With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Consumer Protection welcomes the release of a new guide for ticket-buyers by Live Performance Australia.

We regularly receive complaints from people who have searched online for tickets to an event such as a concert, sports match or festival only to inadvertently purchase tickets from an unauthorised reseller. This can leave the consumer with an invalid ticket, meaning they are refused entry at the venue, or sometimes the ticket simply doesn’t arrive.

Customers of overseas-based websites may find it difficult to get a response if there’s a problem. Going to a physical business address is not usually an option as it would involve a flight, phone calls may be tricky because of time differences and delays exist when using international post. Electronic communication may seem like the only way to try to resolve a dispute, however, as we all know, emails can be ignored.

The tips contained within Live Performance’s ‘Safe Tix Guide’ are certainly worth repeating and should mean your ticket-buying experience is safer and more secure. We’ve picked a few for this column, but you can read the full list at www.liveperformance.com.au.

Sign up for alerts

Subscribe to mailing lists and follow social media accounts for your favourite artists, venues, festivals, event promoters and authorised ticket sellers. This is how you can find out about upcoming events, pre-sale details and other important event information in advance.

Do your research

When you want to go to an event, find out who the ‘authorised’ ticket seller is, the chosen venue and when tickets go on sale officially. Tickets offered for sale before the official date or by an unauthorised seller may be fake.

Don’t trust search engines

Make sure the ticket seller who has come up first in your online search result is actually the authorised ticket seller and not a reseller who has paid to be at the top of the list.

Get organised

Create an online account with the authorised ticket seller and make sure you’re logged in and ready when tickets go on sale.

Don’t panic

For high demand shows you might be placed in an online queue; be patient. If a ‘sold out’ message pops up, stay calm and keep checking because additional dates or seats may become available.

Read the T &Cs

Usually terms and conditions state that resold tickets can be cancelled by the promoter or authorised seller and refused at the door when you attend.

Know your rights

If you buy from a ticket reseller your rights to money back or exchange may be affected if the show is postponed or cancelled because the refund goes to the original purchaser.

Consider credit card or Paypal benefits

Paying by credit card or Paypal provides more protection if something goes wrong with your purchase. Don’t transfer money directly into the reseller’s bank account.

Anyone who is supplied fake tickets or doesn’t receive tickets after paying for them should contact the resale website in the first instance. The next option is to seek a credit card chargeback (transaction reversal) or utilise Paypal’s dispute resolution service, provided you’ve followed the tip to pay in either of those ways. 

If you’d like further help during a dispute with a ticket sale business you can email us at consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au or call 1300 30 40 54. Alternatively lodge a complaint using our online form at complaint.commerce.wa.gov.au. To report fake tickets on sale locally, contact the police or email our WA ScamNet team using wascamnet@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

David Hillyard, Acting Commissioner, by CP Media