Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers explained

The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR), created in 1997, is a United Kingdom body providing self-regulation for the live event ticket sales industry. Its aim is to ensure consumer confidence in the sale of event tickets via member compliance with a code of practice.

Code of practice

The code of practice covers all aspects of ticket retailing however it can be summarised in five main tenets:[1]

The STAR Administration

The administration of STAR is operated by a Council, which is elected by STAR members, and led by a Chairperson. Day-to-day operations are managed and carried out by STAR’s Chief Executive and External Relations professionals, who ensure the operation of the Code of Practice, handle all dispute resolution inquiries as well as provide information and advice around best practices for safe ticket buying. STAR is funded by annual contributions from its membership.

Breach of the Code of Practice

If a member breaches the Code of Practice, a sub-committee examines the breach and disciplines the member if necessary and depending on the seriousness of the infringement. The most serious cases could lead to expulsion from the STAR membership.

The sub-committee includes members of the STAR Council, independent professionals and the Chair. Anyone with a business interest in the case at hand is not eligible to vote on anything related to that case.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) works to help resolve disputes between its members and ticket buyers and is approved by Government under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015. The competent authority for this approval and that audits STAR’s ADR service is the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. ADR is available for customers who have an unresolved problem following their purchase from a STAR member.

A dispute resolution request can be submitted by either a customer or by a STAR member. Conciliation then takes place through the STAR office in an effort to reach a satisfactory resolution.

OFT report

In June 2004 the Office of Fair Trading announced it would be carrying out a fact-finding study into ticket agents for entertainment and sporting events in the UK. The report was published in January 2005 and whilst it concluded that "most consumers were happy with their last ticket purchase" it did recommend that "the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers produce model terms for its members to use in their consumer contacts".[2] STAR subsequently published model terms in July 2009.

Full Members of S.T.A.R.[3]

Ticket Fraud Awareness

STAR has collaborated with Action Fraud, the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (part of the City of London Police) to raise awareness around ticket fraud and provide best practices for customers to buy event tickets safely and with confidence.

The most recent campaign was carried out in April 2022, encouraging consumers to purchase their tickets from STAR members to ensure they are buying from a legitimate source.

STAR is actively promoting safe ticket buying and provides advice on its website to prevent consumers from becoming victims of ticket fraud.

Additionally, an independent review of consumer protection measures in ticketing was published by the UK Government in May 2016. This review took place as a requirement of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and was conducted by Michael Waterson, an economics professor at Warwick University.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Archived copy . 2009-11-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090730234729/http://www.star.org.uk/media/964/cop.pdf . 2009-07-30 . STAR Code of Practice
  2. Web site: The Office of Fair Trading: Ticket agents . 2007-08-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204204/http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/market-studies/ticket-agents . 2007-09-27 . OFT Tickets Agents Market Study 26 January 2005
  3. Web site: STAR - All Members. www.star.org.uk. 2015-10-06.

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