Consumer watchdog says Oasis tickets investigation is ongoing
Ticketmaster
over the sale of tickets to next month's
Oasis
gigs at Croke Park.
Complaints from more than 100 people who sought tickets for the concerts on Saturday August 16th and Sunday August 17th in Croke Park, prompted the
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)
to begin an investigation last September.
The consumer watchdog confirmed on Wednesday that the investigation of Ticketmaster's handling of the Oasis tickets sale was 'active and ongoing' but added it could not comment beyond that.
Announcing the investigation last year, Brian McHugh, commission chairman, warned that it would act if it found any breaches of consumer protection law.
READ MORE
The sale of tickets on August 31st last year sparked criticism from fans and politicians, who complained that 'dynamic pricing' meant some people were paying far more than others for seats in the same section of the stadium.
In his statement, Mr McHugh acknowledged that businesses could react to customer demand but he stressed that the CCPC had legitimate concerns over how consumers were treated.
The investigation is one of several enforcement actions taken by the commission under consumer law highlighted in its annual report, which it published on Thursday.
Others include prosecuting supermarket chain
Tesco
for failing to include unit pricing on Clubcard promotional prices displayed in one of its Dublin stores.
The CCPC is also waiting on trial date for the prosecution of 13 public transport companies suspected of bid-rigging in school transport contracts. The Director of Public Prosecutions is bringing the case.
The commission safeguards consumers' rights, enforces laws outlawing price fixing and banning powerful companies from using dominant positions in their markets to stymie competition.
It also oversees mergers to ensure that they do not damage commercial competition, leading to higher prices, lower quality and less choice for consumers.
According to its annual report, the commission last year opened five new investigations into suspected breaches of competition law. It carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation into the home alarm industry.
The commission also removed or barred more than 178,000 unsafe products from the Irish market in 2024. Recalls included almost 10,000 babies' sleepsuits and more than 2,400 toy construction trucks, the commission noted.
Mr McHugh noted that 2024 marked the commission's tenth anniversary.
'Open, fair markets are the backbone of our economy's success, ensuring that whether consumers are making small everyday purchases or major financial decisions, their interests are protected,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
31 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Tusla expects to be €68m over budget this year as demand for services rises
Tusla has warned it will breach its budget by nearly €68 million this year as it struggles to deal with huge demand for its services. The child and family agency warned in an update in May that it had already overspent by €8.9 million but this figure was likely to rise by the end of the year. Tusla said its expected overspend for 2025 was €67.8 million, which included €7.6 million for children in the international protection process and refugees from Ukraine. In a monthly briefing, the agency said demand for its services was growing, especially for residential care, fostering, legal bills, and caring for separated children seeking asylum . It said it is trying to cut costs by expanding residential provision to replace special emergency arrangements that were a 'significant cost driver.' Tusla said some savings had been made in this area in 2024 through a 'strict pricing arrangement' and that this would continue this year. However, the agency warned that costs remained 'unpredictable' due to the inflated cost of placements. [ Girl (16) 'exchanging sex for money' among three children for whom no secure beds available Opens in new window ] 'As the majority of Tusla's expenditure is on demand-led arrangements, it is not possible to reduce expenditure materially to meet the budget allocated without adversely impacting on services for vulnerable children and families,' the report said. It said there was likely to be an overspend of €38.8 million on placements for special care, fostering, and private residential arrangements. Tusla also detailed the high cost of 'out-of-state placements' which involves a small number of children brought to the United Kingdom when services are not available in Ireland. The briefing said: 'If the agency cannot place children into special care in the existing facilities in 2025, this has the potential to impact on this year's overspend.' It said costs for staff travel were also likely to be up by as much as €2.2 million despite curbs on expenses being introduced. [ Person pretending to be Tusla worker turned up at children's residential unit on night shift Opens in new window ] Tusla also detailed a sharp rise in the number of placements for separated children who had applied for international protection in Ireland. The overspend was predicted to be about €6.1 million on providing 343 residential placements for vulnerable asylum seekers without parents. Other areas of concern for Tusla were Guardian ad Litem (GAL) arrangements under which a person was appointed to represent the interests of a child in court. 'There is continued increased usage of GALs by the court and this also has an increased legal cost,' the document said. The child and family agency also predicted an overspend for child refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, according to records released under Freedom of Information. Asked about the budget difficulties, a Tusla spokesman said: 'Throughout 2025, the agency has experienced unprecedented demand for services, which was unpredictable in nature, and we have worked to prioritise cost-saving initiatives around these contributing factors. 'Tusla has strong budget controls in place, however the projected overspend for 2025 is the result of demand-led pressures in the agency for the accommodation of children in the care of the State as well as costs for accommodating unaccompanied minors and associated legal and Guardian ad Litem costs.'
Irish Times
31 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Man arrested as part of investigation into fatal stabbing of Mark Carroll in Finglas
Gardaí have arrested a man as part of their investigation into the suspected murder of Mark Carroll (34) in Dublin more than a year ago. Mr Carroll (34) was stabbed to death following an argument in the Scribblestown area of Finglas on June 9th, 2024. The incident happened while Mr Carroll, a father of two, was visiting a house. He was socialising with a number of people when the argument broke out. A suspect was quickly identified. However, he had fled the area and efforts to locate him were unsuccessful until this week. READ MORE He has a number of serious criminal convictions and was recently released from prison. Both men were known to each other but were not related. One line of investigation was that the suspect fled to the UK following the attack. On Monday, gardaí issued a statement confirming they have a arrested a suspect. The man, aged in his 30s, is being held for questioning at a Garda station in Dublin under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. He can be questioned for up to 24 hours.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
O2 announces massive change to free service which could see customers miss out on exclusive benefits and deals
Switch will affect music, comedy and theatre fans who book early-bird tickets NO-2! O2 announces massive change to free service which could see customers miss out on exclusive benefits and deals MOBILE network O2 is urging millions of customers not to miss out over a massive change to its Priority service. The company is making a huge change to the free service in August. 1 The change means customers will have to use the app to access Priority services This will affect how customers access its perks and offers. The mobile network has announced it will be removing the Priority section from its website to make the O2 Priority app the primary way to access exclusive benefits and deals. The change aims to help improve the user experience by consolidating access to Priority in one place. The change means customers will have to download and use the app instead. Date for switch The switch will take place from Monday, August 11. From this date onwards O2 customers will no longer be able to access Priority via the O2 website. In a message to customers, O2 said: 'From 11 August 2025, you won't be able to access Priority through our website. Don't miss out on exclusive rewards and experiences - download the priority app today.' O2 Priority is a loyalty programme that provides exclusive rewards, offers and experiences for O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers only. Hundreds of Oasis fans left heartbroken after ticket sites time out at checkout in booking 'bloodbath' The rewards are updated every month and include things such as money off Disney+ subscriptions. There are also discounts on travel, food and drink deals, and prize draws. O2 Priority also grants customers early access to thousands of gigs and events across the UK. Buying gig tickets This includes access up to 48 hours before the general sale of huge events. O2 has confirmed that customers will continue to be able to access O2 Priority pre-sale tickets on Ticketmaster following the change on August 11. Customers need to be logged into their O2 Priority account and will be redirected to the Ticketmaster website to complete their ticket purchase. In a statement, O2 explained: 'To access O2 Priority pre-sale tickets on Ticketmaster, firstly, make sure that you're signed into your O2 Priority account, then click on your desired link in O2 Priority and it will take you to Ticketmaster, where you can book and pay for your tickets.' The O2 Priority App is free to download from the app store, or by texting 'PRIORITY' to 2020.
