LONDON (CelebrityAccess) The Advertising Standards Agency in the U.K. has referred secondary ticketing provider Viagogo to the National Trading Standards for what it says is a failure to make changes to misleading pricing information on its website.
The ASA gave Viagogo the deadline of May 29 to make the necessary changes demanded and it failed to do so, according to the regulatory committee.
“Viagogo was given clear warning and handed the opportunity to play fair with consumers by removing misleading pricing information from its website; its failure to do so means it will now face the consequences,” ASA CEO Guy Parker said in a statement. “Where an advertiser or business is unwilling or unable to follow the advertising rules we will act. In light of viagogo’s inability to get its house in order, we’re referring it to National Trading Standards to consider appropriate action.”
There have been 23 complaints to the ASA about the secondary ticketing company, some originating from campaign group FanFair Alliance and promoters Festival Republic and Kilimanjaro Live, according to IQ magazine. Complaints reference an advertisement that the complainants thought was confusing and didn’t make clear the additional fees and charges at checkout. Complainants also disliked Viagogo’s use of the term “official” in advertisements, according to IQ.
Viagogo recently failed to have a representative at a governmental hearing on ticket abuse and, when questioned about why the company was ignoring official government correspondence, threatened to call the police on two MPs, according to The Guardian. The two MP s had showed up at the company’s doorstep with one calling it a “shifty, slippery and secretive” company.
The National Trading Standards “is responsible for gathering important intelligence from around the country to combat rogue traders and tackle a number of priorities. These priorities currently include mass marketing and internet scams to other enforcement issues that go beyond local authority boundaries,” according to its website.
