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DUBLIN MEP REGINA Doherty has echoed calls for Ticketmaster to be investigated after Oasis fans were this morning left facing up to a 400% increase in ticket prices on the platform.
Demand for tickets to the reunion tour is incredibly high, with fans left desperately waiting for pre-sale codes yesterday after filling in a ballot. Pre-sale tickets went on sale at 7pm yesterday, and sold out shortly thereafter.
This morning, hundreds of thousands of fans were left disappointed as Ticketmaster crashed when the tickets went on sale, causing people to lose their place in the queue.
Others, however, were more disappointed in the hike in ticket prices on the platform, as the newly reinstated band had promised that tickets could only be sold “at face value”.
That feeling when you wait in a queue for four hours only to be told the price of the ticket has risen from £148 to... £355??? Because they're 'in demand'. How is this not illegal? @Ticketmaster @TicketmasterUK @oasis #Oasis #Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/jdmXWUkuBz
— Helen Barnett (@HelenFBarnett) August 31, 2024
Thousands of disappointed fans took to X to complain about the abrupt price hike due to demand.
Dublin MEP Doherty called for a “serious investigation” into Ticketmaster by Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Commission.
Ticketmaster isn't fit for purpose. Eight hours queuing, numerous times in the checkout, been suspected as bot, session suspended, website crashed as placing order, put to back of queue many times, price jumps of over 300% how does this shitty website have a monopoly?! #Oasis pic.twitter.com/s0LxvWQFfP
— Vitt (@vitt2tsnoc) August 31, 2024
Speaking today, Doherty said: “When ticket prices were advertised earlier this week, standing tickets in Croke Park were €86.50 plus booking fees, but when many people eventually got through the online queue this morning, they were faced with the exact same ticket at a price of €415.50.
“That’s not transparent advertising and certainly not fair to consumers.”
She said that the gig was “always going to be ‘in demand’”, and that it was “extortionate” to charge consumers such a mark-up.
Doherty added that she would be taking the matter up with the European Commission as well as the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Ticketmaster have been asked for comment.
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@Mick O’K: i hate ticket master. No 1 most hated company in my opinion.
They have should been btoken up years ago .. clear manopoly.
@adam page: they should have been brolen up*
@Mick O’K: YOU ARE NOW IN THE QUEUE
127890005689
PEOPLE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU
@POC: thank you for your patience
@adam page: believe it or not the main problem isn’t ticketmaster … its who owns ticketmaster…. live nation … who control most the acts … if a promoter doesn’t use ticketmaster they don’t get the acts and round and round they go
@Mick O’K: is that you ‘corporate interests?’ teehehee
@PAUL C: Not so…’ Ticketmaster, the company emphasises that it is “promoters and artist representatives” who “set pricing strategy and price range parameters on all tickets”. (BBC) Artists like Ed Sheeran Taylor Swift and Artic Monkeys amongst others have rejected this ‘dynamic pricing’ scam so as not to rip off their fans, which is essentially what this allows.
@adam page: womanopoly?
@adam page: same as ESB networks. Put a charge of 100 euro on a whim, and no-one to stop them. They need competition badly.
@Brian: soooooo live nation …. who owns ticketmaster
@Mick O’K: Unfortunately, while demand is there greed will take hold. It seems to be completely anti consumer practice. If I go to my local supermarket and pick up an in demand item. I see the price is €10. However when I get to the checkout I’m told the price is now €50. As a consumer I can say NO, you must charge the advertised / displayed price. I hope the consumer protection authority steps in.
@Mick O’K: probably an “unprecedented demand” for a comment
@adam page: they should have been broken up.
Genuinely wondering what was wrong with the old system of queuing outside an actual shop to buy a physical ticket?
@Brian Dunne: Sally can’t wait to
@Brian Dunne: seen pics of lots of queues outside the few remaining hmvs in Britain for the Oasis gigs…apparently everyone got tickets too….technology and convenience are counterproductive.
@Brian Dunne: what was wrong was it didn’t enable tmaster to have a monopoly & charge higher fees. The fees in kiosks were often lower
@Brian Dunne: More wages and rents to be paid = Less profits.
@Brian Dunne: No profit for ticket Master
Toutmaster
@declan benson: exactly, they’re (Live Nation) monopoly on the entertainment industry is anti competitive, and I now believe that the Cork Event Centre should be scrapped. The state cannot justify funnelling all that money to this company and BAM.
100%
How many thousands got in today only to be bumped out at the point of sale or thousands more when they reached 1000 in the line. I joined the queue at 8 and was placed 80000. My brother was in the waiting area from 7:20, and he was placed at nearly 180000. When I finally got in lower Hogan was 500e plus add ons. Something not right here. Why were so many people bumped out when they had tickets in their basket and the later people, like myself, had no problems if we wanted to buy tickets at prices way way above the starting price?
@ciaran o dowd: scam works while you have fools forking out what they ask!!
@peter willekens: did many people buy the €400+ tickets?
I hope not
@peter willekens: fools and their money are easily parted
@ciaran o dowd: it would appear that they did
This fiasco is just the latest.
@S Suilleabhain: crazy, it’s up to the individual but who would pay that?
Bring a mate, partner then your looking at over €1000, and that’s before you leave the house.
@ciaran o dowd: of course they did. That €400+ ticket is an investment. They will be worth minimum €1000 by next August. No financial institution could give you that interest rate on a 11 month investment of €400
@MIchael Costello: I get that, but who in their right mind would pay 500e for a gig? Never mind 1000e
It’s just crazy.
I was 18 when oasis hit it big time, loved them, seen them play, but noway would I pay silly money to see them again. I set my max at 200e and I was even questioning that.
@MIchael Costello: At that price, I can see many with buyers remorse trying to offload them. I can see them going for much less than 400
Bet the food will be extortionate on the day as well. Oasis soup – €20. €50 if you getta roll with it…….
@JB Software: Hate to see what the cigarettes and alcohol cost.
@Eamon: ‘shes electric’ summer cocktail. €28 but you get your €15 deposit back for the cup of you wait and enter the massive queues after. The rain will distract you stop you getting bored.
@Eamon: And don’t even mention the Champagne Supernova.
@YKwkSIqW: but don’t go away
The Biggest ticket touts in history! They are a disgrace! Sure what will happen, probably NOTHING.
“Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California”… lmao, our lot probably see them as business heros! Here’s an idea how about we create a company to do it? Irish people take a cut?… f’ em.
@Derek Byrne: yes and the Government who have the power to do something about it will complain and blah blah as they always do. People should ban Ticket master
If Regina does anything, it will be a first for her. I won’t hold my breath. She’s just jumping on an opportunistic bandwagon.
@Patrick MC Dermott: She can’t do anything, why she commented, just like comparing cycle lanes to the Berlin wall, nothing she can do but stir it up
@Patrick MC Dermott: Its the first time I’m in agreement with her even though she’s another useless politician. Yes you’re probably right
What do you expect, price gouging is the greedy norm in this country when something is in demand or short supply. Blatant extortionate greed. Ticketmaster should be censored or banned after this episode.
@Maurice Byrne: greedy Ireland, St b. your fellow man and woman in the back while you can…. But wait till things go wrong, all eyes will be on You, yes You!!!
@Maurice Byrne: Dynamic pricing is also at play in the UK, same as here. But the artists agree to this, so you can blame Oasis as much as ticketmaster. Also hotels in the UK hiked prices and cancelled preexisting bookings so they could charge more. It’s not just here.
@Maurice Byrne: perhaps they own hotels as well with their extortionate prices for this Gig
@peter willekens: Don’t understand your brain waves, life is simple some people are greedy, end of lesson!
@Dermot Blaine: supply and demand is not an Irish phenomenon nor is it a recent invention. The problem here is that a large number of people, for some reason expected people in the business of making as much money as possible not to nake as much money as possible. I would recommend, in future, if you’re expecting to be treated fairly, just stay in bed on a Saturday morning and leave it to the people who don’t mind paying over the odds to get something that the want?
The U.S justice department is currently suing Ticketmaster-Livenation for monopolizing the concert industry in the U.S.
I’m guessing it all depends on who the major shareholders are whether the lawsuit actually goes anywhere
Didn’t try for tickets for oasis as in not a fan but the Ticketmaster warning to beware of ticket touts is sickening . Considering they use dynamic pricing to increase the price of tickets based on demand. It’s legalised ticket touting
How has ticketmaster ended up with the monopoly on ticket sales…. its ridiculous, what other industry would be allowed do this? Isn’t there competition laws?
@Comments Section Closed: The ESB Monopoly on selling electricity in Ireland was finished years ago, now there are at least half a dozen individual companies selling electricity in the market. The Vintners Association don’t sell anything…
@Paul Cunningham: ESB still own the grid. If you build a house…you still have to get the ESB to connect you to the grid.
@Daratheprofessional 1: What’s the alternative, build a second grid and let them compete? The regulator is supposed to make sure ESB networks or Eirgrid don’t overcharge
This comes up every time. All fans know Ticketmaster are gougers. Surely those in “high places” also realise this? Still no investigation. Oh wait! Those in high places get “complementary tickets”
@Richard Starling: Simon will be on Tik Tok soon scolding them & then appear at the concert with his freebie.
What do you expect when you put the ticket sale in the hand of a single actor. No competition. It was supposed to tackle the lack market but it’s just a monopoly position and should be stopped.
@Alex: it’s disgusting as well that they just became cashless overnight and we know it was also because it was cheaper at the kiosks
@Alex: Noel Rock brought in legislation to tackle touts. Legislation needs to be brought in to tackle Ticketmaster and until that ever happens they’ll just continue ripping people off
No surprise, this is the new Ireland. Whether it’s Tickets, Fuel, Energy, Banks, Insurance, Groceries, you name it, the companies/cartels get free rein. The Govt install “Regulators” in a pretence that there is some Regulation, when there is actually none. Pat Neary ! This week the CRU who are the Regulators for our Energy/Electricity reinstated the full PSO Levy plus another Levy to fund the upgrading of Infrastructure for the Energy companies who are already making obscene profits. Instead of getting the companies who are making these profits pay for it, the placed the burden on hard pressed families who are already in fuel poverty with nearly a third of all people in arrears. That’s how Regulation works in Ireland, screw the ordinary person !
Was at Coldplay last night. They were excellent but the ticket prices are nuts. You register your interest for the gig a week before to get a code for purchase when tickets are released. This allows ticketmaster tp judge the demand and set the prices accordingly. Originally 2 gigs with 2 extra announced on the date if sale (which there were always going to be). Ticketmaster are nothing but Corporate Robbers. Whatever happens to, tickets are going on sale on such a date and they will cost you X. Now it’s a case of tickets will cost…..sure we’ll see based on demand.
@Kevin Norris: you can’t be robbed voluntarily?
@brian o’leary: I would argue you can, particularly in the absence of fair competition. It’s called price gouging.
“I am delighted to announce that the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Educational, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 comes into effect from tomorrow. We have heard all too often of the experiences of fans waiting patiently to buy tickets only to miss out and to then see those same tickets for sale on a secondary site for far more than they can afford or would be happy to pay.”
Leo Varadkar in 2021. The words toothless and rottweiler spring to mind.
@Mary Sullivan: Made an absolute balls of the country & the did a runner, sickening ahole.
Should have been investigated long ago, having people queue long after they have actually run out of tickets, saying limited tickets for sale…when it should actually say sold out,fees for selling and reselling tickets and the fact the cost of the tickets have been huge for so many shows and tbh it is likely the acts as well but ticketmaster have got such a strangle hold really not much can be done by the artists
@Eastie luvs Games: yes well said it’s very, very overdue. Ou est le petition?
‘Dynamic pricing’. Lol. Just a buzz word phrase that really equals extortionate rip off. How can you implement this when every ticket would have sold out multiple times over anyway as they could have sold out 5 nights of these concerts? Just because you login at a microsecond later than others and are placed in a random spot in the queue the tickets you are looking for have then multiplied in price by about 5x? There has to be something illegal in that but as usual the consumer is ripped off to a galling degree. I would hope that anyone who did eventually get the chance to buy a ticket and saw those prices just logged out immediately.
Just so you know, you don’t have to be an MEP to raise a complaint with the Consumer Protection Commission, anyone can! And should! This kind of monopoly and price gauging can’t be allowed.
Crazy idea here….don’t buy them
I think I need to go and have another cold shower ..not the summer itching, the fact that I actually agree with Regina Doherty about something
Didn’t try for tickets for oasis as in not a fan but the Ticketmaster warning to beware of ticket touts is sickening
And yet people buy tickets from them time and time again.. I understand people get excited about certain artists, but do what I did.. invest in a top class music and lighting system and enjoy them at your own leisure!!
As long as people keep paying the prices nothing will change
Madness. The price of a 3 day camping ticket for a of couple of ageing rockstars!
It’s great now that Regina Doherty has spoken up it will be all sorted.
When the government made ticket touting illegal it played right into ticket masters hands with their ‘dynamic’ pricing.
I bought a standing ticket for Pantera in artist presale for just over €80.
That was the same price when they went on general sale.
Next day….and even now, that EXACT same ticket is €230
They should be renamed, ToutMaster
Need investigation on a lot more than that. Example, why do they have a complete Monopoly on the sale of tickets to almost all events ?
Can the music be heard outside Croke Park? pull up at one of the nearest pubs and listen in peace without standing beside some muppet taken a video of the themselves only so they can put up on social media and get a few likes. Most people goimg to that concert will only know 3 or 4 songs. Would love to have a ticket all the same. The scramble for tickets is up there when the Wonka tickets were issued. Poor auld Coldplay haven’t been mentioned all week, Fossets circus do the same show for 15 euro.
The government will be furious over this , probably recall the daily to sort it out , by Monday morning this will never ever happen again
@Shane Browne: ultimately this will spell the end of civil war politics…
Nothing will happen. The board have money, mates that are movers and shakers..literally nothing will happen bar a few sound bites..!!
Has anyone every been in a position less than 10,000th in a tickermaster queue?
They had people waiting then kicked out to inflate the appearance of demand so as to justify inflated price due to demand. Funny so many picked cheaper tickets early on for something to go wrong at checkout or you were a bot, only for those tickets to suddenly double in price for next in line. Nothing went wrong. It was all planned. I had my account suspended as a bot when I tried to buy standing at original price. Considering my account history of dozens of events attended and my account being years old, that simply wasn’t justified. I couldn’t access my account or access tickets I have previously purchased for other events, which were only offered as mobile tickets. I suppose FFG will come out with “lessons learned” and it will just continue like everything else.
Everyone could just not book tickets for gigs through ticket master. They would soon get the message with empty stadiums.
Where are the monopolies commission? Do they even exist now.
Once people keep forking out stupid money for concerts this will never end.
Use your brain, don’t buy the tickets, no one is worth 400 euro a ticket, no one.
Croke Park is a terrible music venue.
Ticket master has been asked for comment
In Lobby—-> Waiting Room —-> You Are 14725645 in the queue ——-> error 503 ——> your session has been suspended
Sold their souls for the third time, and they got paid today, but there wasn’t very much heart in it. Give me a minute, as my ATM card has a limit.
The algorithm that’s used should be looked at. Be very interesting to see what it’s parameters are.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9UmKtsMsuS/?igsh=MWNpdTE1cGRtdXh1Mg==
Absolute gangsters.
This is getting silly. What’s it to do with MEPS. If a geriatric Oasis want to rip off punters that want to relive the dull 90s then good luck to them.
Artists need to take a stand..they say its all about the fans ? … we’ll now is their chance to prove that’s not just lip service , and call out Ticketmaster for the greedy cartel that they are … its beyond a disgrace. ” Dynamic pricing ” ??? .. do me a favour
I’m going to be a bit of a contrarian here and suggest that if people are prepared pay these extortionate prices, which they evidently are, then of course the company is going to charge them.
What else does anyone expect it to do, NOT maximise income for itself, it’s clients and it’s shareholders?
Ban online ticket sales and make it so RRP can’t be changed on the fly. So RRP has to be the RRP for like 24 hours minimum.
Where’s the problem? Ticketmaster are just reflecting what the Dublin hotels have been doing for years. Nothing will be done, nothing to see here.
Ticketmaster are denying responsibility for price setting:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8wer58x6o
Simple solution – who licences this event ? Withdraw it until Ticketmaster and hotels etc comply with Irish consumer legislation.
Ticketmaster are a law into themselves. I resold Cure Tickets back to them in Dec 2021 for their Belfast gig, it took 5 months to get the money back, they gave every excuse – problems with new system which caused delays, you need to open UK bank account as tickets bought in £, not able to transfer to Irish bank account, please wait 30 days etc etc etc. In the end it took me suggesting to pay back to my credit card to get my money
What’s really required is a journalist to dig deep into all things @ticketmaster..who is operating it..where are the breakdowns.how come they are the soul outlet across Ireland, the UK to handle tickets for events .. to be investigated by a team of trusted people that have absolutely no links to anyone within this fraud of an organisation.. Been asked to pay just under 500 euro for a seat I’d sat on only a week ago for 150 euro at Ac Dc .. we the people of Ireland want a full investigation and one that has absolutely no political opinion or politician, or Tds involved… The Gaa also have a hand to play in this .. we Want a que ,an outlet to stand outside of and a physical ticket handed to us immediately after we have parted with our money.
Shame on them all. Disgusting.
No investigation needed. All monopolies should be broken up, Ticketmaster and RTE first!
@Padraig O’Brien: What monopoly do RTE have?
save Palestinian children from israeli terrorists
@Tommy445: definitely maybe
She has no intention of doing anything. Her party Fine Gael’s is just too cozy with multinationals. This is just optics for social media.
No different than the price of a drink going up every hour,i dont see any investigation there…
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill. RTE have a defacto monopoly on news reading, government press releases and certain show biz stuff, in that, if it ain’t on RTE it doesn’t register!
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