The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) has filed 26 infractions against the Billets.ca site and its president Éric Bussières. The popular resale platform is, among other things, accused of displaying tickets at a price higher than that authorized by the producer, which constitutes an illegal practice.
Posted at 1:29 p.m.
These accusations follow cumulative complaints by the Consumer Protection Office (OPC), which has been interested in the resale of tickets online for several years. In a press release Wednesday, the organization explained that the tickets filed against the company are accompanied by fines ranging from $2,000 to $100,000. Éric Bussières, for his part, could have to pay out of his own pocket up to $15,000 for certain findings that directly target him.
The company and its owner have 30 days to enter a plea. If they plead not guilty, the case will be transferred to court. In this scenario, the evidence accumulated by the DPCP will be made public.
The Consumer Protection Office has indicated that Billets.ca and its owner are essentially being criticized for having sold show tickets at a higher cost than that which had been determined by the producer. The site also allegedly posted for sale a ticket that was not in its possession, according to the OPC.
Unless prior authorization is obtained, a resale site cannot sell a ticket at a higher price than that determined by the show promoter. Platforms like Billets.ca must also clearly specify that it is a resale ticket, in addition to displaying the original price.
Note that Billets.ca, like the 514-Billets site. com, is also the subject of a collective action request filed last year by the organization Option Consommateurs.
ADISQ relieved
The entertainment industry in Quebec has long denounced the practices of ticket resale sites. They are regularly singled out for the exorbitant increase in the cost of seeing certain shows.
In this spirit, the Quebec Association of the Recording, Entertainment and Video Industry (ADISQ) welcomed the proceedings brought against Billets.ca on Wednesday. “It is a relief to see charges finally being laid against Billets.ca and the practice of fraudulent ticket resale. This initiative adds reinforcement to ADISQ’s efforts to ensure that the public pays the right price for a show, from authorized ticket sellers,” declared Eve Paré, general director of ADISQ, in a press release. .
ADISQ indicates that it is at the origin of several of the complaints handled by the OPC concerning Billets.ca. The association says it is now waiting for the results of the consultation launched last year by the Quebec Ministry of Justice on the resale of tickets.
