Ireland’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Ticketmaster Ireland over Oasis ticket sales.
Liam Gallagher and brother Noel Gallagher finally put their lengthy feud behind them when they announced last week that they were reuniting.
Sending fans into a frenzy, the Wonderwall hitmakers confirmed a comeback tour for 2025, 15 years after last sharing the stage together, writing: ‘The great wait is over.’
Then, on Saturday, a series of UK and Ireland shows sold out in less than a day.
Fans were beset with problems getting onto ticket websites, however, from being labelled bots and being kicked out of queuing to some ending up paying more than the advertised price of £148 as costs surged past £355.
Following the carnage – which saw Oasis add extra dates – the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Ticketmaster, including how so-called ‘dynamic pricing’ may have been used.
When dynamic pricing is enabled, prices can fluctuate depending on demand for tickets.
It’s a system that has long been criticised by music fans, with the likes of Ed Sheeran calling it out in the past.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has now said it will look at Ticketmaster’s handling of the sale of tickets following ‘legitimate concerns over how consumers were treated’.
Ticketmaster Ireland has said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the ‘event organiser’ who ‘has priced these tickets according to their market value’.
The CCPC said it decided to investigate the handling of the ticket sales after it reviewed more than 100 complaints from customers.
Many fans were shocked by the price of standard tickets for the Oasis reunion tour, including for two dates at Croke Park in Dublin, rising steeply on Ticketmaster.
A number were also left angry and disappointed after being left empty-handed, having waited in an online queue for hours to buy tickets.
Brian McHugh, chairman of the CCPC, said: ‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
It has said 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 August 31, 2024.
Consumers can send them to the investigation team at CEDinvestigation@ccpc.ie.
Earlier this week, several Fianna Fail politicians launched a bid to ban so-called ‘dynamic pricing’ in Ireland following the controversy.
They said they will introduce a Bill that would extend existing legislation outlawing the resale of tickets above face value, and would also prohibit the sale of tickets for prices that have been adjusted by primary ticket sellers.
Senator Timmy Dooley has said the use of dynamic pricing by primary ticket sellers must be banned.
He and many colleagues are to introduce the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024.
On Wednesday, Oasis announced new Wembley Stadium dates using a new ticketing plan following the chaos over the weekend.
Liam and Noel have extended their Live ’25 tour to include two more London shows on September 27 and 28, 2025, using a new ‘staggered invitation-only ballot process’, with applications to join the ballot opened first to those who were unsuccessful in the initial sale.
A statement said: ‘It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.
‘While prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.
‘All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience but due to the unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.’
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