Ticketmaster probed in the UK over Oasis concert sales
CNN
Britain’s competition watchdog is investigating Ticketmaster over concerns the company treated customers unfairly when selling tickets to the upcoming Oasis reunion tour.
Britain’s competition watchdog is investigating Ticketmaster over concerns the company treated customers unfairly when selling tickets to the upcoming Oasis reunion tour. The probe presents a fresh headache for Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation, which also faces an antitrust lawsuit in the United States that could force a breakup of the firm, one of the world’s biggest concert promoters. The UK Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it would investigate whether fans were informed that the tickets could be subject to so-called dynamic pricing, where a business adjusts prices based on factors such as demand. “While the practice is not automatically unlawful, it may breach consumer protection or competition law in certain circumstances,” the CMA said in a statement. The authority will also consider whether people were pressured to buy tickets quickly at a higher price than they understood they would have to pay. “Consumer law is clear — ticket sales sites must be transparent in their dealings with consumers and give clear and accurate information about the price people have to pay,” the CMA added. The authority said that, depending on the evidence, it could close the investigation, secure undertakings from Ticketmaster to address concerns or take legal action against the company. The CMA will be given the power to levy fines only when the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act comes into force later this year.
Union members at Boeing overwhelmingly rejected a proposed a four-year contract with the troubled aircraft manufacturer, authorizing the first strike at the company in 16 years, said the International Association of Machinist (IAM) union. About 33,000 workers are prepared to walk off the job, and the strike is set to begin early Friday morning.