HALF OF all Irish music and sports ticket websites breach consumer rules by, for example, misleading customers about prices or imposing unfair terms and conditions, a European Commission investigation has found.
One-third of electronics websites based in Ireland were also found to be still in breach of consumer regulations, over a year after they were first investigated.
Apart from Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Ireland had the worst record for compliance by websites selling electronic goods of the 28 European countries surveyed.
Eight of the 16 Irish sites selling tickets for cultural and sporting events were found to be in breach of consumer laws, and were flagged for further investigation.
The most common problem related to price, where taxes or delivery charges were hidden or information was not provided in a clear and timely manner.
Another common problem arose when unfair conditions were imposed, such as limits on the right to a refund or a failure to guarantee delivery on time.
In further investigations, officials found seven of the 16 Irish sites selling sports and music tickets breached consumer rules in relation to the transferability of tickets.
Where non-transferable tickets are sold, this must be clearly stated on the website before purchase.
Overall in Europe, the commission declared 84 per cent of electronics websites “clean”, compared to only 44 per cent when officials carried out a “sweep” in 2009.
A sweep is a co-ordinated action by consumer officials in each member state, who carry out simultaneous checks for breaches of consumer law.
Where irregularities are found, operators must take corrective action or face penalties.
EU consumer commissioner John Dalli said the sweeps were working by boosting consumer confidence and benefiting reputable businesses.
In Ireland, the improvement was less marked than in the rest of Europe; 10 out of 15 sites were judged compliant last month, compared to six in 2009.
Officials also carried out a mystery shopping exercise in Ireland, Hungary and Norway to check the experience of ordering, taking delivery, returning and seeking a refund for electronic goods.
Only one-third of the 21 sites checked complied with all laws. The commission says two-thirds are now in order.
The main problems found were delayed reimbursement or no reimbursement at all when the purchased item was returned to the trader and insufficient information provided after purchase.
The latest sweep of online sales of tickets for cultural and sporting events found 40 per cent of websites across Europe were compliant, but 60 per cent were flagged for further investigation for breaches of consumer rules.