Attorney general's office reviewing record number of Ticketmaster complaints for possible legal action
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office says it is pursuing Ticketmaster as a result of the thousands of complaints it received regarding the Taylor Swift concert in Pittsburgh next June.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Sarah Frasch is director of the state Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
"We received more than 2,600 complaints, which is about what we would get in a month. We got that within a few days," says Frasch.
The extraordinary number of complaints — about 10 percent of what the AG receives year-long — focused on Ticketmaster and its mishandling of tickets for Swift's concert in Pittsburgh and other venues.
So what happens next?
"Our agents are reviewing the complaints to see if there are any patterns or practices that may violate our consumer protection law in the state," says Frasch.
Frasch says the AG's office has already reached out to Ticketmaster.
"We've already been in touch with Ticketmaster's counsel to try and get some sort of response to the majority of the complaints that have to do with the Taylor Swift issue, and hopefully we can get that response within the next couple of weeks," Frasch said.
After that, the AG's office could bring an action against Ticketmaster, depending on their investigation, but no comment on if or when that might happen.
Delano: "I'm presuming it takes some time. Does the fact that the attorney general is about to become governor of Pennsylvania, does that impact your timetable at all?"
Frasch: "It should not impact it at all."
"Any time there is trade and commerce, and it could affect the people of Pennsylvania, there could potentially be a violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection law," Frasch added. "So we are always on the look-out to make sure that law is being complied with."
Since Swift concertgoers were affected in many states, KDKA-TV asked Frasch about collective action by a number of state AGs.
"That I can't comment on," Frasch said. "But there's always the possibility if we have states with similar issues going on that we have collaboration."
As KDKA-TV has reported, consumers in other states have already brought their own lawsuits against Ticketmaster. What about Pennsylvania?
Delano: "Is there the right of consumers to bring independent action on their own, or must they wait for the attorney general to act?"
Frasch: "Under the consumer protection law we have in the state, there is a private right of action, so consumers would have the ability, if they believed they were harmed, to bring their own right of action."
The AG's office has not heard of that happening in this state – yet. And there is no clear timetable on if and when the AG may act directly himself.
