Competition regulator preparing to launch fresh court action against Viagogo
Controversial ticket reseller Viagogo has been slapped with a fresh warning this afternoon from Britain’s competition regulator, which is threatening legal action in the wake of continued concerns over the firm’s practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said today that it is preparing to take Viagogo to court after saying that it is "still not compliant" over a court order concerning consumer protection rules.
In a statement this afternoon the watchdog said: "The CMA has today warned Viagogo it is still not compliant with the court order we secured, requiring improved information be displayed about the tickets listed for resale on its site.
"Although some improvements have been made since we first demanded action to address areas of non-compliance, further checks have shown there are still issues of concern.
"For a company not to comply with a court order is clearly very serious. We are therefore now preparing to take legal action to ask a court to find Viagogo in contempt."
In January the CMA said that it had "serious concerns" that Viagogo has not complied with a court order which forced Viagogo to “overhaul” the way it does business.
Read more: British competition watchdog raises 'serious concerns' over Viagogo order
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) added that it “expects them to make any necessary changes without delay”, with Viagogo ordered to make immediate website changes or go back to court.
In a statement the CMA has said that "severe penalties" are available if Viagogo is found to be in contempt of court.
The statement came after a landmark legal victory for the CMA in November, when it won a court order that forced Viagogo to tell buyers which seat they will get and if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door.
Such a victory for the CMA came several months after it launched legal action against the company over worries that Viagogo was breaking consumer protection law.
Read more: Viagogo forced to overhaul ticket-selling process
The global ticketing provider has faced pressure over its secondary ticket market, with reports in January 2017 that tickets for London’s popular musical Hamilton were listed on the firm’s site for almost £3000 just two hours after going on sale, despite measures to prevent touting.