Consumer law | UK Regulatory Outlook October 2025

UK updates 

CMA secures undertakings from Ticketmaster following Oasis tickets investigation 

Ticketmaster has signed undertakings following the investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in relation to the sale of Oasis tickets last year. 

Among other things, the undertakings commit Ticketmaster to: 

• Inform consumers 24 hours before the release of tickets for sale if a fixed-tiered pricing system will be used. A fixed tier pricing model is where tickets in the same category are split into different price tiers in advance (for example, by the promoter or artist), the price of each tier is fixed in advance of an on-sale period, higher-priced tiers in the same category only become available after lower-priced tiers sell out, and the only difference between the tiers is their price and when they are released for sale.
• Where an online queue is used during the on-sale period, display to consumers waiting in the queue: information on the price range, as well as on any fixed-tiered pricing system being used, to help fans anticipate how much they might have to pay; and refresh the pricing information to reflect the available tickets as often as is reasonably practicable, and at least within 30 minutes from the start of an on-sale period and every 15 minutes thereafter.
• Make sure ticket labels are clear and not misleading.
• Not represent (expressly or by implication) that a ticket is "better" if it offers no material benefit over other tickets.
• Provide the CMA with a compliance report on the measures it will take before the undertakings take effect, and every six months thereafter for two years. 

The undertakings have been given to the CMA voluntarily and without any admission of wrongdoing or liability. Despite allegations that Ticketmaster had used "dynamic pricing" for the sale of Oasis tickets last year, the CMA did not find any evidence that this was the case. 

The aim of the undertakings is to ensure that, when purchasing tickets for an event, consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions. The new unfair commercial practices (UCP) provisions in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 were not in effect when Ticketmaster was selling Oasis tickets, so they were not relevant to the CMA's investigation. However, the undertakings do reflect the UCP provisions on price transparency, which are now fully applicable to all consumer-facing businesses. 

Price Marking Order 2004: updated government guidance  

The government has published updated guidance on the Price Marking Order 2004 (PMO). The guidance assists compliance with the PMO, as amended, which sets out the pricing information that a trader (whether online or offline) must include on price labels for goods (not services). 

The most recent amendments to the PMO were made in October 2024 and May this year through the Price Marking (Amendment) Order 2024 and the Price Marking (Amendment) Order 2025 respectively. 

The updated guidance covers amendments made to the PMO by both sets of amendment regulations – a list of amendments to the PMO came into force on 30 September (via the 2025 regulations) and will come into force on 6 April 2026 (via the 2024 regulations). 

CMA guidance on making consumer and competition law complaints 

The CMA has published guidance on how to report potential breaches of competition or consumer protection law. The guidance outlines what to expect from the CMA and provides insights on what it may take into consideration when assessing complaints. 

Complainants are encouraged to explain how consumers experience the alleged conduct (for example, using screenshots to show the consumer's journey when buying a product or service) and to provide evidence of how the business is breaking consumer protection law through relevant studies, customer surveys, reports or other hard evidence. 

As for the CMA's priorities, it concentrates on cases based on certain issues, such as the strategic significance of the sector or trader, the likely positive impact of action, whether the CMA is best placed to act, the resources required and the risks associated with taking action. Even if the CMA decides not to prioritise a full investigation, it may still take informal action by sending a warning or advisory letter to remind a business of its legal obligations. 

Businesses should therefore be aware that their customer-facing practices, digital interfaces and consumer journeys may be subject to documentation by complainants and detailed scrutiny by the CMA. 

CMA provisional decision in its market investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK 

The CMA has published a provisional decision in its market investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK. See Regulatory Outlook for background.  

The CMA has provisionally found competition issues in the veterinary services market, where prices have risen on average by 63% between 2016 and 2023. The initial review identified multiple concerns, specifically around the lack of transparency and options with pricing, and the regulatory framework being outdated because it targets individual practitioners and not corporate bodies.  

See Products section for more information.  

EU updates 

European Commission introduces new label and notice in relation to product guarantees  

See Products section.