CTS Eventim has lodged an appeal after a German court ruled the pan-European giant breached the Digital Services Act with its methods of offering ticket insurance during the ordering process.

The Higher Regional Court of Bamberg partially upheld a lawsuit filed against the firm by German consumer organisation VZBV, which accused CTS of unduly pressuring customers into buying insurance.

According to the watchdog, ticket-buyers who clicked through to checkout without selecting the initial insurance option were taken to a pop-up window that recommended users purchase ticket insurance “to avoid the hassle and frustration of missing an event”.

Only after clicking the “I bear the full risk” button could tickets then be ordered without insurance.

“Taken together, this crossed the threshold for undue influence,” said the VZBV. “A scenario was created that created fear of a total loss of the purchase price and had a threatening effect.”

VZBV says the court has banned the ticketer from offering insurance to buyers in a “manipulative and misleading manner”.

“The judgement is directed solely against the specific wording currently used in the pop-up in the event of rejection of ticket insurance”

“Such design tricks, also known as dark patterns, are prohibited in the EU under the Digital Services Act,” adds Jana Brockfeld, legal advisor in VZBV’s legal enforcement team.

However, a CTS spokesperson stresses that the ruling is not final and confirms the company has launched an appeal.

“We would also like to point out that the judgement is directed solely against the specific wording currently used in the pop-up in the event of rejection of ticket insurance, but not against the use of a pop-up as a new request per se, or against its other design,” the spokesperson tells IQ.

The court rejected the watchdog’s request to prohibit CTS from offering insurance in the shopping cart for the first time, saying it is “readily apparent” the insurance is optional.

CTS last week confirmed record earnings for 2024.

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Ticket insurance and protection operation, TicketPlan, has partnered with Eventim UK to provide refund protection solutions to customers purchasing tickets via the Eventim.co.uk platform.

Announcing the deal, TicketPlan relationship and development director, Ben Bray, says, “We are naturally delighted to partner with Eventim UK to provide our first in class, refund protection services to fans booking tickets via Eventim.co.uk. The Eventim name is synonymous with being a trusted, market leader in ticketing services and live entertainment internationally, and we are very excited to be working with such a world-renowned brand.”

Eventim UK managing director, Martin Fitzgerald, adds, “Ticketplan were the first and natural choice for Eventim UK. We’re excited to be working with such a trusted brand and we know that our customers will benefit from their product and services.”

“Ticketplan were the first and natural choice for Eventim UK”

Established in 1999, TicketPlan is celebrating its 25th year of enabling ticketing companies, sports organisations, venues, attractions and events to provide an added value service to ticket buyers, and to develop a new and valuable incremental source of revenue.

For the fans, TicketPlan provides protection against their inability to attend pre-booked events and attractions due to specified unforeseen circumstances such as accidents, sickness (including Covid19), breakdown of transport, bereavements, and many others.

An ever-increasing number of organisations in the UK, Europe, and North America now trust TicketPlan to provide their ticket insurance and protection facilities. Among the companies that work with TicketPlan are See Tickets, Skiddle, Kaboodle, and Eventfrog, to name but a few.

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Ticket insurance and protection specialist TicketPlan has partnered with See Tickets to provide a refund insurance solution to customers in the US.

The link-up was secured via TicketPlan’s long-standing relationship with Florida and Pennsylvania-based GoReady, a leading provider of travel insurance in the States.

“We are delighted to be providing See Tickets with a refund insurance solution in the USA via our partnership with GoReady and we are all incredibly excited to be working with one of the US’s fastest growing live event ticketing companies,” says Ben Bray, Ticketplan’s relationship and development director.

Established in 1999, TicketPlan enables ticketing companies, venues, events and other organisations to provide an added value service to ticket buyers and develop a new and incremental source of revenue.

“We’re happy to work with the TicketPlan team to offer added protection for ticket purchases”

“We are big fans of See Tickets’ client-friendly approach,” says GoReady CEO Jason Schreier. “GoReady is proud to add its benefits and services to that already outstanding equation.”

UK-based TicketPlan expanded into the Polish market in 2019, having already established its presence in the Dutch, Danish and Italian markets, and announced a partnership with UK ticketing firm and live events website Skiddle last summer.

“Fans have been asking for a solution to protect themselves when the unexpected happens in a ‘no refund’ world,” adds Boris Patronoff, See Tickets Group COO and CEO of See Tickets North America. “We’re happy to work with the TicketPlan team to offer added protection for ticket purchases.”

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