Consumer watchdog alleges Quebec-based ticket reseller violated the law

A Quebec-based reselling website illegally sold tickets to consumers at inflated prices, the province's consumer protection watchdog said on Wednesday.

The watchdog, the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC), issued a news release saying that it had issued 26 statements of offence to Billets.ca and its president, ric Bussires.

The offences are for illegally reselling tickets to shows at higher prices than the official vendor and for selling tickets that Billets.ca didn't have in its possession.

The OPC alleged that Billets.ca committed the offences between November 2022 and September 2023.

Billets.ca has not yet issued a plea and a spokesperson declined to comment, but, if convicted, the company could be fined between $2,000 and $100,000 for each offence. The president could be fined between $600 and $15,000 for each offence.

The OPC said consumer law prohibits businesses from selling tickets at higher rates than the official vendor, unless the business has permission from the official vendor. The business must also make it clear to consumers that they are reselling tickets and inform them of the ticket's original price.

It is also illegal to use bots to buy tickets for resale.

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The Association qubcoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vido(ADISQ), a non-profit organization that supports the independent music industry in Quebec, said in a statement that theOPC took action against Billets.ca after ADISQ filed multiple complaints against the company.

"It's a relief to see charges finally laid against Billets.ca and the practice of fraudulent ticket resale," said Eve Par, the executive directorof AQISQ. "This initiative reinforces ADISQ'sefforts to ensure that the public pays the right price for a show from authorized ticket sellers."

Alexandre Plourde, a lawyer with the consumer advocacy group Option Consommateurs, said the OPC's move to issue statements of offence against Billets.ca was "good news for consumers."

"We believe that this company's practices are detrimental to consumers, so it's entirely justified for the OPC to take action," he said in an interview.

Options Consommateurs is behind a class action lawsuit request against Billets.ca. That lawsuit has not yet been approved by a judge.

The lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit request claims that Billets.ca sold her marked-up tickets without her knowing she was buying them from a reseller as opposed to from the official vendor.

The class action alleges that Billets.ca violated the law by not making it clear the tickets were being resold, not showing the original price and not obtaining consentto charge more than face value.

Plourde believesthe OPC's actions lend weight to the class action request.

"It's all very positive," he said. "It shows that our course of action is, in a way, credible, it's not frivolous."