Would-be concertgoers have described feeling "embarrassed and ashamed" and being "gullible victims" after they tried to purchase Oasis tickets earlier this year, according to records from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
The Manchester band announced a reunion tour across the UK and Ireland, with two dates scheduled for Dublin's Croke Park next August.
A total of 92 complaints were made to the watchdog, after it said it opened an investigation into Ticketmaster’s sale of tickets for the concerts.
Tickets for the gigs were advertised as being priced from €86.50 (subject to service charge) and limited to four per transaction.
However, soon after the tickets went on sale, consumers reported various issues including Ticketmaster’s "dynamic pricing" model which hiked ticket prices, long queues and technical issues with the website.
One person said they "hurriedly" purchased four tickets for "€490.50 each excluding booking of €25 per ticket" because of a timer at the checkout, meaning that if they did not buy those tickets, they would be forced to queue all over again.
"In hindsight, I’m ashamed and embarrassed I have paid this level of money for standard seats.
"My original objective was to purchase four standing tickets for €175 each, however under the circumstances and with the limited ticket options available to purchase in a limited purchase timeline I proceeded," they said.
The records were obtained by RTÉ News through a Freedom of Information Act request submitted in early September.
Another person told the CCPC that their wife felt "compelled" to purchase tickets at the higher price, rather than the advertised €175, after waiting in the queue for so long.
"After waiting online for over four hours the tickets were then selling at €400 per ticket - obviously she felt compelled to continue, despite the inflated pricing due to the time investment," they said.
However, a different buyer said they decided not to buy "in demand standing" tickets for the increased price of €415 because "I thought that this price was too high" after queuing for two hours.
They added: "The standing tickets are the same so why can they change the price due to the tickets being in demand?"
In a letter sent to the competition watchdog, a consumer described the situation as a "scandal" and themselves as "one of the gullible victims".
They suggested that Ticketmaster and other ticket sellers should have to "display the current price of the tickets while queuing" so consumers can make "an informed decision".
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'Crazy' pricing
Another complaint called Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model "crazy" and compared it to "walking into a pub and being charged €15 a pint because the bar is packed and only €6 when the bar is empty".
However, the practice of dynamic pricing has been used by Ticketmaster to deter ticket touts from purchasing and re-selling tickets, as the higher price means a lower return for touts.
Multiple disabled people also complained about the process of purchasing tickets for the Oasis gigs through Ticketmaster.
One person outlined that they had to queue twice in order to try buy tickets for the Croke Park gigs, while that was not the case for the UK venues they tried.
"Normally when I go to the website to buy tickets, I get to select the accessible before joining the waiting room and the queue. So therefore, when I get to the top of the queue, it knows I'm looking for accessible tickets.
"In this instance with Oasis, I was put straight in the waiting room, and then into the queue, when I reached the top, only then could I select the accessible tickets.
"I never could get the accessible tickets. So, I failed to get anything on Saturday," the person said.
They added: "My issue and question is: Why on the same website for different areas, in Dublin I have to queue twice because I have a disability, while if I select a UK venue, I only have to queue once.
"It is bad enough to have to queue once on Ticketmaster for a gig, but to have to queue twice because you have a disability, in my opinion is discrimination."
Ticketmaster was contacted for comment, but they have yet to respond.
However, they have previously said: "The event organiser has priced these tickets according to their market value."
Ticketmaster Ireland also previously said that it is "committed to cooperating with the CCPC and look forward to sharing more facts about the ticket sales with them".
