The German Consumer Protection Foundation (SKS) has warned against buying festival tickets via the Viagogo online platform. Tickets would be too expensive and entry would not be guaranteed. The company denies these accusations.
A day pass for the Gurtenfestival in Bern is twice as expensive as the official price, the Foundation for Consumer Protection wrote in a statement on Monday. On the official festival website, it costs 116.50 francs. On Viagogo, for a day pass for Friday, for example, tickets were available on Monday for 289 francs or 333 francs.
The example also applies to Paléo. On the official ticket office, the Nyon festival (VD) sells subscriptions for the six days at the price of 400 francs (330 at the reduced rate). On the resale platform, the price of the same ticket can rise above 1,400 francs.
Viagogo is, in its own words, a secondary market for the sale of event tickets. “Prices are set by sellers and may be lower or higher than the market price,” the site reads.
Additional costs
Since July 1, Viagogo has also violated the right to information on prices and only displays the costs at the time of the order, the SKS again criticized. For its part, Viagogo writes that the final costs for VAT, booking and delivery as well as handling are calculated once the preferred delivery method and the buyer’s location have been selected.
People who cannot attend an event for valid reasons are not reimbursed, according to the foundation. According to the company’s website, it is not possible to cancel or exchange a purchased ticket. On the other hand, resale is possible – for example if a person cannot participate in the event due to a Covid-19 infection.
Finally, consumer protection also criticized the fact that tickets often do not allow access to the event. In a statement, Viagogo wrote to the Keystone-ATS news agency that tickets are only paid for once the buyer has gained access to the event. In the event of a problem, a refund or a replacement ticket is offered. In 2019, less than one percent of all transactions reportedly experienced issues.
Recurring reviews
In recent years, Viagogo has been criticized on several occasions. EU consumer advocates have also warned against the Swiss platform. In 2020, however, the Federal Court rejected a complaint by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) against Viagogo.
Last year, however, the platform lost after a complaint from Cirque Knie. The Federal Court had found that the platform had used unfair methods when selling tickets for circus performances.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats