Ticketmaster to be investigated as Oasis fans left paying hundreds more for reunion tour

Specifically, the regulator looking into whether the sale of Oasis tickets by Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law.

As part of the investigation, the CMA will examine whether the ticket and sales distribution company took part in unfair commercial practices.

This is prohibited under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Furthermore, the regulator will scrutinise whether Britons were given proper information to explain whether tickets could be subject to "dynamic pricing".

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This is a pricing strategy which permits businesses to put in place flexible prices based on current market demands.

As part of the CMA's probe, investigators will explore whether people were put under pressure to buy tickets within a short period of time for a higher price than they understood they would have to pay, potentially impacting their purchasing decisions.

It should be noted that the CMA is only at the initial stage of its investigation and will engage with Ticketmaster, as well as other stakeholders.

As such, the regulator emphasised that Ticketmaster should not be assumed to have broken consumer protection laws.

On top of this, the CMA is also open to investigating the conduct of anyone else in relation to the issue.

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: "It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation.

"It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out.

"We want to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so that we can investigate whether existing consumer protection law has been breached."

Over the weekend, Oasis fans were asked to pay as much as £350 per ticket which is around £200 more than what was promoted.

In a statement, the band said: "[Ticketmaster] needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management."

Ticketmaster has previously said it does not set concert prices and its website asserts this is the responsibility of the "event organiser" which "has priced these".

Responses to the CMA's call for evidence will be taken up until Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 5pm.

GB News has contacted Ticketmaster for comment.