Have you recently used Viagogo to purchase upcoming event tickets? The ticketing site may be more difficult to access, now that Google has suspended them from placing online advertisements. Viagogo was founded back in 2006 in London and is widely popular for those to buy and sell entertainment tickets.
In the past months, the site has been accused of deceptive sale tactics. Last year, the Guardian performed an undercover investigation on Viagogo, revealing several surprising actions. In their investigation, it’s reported that Viagogo had been ‘profiteering’ from charity events and ‘colluding with professional touts’. With this in mind, Google stepped in to protect users and show their disapproval with the sites’ actions.
“When people use our platform for help in purchasing tickets, we want to make sure that they have an experience they can trust”
As of now, Viagogo will not be listed first on Google when fans search for live event tickets. Additionally, Google will no longer take money from the event site, now that they may not purchase advertisements. Viagogo was surprised by Google’s actions, stating “We are confident that there has been no breach of Google’s policies…” Unfortunately for Viagogo, Google is the least of their concerns moving forward.
It’s reported that the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), will be taking Viagogo to court, due to multiple warnings ignored to follow consumer law. The CMA has known of Viagogo’s deceptive practices for some time now, likely piling up evidence for a court appearance. For now, users can avoid this whole mess by sticking to other ticketing companies like StubHub and Ticketmaster.
