket resale sites provide buyers with all the information they require to make a sound purchase.

Maurice – UK Resumes Secondary Ticketing Inquiry
The UK’s consumer law has been updated to offer greater protection agains secondary ticketing rip-offs

To enable buyers to identify their seats at any given venue, resellers in the UK have to supply a unique ticket number (UTN), provided that the event’s organizer specifies one. If the ticket provides access to standing areas or any other location, this has to be disclosed as well.

Customers need to be able to determine, whether their tickets hold any restrictions, whether they, for example, require the ID of the original buyer, and they need to be made aware of the original ticket’s face-value price.

Resellers need to also disclose whether they have any connections to the website they’re selling on, or to the event’s organizer. The UK’s consumer minister Andrew Griffiths said: “We are already taking steps to crack down on touts using ‘bots’ to bulk buy tickets for resale and today’s new rules will also improve transparency in this market.”

Adam Webb, campaign manager of the FanFair Alliance, welcomed the updates and additions to the country’s consumer law. He said: “so-called secondary ticketing sites should now have complete clarity of their legal obligations.”

Margot James, minister for digital and the creative industries, added: “We want real fans to get the chance to see their favorite stars at a fair price. These new measures will give consumers even greater protection and transparency in the secondary market, helping Britain’s live events scene to continue to thrive.”

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher pointed out how important it was that these new rules were now “actively monitored and enforced to ensure compliance with the law to protect music fans from being screwed over by sites offering tickets at vastly inflated prices.”

He added: “Google has a role to play here too. It is deeply worrying that the much-hyped changes to their advertising policies are still allowing Viagogo to appear at the top of search results despite the site not disclosing the face value of tickets up for resale. Google needs to up its game and kick secondary sites that flout the law into touch.”