North Somerset Trading Standards are warning local
residents of the dangers of purchasing tickets on-line, especially
with the imminent release of Take That tickets.
The official ticket release date for the Take That concert is
Friday October 29 at 9am and there is bound to be a scramble for
tickets.
However, Trading Standards officers are aware of instances where
consumers have already been scammed by on-line ticket sellers
claiming to be able to sell tickets before their general release
date.
It is very easy these days to set up a professional-looking
website and sell tickets which do not, and never have, existed.
Trading Standards are urging consumers to take the following
steps in order to minimise being ripped off and disappointed:
Protect Yourself
• Beware of sites selling tickets to events that haven't
gone on sale or that guarantee tickets to events that have been
sold out for months.
• Put the website name into a search engine like Google to see
what you can find out.
• Make sure the company behind the website provides a full
street address for their business, not just a Post Office or mail
box number. And try its UK landline phone number. Be wary of buying
from a site that only gives an email address or mobile phone
number.
• Ask for details. What type of seat/ticket are you buying?
What is the face value of the ticket? How much is the ticket being
sold for, and are there any additional charges? When will the
ticket be dispatched and how will you be notified? What happens if
things go wrong? What is the company's policy on refunds?
• Pay for tickets by credit card. Under the Consumer Credit
Act, your card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide
goods or services if the cash price of a single ticket is over
£100.
• Follow basic advice for safe online shopping by visiting
Consumer Direct online.
If you think you've been a victim of this scam, call Consumer
Direct for advice on 08454 04 05 06 or visit them online
www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
For more information on fake ticket sale websites visit
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/northsomerset
and follow the link to see what a mocked up fake ticket website
looks like, and avoid getting stung.
