TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2017
STAR WELCOMES CMA ENFORCEMENT ACTION
Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive of STAR said, “It’s great to see that the CMA will be taking enforcement action against those resale websites that are still failing to comply with the law. We also look forward to further discussions with the CMA on how event organisers can provide effective resale restrictions that don’t run the risk of being challenged as unfair. Ultimately, we hope that customers will be able to rely on a ticket resale market that is uniformly responsible and accountable under UK law.”
In December 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced its enforcement investigation into the online secondary tickets market. Today, they have provided an update on that work and confirmed they will now take enforcement action against websites suspected of breaking consumer protection law. In addition, they have broadened the scope of their investigation to include a number of additional issues, including pressure selling and the speculative listing of tickets for resale.
The CMA has also recognised the need for event organisers that have a legitimate reason for restricting resale, and where those restrictions are necessary and proportionate, to understand how they can do so without their terms being challenged as unfair. The CMA has listed a number of helpful considerations that event organisers should take into account when seeking to restrict resale on which they are inviting industry feedback.
Earlier this year, STAR was pleased to arrange and host two meetings for key organisations across the entertainment sector. These were to bring the industry together with the relevant government departments and the CMA to discuss the conclusions of the Waterson review of the secondary ticket market, published in May 2016. These meetings included opportunities for the CMA to talk to the industry about how unfair terms law applies to ticketing terms and conditions, particularly in in respect of ticket resale restrictions, and to listen to our feedback. This dialogue will continue.
About the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR):
Currently celebrating its twentieth year, STAR is the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry. Charged with promoting excellent service and improving standards across the entertainment industry, STAR members work to a strict Code of Practice and a dispute conciliation service operates to help customers resolve outstanding complaints.
STAR is approved as a consumer ADR body for the purposes of the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015. This approval is granted by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute under arrangements delegated to them by the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Model Terms and Conditions for the Sale of Entertainment Tickets were drafted in consultation with what was then the Office of Fair Trading and published in 2009.
The Society’s many members include all the UK's major authorised ticket agents as well as arenas, theatres, producers and promoters throughout London and the UK. Between them, members of STAR sell more than 50 million tickets a year.
Membership of STAR can be recognised by the use of the STAR logo and a full list of members is available at www.star.org.uk/all-members/
STAR is dedicated to ensuring high levels of customer service and ticket buyers who experience a problem with their purchase from a STAR member can contact the STAR helpline on 01904 234737, email info@star.org.uk or write to STAR, PO Box 708, St Leonard's Place, York, YO1 0GT.
