Following a sharp increase in the cost of tickets for Oasis’s reunion shows, Taoiseach Simon Harris declared that “probing” into pricing practices should be done in the ticketing business.
When the band’s two shows at Dublin’s Croke Park were announced, hundreds of thousands of fans who had been waiting in online lines for tickets were horrified to discover that, by the time they were able to buy them, standing tickets had become extremely expensive.
Some were offered at dynamic price of €415.50 per unit.
“Legitimate concerns around the consumer experiences of buying concert tickets this weekend,” according to a Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) official, are there.
“We are actively reviewing the situation and we will consider all options to ensure consumer protection law is followed,” reports Breaking News.
“The monopoly held by one company is something that I think does deserve probing and also the issue around surcharges and the like. I do think this needs to be reviewed and look, if there’s actions government needs to take in terms of the future, let’s look at that, let’s take action in relation that. But I think there’s a bad taste in the mouths of people here in relation to pricing, surcharge, and we do have to be conscious we are dealing with a monopoly situation here as well. So I would very much welcome a probe in relation to this, a full report being able to be provided, and of course, it’s deferred to my colleague the Minister for Enterprise in terms of how best that takes place,” the Taoiseach said, reports Breaking News.
He added the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is being contacted by the Minister of Enterprise.
Working class Oasis fans “who got them where they are” are being “thrown under the bus,” according to Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald, because of a “crazy” price structure.
Platinum and in-demand ticket prices are determined by their market value and are subject to fluctuate, according to the Ticketmaster website.
She added: “I saw somebody put it directly to Oasis that they’re a working class group, the working class got them where they are and they’re throwing them under the bus. The dynamic pricing … to me it’s crazy that permission would be given for concerts, without any notification as to the cost of tickets. I think it just needs to stop. We’ve raised this time and again. Louise O’Reilly has been very active on this question with government. This has happened with Oasis, but it’s happened with other concerts and other acts as well. It’s completely unfair. You enter into a lottery, really, in terms of getting your tickets, rather than a straight transaction. Whether it’s Oasis or Taylor Swift, or the Wolfe Tones, or the man on the moon who’s performing, the consumer should know what the price ranges are, that they’re fixed prices, and then everybody tries to get in first and get the tickets that they want,” reports Breaking News.
Ticketmaster said that company does not control the rates when questioned about this matter by the PA news agency.
It is acknowledged that promoters, not artists, determine ticket prices.
Many many more never made it that far and missed out totally, even though thousands had the opportunity to purchase valuable tickets to the performances at Croke Park, reports Breaking News.
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