Viagogo Hit With €1 Million Fine In Italy Over Secondary Ticketing

ROME (CelebrityAccess) — Italian anti-trust regulators have hit the Italian operation of secondary ticketing company Viagogo with a €1 million over alleged anti-consumer practices.

According to IQ Mag, Italian Competition Authority (AGCM accused Viagogo.it of listing tickets that failed for sale and failing to display the full face value of each ticket, as well as information about the seat location and the total price inclusive of fees.

The investigation was launched in April 2017 when the AGCM fined four ticket resale services, including the Swiss-based Viagogo €700,000 collectively for failing to provide accurate information to consumers. The companies were given sixty days to comply with the legal requirements of Italy’s consumer laws.

However, a year later, AGCM determined that Viagogo had failed to toe the line and imposed the fine.

Viagogo is also facing regulatory scrutiny in Spain after the public prosecutor’s office in Valencia announced it was looking into ticket pricing for two shows by the Irish rock band U2 held in Madrid in September, IQ reported.

At the same time, the CTS Eventim-affiliated TicketOne successfully battled a €1m fine of its own, after an Italian district court overturned the fine, finding that TicketOne had failed to take adequate steps to prevent the circulation of tickets on the secondary market, causing harm to consumers.

TicketOne fought the charge, claiming it had taken the “utmost care and diligence” in its ticketing operations.

Stefano Lionetti, chief executive of TicketOne, said: “We have always distanced ourselves from unlawful and speculative business practices that occur within the secondary ticketing market.

“Therefore, we are very satisfied that the Court confirmed that the allegations made against us were wrongful. Over and above, the ruling underlines that our company has always operated with transparency and professionalism.”