ACCC confirms investigation of Boomers vs Team USA ticketing issues

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has confirmed it is investigating hundreds of complaints relating to International Basketball Series games between Australia and the United States at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium this week.

Following the withdrawal of star players from the basketball fixtures leading to claims of misleading advertising, ACCC Chairman, Rod Sims, said his team has been investigating the matter for more than a week and that event promoter TEG Live had issued some refunds.

Following further complaints about premium seating at Thursday’s first game, Sims told Guardian Australia “we’re now going to extend the investigation to see if people were misled about the seating.

“We need to look at what people were told, when they were told it in relation to the players, how long those ads were running, how many people bought tickets while those ads were running … what were they told in relation to the seating.

"Australian consumer law is all about whether consumers have been misled … we take allegations of misleading behaviour very seriously."

"The penalties for breaching the [Competition and Consumer] Act are significant … we have an active investigation underway as to whether there's been any breaches of the act in relation to this event."

Sims said the ACCC's role was to investigate any possible breaches of consumer law, adding “the issue is, were people misled? Now, you can be misled by what you were told about the quality of the seating, and you can be misled sometimes by what you're not told.

"So, yes, if you come along to an event and you're told, ‘Come along, buy the ticket, see the event’, you turn up, you find you can't see the event, that may well end up being misleading behaviour as well."

Sims said the ACCC's role was to investigate any possible breaches of consumer law, adding “the issue is, were people misled? Now, you can be misled by what you were told about the quality of the seating, and you can be misled sometimes by what you're not told.

"So, yes, if you come along to an event and you're told, ‘Come along, buy the ticket, see the event’, you turn up, you find you can't see the event, that may well end up being misleading behaviour as well."

Sims did not advise how long an investigation could take but said collecting evidence for potential legal action could take several months.

TEC could face hefty fines if it is convicted of breaching the Competition and Consumer Act, with penalties last year lifted from $1.1 million to $10 million, or three times the profit made or 10% of turnover.

Numerous fans, including Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe took to social media to share their unhappiness about restricted views from courtside seats.

One basketball fan who paid $500 for a ticket said he wanted his money back and described the marketing as a “rort”.

“When everyone was seated you could only see the players’ heads,” another fan posted on Twitter.

The second game between the Boomers and Team USA is being played tonight.

Image: A fan's view of the International Basketball Series court from the rear of the stands at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium. Courtesy Sharon O'Connor.