Government minister warns consumers against buying tickets from Viagogo

Ticket reselling firm has failed to comply with advertising regulator's rules

The ASA has accused Viagogo of failing to be clear about costs and fees for booking tickets (REUTERS)

The government’s digital minister has warned concertgoers not to use ticket reseller Viagogo, as Trading Standards launches an investigation into the company.

Digital minister Margot James told BBC Radio 5 Live that fans looking to buy tickets from a secondary site should not choose Viagogo, one of four major ticket reselling firms in the UK, because “they are the worst”.

Meanwhile, National Trading Standards said on Wednesday that it had been in contact with the Advertising Standards Authority in relation to Viagogo.

“As such we have now launched an investigation into Viagogo, which will look at all legal options to bring them into compliance with the law,” a spokesperson for Trading Standards said.

Viagogo has 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.

The ASA said it contacted Viagogo in March requesting that the company make changes to its website, and the firm said it would make the necessary amendments.

However, the ASA added, as of Wednesday, Viagogo’s website “continues to include pricing information that is in breach of the CAP Code and the ASA’s ruling”. As a result, Viagogo has been placed in the ‘non-compliant advertisers’ section of the ASA’s website.

Viagogo has been contacted for comment.

The company was not the only firm implicated in the ASA’s crackdown earlier this year: StubHub, Seatwave and GetMeIn were also accused of misleading customers about fees and charges when booking tickets.