- Tickets for major concerts being re-sold in breach of new laws
- Several online ticket re-selling sites under investigation
- Consumers advised to buy tickets only from authorised agents
Ticket sales for upcoming major concerts to be held in Perth next year are now in Consumer Protection’s sights after reports that tickets are being sold at prices not allowed under WA’s new ticket scalping laws.
Investigations are underway into pre-sale tickets for the Billie Eilish concerts at the RAC Arena on 29 and 30 September 2022 being offered at more than the allowed ten percent mark-up. Tickets being sold for many other planned 2022 major concerts are also part of the probe.
Ticket re-sellers who breach the new laws could face prosecution with potential maximum fines of up to $100,000 for companies and $20,000 for individuals.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Gary Newcombe said, despite being warned to comply with the new laws, some re-sellers are continuing to operate business as usual.
“We had remarkable success in limiting the number of tickets being re-sold for the AFL Grand Final, so now we are focussing on the high demand popular concerts where already we are seeing tickets being sold in breach of the law,” Mr Newcombe said.
“It is the responsibility of these re-sellers to identify illegal ticket sales on their websites and remove them, otherwise they are breaking the law and we won’t hesitate to take prosecution action, even if they are based overseas.
“Consumers need to stay clear of these third party re-sellers which often appear at the top of an internet search, and only purchase from the authorised seller who are promoted in the event’s advertising and by the venue.
“Tickets purchased via a re-seller could be cancelled by the concert organiser or the venue and there is also a high chance that the tickets are fake, resulting in disappointed ticket holders being denied entry.”
In summary, be aware that buying a ticket through an unauthorised re-seller carries a large amount of risk:
- You could be turned away at the venue and not allowed in;
- You might not get the seats you ordered, or you might not be made aware of certain conditions, such as a restricted view;
- If the event is cancelled, you might not receive a refund; and
- You could lose your money and the opportunity to attend the event if the tickets are not delivered, or if the tickets are counterfeit.
