AusLeisure

Consumer Protection officers attended Saturday’s AFL Grand Final venue Optus Stadium to assist consumers who turned up to entry gates/box office with fake tickets purchased online and were therefore denied entry. There were five individuals or groups with a total of 12 fake tickets and $6,600 in losses. All were either purchased on Gumtree or eBay.

These reports are additional to the six ticket scam victims identified during the week who reported losing a total of $3,795.

Also during the week, Consumer Protection identified and ordered the removal of a total of 50 advertisements on Gumtree, eBay and social media that violated Western Australia’s new ticket scalping laws.

The Western Australian Government’s new anti-ticket scalping legislation - making the activity illegal in the state with heavy penalties for those who break the law - was passed in the state’s Parliament on 7^th September.

The Ticket Scalping Bill 2021 will still allow the re-sales of concert and event tickets but will limit profit to 10% from the original price.It also outlaws the use of software designed to by-pass security measures to prevent bulk purchases.

In addition, advertising tickets for resale must also include the original price, seat and row number for the event.

Speaking on Western Australia’s new ticket scalping laws and ahead of the AFL Grand Final, Western Australia Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Gary Newcombe (pictured above) advised “in the lead-up to the AFL Grand Final – WA’s first major event since the new laws took effect – we have been proactively monitoring resale websites to ensure tickets are being advertised for resale in line with the legislation and we will investigate complaints received from consumers.

“Gone are the days in Western Australia where if you had your heart set on attending a sold-out event or concert you would have little choice but to fork-out hundreds of dollars more for a ticket than it was originally worth.

“This is because new ticket scalping laws have taken effect that restricts the resale of tickets to a maximum 10% mark-up from the original price. Also outlawed is the use of software known as ‘bots’ that bypass security measures to make bulk ticket purchases.

“Aside from putting restrictions on price gouging by ticket scalpers, re-sellers will also be required to identify the location of the seat or viewing spot for each ticket.

Commissioner Newcombe added “it is now Consumer Protection’s role to enforce the new measures and as Commissioner I have sent notices to seven online re-sellers advising them of the new laws and heavy penalties they could face for failing to comply. Fines ranging from $20,000 for individuals and $100,000 for companies await those who break the law, with even higher penalties applying for those using ‘bots’ to purchase tickets.

“While the new laws will go a long way towards ensuring fairer ticket prices in the resale market, our best advice is for consumers to only buy tickets from authorised sellers to protect their refund rights if the event is postponed or cancelled.

“Purchasing via re-sellers, particularly if they are based overseas, can be risky as people may find that their tickets are either invalid or fake and they are denied entry to the event when they turn up. Also remember that re-sellers often pay to be on top of internet search results, so look beyond them when searching online.

Consumer Protection advises that should anyone see tickets for resale which exceed the allowed 10% mark-up, or have issues with tickets they have purchased, to contact Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 or consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au

Image top: Optus Stadium; image above Western Australia Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Gary Newcombe courtesy Government of Western Australia Dept Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety 

Related Articles

9th September 2021 - Western Australian Parliament passes tough new laws to stamp out scalping

17th September 2021 - Last ticket allocation for Perth’s AFL Grand Final sell out in minutes

13th December 2018 - Western Australian Government introduces legislation to combat ticket scalping

26th October 2018 - South Australian Government introduces new ticket scalping legislation

4th March 2019 - New Zealand Government to legislate on ticket scalping

30th July 2019 - Ticketmaster to introduce new anti-ticket scalping technology in Australia

11th December 2018 - Japan bans ticket scalping at major sporting events

17th November 2017 - Australian Government begins ticket scalping consultation

16th November 2017 - Victoria Government to crackdown on ticket scalping

8th October 2017 - NSW Government looks to outlaw ticket scalping

22nd March 2017 - Senate passes resolution calling for reform of laws against ticket scalping

23rd September 2015 - Perth’s AFL finals fever sees WA Parliament consider ticket scalping legislation

23rd February 2015 - Gumtree changes to deter ticket scalping

24th June 2014 - Federal Government leaves ticket scalping action to the ACCC

3rd June 2010 - CCAAC Investigates Online Ticket Scalping

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.