Consumer organisation to file complaint against Pukkelpop ticket resale fee
Consumer organisation Test Achats intends to file a complaint about the ticket resale policy of music festival Pukkelpop by the end of the summer.
Anyone wishing to resell a Pukkelpop ticket is required to do so through the festival's official exchange service, which charges an administrative fee of 16 euros, which has drawn criticism from consumers.
Test Achats is scrutinising several festivals for consumer-friendliness this year. “We have noticed a number of things that are not really consumer-friendly,” said spokesperson Laura Clays. These findings will be compiled and submitted to the FPS Economy.
Among the practices under review is Pukkelpop’s resale fee. “That 16 euros is very difficult to justify,” Clays said, noting that while FPS guidelines permit such fees if they are “reasonable and justifiable,” Testaankoop believes this is not the case with Pukkelpop.
“That 16 euros is very difficult to justify”
Unlike other festivals, Pukkelpop does not allow ticket resales through popular platforms like TicketSwap. Instead, tickets, including those for the festival’s final day - originally headlined by Queens of the Stone Age until the band cancelled due to illness - must be sold via the festival’s own exchange service. Pukkelpop describes this approach as a protective measure for consumers.
“At Pukkelpop, each ticket is registered in the name of the person, and only the person stated on the ticket is granted access,” said spokesperson Frederik Luyten. The system is intended to prevent price gouging and ensures that only legitimate ticket holders can enter.
ID checks
The festival’s internal checks include verifying ID, which allows them to manage issues like loss or fraud more effectively. “We can also intervene immediately in the event of loss, hacking or a photo of someone sharing a ticket via social media,” Luyten said.
Pukkelpop defends the administrative cost of 16 euros as necessary due to the complexity of managing each ticket's resale.
“We offer the consumer, even if we are not sold out, the option to offer a ticket for sale again on our own website in complete safety,” said Luyten. He said the festival evaluates the system after each edition and adjusts it as needed, with the help of specialists in fraud prevention.
Despite Test Achats' objections, Pukkelpop intends to continue its resale system, through which thousands of people have resold their tickets this year.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JILL DELSAUX
Related news
