(Hypeb0t) — The Nationwide Unbiased Venue Affiliation (NIVA) has referred to as on Yelp to cease sending customers to an affiliated web site promoting faux tickets and tickets at inflated costs.

NIVA despatched the letter to the evaluate and advice platform after a number of makes an attempt to achieve Yelp to debate the difficulty.

In keeping with NIVA, Yelp has been deceptive customers by directing them to a Yelp-branded TicketNetwork web site promoting faux and overpriced tickets. “By partnering with TicketNetwork — an organization recognized for anti-competitive and predatory practices — Yelp not solely perpetuates these unethical practices but additionally undermines shopper belief and severely impacts impartial venues by diverting gross sales from legit ticketing sources,” NIVA mentioned in an announcement.

An issue since 2016

Yelp partnered with TicketNetwork in 2016 to supply “a one-stop store for high-demand leisure tickets.” That partnership continued regardless of over 100 1-star evaluations on Yelp, the platform’s lowest ranking.

“It’s fraud!,” wrote one Yelp consumer final month. “Pay attention to this web site who’re scammers! They double the worth for all of the the occasions and refuse for refund. Keep away!!!!”

Issues highlighted in NIVA’s letter embody:

• Sale of non-existent or inaccurately listed tickets: “Many customers have been offered tickets for occasions that both don’t exist or have incorrect dates and occasions, resulting in confusion and disappointment.”
• Lack of transparency in ticket particulars: “Tickets are sometimes offered with out specifying the part or seat, leaving customers at midnight about what they’re buying.”
• Sale of speculative or faux tickets: “Tickets offered by means of Yelp’s platform are sometimes not within the possession of the reseller, with many being outright fraudulent.”
• Value gouging: “Tickets are frequently offered at 2-15 occasions the face worth, even when tickets at face worth are nonetheless out there immediately from the venue’s legit ticketing platform.”

“Yelp has an obligation to the communities it serves, but its platform is at the moment complicit in predatory ticket gross sales that exploit customers and undermine impartial venues,” mentioned Stephen Parker, Govt Director of NIVA. “This isn’t only a matter of enterprise ethics; it’s about defending the cultural make-up of our communities. By partnering with an organization like TicketNetwork, which has a protracted, documented historical past of authorized troubles and unethical conduct, Yelp is facilitating a system that preys on customers and undermines the integrity of the dwell leisure business.”

Yelp Responds

In response to NIVA’s letter, a Yelp spokesperson advised Pollstar, “For 20 years, Yelp’s mission has been to attach individuals with nice native companies, together with impartial venues. We thank NIVA for bringing their considerations about TicketNetwork to our consideration and have taken speedy steps to show off that integration.”

Nonetheless, as of Wednesday morning, many misleading ticket hyperlinks had been nonetheless seen on Yelp.

Learn the complete NIVA letter to Yelp right here.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Company, and a Berklee Faculty Of Music professor.