Ticketmaster to shut down controversial resale sites Seatwave and Get Me In

The competition watchdog has previously warned that secondary ticket sellers may be breaching the law by failing to properly inform customers about events or venues

The ticket seller said it will set up an exchange for people who can no longer attend a concert (Reuters)

Ticketmaster UK is shutting down its resale websites Get Me In and Seatwave and instead launching a new fan-to-fan ticket exchange to let customers sell tickets that can no longer be used.

The resale sites, controversial due to secondary sellers ramping up prices to make huge profits on tickets, will close from today onwards.

The ticket selling firm said: “We’ve listened and we hear you: secondary sites just don’t cut it anymore and you’re tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit.”

The firm said its new website, with the exchange service included, will be rolled out in October in the UK and Ireland, and across the rest of Europe early next year.

Ticketmaster recently admitted that a number of customers who had bought or tried to buy tickets through its services, may have been affected by a cyber attack.

Tens of thousands of UK consumers are believed to have been affected after malware was found inside third-party software running on Ticketmaster International, Ticketmaster, TicketWeb and Get Me In.

Digital and creative industries minister Margot James welcomed the decision to shut down the sites, and said: “We want real fans to be able to see their favourite artists and events at a fair price.

“This is a welcome move from Ticketmaster and shows that they’re following our lead and taking a tough stance on cracking down on unacceptable behaviour in the secondary ticket market.”

Get Me In and Seatwave were two of four major players in the tickets secondary market, with StubHub and Viagogo remaining.

The competition watchdog has previously vowed to crack down on secondary ticketing websites due to concerns that some of them may be breaking the law by failing to give customers full information about events or venues.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Ms James warned concertgoers not to use ticket reseller Viagogo, after Trading Standards launched an investigation into the company.

The website had previously been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for “failing to make clear upfront all fees that can be calculated in advance when making price claims”, putting it in breach of the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing, known as the CAP Code.

The ASA said it had received complaints about how prices were presented on the Viagogo website, with quoted costs not making clear to consumers that they would be expected to pay additional fees and charges when ordering tickets.