Music lovers in Shropshire were today warned to beware of ticket touts, after hundreds of passes for V Festival appeared on the internet at inflated prices.
Tickets for dates in Weston Park, on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border, sold out in record time after going on sale last month. Today more than 350 sets of tickets were for sale on internet auction site eBay.
A weekend pass for four people was fetching up to £750 - a mark-up of more than £200 on face value.
Jonathan Brown, of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, today said: “The internet has exacerbated the problem enormously because it has given everybody the potential to re-sell tickets.
“While that may seem like a wonderful commercial opportunity, what’s actually happening is quite the opposite in some cases, with people not receiving tickets. We just think it’s brought the whole thing to a point where something’s got to be done about it.”
V Festival director Bob Angus added: “As concert promoters, we work closely with the Department for Culture Media and Sport on issues raised by consumers regarding the resale of music event tickets.
“We take into account that consumers themselves don’t want the resale of tickets to be banned.
“However buying from unauthorised agents or touts, where unfair practice is more likely to be involved, could well lead to disappointment and is discouraged by us.
“This year, we have taken the decision to limit the amount of tickets sold for the V Festival to four tickets per person.
“We hope this will limit the chances of them ending up in the wrong hands.”
The Killers and Foo Fighters are set to headline the 12th annual festival at Weston Park and at Chelmsford in Essex on August 18 and 19. The line-up includes Snow Patrol, Kasabian, Pink, James, Basement Jaxx and The Kooks.
By Andy Walker
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