--- title: "U.K. Consumer Groups Take Aim at Secondary Ticket Sales" id: "38077" type: "post" slug: "u-k-consumer-groups-take-aim-at-secondary-ticket-sales" published_at: "2017-05-10T15:21:43+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:19:34+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/10/u-k-consumer-groups-take-aim-at-secondary-ticket-sales/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/10/u-k-consumer-groups-take-aim-at-secondary-ticket-sales.md" excerpt: "With high-priced ticket resales drawing more attention than ever in the U.K., multiple groups are highlighting potential problems for consumers. One group just launched a survey targeted at the public, while another is offering a guide with tips on how..." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "consumer rights" - "Media" - "resale" - "ticketing" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » U.K. Consumer Groups Take Aim at Secondary Ticket Sales Think ticket prices are getting out of hand? A consumer group wants to hear about your pain points with ticket resellers. The U.K. consumer group [Which? (opens in a new tab)](http://www.which.co.uk/) has [launched a consumer survey (opens in a new tab)](https://whichcouk.bsd.net/page/content/ticket-resale-1/) asking the public to describe their experiences buying tickets from online ticket resellers—whether the event was sports-related, a concert, a play, a talk, or a large-scale festival. Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home products and services, [told The Guardian that the rise of secondary resellers (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/06/share-your-horror-stories-to-help-end-ticket-rip-offs) , despite regulatory efforts in the U.K. and elsewhere, has led to substandard experiences, especially as tickets fade from standard sites. The British government last month even passed a bill [that takes a crack (opens in a new tab)](http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/digital-economy-act-passes-introducing-new-ticket-tout-regulations/) at secondary-market ticketing issues. “Time and time again, people are unable to get tickets to events through primary ticketing sites and are, instead, left with no choice but to resort to secondary sites, where they may struggle to find the basic information about the tickets being resold,” Neill said. “We want to hear people’s experiences of using secondary ticketing sites to help identify what more needs to be done to make things work better for consumers.” Meanwhile, the [FanFair Alliance (opens in a new tab)](http://fanfairalliance.org/) in recent months has also drawn attention to what it calls “a black mark on the U.K.’s live music scene.” The group launched a guide in March to advise fans[on how to beat resellers in buying tickets (opens in a new tab)](http://fanfairalliance.org/launch-new-online-guide-to-beat-touts/) . One of its major tips? Don’t base your buying strategy on search engine results, which are dominated by resellers. “For the most sought-after events, you will inevitably see unauthorized resale sites at the top of Google, above the authorized ticket sellers,” the FanFair Alliance [told The Guardian last week (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/06/share-your-horror-stories-to-help-end-ticket-rip-offs) . “It’s deceptive and confusing.” [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#consumer rights](https://associationsnow.com/tag/consumer-rights/) [#Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/media/) [#resale](https://associationsnow.com/tag/resale/) [#ticketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ticketing/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fu-k-consumer-groups-take-aim-at-secondary-ticket-sales%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !