Clackmannanshire Council Online

Too Good to Be True?

The music festival season is upon us and, as every year, the most popular events sell out fast. And, like every year, illegal tickets touts are exploiting the desperation of the people who are struggling to get hold of a wristband to see their favourite acts.

Stirling Council and Clackmannanshire Council Joint Trading Standards Service and their colleagues elsewhere within the United Kingdom have been contacted by dozens of upset consumers who have paid for non-existent tickets.

One consumer said she was shocked how easy it was to be trapped. She said: "I attempted to purchase six tickets for the Reading Festival costing over £1,000 in total. I went on this website and it looked completely official. It was half an hour before the tickets were being released so I thought I was just registering. I realised it was a scam when the purchase went straight through although I knew tickets hadn't been released yet. I should have checked the price as well - they were charging more than the official website. Thankfully I was able to stop the transaction from going through by putting a block on my card."

Brian Wilson a Trading Standards Officer with Stirling Council and Clackmannanshire Council Joint Trading Standards Service, warned consumers against buying tickets once an event is sold out. He said: "A sold out event means it is sold out. But for some the temptation of a website still offering tickets will be too great, even if it is at inflated prices.

"In most cases tickets will never be delivered. Attempts to contact the website usually come to nothing - or the consumer is told they will be given the tickets at the event, postponing the inevitable bitter disappointment."

Mr Wilson also urged people to check where the trader is based as redress to arising problems will be almost impossible if they are based abroad. He said: "Know who you are dealing with. Before you enter your card details check the terms and conditions, and where the head office is. Trading Standards receive so many complaints from consumers who have been significantly overcharged for tickets that never arrive - and the trader turns out to based abroad. Most of these cases never get resolved."

Mr Wilson added: "The resale of tickets is generally not illegal and the risks can be hard to spot. I would advise consumers to bear in mind the old adage that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."

Mr Wilson offered the following pointers to help steer clear from scams and avoid disappointment:

• Contact the event organiser first - they should either be able to supply tickets or direct you to authorised agencies
• Stick to agencies known to be reputable
• If buying online, check the site's credentials - the website should give a name and address of those running it. Even if their email address ends with .uk they may still be based abroad making it more difficult to seek redress in the event of a problem
• Use internet search tools to research an agency that appears to have the tickets that you are after. No news is not necessarily good news
• If buying from an online auction site follow the guidelines that the site offers in protecting your purchase, for example by checking the seller's history
• Make sure that before committing to a purchase you know the full price including the face value of the ticket and any delivery charges, plus the seat location and any obstructions if relevant
• When paying online only use sites which have a secure payment section
• Pay by credit card for anything over £100; if you do not receive your ticket or are otherwise misled you may be able to claim the money back through the credit card company
• Check that individuals can sell the event's tickets on as otherwise even with a legitimate ticket you might be refused entry on the day
• Dealing with street touts is not advised.

For further advice please contact the Stirling Council and Clackmannanshire Council Joint Trading Standards Service Monday to Friday during normal office hours on 0845 277 7000 or in person at the Municipal Buildings, 8-10 Corn Exchange Road, Stirling, FK8 2HU. Or by emailing: tradingstandards@stirling.gov.uk.