Website accused of ‘moral repugnance’ for advertising massively marked-up seats for gig in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A secondary ticketing website has been accused of “moral repugnance” for seeking to profit from an Ed Sheeran concert that is in aid of teenage cancer patients by reselling tickets for thousands of pounds.

Viagogo is advertising stalls seats at next month’s the Royal Albert Hall gig for Teenage Cancer Trust for up to £1,750, rising to £2,330 once £583 for VAT and a booking fee are factored in.

In a statement on its website, the charity said: “The only people who should profit from Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall are young people with cancer.”

The tickets, which carry a face value of £75, could end up being worthless because the charity said anyone found to have bought theirs from Viagogo will be turned away at the door.

The charity has introduced extra security measures to beat touts, such as requiring people with tickets to produce photo ID to prove that they bought the ticket.

But this may not necessarily stop touts making a quick profit by grabbing the tickets and reselling them at massive mark-ups.

A statement on Viagogo’s website says “buyers of tickets for this event will be accompanied into the venue by the seller” in order to circumvent efforts to crackdown on touts.

The Switzerland-based company’s decision to profit on the back of the charity event drew fire from campaigners for ticket reform.

The FanFair Alliance said: “Teenage Cancer Trust have gone to huge lengths and expense to prevent resale and profiteering of their tickets. To all intents and purposes they are are non-transferrable, with buyers needing to provide photo ID on the door.

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“And yet, not only are Viagogo encouraging touts to sell these tickets at vastly inflated prices, none of which goes back to the charity, they attempt to circumvent the terms and conditions by advertising that the buyer will be accompanied into the venue by the seller.



“Leaving aside the moral repugnance of profiteering at the expense of teenage cancer sufferers, this appears a flagrant breach of consumer law and yet another reason why government intervention is so desperately needed.”

Conservative MP Nigel Adams said: “It’s disgraceful that Viagogo are profiteering from selling tickets meant to be raising money for a teenage cancer charity. They should perhaps examine their consciences.”

Adams sits on the department for culture media and sport select committee, which it is understood to be ready to summon Viagogo executives to give evidence at a hearing into “ticket abuse”.

The company had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

It comes just days after the website, founded by entrepreneur Eric Baker, was accused of withholding thousands of pounds in refunds due to fans who were overcharged due to a “glitch”. It will also place further scrutiny on the Royal Albert Hall, which was branded a “national disgrace” after the Guardian revealed that members who own seats at the venue were swapping tips on how to sell their seats for maximum profit.

Nor is it the first time that Viagogo has been criticised for seeking to make a profit from an event intended to raise money for a cancer charity.



The company was branded “disgusting” last year after reselling tickets for Peter Kay’s Dance for Life charity event to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.