Original article published on Complete Music Update (03/07/18) by Chris Cooke

The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published a new ruling concerning StubHub, Seatwave, Get Me In, and Viagogo's pricing presentation, and is demanding Viagogo stop using the words "official site" and "100-percent Guarantee." The ruling comes in the wake of "sector-wide" investigations revealing that advertisers in the ticket resale market "were not upfront and clear with consumers about additional ticket fees and charges that were added at the end of the booking process." The ASA is instructing secondary sites to make the total price of purchasing a ticket transparent from the beginning, and to list booking and delivery fees. This "first-screen" alert of the total price has been adopted by most primary-ticketing sector players. The ASA also says it has banned Viagogo from using the claim "official site," as it misleadingly suggests it is an official primary-ticket outlet and not a secondary ticket website. The ban on Viagogo's use of "100-percent Guarantee" was imposed because it gives consumers the false sense that they "were guaranteed entry to the relevant venue when there was in fact a reasonable risk that buyers might not be able to gain entry into an event." The FanFair anti-scalping campaign welcomes the ruling, although it cautions, "what's absolutely crucial now is enforcement. Without proper sanctions, we fear that much-needed reforms will not be implemented, particularly by Viagogo, and the public will continue to be duped."

Read the full story on the Complete Music Update website.