The Netherlands - Consumer Authority takes further action to force websites that re-sell tickets to adapt their practices
The Consumer Authority has once again imposed daily penalties for non-compliance on four companies who re-sell tickets online for concerts and (sporting) events, due to the fact that they have taken insufficient steps to comply with the rules governing information provided to consumers.
The four websites concerned are the following:
- ticketunlimited.nl
- pepetickets.nl
- ticketsnederland.nl
- kaartverkoop.nl
and the versions of these websites available in other languages.
The Consumer Authority requires that these websites are adapted in a number of respects, including:
- Stating that the tickets on sale are being re-sold
- Informing consumers of the potential risks that they run as a result of purchasing such tickets
- Stating the price in the proper manner
- Stating the details of the company that runs the website
If the companies fail to implement the adaptations in good time, they will forfeit penalties of up to 5000 euro per week per violation up to a maximum 100,000 euro per violation. The Consumer Authority already imposed daily penalties on five other websites on which tickets are re-sold last September. During a recent inspection, it emerged that all five websites (4alltickets, tickets4events, budgetticket, onlineticketshop and worldticketshop) had failed to fully comply with the requirements for which the penalties were imposed, and for that reason penalties totalling 25,000 euro were demanded from the companies.
Bernadette van Buchem, Director of the Consumer Authority, explains: "It is important that the consumer makes a conscious choice as to whether or not he or she wishes to purchase a ticket that is being re-sold. Consumers can only do that if they have been fully informed and that is why we are supervising this area so closely. Information on the internet is transient in nature and we will therefore continue to take a critical approach in monitoring these companies".
Action taken by the Consumer Authority
The Consumer Authority has recently taken a number of steps to ensure that websites that re-sell tickets improve the quality of the information that they provide to consumers. Last May, the Consumer Authority announced that it would take action against websites that had not ensured that their information provision complied with the regulations.
The Consumer Authority aleready imposed daily penalties on five other websites on which tickets are re-sold last September. Objections to these penalties have been filed on behalf of three websites, whilst penalties totalling 25,000 euro have recently been demanded from all five websites.
The four companies who have now been imposed with penalties have informed the Consumer Authority that they will adapt their websites. By imposing penalties the Consumer Authority intends to ensure that they will continue to adhere to the rules in the future and it will therefore continue to monitor the companies to ensure that this is the case.
Over the coming period, the Consumer Authority will consider whether other websites that are not yet complying with the rules will also be subject to this measure.
The Consumer Authority has named unfair online commercial practices as one of its priority areas this year and taking action against the online sale of tickets forms one of the areas of focus in this regard.
Further information: Saskia Bierling, Press Spokesperson for the Consumer Authority, telephone: +31(0)70-330 59 71, mobile: +31(0)6-52 52 70 11, email: pers@consumentenautoriteit.nl.
For consumers, more information can be found at http://www.consuwijzer.nl/