Which? tackles tickets

Consumer mag wants clearer prices

29 May 08 - An investigation by consumer magazine Which? has discovered music fans pay 30% over and above the price of a seat.

Which? said that costs such as booking and postage may not become clear to those who buy them until they have almost finished buying the tickets.

Which? said fees should be clearer and nearly 90 per cent of people polled in their survey agreed.

Senior Researcher at Which, Sarah Dennis, told 6 Music these hidden charges for customers purchasing tickets is wrong.

"If you can, get to a box office and pay in cash because that is one way that you will avoid hidden extras"
Sarah Dennis - Which?

She said: “I think the main thing for music gigs is that you go online and you don’t actually see the full price that you pay for a ticket at the very first instance.

“It will come later on throughout the online buying process and we think that that’s actually wrong.”

Sarah also had this advice for gig-goers: “If you can, get to a box office and pay in cash because that is one way that you will avoid hidden extras.

“Also shop around because these extra fees do vary quite dramatically between sites.”

She went on to talk about the point of the survey: “We hope that it will go someway to getting a fairer deal for consumers.

“Mainly on transparent ticket prices upfront but also on the issue of refunds – a slightly more flexible policy on refunds for tickets and events.”

What do you think about this? Tell us.


Kelly Stooke