The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into Ticketmaster’s sale of Oasis concert tickets last weekend.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said the move followed a review of more than 100 complaints received by its helpline.
“The CCPC has reviewed more than 100 contacts from consumers who are very disappointed and frustrated about their experience of buying tickets for Oasis concerts,” said Brian McHugh, Chair of the CCPC.
“While companies in Ireland are allowed to respond to market demand, there are legitimate concerns over how consumers were treated and we have decided that an in-depth investigation is necessary.”
“If we find that consumer protection laws were broken we will take action.”
Tickets for the reforming band’s two Irish gigs next year went on sale on Saturday morning.
But soon after fans took to social media and other platforms to vent frustration at the sales process, including the high prices being sought for some of the tickets for the Croke Park shows.
“The CCPC is grateful to consumers who have taken the time to call or email our helpline to share their experiences with us as their stories have helped us develop a picture of last weekend’s events,” Mr McHugh said.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The CCPC added that it would welcome written comments and any supporting materials from consumers about their experience of buying, or attempting to buy, Oasis tickets on the weekend of 31 August 2024.
The commission said consumers can send this to the investigation team at CEDinvestigation@ccpc.ie.
In a statement, Ticketmaster Ireland said: “We are committed to cooperating with the CCPC and look forward to sharing more facts about the ticket sales with them.”
Yesterday the UK’s competition watchdog launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over ticket sales for the band’s British concerts.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it would examine whether Ticketmaster breached consumer protection laws or engaged in unfair commercial practices.
It also said it would try to establish whether people were given clear and timely information to explain that the tickets could be subject to so-called “dynamic pricing”.
The authority said it would engage with Ticketmaster and gather evidence from various other sources, which may include the band’s management and event organisers.