The companies, which include Ticketmaster and See Tickets, have pledged that any additional fees will be displayed next to the ticket price on all purchases. It is hoped the change will make it easier for customers to compare prices between ticket stores before they buy and comes following a campaign by consumer watchdog Which?.
Speaking about the changes, consumer minister Jenny Willott told BBC News that she backs the campaign. She said: “Hidden charges when buying tickets online need to come to an end. Not only are they unfair for the customer but they also damage the reputation of businesses.”
Which?’s Alex Neill explained the reasoning behind the petition, which garnered over 37,000 signatures. He stated: “Our campaign is about getting the big ticket companies to not hide their fees, to show them up front, and then to justify how expensive these fees are and what they are actually for. Why are they so different? They can vary from nothing to up to more than a third, which is a huge variation. So we want to know what that’s for.”
The Advertising Standards Authority also worked with ticket companies to ensure they remain upfront with the total cost of a ticket in advance. They have surveyed 130 websites so far, with around 60 businesses being forced to correct their prices.
