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Ticket sites close

Police pressure forces online ticket sellers to shut down

12 January 2009 - Police have asked for 11 web sites selling tickets for concerts and festivals in the UK to be taken off the internet.

Officials have acted after getting numerous complaints about tickets not being supplied as well as alleged trademark and copyright offences.

There has for a while now been growing concern in some quarters about standards for ticketing services. According to reports on Friday police wrote to the companies which registered the domain names and those outfits hosting the sites asking them to remove the websites from the internet immediately.

BBC reporter Shari Vahl claims that three of the web sites have gone now:

"They are TakeThattour.com, Oasistickets.net, and Tinaturnertickets.net, but the other 8 all hosted by the same company in Hungary are still up, but we expect them to close in the next 24 hours or so."

According to Vahl many of the sites were offering too many tickets in the first place and were also hard to contact for information on details on purchases:

"Authorities have also noticed alleged copyright offences and no telephone numbers or addresses, no VAT registration and there is speculation that all of these websites are run by the same person."

Any customers affected by the sites are advised to speak to Consumer Direct or Trading Standards.

Adrian Larkin

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Comments so far

Tim Pollard, Birmingham
I really cant believe my luck....... I have had a full refund from tinaturnertickets.net. Nothing will take away the share dissapointment and anger in the ticket fiasco but a huge wake up call in (as I now now) booking tickets from a recognised and very safe websites..... Fortunatly for me I am one of the lucky ones but the last few weeks has been filled with great bitterness and stress .

Tim Pollard. Birmingham
tinaturnertickets.net the story so far .... and to be be continued....... the show is tonight (Birmingham the 7th of April 2009) after many emails and frustation I have recieved a phone call to collect my tickets outside the the venue. I live in hope....

LEvenden Preston
tinaturnertickets.net is still up and running - unfortunately my friend purchased tickets from this site - am still waiting for the tickets - went on the site tonight, it's still active and you can still buy tickets from it - the phone number they gave has now been removed the woman who answers says tinaturner tickets is not there and she doesn't know what the company does that she answers the phone for - they obviously aren't monitored to ensure they remain off the internet, back up and running and selling their tickets - is there not a watchdog to monitor these sites don't return and scam more people?!

janey, leeds
I've ordered tickets for 3rd april, three days away and ordered the tickets ten months ago from tinaturnertickets.net - can anyone tell me if they got theirs from here, if not i need to book with someone else asap!

Orla, Ireland
I had booked tickets for the france wales rugby through smarthospitalitytickets.com and I never recieved them. And they wont give me my money back! I paid using a 3V card (a prepaid visa card)

Elliot, Wrexham
You never know what sites are genuine to be honest, you cannot help it. Brenda you should ask for a personal number / address and ask them up front, then they cannot run if they do not give you / know a date when the tickets will reach you that day get the police involved then they do not have a choice. Unless they sign something to say that you will get the tickets some time before the concert.

Brenda Colchester
I have booked tickets through tinturnettickets.net for 7th March and haven't received them. Their web site seems so genuine and I have received two e mails from them saying the tickets will be on their way. I shall stick to ticket master in future.

Vanessa, Dorset
It is now 7 days before the Tina Turner concert at the O2 on the 7th March. I brought 2 tickets from Tinaturnertickets.net in June 08 and have not received them. There is no phone number or address on the website so I have sent 3 emails and, todate, have had no response...

Mandy, Northumberland
I paid for 2 tickets for take that from takethattour.com, they then dissappeared off the internet, but I found the very same site still selling tickets tonight as takethattour.net. I have reported this site to Police and trading standards, but do not expect money back until after concert date expires, and I have not recieved tickets, which is then that my bank say an offence has been committed, and I will get a refund on tickets purchased via a debit card. I have since recieved tonight an unexpected email from takethattour.com, saying my tickets are expected to arrive 2 weeks prior concert. But I wont be holding my breath.

Kath, South Wales
HILike many other I have purchased tickets through this site I bought them via Barclaycard so I am covered for any loss. However reading your comments about them being shut down, does it mean the company is shut down alltogether or just slapped on the wrist and removed from trading on the internet, is there still a possibility I may get my tickets?

Elaine, Worthing
I have been ripped off for �250 by takethattour.com after going on the gmtv website which had a link onto their site. GMTV have a disclaimer on their site saying not responsible for companies which advertise on there. It seems that nobody is interested in protecting consumers!!!!

Toby, Chester
I work in the Billing Disputes Dept for a major credit card provider and we have masses of information on this hungarian company and other similar dodgy ticket merchants.