Sunderland MP welcomes legal action against Viagogo after ticket re-seller refuses to change its ways

Viagogo was one of four major secondary ticketing websites which were asked in November by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to overhaul the way they operate.

The three others - StubHub, Getmein! and Seatwave - offered formal commitments in April to change the way they work, but viagogo has not done so.

Despite being warned that a failure to do likewise would result in court action, viagogo has not offered to make the changes the CMA considers necessary to bring it in line with the law.

Mrs Hodgson, the MP for Washington and Sunderland West, has long been a supporter of the campaign for fair pricing of tickets for major concerts, shows and sporting events.

Today, it was confirmed that by the CMA that it has commenced legal proceedings against viagogo in the High Court.

It is concerned that viagogo is breaking consumer law - with the result that customers are:

:: not being told if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door.

:: not being informed which seat in the venue they will get.

:: not being told who is selling the ticket, so they can benefit from enhanced legal rights when buying from a business.

:: given misleading information about the availability and popularity of tickets - which has the potential to lead to them being rushed into making a buying decision or making the wrong choice.

:: experiencing difficulties in getting their money back under viagogo’s guarantee when things go wrong.

:: being offered tickets that a seller does not own and may not be able to supply.

Today she welcomed the news that a major source of secondary ticketing is facing legal action.

She tweeted: "Really excellent news that the CMA are finally taking action against Viagogo and are seeking an interim enforcement order to put a stop to some of Viagogo’s practices until the full trial. That just shows the seriousness of their threat to consumers."

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive officer of the CMA, said: "People who buy tickets on websites like viagogo must be given all the information they are entitled to.

"It’s imperative they know key facts, including what seat they will get, and whether there is a risk they might not actually get into the event, before parting with their hard-earned money.

"This applies to viagogo as much as it does to any other secondary ticketing website.

"Unfortunately, while other businesses have agreed to overhaul their sites to ensure they respect the law, viagogo has not.

"We will now be pursuing action through the courts to ensure that they comply with the law."

On 13 August, Ticketmaster announced it will be closing its two secondary ticket platforms – Seatwave and GetMeIn! – and from that date, no new events will be listed on these platforms.

Ticketmaster will still allow tickets to be resold through ticketmaster.co.uk, but has said that it will only allow those tickets to be sold at the price originally paid or less.