Competition watchdog to probe Oasis tickets site amid ‘rip-off’ prices storm

The website selling tickets for Oasis’ reunion tour is to be investigated by the competition watchdog.

Fans were left stunned when tickets shot up from £148 ($290 AUD) to £355 ($695 AUD) after website Ticketmaster used “dynamic pricing” – which raises prices when demand is high.

Millions tried to get Oasis tickets last weekend, on so-called “Supersonic Saturday”.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) yesterday said its investigation would look at whether Ticketmaster’s sale of Oasis tickets “may have breached consumer protection law”.

Some 450 people had complained to the UK’s advertising regulator.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation.

“It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at checkout.

“We want to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so that we can investigate whether existing consumer protection law has been breached.”

Oasis has since announced new dates using a different ticketing plan.

Ticketmaster has said it is not responsible for setting concert prices.

A spokesman said: “We are committed to cooperating with the CMA and look forward to sharing more facts about the ticket sale with them.”