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STAR to produce code for secondary ticketing market
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 26 October 2015
The Society Of Ticket Agents And Retailers has announced plans to develop a code of practice for the secondary ticketing market in the UK, with a view to inviting ticket resale firms that sign up to the new rules to become members of the organisation.
As previously reported, the government recently announced a new review of secondary ticketing regulations, after some new rules covering the resale of tickets online were added to the Consumer Rights Act earlier this year. STAR says it had already decided to survey its membership – made up of primary ticket sellers – as to whether it should seek to provide a code for online reselling after the CRA became law.
The ticketing body, which provides a code of practice for primary ticketing agents in a bid to ensure protection for consumers, has considered producing regulations for secondary ticketing sites before, but until now decided not to go that route. Some primary ticketing companies – or at least their event promoting clients – don’t like online touting, though others are in the resale business themselves. And the latest survey of members saw a majority support a new STAR code for secondary ticketing.
Quite what the code will say remains to be seen. It will likely include various consumer guarantees already contained in the terms and conditions of sites like StubHub, Viagogo and Seatwave, but might go further. Proposals already on the table include ensuring that resales are governed by UK law, and providing some sort of seating information.
The latter was a key issue of contention when the Consumer Rights Act was being negotiated earlier this year, because if resellers are forced to provide exact seat or ticket numbers when reselling, anti-resale promoters could more easily cancel those tickets in a bid to counter touting. Too strict conditions on that front would likely mean key players in the secondary ticketing market – who already have their own trade body – would be unlikely to join in.
For now, STAR CEO Jonathan Brown says: “Customers deserve clear information about where they can buy tickets safely. STAR recognises that the UK ticketing industry has rapidly changed in recent years and today’s consumers expect greater levels of choice and protection. They need to know how and where they can buy tickets safely, whether they choose to buy them from the primary or secondary sectors. To increase clarity for ticket buyers, STAR will therefore develop standards of best practice to which we hope resale businesses that take consumer protection seriously will subscribe”.
