Competition watchdog seeks to find Viagogo in contempt of court
The UK’s competition watchdog is to launch proceedings to find online ticket marketplace Viagogo in contempt of court, it announced today.
Read more: MPs warn consumers against using ticket reseller Viagogo
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the move comes after Viagogo allegedly failed to overhaul the way it presents information on its website after repeated warnings.
In November the CMA obtained a court order that obliged Switzerland-based Viagogo to alter its website to comply with UK consumer protection law.
Yet the CMA today said it believed the ticket website does not give people enough of a warning that certain tickets might not get them into events.
It also said Viagogo is still using misleading ticket availability information, for instance saying there are more tickets left on sale than are actually available.
Yet a Viagogo spokesperson said: “We deny the allegations that we are in breach of compliance with their regulations.”
Viagogo has previously said it was making changes to its website. The CMA said that while “many positive changes have been made”, they are “not enough”.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “It is simply not good enough that Viagogo is continuing to drag its heels by not complying in full with this important court order.”
“We are very concerned that it still hasn’t done what it was ordered to do. We are now taking the next step in legal action to ask a court to find Viagogo in contempt,” he said.
The Viagogo spokesperson said: “No contempt of court has actually been filed against us at this time, and per the protocol of the order we have until 18 July to respond to the CMA’s concerns.”
Read more: Competition regulator preparing to launch fresh court action against Viagogo
“We will continue to work closely with the CMA, as we have been for the past year,” the spokesperson said.