General sale football tickets

[tell-me-more]

If a football club advertises tickets on its website as being on general sale, but then refuses to sell the tickets saying they're only on sale to members are they breaching the trade descriptions act or some other legislation?

Are they not obliged to sell the tickets to non-members?

[Buenchico]

It's unlikely that there's any breach in the law. As long as a vendor doesn't breach specific legislation, such as the race relations act, he can choose who he will or won't sell goods or services to.

For example, you might see something in a shop window, priced at �10. When you walk in and offer to buy it, the shopkeeper can say 'Sorry, I don't sell to people in brown shoes'. Equally he can say 'Ive changed my mind; the price is now �100 million pounds'. He can also choose to sell you the item only on condition that you hand over the money while standing on your head and singing the Lithuanian national anthem.

Any person selling goods or services has every right to decide who he'll sell to and to determine the price and conditions for the sale.

However, if the football club accepted payment and then refused to supply the tickets, they would be breaking the law because they had entered into a contract to sell them. Even so, any court action would have to be through the civil courts because there would still be no breach of criminal law (such as the Trade Descriptions Act).

Chris