Federal Court finds Viagogo guilty of misleading consumers

Swiss-based ticket reseller Viagogo - which resold tickets to events including tennis’ Australian Open, Ashes cricket matches and music concerts - was making false claims to customers it was an official ticket seller according to Federal Court Justice Stephen Burley.

In Court today, Justice Burley advised that the reseller also broke the law by claiming tickets were about to sell out and by not stating clearly how much it would charge in booking fees.

In one case, a Victorian psychiatric nurse was charged $104.98 in fees when she booked two tickets to comedy theatre show The Book of Mormon in 2017.

The woman said several warnings that tickets were running out made her feel anxious and that she paid the fees as she was worried she’d lose her tickets.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chief Executive Rod Sims said Viagogo used claims like “less than 1% tickets” remaining to create a false sense of urgency.

In a statement, Sims advised “Viagogo was charging extraordinarily high booking fees and many consumers were caught out."

The Court will decide penalties and orders against Viagogo at a later date.