The Fight Against Ticket Scalping Just Scored A Huge Global Win
Viagogo was just dealt a massive blow.
Google has banned notorious ticket scalping service Viagogo from purchasing search results after finding the website had breached its advertising standards.
“When people use our platform for help in purchasing tickets, we want to make sure that they have an experience they can trust,” said a Google spokesperson. “This is why we have strict policies and take necessary action when we find an advertiser in breach.”
Promoting itself as “the world’s largest secondary marketplace for tickets to live events”, Viagogo allows its users to sell previously purchased tickets, often at massively inflated prices. It has also been criticised for allowing unscrupulous operators get away with selling fake tickets.
In April, the site was found to have broken a number of consumer laws by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Despite this, Viagogo’s paid activity on Google meant it regularly appeared at the top of search results, ahead of authorised ticket sellers.
A growing chorus of musicians, artists and event promoters have spoken out against the service, with Peking Duk calling them “filthy fucking cheats” and Gang of Youths asking fans to help “eradicate” the website in Australia.
Following Google’s decision, a spokesperson for Viagogo said they were “extremely surprised to learn of Google’s concerns today”.
“We are confident that there has been no breach of Google’s policies and look forward to working with them to resolve this as quickly as possible.”