Profeco has promised to sue Ticketmaster with antitrust scrutiny after ticketing chaos for Bad Bunny's concert in Mexico City. The Puerto Rican singer was scheduled to play two sold-out shows in Estadio Azteca on December 9th.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MARCH 05: Bad Bunny performs onstage during the 2020 Spotify Awards at the Auditorio Nacional on March 05, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Spotify)
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Spotify
(Photo : Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Spotify) MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MARCH 05: Bad Bunny performs onstage during the 2020 Spotify Awards at the Auditorio Nacional on March 05, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Bad Bunny Concert Ticketing Chaos
Ticketmaster faces another antitrust scrutiny. On December 9th, Bad Bunny was scheduled to perform in two sold-out shows in Mexico City, specifically in the largest stadium in Latin America, Estadio Azteca.
During the concert day, The New York Times reported that thousands of fans were denied entry to the concert venue due to "fake" tickets, many of which were valid and purchased directly from Ticketmaster.
As per Mexico's consumer protection watchdog and Profeco Head Ricardo Sheffield, more than 1,600 ticket holders were denied during the first night while 110 on the following night. He accused the company of overselling tickets during the sale.
Because of this incident, Profeco promised the press that they will be filing a class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster. Sheffield said, "As we are a fiscal authority, if they don't want to pay off their own will, we will seize their accounts then, and they will pay because they have to."
Ticketmaster's Response
Ticketmaster Mexico released a statement as a response to this issue. They denied Profeco's accusations that they oversold tickets and blamed rather the overflowing demand for the tickets for Bad Bunny's concert in the country.
Scalpers were also mentioned in the statement, as many of them sold fake tickets. 4.5 million people tried to purchase on the site with only 120,000 stubs available, hence the chaos.
Engadget reported that Ticketmaster has agreed to refund the tickets from all of those who are affected by the incident for the full price of their ticket, with a 20% compensation fee.
This was also the same reason of the company during the ticket sales chaos for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in November. Fourteen million people hit the site as they try to purchase concert tickets, while only 1.5 million verified fans were expected to be accommodated.
Mexican President's Request
Bad Bunny has also been called out by the President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador to perform in Zócalo Square, Mexico City for free, with his support. As per GPB's report, financial support will be given by the Mexican government for the lights, stage, sound system, and even a zip line.
"It made us very emotional to see sad young people who couldn't enter because their tickets were cloned, because they were cheated, some crying. They saved for a long time to be able to buy their tickets," the president stated.
López Obrador added that he acknowledged the efforts of the singer as he might be tired and overworked, but his request might also be considered as he knows that Bad Bunny is a "supportive and sensitive" person.
As of the moment, Bad Bunny has not commented publicly on the ticketing chaos and the president's request.
