Ticket reseller Viagogo says it will remove tickets from its platform that don't meet NSW regulations as it comes under investigation again by the state's consumer watchdog following a spike in complaints.
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"Viagogo is committed to complying with legislation in all markets we operate in, including NSW, and when we are notified of listings that are not compliant, we act quickly to remove them," a spokesperson told AAP.
NSW Fair Trading has received 36 complaints about Viagogo this year, for everything from ticket scalping, refusing to refund tickets of cancelled events, failing to deliver tickets and not advertising age restriction advice.
The most common complaints related to price gouging of tickets to the popular musical Hamilton.
Ticket scalping was made illegal in NSW in 2018, when it became an offence for ticket resellers to charge more than 10 per cent extra on the original ticket price and transactions costs.
But that only briefly curbed the practice, with complaints ramping up again in the months before the pandemic hit.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb said ticket scalpers like Viagogo were sticking the boot into the already struggling arts and entertainment industry by ripping off consumers.
"Now that events are back on the agenda, we have seen a spike again and despite Viagogo being explicitly warned and receiving a $7 million fine from the ACCC in 2020, they continue to flout the rules," Ms Webb said.
The Viagogo spokesperson said the company would take prompt action and "productively engage with regulators" to make sure the website was compliant.
Australian Associated Press
