OCU Files Complaint Against Ticketmaster for 'Irregular and Abusive' Ticket Charges for Bad Bunny Concerts

The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) has filed a complaint against Ticketmaster with the General Subdirectorate of Inspection and Sanctioning Procedure of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for the 'irregular and abusive' charges on online tickets for the Bad Bunny concerts scheduled in Barcelona and Madrid.

The organisation states that Ticketmaster increased ticket prices with up to three different charges. For instance, a ticket with a minimum cost of 79.50 euros has seen its price rise to 269.30 euros due to three additional fees: 3.30 euros as a donation, 36.50 euros for management fees, and 150 euros for an additional VIP charge.

This is not the first time OCU has denounced such added charges, considering them abusive, as it is the user, not the seller, who bears the burden of managing the purchase of a ticket online. 'It is the user who types or selects the date, type, and number of tickets and the payment method, for which they must enter their personal data and save everything on their device or print the ticket,' OCU states.

Additionally, they add that these added charges are often hidden 'almost until the very moment of payment' and the company does not consider them refundable, meaning the user loses any right to recover their amount if they are forced to request a change or a refund.

OCU has also denounced the fact that these are 'dynamic' prices that vary 'according to the market', without clarifying which factors influence them exactly and to what extent.

Consequently, and to prevent abuses in the application of dynamic pricing, OCU urges the approval of regulations to govern them and to include the obligation to inform the consumer, from the outset, of their dynamic pricing policy; the obligation to respect the first price offered to the user as long as they do not leave the purchase process; a maximum increase should also be set for a period in case the user returns to check the price; the prohibition of the use of dynamic pricing in basic products and services, among other measures.