The website is currently selling tickets to the upcoming Electric Picnic music festival in Stradbally, Co Laois for 330, and seats for November's two Irish rugby internationals at Lansdowne Road, against South Africa and Australia, for 250. In the case of the Electric Picnic event, which is officially sold out, this price is almost twice the face value of the tickets, while in the case of the rugby matches, it is up to four times the actual price.

Michael Scully, who runs the company from Whitehall in Dublin said he did not disagree with the CAI chief: "I'm not saying he hasn't a point, " Scully told the Sunday Tribune. "Anything that I sell, I stand over. There are hundreds of people buying tickets on the streets that have no comeback whatsoever, " he said.

But Jewell said: "The site makes no apologies that you won't get these tickets anywhere else and that you will be paying over the odds, but it's the terms and conditions that really need to be examined".

One of the conditions listed on the site relates to the cancellation of concerts or events, in the event of which the site states it "will refund the face value of the ticket only, " despite the far larger price being paid by the customer. "It's one to watch, " Jewell said, "I would advise people to stay away from it."

Scully said that such a condition does not always come into force and since the website was set up in July he has indeed refunded the full paid price of some tickets. At the moment, his main clients are "corporates".

Tickets to Bruce Springsteen in Dublin's Point Depot in November are retailing at 170 on the website, while those for George Michael's concert at the same venue in December are selling for 250.