Experts demand crackdown on excessive ticketing fees
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Whenever we go out for movies, footy games, or planning holiday travels, booking tickets brings excitement to us.
The last thing you want to see at checkout is your total price skyrocketing due to unexpected fees.
Yet, Aussies recently felt frustrated about the recent ticket prices and demanded a review for these alleged 'money-making exercises'.
Economists and consumer advocates started a push for transparency over ticketing service fees.
The fees depend per service, and it could range from $3 for a movie ticket to a hefty $30 when booking flights.
Consumer Advocate Adam Glezer questioned the justification for these fees.
'Whether you're getting your ticket to your mobile phone or you're printing it out, you're still paying the same fee,' Glezer pointed out.
'Handling fees, service fees, surcharge fees, they're all the same, just with different names.'
'To me, that is simply a money-making exercise,' Glezer concluded.
This pricing strategy, known as drip pricing, often starts with an attractive headline price.
As the transaction progresses, people will see additional charges slowly stacking up.
It's a tactic that could make budgeting for an event or trip more complicated.
Ticketek and Ticketmaster, two of the biggest ticketing agencies in Australia, defended their extra fees as covering 'end-to-end service delivery'.
Popular travel booking site Webjet also defended their stance, stating that fees to secure the price of a seat could protect customers from 'nasty surprises later'.
However, advocates and economists, including Richard Holden, are not convinced of this.
They urged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to take a closer look at drip pricing since their last review a decade ago.
Holden expressed his concern that companies tend to 'game the system' to the detriment of consumers.
He emphasises the need to scrutinise how and when these fees should be disclosed during the transaction.
The call for a review was not just about the fees but the transparency in consumer transactions.
If you feel that the fees are unjustified, reach out to the company for clarification or to complain.
Sharing your experiences with these fees could bring attention to the issue and support the push for a review by the ACCC.
Were you affected by excessive ticketing fees recently? What was your experience, and how did you handle it? Join the conversation and share your opinions with us in the comments below.
The last thing you want to see at checkout is your total price skyrocketing due to unexpected fees.
Yet, Aussies recently felt frustrated about the recent ticket prices and demanded a review for these alleged 'money-making exercises'.
Economists and consumer advocates started a push for transparency over ticketing service fees.
The fees depend per service, and it could range from $3 for a movie ticket to a hefty $30 when booking flights.
Consumer Advocate Adam Glezer questioned the justification for these fees.
Flight, concert, and movie tickets saw a significant rise in prices over the past few years. Image Credit: Shutterstock/Artem Oleshko
'Whether you're getting your ticket to your mobile phone or you're printing it out, you're still paying the same fee,' Glezer pointed out.
'Handling fees, service fees, surcharge fees, they're all the same, just with different names.'
'To me, that is simply a money-making exercise,' Glezer concluded.
This pricing strategy, known as drip pricing, often starts with an attractive headline price.
As the transaction progresses, people will see additional charges slowly stacking up.
It's a tactic that could make budgeting for an event or trip more complicated.
Ticketek and Ticketmaster, two of the biggest ticketing agencies in Australia, defended their extra fees as covering 'end-to-end service delivery'.
Popular travel booking site Webjet also defended their stance, stating that fees to secure the price of a seat could protect customers from 'nasty surprises later'.
However, advocates and economists, including Richard Holden, are not convinced of this.
They urged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to take a closer look at drip pricing since their last review a decade ago.
Holden expressed his concern that companies tend to 'game the system' to the detriment of consumers.
He emphasises the need to scrutinise how and when these fees should be disclosed during the transaction.
The call for a review was not just about the fees but the transparency in consumer transactions.
If you feel that the fees are unjustified, reach out to the company for clarification or to complain.
Sharing your experiences with these fees could bring attention to the issue and support the push for a review by the ACCC.
