Ireland’s consumer watchdog has effectively ruled out any investigation into the way tickets for next summer’s Oasis concerts were sold after some tickets jumped in price by more than 400 per cent on Ticketmaster within minutes on Saturday morning.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) pointed out there were “no price controls in Ireland, apart from in certain, limited areas”.
Businesses “are allowed to adjust their prices in response to demand or other factors, once an accurate price is displayed to the consumer in advance of the sale so they can decide if they want to proceed,” a spokeswoman for the commission said.
The Oasis ticket release, which left fans waiting for hours to buy tickets that went up in price over time, drew fresh criticism on Sunday from Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
Speaking in Skibbereen, Co Cork, he described as “quite shocking” the escalating prices which fans encountered as they bought tickets for the band’s two Croke Park gigs next August.
“We have the competition and consumer authority and I think there is a role there for it, which is the body designated to do these things, to investigate this.
“But more broadly speaking, I do think we need a strong reflection on this kind of runaway inflation on costs for concerts of these kinds, with so many people looking forward to it.
“Clearly, it is beyond the reach of many, many people to purchase or to be in a position to be able to afford a ticket to a concert given the rampant acceleration of price increases.
“There is still time for redemption I would hope and I would hope all of those organising this could reflect on what has transpired because certainly there are a lot of disappointed people out there from the perspective of what they would see as price gouging,” Mr Martin said.
The concert promoter MCD initially advertised tickets for next August’s shows “from €86.50″ but as the general sale progressed on Saturday, Ticketmaster deployed what is known as “in-demand pricing”.
That saw standing tickets for the Croke Park pitch reach €415, not including a service charge of more than €10 imposed by Ticketmaster.
The dramatic price jumps sparked outrage among many fans who had waited in virtual queues for hours only to be faced with the choice of paying far more than planned or miss the opportunity to see Noel and Liam Gallagher to perform as Oasis for the first time in more than 15 years.
Dublin MEP Regina Doherty was one of many voices demanding “a serious investigation into Ticketmaster by the CCPC after thousands of fans faced 400 per cent surprise price increases for Oasis tickets”.
She pointed out that the EU’s Digital Services Act had sections included specifically to ensure large platforms that control aspects of the digital economy “don’t just make up their own rules that are unfair for consumers.
“I think Ticketmaster’s ‘in-demand’ pricing structure certainly needs investigating in this context. Every ticket for these gigs was always going to be ‘in-demand’ so slapping an extra label and €300 on some standing tickets is just extortionate.”
However, in response to queries from The Irish Times, the CCPC played down the prospect of any investigation and said that under consumer law in Ireland, people only have to be “clearly informed of the full price of a product, including fees, before they buy”.
She said the commission’s role “in the context of ticket prices is to ensure that consumers are provided with clear and accurate information, for example, that they were told of all booking and related charges before they paid”.
While fans may have joined the queue believing tickets were going to be priced at one level and were only given short windows in which to decide whether or not to pay the “in-demand” prices, there is no question that they were not informed of the cost before choosing to buy.
Podcast: Why were the price of Oasis tickets so high?
With Conor Pope. Presented by Bernice Harrison.
The CCPC also warned fans “to be vigilant of scams” in the days and weeks ahead and pointed out that the number of fans disappointed has “created a perfect storm for scammers to take advantage”.
The spokeswoman added that when buying tickets, either in person or online, people should be absolutely certain that the seller is genuine.
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