Rugby World Cup scam ticketing website exposed by Which? closed down
A scam website selling Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets has been shut down following a Which? campaign that exposed it was falling foul of consumer law and breaching tournament ticket rules.
Which? blew the whistle on GetSporting.com after we found it operating unlawfully and urged rugby fans looking for last minute tickets to avoid it. The site has now been taken down by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau after we brought the website to the attention of the authorities.
According to Which? inquiries into the company’s track record and several online review sites, it appeared consumers were unlikely to receive tickets or were in danger of being sent fake ones.
The site was not registered as an official Rugby World Cup 2015 re-selling site and, in allowing people to buy up to 10 tickets at once instead of the official allowance of four, it was operating against the ticketing policy for Rugby World Cup 2015.
The law also states that ticket re-selling sites need to tell customers the original face value of their tickets as well as the standing or seating area their tickets relate to. GetSporting.com was doing neither of these things.
Its payment methods also gave us cause for concern. It was offering a discount for people who paid for their tickets through wire transfer but this method of payment means it’s almost impossible to get your money back if something goes wrong. We found one example where if someone bought 10 top band Cup Final tickets from the site, they could stand to lose around £18,000.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said:
“It’s a win for Which? and rugby fans alike that the authorities have acted on our tip-off and shut this scam site down. The Rugby World Cup 2015 is an ideal time for dodgy dealers to try to make a fast buck, so this enforcement action sends the right message to scammers.”
Which?’s advice if you think you’ve been a victim of a scam:
1) If you’ve paid for the goods or services you’ve bought with a credit card then you have greater protection if things go wrong under Section 75.
2) If you used a debit card, you may be able to ask your bank to get your money back through the chargeback scheme. Chargeback is not enshrined in law and there are no guarantees your bank will be able to recover the money. Which? has a handy letter template to help you make a claim.
3) Don’t pay with cash or a wire service as it will be almost impossible to get your money back if you’re a victim of a scam.
Which? has lots of free advice on what to do if you’ve fallen victim to a scam on our consumer rights site
Notes for editors:
- The Rugby World Cup 2015 has set up its own tool for people to check whether the site they are buying from is an official registered vendor: rugbyworldcup.com/buyofficial. The official site for Rugby World Cup tickets is tickets.rugbyworldcup.com