UK consumer rights group Which? has weighed in on the debate surrounding the use of dynamic pricing during the sale of tickets for Oasis's reunion shows, and has suggested that fans should be refunded.
"It seems extremely unfair that Oasis fans got up early and battled through the queues only to find that ticket prices had more than doubled from the originally advertised price," says Lisa Webb, a senior lawyer at Which?.
"Which? believes that Ticketmaster's 'in demand' pricing practices for Oasis tickets could have breached consumer law," she continues. "It appears fans weren't properly warned about the use of 'in demand' pricing until far too late in the purchase journey – leading to a nasty shock at the checkout.
"Oasis and Ticketmaster should do the right thing and refund fans who may have been misled into paying over the odds for tickets that would have been half the price just hours earlier."
Which? has also amassed a stash of supporting evidence from disgruntled fans that suggests prospective purchasers were advised of ticket prices that were subsequently inflated at check-out.
"The Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations protect consumers from unfair or misleading trading practices," says Webb. "Under the CPRs, when advertising a product, traders must not mislead consumers with how prices are presented or leave out key pricing information that they might need to make an informed decision about their purchase."
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority, the branch of the UK Government responsible for preventing and reducing anti-competitive activities, announced plans to investigate Ticketmaster over the sale of tickets for next year's stadium shows.
The Gallagher brothers subsequently distanced themselves from the controversy, saying, "It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used."
Oasis tour dates 2025
Jul 04: Cardiff Principality Stadium
Jul 05: Cardiff Principality Stadium
Jul 11: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 12: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 16: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 19: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 20: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 25: London Wembley Stadium
Jul 26: London Wembley Stadium
Jul 30: London Wembley Stadium
Aug 02: London, Wembley Stadium
Aug 03: London, Wembley Stadium
Aug 08: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 09: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 12: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 16: Dublin Croke Park
Aug 17: Dublin Croke Park
Sep 27: London, Wembley Stadium
Sep 28: London, Wembley Stadium
