Subj : Global ticket reseller ordered to change 'misleading' information
To   : All
From : News
Date : Wed May 01 2024 01:34 pm

Global ticket reseller Viagogo has been ordered by the High Court to correct
misleading information on its website and update terms and conditions in
contracts.


The Commerce Commission, which took the case against the reseller, declared
the decision "a hard-fought victory".


The commission's Fair Trading general manager Vanessa Horne said Viagogo was
one of the "most complained about traders" as many Kiwi consumers were
unknowingly buying tickets that were not valid for admission.


Horne said there were a large number of reports from consumers spending large
amountsfor events, only to be "turned away at the entrance when they found
out for the first time that their tickets weren't authentic".


"These businesses need to be clear about their obligations under the law if
they are operating in the New Zealand market, including the protections that
the Fair Trading Act provides to Kiwi consumers and businesses."


Legal action against Viagogo began in 2018 and involved a period in which the
company challenged efforts to subject it to New Zealand jurisdiction.


"This case was about holding a global business to account for the harm they
were causing in New Zealand and paving the way for individuals to have the
ability to stand up for their consumer rights against international
companies," said Horne, in a statement.


Horne said Viagogo went so far as to require in its terms and conditions that
any customer disputes had to be dealt with through the Swiss courts, which
the High Court had now deemed an "unfair contract term" under the Fair
Trading Act.


Viagogo has appealed the judgement, which the commission said would be
"strongly defended".

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