Ireland’s competition authority investigates Ticketmaster Oasis ticket sales

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said it would investigate Ticketmaster’s handling of ticket sales after raising “legitimate concerns about the treatment of consumers”.

Ticketmaster Ireland has stated that it does not set concert prices. The company’s website states that this is a matter for the “promoter” who “prices tickets according to their market value”.

The CCPC said it made the decision to investigate the handling of ticket sales after reviewing over 100 customer complaints.

Liam and Noel Gallagher confirmed the Britpop band’s long-awaited reunion with a world tour last week, saying: “The long wait is over.”

Many fans were shocked at the steep prices offered by Ticketmaster for standard tickets for the Oasis reunion tour, including two dates at Croke Park in Dublin.

Some were also angry and disappointed because they were left empty-handed after waiting for hours in an online queue to buy tickets.

Brian McHugh, Chairman of the CCPC, said: “The CCPC has reviewed more than 100 contacts from consumers who are extremely disappointed and frustrated with their experience purchasing tickets to Oasis concerts.

“While businesses in Ireland are permitted to respond to market demand, there are legitimate concerns about the way consumers have been treated and we have concluded that a thorough investigation is required.

“If we find that consumer protection laws have been violated, we will take action.

“The CCPC is grateful to consumers who took the time to call or email our helpline to tell us about their experiences, as their stories have helped us to put the events of last weekend into perspective.”

The CCPC said it would welcome written comments and supporting materials from consumers about their experiences purchasing or attempting to purchase Oasis tickets over the weekend of 31 August 2024.

Consumers can send them to the investigation team at [email protected].

Earlier this week, in the wake of the controversy, several politicians from the Fianna Fail party launched an attempt to ban so-called “dynamic pricing” in Ireland.

They announced that they would introduce a bill that would expand existing legislation prohibiting the resale of tickets above face value and would also prohibit the sale of tickets at prices adjusted by primary ticket sellers.

Senator Timmy Dooley has said that the use of dynamic pricing by primary ticket sellers must be banned.

He and a number of colleagues are expected to introduce the Bill to amend Ticket Sales (for cultural, entertainment, leisure and sporting events) 2024.

On Wednesday, Oasis announced new dates for Wembley Stadium using a new ticket plan following the chaos of the weekend.

Liam and Noel Gallagher have extended their Live ’25 tour to include two more shows in London on September 27 and 28, 2025, using a new “tiered, invitation-only voting process” where applications to take part in the voting will be open first to those who were unsuccessful in the first sale.

A statement said: “It must be made clear that Oasis leaves decisions regarding ticket sales and pricing entirely to its promoters and management and at no time had any knowledge that dynamic pricing would be used.”

“Although previous meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management had resulted in a positive ticket sales strategy that would provide a fair experience for fans and included dynamic ticketing to keep general ticket prices low and reduce illegal sales, the implementation of the plan fell short of expectations.

“Everyone involved has done their very best to provide fans with the best possible experience, but due to unprecedented demand, this was not possible.”