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UK: Ad industry regulator wants clarity from secondary market ticketing sites

By  |  March 7, 2018

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published a new ruling regarding the way secondary ticketing websites present pricing information. It also demands that Viagogo stops using the words “official site” and “100% Guarantee.”

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    The advertising industry regulator is the latest UK authority to put the spotlight on the ticket resale market. In addition to new laws passed by Parliament via the 2015 Consumer Rights Act and 2017 Digital Economy Act, both the Competition & Markets Authority and National Trading Standards have been investigating the operations of the big secondary ticketing platforms and the ticket touts who use them to resell tickets for profit.

    The ASA said that UK advertising rules require quoted prices to include non-optional taxes and fees that apply to all or at least most buyers, and that all operators must comply with this.

    Secondary ticketing companies must ensure that their pricing is transparent by including clear and relevant information about additional fees at the beginning of the “customer journey”—before a potential buyer makes a decision about whether to go ahead with a purchase, the ASA said.

    Full Content: Independent

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