Switzerland-based firm angers MPs by failing to send an executive to give evidence before select committee into secondary ticketing

Controversial ticket resale website Viagogo was accused of “naked mis-selling and fraud”, as it delivered an almost unprecedented snub to MPs by failing to show up for a select committee hearing.

MPs on the department for culture, media and sport committee heard allegations from music industry figures and fans about Viagogo, which allows touts to advertise tickets for huge mark-ups even before they go on sale, in return for a cut of up to 25% of the selling price.

Internet giant Google, already under fire for placing adverts next to extremist content, now looks likely to be dragged into the inquiry, after it was accused of “colluding” with Viagogo by advertising the reseller at the top of search results.

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MPs were told that all four major ticket resale sites – Viagogo, StubHub, GetMeIn and Seatwave – are routinely flouting laws designed to protect consumers.

But MPs and witnesses reserved their sharpest barbs for Viagogo, which was summoned to give evidence after revelations about the company in The Guardian.

Committee chair Damian Collins MP said Viagogo’s absence showed “contempt for parliament”, while Nigel Huddleston MP accused the company of a “lack of respect [...] for the British public.”

Among Viagogo’s written excuses for not attending, MPs said, was a claim that the company does not sell tickets, and only allows others to do so.

The Switzerland-based company also said it did not have “adequate representation” in the UK, even though it has a large office on London’s Cannon Street.

It is extremely rare for company executives to refuse to appear at a select committee inquiry.

Irene Rosenfeld, then boss of food group Kraft, provoked fury when she twice ignored an invitation to face MPs over the US company’s controversial £12bn takeover of Cadbury’s.

But unlike Viagogo, Kraft did at least send three middle-ranking executives to face politicians’ questions.

In Viagogo’s absence, the company was accused of “naked mis-selling and fraud” by John Nicolson MP. He accused the company was “lying to the public”.



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Huddleston said the evidence suggested Viagogo’s business was “smelling of exploitation and deception at every level”.

Nigel Adams MP said Viagogo “makes Stan Flashman look like Mother Teresa”. Flashman was a renowned tout who claimed he could even get tickets for the Queen’s Garden Parties.

The committee heard that fans who buy from Viagogo, sometimes for thousands of pounds, are being turned away from venues and events that ban resale.

Keith Kenny, tickets director for hip-hop musical Hamilton, told the committee he had written to Viagogo executive Ed Parkinson urging him not to resell tickets, but received no response.

Tickets for Hamilton appeared on Viagogo for more than £2500 moments after going on sale and are now changing hands for even more.

Nigel Adams MP said: “Taking thousands of pounds off people, knowing they are not going to be able to get in, is effectively selling a product that never existed.”

Google was also accused of “colluding” with Viagogo, because the company usually appears at the top of search results for major events.

The company is understood to be reviewing the situation.

“We have a set of strict policies which govern what ads we do and do not allow on Google,” said a spokesperson.

“We do not allow fraudulent or misrepresentative ads, and when we discover ads that break our policies, we quickly take action.”

Stuart Galbraith, who promotes artists including Ed Sheeran, said this is because Viagogo pays to appear at the top of the Google’s paid-for sponsored rankings. “I can pay 50p per click, they can pay £10,” he said.

Google did not return a request for comment.

Galbraith and Stuart Camp, Ed Sheeran’s manager, said all four major ticket resale sites routinely breach the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which says resold tickets must show data such as face value and the ticket’s exact location.

Galbraith said the companies omit this information because it would allow promoters and venues to cancel resold tickets.

The Competition and Markets Authority is icurrently investigating whether companies are complying with the legislation.

And the House of Lords was on Tuesday evening due to debate plans that include outlawing “bots” - the automated software used by some touts to harvest tickets in bulk.

One witness, SeeTickets boss Rob Wilmshurst, told MPs that bots were a “red herring” because touts have many ways to get hold of tickets.

Asked if he would instead support a cap on the price of resold tickets, for example at face value plus 10%, Galbraith said: “We would be happy with that”.

The committee also heard from Claire Turnham, who started a Victim of Viagogo campaign group after she and dozens of other fans were overcharged due to what the company said was a “glitch”.

She said Viagogo did not make its prices clear, with hundreds of pounds in booking fees applied at the last minute.

Turnham also pointed to messages on the website telling customers that they are running out of time to buy tickets and must hurry up or face disappointment.

Huddleston , who used to work for Google, said Viagogo was “one of the most psychologically manipulative websites i’ve ever seen”.

Viagogo declined to comment.

MPs summoned Viagogo after revelations in The Guardian, including that it resold tickets for an Ed Sheeran gig in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

It was also accused of trying to manipulate online reviews of its service in the light of negative publicity.

The Guardian has previously revealed the names of some of the UK’s most powerful ticket touts, who use sites including Viagogo to make vast profits.