Untransferable tickets and you.

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A few months ago we let people know that Ticketmaster had changed their digital barcode system from a static QR code that a screenshot could be taken of to an ever changing "dynamic" barcode which refreshed every minute that made this method of transfer impossible. However it was still possible to transfer tickets from one Ticketmaster account to another using the "Transfer" option on the tickets which we advised people to do to ensure they get a valid ticket.

Recently it has come to our attention several high profile events, such as Electric Picnic and Coldplay, currently do not have this Transfer option available. We've also heard there have been events where this "Ticket Transfer" option never became available.

The short version of this is that until this Transfer option becomes available a digital ticket can not be transferred to another person without giving them access to your Ticketmaster account, something we would strongly advise against. It is not clear which events just delay the activation of the Transfer option or which may never make it available. Confusingly it may not even be applied to people equally with some people never getting the option while others do.

While we could understand if this was to keep people within Ticketmaster's own resale system this resale functionality is often disabled several days in advance of the event or also occasionally not available at all which leaves people with no way of recouping some of their expense on a ticket if they can not go.

What has occurred here is a removal of an expectation of being able to transfer tickets. It is now at the whim of Ticketmaster and the event promoters (and to be clear Ticketmaster hold the functionality... the decision to apply this restriction is by the promoters / artists). It is our opinion that this is limiting consumer rights and it means that buying a ticket in advance now has a much greater risk of being money down the drain if you are unable to attend for some reason.

What does this mean for trading tickets on third party site including Toutless? As we can not know in advance which events will have this option available we've requested people DO NOT exchange money until such time as a transfer option is available. Even in the best of intentions if you transfer money in the hope of the option becoming available months in advance there are chances people will not be available to make the transfer IF it becomes available.

As we do not know the status or future status of every event is in this regards we leave it UP TO YOU to ensure tickets are transferable when buying or selling. We're likely to review how we approach this issue over the next few months as more information becomes available.