Open Letter To Google: Viagogo Appearing In Paid-For Search Results ‘Is An Untenable Situation’

– Viagogo.co.uk
A valuable advertizing client of Google

The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse (APPG), FanFair Alliance (FFA) and the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR) have published a letter to Google, demanding action is taken about Viagogo’s search advertising.

The letter is addressed to Google’s president of EMEA business & operations Matt Brittin, and the company’s managing director UK and Ireland Ronan Harris.

The full letter, which is published below, starts by highlighting the progress made in the UK against online ticket touting, before pointing out that one “untenable situation” remained: Viagogo, which appears prominently when people search for ticketing on Google, because it pays good money for it.

According to the open letter, the vast majority of customers don’t realize they’re buying a resold ticket.

“Viagogo’s search advertising is also, we believe, breaking Google’s own AdWords guidelines,” the letter continues, before concluding: “We understand that Viagogo is a valuable client to Google, spending considerable sums each year on paid search advertising. However, we urge you to protect consumers who daily put their trust in Google, and act now to restrict Viagogo’s ability to pay for prominence.”

The letter is signed by member of parliament Sharon Hodgson, chair of the APPG, FFA campaign manager Adam Webb, and STAR CEO Jonathan Brown.

Said Hodgson: “I have heard too many times from distressed customers of Viagogo that they were led to the website because it was at the top of their Google search. It is totally wrong that a trusted website like Google would direct consumers to such an untrustworthy website. Google need to take action in order to protect consumers, and I look forward to working with them on this in the very near future.”

Webb added, “Google are still directing would-be ticket buyers to a website considered so untrustworthy that it faces court action for suspected breaches of consumer protection laws. It’s an absurd situation, but with a straightforward solution. Google need to enforce their own advertising guidelines and stop Viagogo buying their way to the top of search.”

Brown commented, “Fans have always ranked as number one for STAR. We urge Google to redouble their efforts on behalf of both our passionate consumers and the fantastic live entertainment industry we serve.”

Counter-signees include several other members of parliament, as well as representatives of the Music Managers Forum, the National Arenas Association, UK Music, the Entertainment Agents’ Association, theAssociation of Independent Festivals, the Concert Promoters Association and others.

Update: Viagogo has since responded the following to the open letter: “It is legal to resell a ticket and all tickets on viagogo are genuine. viagogo is pleased to have reached resolution with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and welcomes the opportunity to do so with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) through the legal process. We respect the courts and the legal process and look forward to resolving this with the CMA in the interests of consumers – not the commercial interests of music promoters and other competitors.”

The letter in full:

Matt Brittin, President of EMEA Business & Operations

Ronan Harris, Managing Director UK and Ireland

Google,

1-13 St Giles High St,

London,

WC2H 8AG

Friday 7th September 2018

Dear Matt and Ronan,

This year has seen major progress in tackling online ticket touting.

Google has played an important part in this change. In February 2018, Google launched a new certification system for ticket resellers, with the aim of providing clearer information for consumers. However, Viagogo’s use of Google paid-for search to achieve prominence to consumers continues to concern all signatories to this letter, now more than ever.

On Friday August 31st, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) issued court proceedings against Viagogo for potential breaches of consumer protection law.

Last Wednesday (September 5th), Viagogo failed for the second time to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in an evidence session on secondary ticketing. The Committee’s Chair, Damian Collins MP, described this as a “pattern of evasion, disrespectful to the House and disrespectful to consumers.”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, the truth will do you no harm,” he added. “If you want to be safe, do not buy tickets from Viagogo.”

Repeated research by FanFair Alliance has highlighted how Viagogo systematically tops Google results for tickets, even when primary inventory is still widely available or, most worryingly, when the tickets listed will be invalid for entry at the event.

This results in confusion, and risks your users clicking through to Viagogo unaware they are being transferred to a ticket reseller.

Working with the campaign group Victim of Viagogo, FanFair has helped many individuals who believe they were mis-sold tickets to claim back hundreds of thousands of pounds. The vast majority of these customers tell us they were led to Viagogo through Google search and unaware they were buying a resold ticket.

It is an untenable situation.

In effect, one of the world’s most trusted brands – Google – is being paid to actively promote one of the least trusted.

Viagogo’s search advertising is also, we believe, breaking Google’s own AdWords guidelines. These state clearly that advertisers are expected “to comply with the local laws for any area that their ads target” and that Google will “generally err on the side of caution in applying this policy because we don’t want to allow content of questionable legality.”

We understand that Viagogo is a valuable client to Google, spending considerable sums each year on paid search advertising.

However, we urge you to protect consumers who daily put their trust in Google, and act now to restrict Viagogo’s ability to pay for prominence.

We look forward to working with you to achieve these goals,

Sharon Hodgson MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse

Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance

Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive, Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR)