Viagogo Agrees to Multiple Concessions Following European Commissions ‘Dialogue’

Photo Credit: Viagogo

Following pressure from campaigning organizations and ticket buyers, and a friendly ‘dialogue’ with the European Commission, secondary ticketing platform Viagogo agrees to multiple changes to its website.Secondary ticketing marketplace Viagogo has announced multiple upcoming changes to the functionality of its website following a friendly “dialogue” with the European Commission stemming from customer complaints and increased pressure from campaigning organizations.

These changes include clearly telling buyers whether tickets are being sold by a professional trader or another fan, letting customers choose exact seat numbers when available, and clarity around delivery fees. Viagogo will also allow more time for a user to apply for a refund if there are problems with a ticket purchase.

“I hope the commitments made by Viagogo will bring the company’s website and terms and conditions more in line with the requirements of EU consumer protection law,” said Věra Jourová, European Commission vice president for values and transparency. “I call on this market leader now to ensure a swift and accurate implementation of its commitments across the Union.”

Viagogo has agreed to implement a number of these changes to its terms and conditions by the end of August, including the ability for consumers to bring legal actions against the company in their own country within the EU under the protection of their national consumer law. Further, Viagogo cannot “unilaterally change” its terms and conditions without informing customers in advance, providing them with a “reasonable notice” to cancel their account without a fee.Despite the array of changes to which Viagogo agreed, the company refused to commit to a number of changes requested by the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network and the EU’s consumer protection laws. These include informing users about the amount of possible delivery fees at the beginning of the purchase procedure when multiple delivery options for a ticket are available.

They also refused to commit to changes to make it clear to customers that, in addition to remedies offered by Viagogo as an intermediary seller, they may also have rights via the actual ticket seller or the event organizer when an event is cancelled or postponed. The European Commission “urged” Viagogo to address these issues, and may resort to enforcement actions.

The CPC Network will now actively monitor how Viagogo implements the changes to which it has committed, and may decide to take enforcement measures should the company not implement the commitments properly or within the agreed timeframe.