Viagogo is an online ticket marketplace that allows people to buy and sell tickets for events. It operates globally and provides access to tickets for concerts, theater shows, and sporting events. However, Viagogo has received its share of controversy, with many questioning if the tickets being resold on the platform are legitimate. In this article, we’ll examine Viagogo’s business model, common concerns about fake or invalid tickets, what protections are offered to buyers, and provide some tips on safely using Viagogo.
What is Viagogo?
Viagogo is a secondary ticket marketplace founded in London in 2006. It connects buyers and sellers to resell live event tickets such as for music concerts, sports games, and theater shows. Sellers can list tickets they are unable to use, while buyers can search for and purchase tickets to sold out or high demand events.
Viagogo operates as a platform and states that it does not buy or sell tickets itself. Instead it allows third party ticket resellers, both professional ticket brokers and individuals, to list available tickets. Viagogo collects a commission from both the buyer and seller on each ticket sale.
The company handles the transaction but states that the actual ticket contract is between the buyer and seller. Viagogo says it provides customer support and a guarantee to both buyers and sellers using its platform.
Concerns over fake or invalid tickets
While Viagogo opens up access to hard to get tickets, it has received a fair amount of criticism over the years. One of the biggest concerns is around fake or invalid tickets being sold on the site.
Some of the issues reported by buyers include:
- Tickets already being used and invalid
- Tickets canceled or blacklisted by the event organizer
- Tickets for different seats or dates than advertised
- Tickets that don’t arrive in time, or at all
- high fees being charged on top of ticket prices
In some cases, buyers report arriving at the venue only to be told their ticket is not valid. This can leave them scrambling at the last minute to purchase a new ticket, often at an even higher cost due to very limited availability on the day of an event.
While fake tickets are certainly a risk, it’s worth noting that problems are not reported in all cases. Many buyers do successfully purchase legitimate tickets through Viagogo each year. However, the risk does seem higher compared to buying directly through official sources.
Why does this happen?
There are a few factors that contribute to instances of fraudulent or invalid tickets being sold through Viagogo:
Limited verification of sellers
Unlike primary ticket sellers, Viagogo does not actually source or generate the ticket inventory on its platform. Instead it relies entirely on third party sellers listing their tickets for resale.
Viagogo does not have the same ability to verify if each seller actually has valid ticket inventory or ownership. While it does have some seller requirements, these have been criticized as insufficient to weed out bad actors.
Speculative ticket listings
Another issue is that Viagogo allows sellers to list tickets that they do not yet possess but hope to acquire. This includes cases of sellers listing tickets for events months in advance, despite having no guarantee of actually getting those tickets when they later go on sale.
If the seller fails to acquire the tickets as planned, then buyers may be left empty handed. While speculative selling is allowed, Viagogo has been sued in some regions for not properly identifying which tickets are “guaranteed” versus “speculative” at time of purchase.
Lack of transferable tickets
Some events now use restrictive paperless ticketing, where the purchaser’s name and information is attached to the ticket. This aims to cut down on scalping of in-demand shows.
However it creates an issue on resale sites when the new ticket buyer’s name doesn’t match the original purchaser. In these cases, the organizer can cancel or invalidate the ticket, meaning the buyer is denied entry.
Delays in buyer protection
Viagogo’s stated buyer protection kicks in when a ticket is found to be invalid or doesn’t arrive in time. However, some buyers report lengthy delays to get resolutions, for example being forced to buy last minute replacement tickets out of pocket first.
Viagogo’s arguments
In response to criticism, Viagogo makes several counterpoints:
- The vast majority of ticket sales on its platform go through without issue.
- Only a tiny fraction of tickets lead to buyer disputes each year.
- Its guarantee backs up buyers who receive invalid tickets.
- Ticket fraud and restrictive policies by organizers are also to blame.
- It expands consumer choice in a limited ticket market.
Viagogo argues it is supporting an open secondary market where prices are set by supply and demand. It sees itself as empowering buyers by giving them access to high demand tickets that primary sellers could not.
It argues organizers who implement paperless ticketing or invalidating practices are anti-consumer. Viagogo believes the right of the ticket owner to resell or transfer should be upheld.
Viagogo’s buyer guarantee
To provide confidence to buyers, Viagogo offers a “Viagogo Guarantee” on ticket purchases. This acts as a form of buyer protection against invalid or unusable tickets.
The key details of Viagogo’s ticket guarantee are:
- A full refund of the amount paid by the buyer (excluding shipping fees)
- The refund includes an additional compensation payment up to the ticket value, if replacement tickets cannot be sourced
- Replacement tickets if available, for an event about to happen
- Refunds provided within 10 business days of the claim being accepted
To make a claim under the guarantee, buyers have to contact Viagogo customer support and provide information and evidence about the ticket problem. Claims need to be made promptly and not more than 30 days after the event date.
The buyer also must have made reasonable efforts to resolve the issue, such as working with the event organizer if the ticket was found invalid.
Lawsuits and regulatory action
Viagogo has faced its fair share of legal trouble over the years relating to its resale practices. Here are some notable lawsuits and rulings against the platform:
UK’s Competition and Markets Authority
One of the biggest cases involved action by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority starting in 2017. After investigating, the CMA took Viagogo to court for multiple violations of consumer protection law.
This included concerns over misleading statements, hidden costs, failure to display seat numbers, and more. The courts ruled in the CMA’s favor, eventually resulting in Viagogo agreeing to change its site to comply with UK law.
Court cases in Australia and Germany
Viagogo has faced court injunctions in multiple countries trying to force it to modify its local sites.
In Australia, Google was ordered in 2020 to suspend much of Viagogo’s advertising over concerns of it selling invalid tickets. Viagogo lost federal court appeals trying to overturn the decision.
In Germany, a 2019 supreme court ruling required Viagogo to make greater disclosures around the probability of acquiring speculative tickets that sellers had not yet obtained.
Class action lawsuit in US
A 2019 consumer class action lawsuit was brought against Viagogo in the United States. It focused on issues around speculative ticket sales where sellers did not actually own or have access to tickets they listed.
The lawsuit resulted in Viagogo agreeing to provide an extended period where buyers could receive refunds if the tickets failed to arrive as promised. Viagogo was also required to make its operations more transparent around speculative sales.
Using Viagogo safely
If you do decide to purchase tickets through Viagogo, here are some tips to reduce the chances of issues:
- Stick to ticket listings that are verified and “guaranteed” – avoid speculative unconfirmed tickets.
- Understand the ticket limitations – such as non-transferable paperless tickets that must match your ID.
- Research the seller’s reviews and reputation.
- Pay using a credit card for buyer protection.
- Ensure you receive the e-tickets promptly and verify ticket details.
- For high cost or high risk events, strongly consider ticket insurance.
- Be familiar with Viagogo’s buyer guarantee and how to claim it.
- Leave plenty of time before the event date in case there are issues to resolve.
- When possible, purchase directly from the event organizer as the lower risk option.
Following tips like these can help minimize the chance of winding up with invalid tickets. However, there is inherently more risk buying through a secondary reseller marketplace.
Conclusion
Viagogo provides a platform for buyers to get often hard to find tickets to live events. But there are also legitimate concerns around fake, unusable, or misrepresented tickets being sold through the site.
Buyers do benefit from Viagogo’s guarantee which provides refunds in cases of invalid tickets. However, dealing with ticket problems close to an event can be a headache.
While some buyers do get value using Viagogo, there are risks involved compared to buying directly from primary sellers. As a buyer, you need to do your research and proceed with caution. Consider if the ticket savings are worth the elevated risk of issues you may encounter.