Kilimanjaro Live has branded claims made by Viagogo "ludicrous, laughable" and "totally false" after the secondary ticketing platform sued the promoter for alleged fraud.
Switzerland-based Viagogo has initiated court proceedings against Kili founder Stuart Galbraith (pictured) in Germany over Kili's move to cancel thousands of tickets bought through the resale site for Ed Sheeran's 2018 stadium tour.
"[Galbraith] confiscated their legitimate tickets and pocketed millions of pounds by forcing fans to buy new ones,” said a Viagogo spokesperson. "Galbraith had previously falsely stated in the press that he would cancel any tickets listed on Viagogo. This is impossible, as he was not able to identify and cancel tickets on the Viagogo platform."
The firm goes on to make further allegations about Galbraith, who is due to appear alongside Viagogo's Cristopher Miller at a live music inquiry in Westminster tomorrow (September 5).
A Kilimanjaro spokesperson said: "The claims made today by Viagogo are ludicrous, laughable and most importantly totally false. This is a transparent attempt to deflect attention away from their upcoming appearance at the DCMS inquiry and the wide-ranging criticisms, multiple legal prosecutions in many territories, including by the Competitions And Markets Authority in the UK, and condemnation of their business practices. Kilimanjaro will defend against this action vigorously and look forward to doing so in court.”
Last month, the Competition And Markets Authority launched court action against Viagogo over concerns it is breaking consumer protection law. In a separate matter, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced it had withdrawn its referral of Viagogo to National Trading Standards, declaring itself "satisfied" by changes to pricing information on the firm's website.
