C A.

My husband purchased 2 Trevor Noah tickets for Dec 21st for my Christmas present last week. A few days later it was announced that the concert was postponed. There is no contact number for Viagogo so we called Ticketmaster. We were told we have been scammed and that our tickets are fake. We were told the original name of the purchaser is A. Nesterov in Russia. Apparently these scam artists buy one real ticket from Ticketmaster and make several copies of this ticket and post online with huge admin mark up fees. I can't believe we have fallen for such a scam. I guess Viagogo's response (if they ever respond) will be that until we turn up and present our tickets at the venue they may not be fakes. However, we are not in the UAE next year so cannot even try turning up to discover if they are fake or not! As the Ticketmaster guy said "good luck trying to get your money back, it will never happen." It would be interesting to hear how many other people have bought tickets off a Mr A Nestorov!

I have since found out that Viagogo are under investigation in the UK.

CMA secures court order against viagogo. Hopefully this will apply in the UAE.

Ticket resale site viagogo must overhaul the way it does business to comply with a court order, secured after CMA enforcement action.

Published 27 November 2018
From:
Competition and Markets Authority
Image of fans at a gig watching a band
This development results from legal proceedings launched by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in August over concerns that viagogo was breaking consumer protection law.

The court has agreed to make a legally binding order instructing viagogo to comply with the law by:

Telling purchasers of tickets if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door
Informing customers which seat in the venue they will get
Providing information about who is selling the ticket, so people can benefit from enhanced legal rights when buying from a business
Not giving misleading information about the availability and popularity of tickets - which had the potential to lead to customers being rushed into making a buying decision or making the wrong choice
Making it easy for people to get their money back under viagogo's guarantee when things go wrong
Preventing the sale of tickets a seller does not own and may not be able to supply
It will also ensure that viagogo does not repeat historic failures to make its customers aware of the face value of tickets on sale through its site.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said:

This court order is a victory for anyone who decides to buy a ticket through viagogo. We have been clear throughout our investigation that people who use these resale websites must know key facts before parting with their hard-earned money, including what seat they will get and whether there is a risk they might not actually get into the event at all.

Viagogo has agreed to a comprehensive overhaul of its site to ensure it respects the law, just like the other resale sites who have already signed commitments to improve the information they offer and give people a fair deal.

Today's court order, which is a significant outcome for consumers, must be complied with by mid-January the same deadline set for other resale sites that have already agreed to change their practices. It has been secured after viagogo agreed to address all of the CMA's concerns, without the need for a trial. The order is legally binding and enforceable by the court.

The order the court has agreed to make today will now ensure consumers' rights are protected quickly, without the need for further legal action.

The CMA continues to work closely with partner agencies and enforcers to drive up standards in the sector.