For an online platform that has the tech savvy to re-sell tickets that haven't even been released to their purchasers*, Viagogo seems strangely incapable of responding to an email or three.
Evelyn Richardson, Chief Executive of Live Performance Australia, has tried three times to make contact with Viagogo to discuss its resumption of paid search advertising on Google.
"The only Australian point of contact is a lobbyist who doesn't seem to be able to say much more than our message has been passed along.
"He can't even tell us who runs the company in Australia - if indeed they have any local presence at all beyond their PR rep.
"In the same time that we've been trying to contact Viagogo, we've had productive engagement with both Google and the ACCC to raise our concerns.
"This included a meeting with Google's public policy team in Australia which was a valuable opportunity for us to raise the industry's concerns about their decision which was made globally to allow Viagogo to resume its advertising through Google's paid search," Ms Richardson said.
While Viagogo didn't seem able or willing to engage directly with the Australian live performance industry, it's global managing director did somehow emerge from an undisclosed location to make a number of unfounded claims to the media.
"Viagogo's failure to respond to our requests seems to be consistent with a pattern of behaviour that is contemptuous of our industry, governments and consumers.
"If Viagogo can't respond to questions on behalf of the Australian live performance industry, how can consumers have any confidence in the credibility of a business which has previously been taken to court by the ACCC for its misleading and deceptive conduct?
