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The often criticized ticket platform has reached an agreement with the French-speaking Swiss consumer organization FRC.
The French-speaking Swiss consumer organization FRC can claim a small success in its fight against the ticket giant Viagogo. The controversial ticket exchange must compensate 807 consumers in Switzerland and adapt its Swiss website. FRC and Viagogo have agreed on this. A lengthy court case ends without a verdict. FRC sued Viagogo in 2017. The accusation: violations of the law against unfair competition (UWG).
The agreement reached was “the best option,” according to a statement from FRC. Since the legal proceedings would probably have taken many more years, concrete changes to Viagogo’s Swiss website were brought forward.
Viagogo site needs to be more transparent
According to FRC, Viagogo is no longer allowed to give the impression of an official ticket sales site. In the future, the location where the respective tickets are located will also have to be specified. In addition, the pressure on potential buyers should be reduced during the purchasing process.
Viagogo uses various information to suggest that tickets for a particular event are particularly popular – this creates a certain urgency when purchasing. In return for these and other changes to Viagogo’s Swiss website, FRC is withdrawing the lawsuit.
100,000 francs for 807 Viagogo victims
The second part of the agreement should hardly hurt Viagogo: 807 Viagogo customers who reported to FRC are to be compensated with a total of 100,000 francs. In view of sales that, according to estimates, are likely to run into the billions, this is probably more of a case for the petty cash of the Swiss-based company.
Viagogo has been criticized for its sales methods for years and has already been condemned for it. For example, in 2021 the Federal Court ruled that Viagogo had used unfair methods when selling tickets for the Knie circus. Internationally, too, the platform is repeatedly targeted by the judiciary.