Ticketmaster accused of consumer law breach over Oasis Croke Park tickets

The consumer watchdog has begun legal action against Ticketmaster over what it said were attempts to mislead Oasis fans when tickets for the band’s reunion concerts in Croke Park went in sale in 2024. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has accused the ticketing platform of two breaches of the Consumer Protection Act over the sale of the tickets for last summer’s concerts. The first count alleges that Ticketmaster engaged in a misleading commercial practice by offering “platinum” tickets to the Oasis concerts for sale “in a manner which would be likely to cause the average consumer to be deceived or misled in relation to the main characteristics of that product ... and to make a transactional decision that the average consumer would not otherwise make”.Ticketmaster is also accused of providing material information, namely the prices of tickets to the concerts in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner “where such a practice was likely to cause the average consumer to make a transactional decision that the average consumer would not otherwise make”.READ MOREWhen the case came before Dublin District Court on Monday morning, Remy Farrell SC, instructed by Shane Reynolds solicitor, told Judge Anthony Halpin, “I anticipate that this matter will be fully contested.”Prosecutor Ronan Kennedy SC said that this was the first time the case had been listed and he had informed the defence he would seek a four-week adjournment to deal with disclosure and evidence.The case was adjourned until October 5th with Halpin making an order for disclosure of prosecution documents to the defence.Tickets for the two concerts in August 2025 went on sale on August 31st, 2024, and almost immediately there were significant concerns from fans and politicians over how the sale was conducted.[ Oasis at Croke Park: A jubilant, air-punching night delivers the nostalgia we all came forOpens in new window ]There was particular disquiet about the manner in which “dynamic pricing” saw tickets for the same parts of the stadium more than double in price over the course of the morning of the sale.Within a week, the CCPC said it would investigate the sale. A spokeswoman told The Irish Times that the investigation into Ticketmaster’s handling of the sale of Oasis tickets is finished and has lead to the prosecution “relating to two alleged offences under the Consumer Protection Act 2007”.She said “as the case is now subject to legal proceedings before the court the CCPC is unable to comment or provide any further information at this time. We will provide an update when in a position to do so.” Ticketmaster has also been contacted for comment.There were similar concerns over the Oasis concerts in the UK which prompted Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to also launch an investigation. Following that investigation, the UK watchdog found that Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.The CMA said that Ticketmaster had also sold some “platinum” tickets at more than twice the price of “standard” tickets – without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits over some “standard” tickets in the same areas of the venue.Just under 12 months ago, the UK watchdog secured formal commitments from Ticketmaster UK to ensure greater transparency when it comes to the future sale of concert tickets there.In a statement issued to The Irish Times at the time, Ticketmaster Ireland said that while the CMA announcement “applies only to the UK, measures such as displaying price ranges in queues, capped resale, and clear pricing at every stage of the purchase journey are already standard practice in Ireland”.