Montreal firm sues Ticketmaster over pricing for ‘Official Platinum’ Drake tickets | 24CA News
A Quebec man who paid a premium for tickets to an upcoming Drake live performance has utilized for a class-action lawsuit in opposition to Ticketmaster, alleging the American ticket gross sales firm deliberately misled prospects for monetary acquire.
Montreal regulation agency LPC Avocat Inc. says in a submitting that the lead plaintiff, described as an enormous fan of Drake, bought a pair of “Official Platinum” tickets for a July 14 present in Montreal for $789.54 every. But the day after he purchased the tickets, a second Drake live performance was introduced within the metropolis and Ticketmaster was promoting the identical seats for $427.06 every.
The class-action software, filed earlier this week in Laval, Que., simply north of Montreal, says Ticketmaster marketed its official platinum tickets as “some of the best seats in the house,” however the lawsuit says the seats secured by the plaintiff had been within the higher deck of the Bell Centre — about 13 rows down from the very high of the world.
“I think it is illegal to advertise as some of the best seats in the house, tickets that are in fact some of the worst seats in the house and ? charge a premium compared to other seats,” lawyer Joey Zukran with LPC Avocat Inc. stated in an interview.
Ticketmaster didn’t reply Friday to an e mail looking for remark.
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Drake performs throughout Lil Baby’s Birthday Party at State Farm Arena on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Atlanta.
(Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP)
The courtroom submitting alleges Ticketmaster unilaterally decides what’s offered as “official platinum.”
“The result is that most, if not all, of the tickets advertised and sold as ‘Official Platinum’ are neither ‘premium tickets’ nor ‘some of the best seats in the house’ and are, in fact, just regular tickets sold by Ticketmaster at an artificially inflated premium in bad faith,” the submitting reads.
The lawsuit additionally alleges that Ticketmaster was conscious upfront that there could be multiple Drake present in Montreal this summer time.
Zukran stated his consumer bought his ticket at a premium primarily based on the concept there was just one present with restricted provide. “Therefore, when he finds out the next day that there’s another show, what happens is that the market is flooded with more tickets — another 21,000 tickets — and the price goes down.”
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The lawsuit stated that “Ticketmaster was very well aware that Drake — one of the most famous singers in the world today — would be performing two concerts in Montreal when it initially released tickets for the first concert, but concealed this information from the public in order to squeeze out as much money as possible from real fans who lined up (virtually) to purchase tickets for the first show.”
The class motion is looking for an injunction to cease Ticketmaster from branding tickets as “official platinum” after they’re not one of the best seats in the home, and for every member of the potential class motion to be refunded for the distinction in value and paid $300 every in damages.
The allegations haven’t been examined in courtroom, and the Quebec Superior Court has not but dominated on whether or not it might permit the category motion to maneuver ahead.
Zukran stated attorneys will search a nationwide class to incorporate any Canadian ticket purchasers, however added that Ticketmaster could or could not increase arguments to restrict the scope to Quebec.
“The legal claim is based on the Consumer Protection Act of Quebec, as well as the Competition Act, which applies nationally. So we could potentially have a national class, but that’s a debate for the court,” Zukran stated.
It’s unclear how many individuals could possibly be included within the class motion, Zukran stated.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
