Ticket reseller's delivery promise is misleading, says ad watchdog

Ticket reseller Seatwave has been told it can no longer claim buyers are guaranteed to receive tickets in time to make it to their chosen event following a complaint to the advertising watchdog. Seatwave is one of a number of companies to have built a lucrative, if controversial , business out of tapping into the "secondary ticketing" market where people resell tickets to sports events, gigs and shows. The company, which provides an online fan ticket exchange, ran a TV campaign marketing its website as a "hassle-free" way to buy and sell tickets with a "guarantee you'll get your tickets on time". The Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint from a consumer who claimed the campaign was misleading as she had used the website and did not receive the tickets for the event she wanted to attend. Seatwave said that it always guaranteed a full refund if buyers did not receive tickets in time to make it to an event. However, the ASA said that although it was clear that Seatwave was not the actual seller the marketing implied that "consumers would definitely receive the tickets they had purchased". "We noted that was not the case and considered that this was a significant condition likely to affect viewers' decision to purchase tickets through Seatwave," the ASA added. "We concluded the ad was misleading." The ASA banned the ad. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".