CMA secondary ticketing investigation updated
There has been another update in the CMA secondary ticketing investigation following on from the recent court action against Viagogo.
As of yesterday, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) demanded that a number of the big players in the secondary ticketing market must have improved their business behaviour. This ongoing investigation and review is hugely important given the growth in touts and overcharging. This is among practices that have arguably made pricing unclear, with the consumer not being protected by the market players.
The changes that the CMA are pushing through should help to defend the consumers against unfair practices. It should ensure consumer rights are not infringed and should enforce the ticketing companies to act more responsibly.
Latest in the care homes consumer protection case
The latest update in the care homes consumer protection case is a big one. Letters before action have been issued against Care UK.
According to the latest from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a letter before action has been sent to Social Care Holdings Limited and Care UK Community Partnerships Limited. Together, they make up ‘Care UK’.
The reasons for the latest action comes are a period of consultation and a lack of undertakings being provided.
An investigation last year reportedly indicated randomness in terms of Argos price changes, alongside Amazon, AO, John Lewis and Currys PC World.
The internet has allowed for price comparison to be a huge factor in consumer decision making. In the aftermath of Christmas, when sales are everywhere, the consumer is expecting to make some savings.
But a consumer report last year reportedly indicated some strange behaviours when it came to Argos price changes. The same was also found for Amazon, AO, John Lewis and Currys PC World as well.
Extra time allowed in the Asda Sainsbury merger investigation
Extra time has been allowed for the lawyers involved in the Asda Sainsbury merger as the CMA looks to protect consumer rights and ensure healthy competition remains.
When news of the £7.3bn Asda Sainsbury merger hit the news, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) were quick to act. Their role as the UK’s competition watchdog is to ensure that the behaviours of businesses in a market does not come at a detriment to the consumer. In this investigation, the concern is over whether prices could increase as the merger would lead to the companies overtaking Tesco as the largest supermarket chain in the UK.
The extra time that has been allowed is for the lawyers acting in the Asda Sainsbury merger venture to respond to a number of concerns that have been raised.
Loyalty penalty CMA investigation concludes
The massive loyalty penalty CMA investigation – deemed a ‘super complaint’ – has resulted in a set of reforms to stop the issue affecting people.
The investigation found “damaging practices by firms, which exploit unsuspecting customers”. This issue is estimated to equate to a cost to the consumer in the region of £4bn per year. There are thought to be millions of people affected by loyalty penalties.
The loyalty penalty CMA investigation looked at five markets: savings; insurance; mortgages; mobile phone contracts; and broadband. New regulatory rules are set to be introduced to stamp out the loyalty penalty endemic.
The Heathrow parking competition infringements case
A hefty fine has been issued in the wake of the Heathrow parking competition investigation that drew to a conclusion a couple of months ago.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a fine of £1.6m to Heathrow after they admitted to competition law infringements. The fine was originally £2m, but as a result of Heathrow’s cooperation and acceptance of wrongdoing, they received a leniency discount of 20%.
The investigation surrounds how parking charge rates were set in connection with the operator of Terminal 5 Hotel, Arora Group.
Viagogo taken to court by the CMA!
Big news in the competition industry right now is the news of Viagogo taken to court by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority).
Proceedings were launched by the CMA in August 2018. This came off the back of the longstanding reviews and investigations they’ve been conducting into the secondary ticketing market.
Following the recent court case, the CMA has obtained a court order which compels Viagogo to change their business behaviour. It also opens the door for potentially millions of ponds to be paid back in compensation to customers. On top of that, they will also have to pay a third-party auditor to monitor their practices.
Huge funeral costs investigation development
There’s been a huge development in the regulator’s funeral costs investigation that we’ve been tracking for a long time now.
The Regulators, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), are set to move from a market study to a referral for a market investigation. Their interim report states that there are “reasonable grounds for suspecting that a feature or combination of features of a market or markets in the UK prevents, restricts or distorts competition”.
The CMA now want to look into any adverse impact on the consumer. For a huge and sensitive market that’s worth something like £2bn a year, this is big news.
Undertakings in the online gambling competition investigation
The regulatory investigation into online gambling competition led to undertaking being signed by key players in the market.
Undertakings are always a positive step in ensuring there’s fair competition in the market. The regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), declared enforcement action earlier this year. Now, two big companies in the market have agreed to formal undertakings to improve their practises.
This should ensure that online gambling competition is healthy and consistent. This approach should always benefit the consumer.
The CMA statutory audit market investigation
The CMA’s (Competition and Markets Authority) statutory audit market investigation was launched last month.
A number of key issues are being looked into by the CMA to make sure that the market is working fairly and efficiently. Comments on the key issues are being invited, and a statutory deadline has been applied to the investigation.
It’s early days, with the investigation only being launched last month. It’s another important one for us to keep an eye on as lawyers who fight for competition to be fair and consumer-focused!