“Missed opportunity”: Dutch senate shoots down touting bill

Dutch member of parliament Jasper van Dijk has criticised as a “huge missed opportunity” the rejection of a bill that would have ensured consumers who had bought a ticket for more than 20% above face value would be reimbursed.

If passed, the Ticket Act (Ticketwet), proposed by Socialist Party MP van Dijk and Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA)’s Madeleine van Toorenburg, would have enabled buyers to claim back the overpaid amount. This could, says van Dijk, have been achieved via collective litigation or through a dispute committee.

It was defeated in the Dutch senate yesterday afternoon by ‘no’ votes from the Labour Party, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and other CDA MPs. The bill had already passed the lower house, the House of Representatives, in 2010.

“It is sad the ticket mafia has been given free rein by the senate”

“With this law, notorious ticket brokers would have been struck a major blow,” says van Dijk (pictured). “It is sad that the ticket mafia has now been given free rein by the senate. That PvdA [Labour party] and CDA MPs chose [to vote this way] is unimaginable.”

Competition watchdog ACM last year dropped its investigation into the Dutch secondary ticketing market, saying it had found “no evidence” primary and secondary outlets were colluding to gouge prices.

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