The Guardian can reveal the controversial "dynamic pricing" after a company backed by sports stars, including England's men's soccer captain Harry Kane, who can reveal that two seats were charged more than £3,000 in the FA Cup final.
SEAT’s unique (Seat Simolor) sells event’s VIP hotel packages that have won recognition from professional athletes and sports teams and even earned financial support, promising to provide fans with “excellent, authentic experiences”.
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But the London-based company cut the price of final treat tickets for the Cup shortly after the client bought a pair of nephews who matched football rebounds.
In emails to customers, the unique staff of the seat acknowledge that its pricing structure can be “confusing.”
It says it's because it uses dynamic pricing, a strategy that proved so unpopular when Oasis used it for a reunion trip that the government decided to include it in consultations on whether to change consumer laws.
The employee said the price of its FA Cup final tickets could be "like a plane ticket or a hotel."
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A spokesman for Wembley Stadium, owned by the Football Association, said it sold limited treat packages through third-party agents, such as SEAT Intorical. It said the agent “sets the price of these packages and we do not have the right to approve the pricing model”.
With performance matches against the world’s oldest football match, the controversial pricing model is used in the FA Cup final, which may cause anger among fans given the resentment of high ticket prices.
Tom Greatrex, president of the Football Supporters Association, said: “Football clubs and football authorities need to carefully study the ‘secondary ticketing’ platform for which they sign commercial deals with them because we do not accept any “dynamic” prices in football matches.
“This is a smokescreen for the exploitation pricing model and supporters won’t represent it.”
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After a fan told Guardian she saw her "exploded" fans after buying two Cup final tickets for more than £1,500, she exposed the use of dynamic pricing, only to see them advertise for £399 less than two weeks later.
"My nephew is eight years old, he's a huge city fan and he's been having a hard time, so I want to do something to cheer on."
She said she didn't know much about football and didn't realize that Manchester City's ticket to play Crystal Palace is unlikely to be invested in such a high amount.
“The price (for hotel packages) came up and I thought 'bloody hell, too much'. I am a teacher and I made a lot.
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“But I think I’ll put it on my credit card and pay it off in the next few months.”
Less than two weeks later, she was nervous about whether the seat was a real supplier and logged into the site again, only to find the price of the same package dropped sharply to £399.
"It blows wildly in my face, and they (unique seats) don't even regret it, they don't care," she said.
Shortly after Gabrielle purchased the tickets, a sales representative called her to give her more tickets to other events.
When she was concerned about price drops, another agent admitted that the company's pricing structure "may be a little messy," but said it was due to dynamic pricing.
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When she asked if she would consider “good gestures” when she asked her seats that were unique, such as partial refunds or upgrades to a seat in a company box – the company was priced similar to the price of the inferior package she bought – the company stopped responding.
Gabrielle said she saw no signs that she used dynamic pricing when buying a ticket, and given the use of negative publicity around IT on the Oasis Reunion Tour, information that could affect her decisions could affect her decisions.
“If I knew that the seat’s unique operation was more like a touter of tickets, I would never buy it from them,” she said.
When the guardian started testing the final ticket for the Cup match, no information appeared to be revealed about dynamic pricing. Company employees ring out later to help complete the abandoned transaction.
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A Wembley spokesman said the unique website clearly stated that prices could rise, although it is not clear where to disclose it, unique has not answered questions about the question.
“If companies are not transparent about using dynamic pricing, especially for popular events like the FA Cup, fans will be frustrated,” said Lisa Webb of Consumer Group?
“Seat unique must ensure that its pricing practices are upfront so that fans can just make a smart decision to buy tickets at a higher price or wait for a price to drop.”
Seat Unique recently estimated at about £100 million in fundraising rounds, including Kane's investment. Other notable supporters include: former British and Irish Lions and Wales Rugby League captain Sam Warburton; England cricket captain Ben Stokes; former fast bowler Stuart Broad; former English Football International John Terry; Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill; Rugby World Cup champion Sir Clive Woodward; and Scrum Half Matt Dawson.
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Without any advice, any of them knows about SEAT's unique dynamic pricing model for the FA Cup final.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Seat Unique is an official platform that provides fans with the best live experience of the best live events.
“We care passionately about the fan experience, which starts with a fair, transparent and accessible booking process. The price is always obvious, there are no hidden booking fees, and if the customer feels we are not fulfilling our promise, we always want to correct what we can do.”