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Ticketmaster targeted for charging `abusive´ commissions for online ticket purchases
By Donna Leanne Bradley-Brown •
Published: 05 Aug 2024 • 16:51
• 2 minutes read
Ticketmaster is being targeted by independent Spanish consumer watchdog OCU under allegations of charging abusive commissions
The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) is calling on the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs to press charges against Ticketmaster for what it considers to be a breach of consumer rights. It is denouncing the company for adding `irregular´ and `abusive´ charges at the point of purchase, without clear prior declaration. It also claims that there is no valid reason for why these charges are added except to profit from significantly raising the price of the product being sold.
Hidden charges fool buyers
The OCU alleges that the internet ticket vendor is making 2 charges of commission, unfairly coercing buyers into paying over the top for tickets, particularly as neither charge is displayed until the person purchasing them is right at the point of making the transaction.
The two independent commissions consist of a fixed service charge of two euros, followed by a handling fee of up to 13%, which is only noted in a semi-obscured link next to the ticket price. According to the OCU, this results in an unexpected and significant increase to the original ticket price at the last moment, in effect, duping customers into thinking they would be paying less.
Commissions considered unjust
The OCU insists that these charges are `unjustified, abusive and non-transparent´ not only because – as stated by the company itself – `it is the only channel users have through which to buy tickets from Ticketmaster´, but also because in this case it is the buyer who handles all the administration of the ticket purchase, including data entry and payment details.
It therefore stipulates that where Ticketmaster is an intermediary company, offering no handling services of its own (e.g. a personalised cancellation notice subsequent to a refund, or delivery of tickets to the buyer´s address), the charging of this extra commission is abusive and does not adhere to consumers rights regulations, which state that only resale websites are legally permitted to charge a handling fee and that in all cases that fee should be clearly displayed from the start of the purchase.
It is for the above reasons why the consumer watchdog insists that Ticketmaster is forced to be held responsible for its actions and has requested that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs sanctions the company and obligates Ticketmaster not only to stop charging these fees but also that the company offers compensation to those who claim it, in the form of a full refund of the aforesaid charges.
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