Archives
Viagogo taken to court by the CMA!
Big news in the competition industry right now is the news of Viagogo taken to court by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority).
Proceedings were launched by the CMA in August 2018. This came off the back of the longstanding reviews and investigations they’ve been conducting into the secondary ticketing market.
Following the recent court case, the CMA has obtained a court order which compels Viagogo to change their business behaviour. It also opens the door for potentially millions of ponds to be paid back in compensation to customers. On top of that, they will also have to pay a third-party auditor to monitor their practices.
Huge funeral costs investigation development
There’s been a huge development in the regulator’s funeral costs investigation that we’ve been tracking for a long time now.
The Regulators, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), are set to move from a market study to a referral for a market investigation. Their interim report states that there are “reasonable grounds for suspecting that a feature or combination of features of a market or markets in the UK prevents, restricts or distorts competition”.
The CMA now want to look into any adverse impact on the consumer. For a huge and sensitive market that’s worth something like £2bn a year, this is big news.
Undertakings in the online gambling competition investigation
The regulatory investigation into online gambling competition led to undertaking being signed by key players in the market.
Undertakings are always a positive step in ensuring there’s fair competition in the market. The regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), declared enforcement action earlier this year. Now, two big companies in the market have agreed to formal undertakings to improve their practises.
This should ensure that online gambling competition is healthy and consistent. This approach should always benefit the consumer.
Victory in Ping competition appeal tribunal
The CMA’s previous competition infringement decision has been upheld at the Ping competition appeal tribunal.
The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) had previously established a breach finding against Ping Europe Limited. Ping had banned the sale of its golf clubs online which had triggered an investigation by the CMA.
Having assessed the issue, the CMA found that Ping was in breach of competition law by stopping two UK retailers from selling their golf clubs online. The Ping competition appeal tribunal has now upheld the original finding of the breach as well.
The funerals market study is a currently being conducted by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) in the UK.
The scope of the funerals market study is to find out more information about the market to ensure it’s working fairly and efficiently. The key areas being assessed by the CMA include customer behaviours, customer experiences and decision-making processes that have led to customer decisions.
The review was initiated in summer this year and remains ongoing.
Investment consultants market investigation updated
The investment consultants market investigation currently underway by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been updated.
The CMA opened their investigation last year after the FCA referred matters over for a market investigation. The CMA has been looking into ‘the supply and acquisition of investment consultancy services and fiduciary management services to and by institutional investors and employers in the UK’.
This followed an interim report published by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) in 2016 where they proposed that the investment consultancy market be referred for a competition investigation.
A Royal Mail competition fine has been issued in the sum of £50m by the UK communications regulator for abuse of a dominant market position.
Regulators Ofcom accused the Royal Mail of penalising wholesale customers over bulk mail deliveries for things like council tax demands and bank statements. They were fined for discriminating against a rival, Whistl, who were subject to contractual changes back in 2014.
These changes included price increases that led to Whistl scrapping expansion plans that cost the business millions of pounds.
Online dating competition investigation concludes
The online dating competition investigation conducted by the CMA has come to a conclusion, with undertakings agreed by Venntro Media Group Limited.
The investigation was launched in October 2017 by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) over concerns about breaches of consumer protection law. The concerns surrounded advertising, use of consumers’ data and potentially unfair terms and conditions.
Venntro has now agreed to a number of undertakings in order to satisfy the CMA’s concerns and ensure fair competition in the online dating sector.
Care home Competition and Markets Authority investigation updated
The care home Competition and Markets Authority investigation now has a key update. A consultation has been opened for drafting consumer law advice for UK providers.
The care home Competition and Markets Authority investigation has been going on since June 2017. It has been looking into a number of care home providers as a result of concerns over the contract terms and practices they engage in. The CMA have been concerned that some of the practises are breaches of consumer law.
A market study is also underway in addition to the specific care home investigations.
Design, construction and fit-out competition case to continue
Watchdog investigations into the design, construction and fit-out competition issues is set to go on, according to a recent update published by the CMA.
The CMA – the Competition and Markets Authority – have been investigating the industry since July 2017 on the basis of suspected anti-competitive agreements that may be having an adverse effect on the market, and therefore the consumer.
A year on from the CMA’s investigations commencing, the CMA has taken the decision to extend the investigation with the view to publish a further update toward the end of the year.