VANOC is continuing its unprecedented assault against widespread scalping of Olympic tickets by suing a well-known, Winnipeg-based travel company offering luxury packages to the 2010 Winter Games, complete with guaranteed tickets to final events.
A lawsuit filed by Olympic organizers in B.C. Supreme Court against Roadtrips Inc. accuses the company of "false, deceptive and misleading advertising" and "unjustly [enriching]" itself at VANOC's expense by promising Olympic tickets at prices far higher than their printed value.
Games organizers want the courts to ban future scalping by Roadtrips, a practice VANOC claims is a violation of conditions under which all Olympic tickets are sold.
"Our job is to make as many tickets as possible available to Canadians at face value," VANOC executive vice-president Dave Cobb said yesterday.
He warned that local Games organizers are prepared to go to court against other agencies that resist VANOC entreaties to stop profitable ticket re-sales.
Coast2Coast, a smaller Vancouver agency and the target of VANOC's first legal action two months ago, no longer promotes the sale of Olympic tickets.
"We're at different stages of discussions with numerous companies," Mr. Cobb said. "Unfortunately, two got to the stage where we had to get the courts involved, and I certainly can't guarantee there won't be more."
Roadtrips, which has been in business for 17 years, got into trouble at last year's Summer Olympics in Beijing when it was unable to provide tickets to the gala opening ceremonies to customers who had paid for them. The company agreed to compensate aggrieved purchasers.
A number of high-roller packages for the 2010 Games are listed on the agency's website, starting at $4,675 for four nights accommodation, plus guided tours and tickets to two Olympic events.
While ticket scalping is not criminally illegal in B.C., Mr. Cobb explained, the action is a breach of the small-print conditions on the back of each Olympic ticket, which dictates that it may not be resold "for monetary gain" except through official VANOC channels. "[Scalping] violates contractual law, civil law," he said.
However, VANOC has no intention of going after individuals who want to make some money by unloading their Olympic tickets for a profit.
The focus is on large, sophisticated companies that promote high-price ticket packages guaranteeing tickets for top events, Mr. Cobb said.
In a statement, Roadtrips president David Guenther said his company is doing nothing wrong. "It is perfectly legal and common practice to sell sports travel packages. This activity is different than the simple re-sale of event tickets, which is also legal in most parts of Canada and the United States."
Mr. Cobb said VANOC's anti-scalping crackdown is already stemming the normal flow of tickets into the clutches of unauthorized brokers, and he warned that consumers who use them should beware.
"The brokers are assuming the floodgates will still be open as they have been in the past," he said. "But I can guarantee you that there will be many instances of these ticket sellers not being able to fulfill orders. Many of their sources won't be there because of actions we have taken. Consumers need to be aware of that."
While those staging past Games have generally shrugged off the vast number of tickets routinely sold to ticket brokers by members of the so-called Olympic family, Vancouver organizers have carefully scrutinized each request for tickets by national Olympic committees. Dubious requests have been trimmed, Mr. Cobb said.
As well, VANOC has threatened to cancel any tickets found to have been funnelled to brokers from Olympic family ticket bundles, leaving purchasers at risk of having invalid tickets. This is a first for an Olympic Games.
As a result, according to Mr. Cobb, more tickets are available for the coming public sale on June 6 than would otherwise be the case.
The VANOC lawsuit argues that organizers have the contractual right to cancel any tickets held by Roadtrips and its customers. "[So] there is a real and substantial risk that Roadtrips will not be able to deliver tickets to its customers."
(Source: ctvolympics.ca)
