Ticketmaster have confirmed that the range of prices for concert tickets will be made available to fans when they join a queue, as well as when the cheaper seats sell out.
These are part of a wide range of commitments from the ticket purchasing site, who also revealed that buyers will be told at least 24 hours prior to a sale being made if tiered pricing is being used, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said.
They have said that Ticketmaster would “make sure fans have the information they need when they spend their hard-earned cash to see the artists they love”.
This comes following a probe by the CMA into the way Ticketmaster sold tickets for Oasis' reunion tour.
Following this investigation, it was found that Ticketmaster did not tell fans who were waiting in these queues that standing tickets were sold at two different places, and prices for these tickets soon jumped as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
It emerged that some "platinum" tickets were sold at two and a half times the price of "standard" tickets without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits in the same areas of the venue.
The CMA have now said that Ticketmaster must now inform fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used, as it was for Oasis standing tickets, which means that fans will know beforehand that there will be multiple prices for the same type of ticket available and that more expensive ones will be released once the cheapest ones sell out.
Tickets must also be described accurately and not to use any misleading labels to avoid giving any impression that one ticket is better that another when that is not true.
The CMA also said that Ticketmaster promised to uphold these commitments voluntarily, and without making any admission of wrongdoing or liability.
"Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront", CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said. “We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it".
“The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money. If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action".
On this, Ticketmaster said: “We welcome the CMA’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law".
“To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues. This builds on our capped resale, strong bot protection and clear pricing displays — and we encourage the CMA to hold the entire industry to these same standards".
On this, Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb added: “While it’s positive that Ticketmaster has agreed to follow the rules moving forward, it is disappointing that the CMA is not using its power to demand refunds for fans".
“Those who felt ripped off when buying Oasis tickets last year will undoubtedly feel let down that Ticketmaster hasn’t been held to account for its past behaviour", she added. "Since this incident the CMA has been given stronger powers. It needs to show that it is willing to use them to create a meaningful deterrent for breaches of consumer law".
