Compulsory Service Charges / Fees On Tickets

This scam is widespread throughout the entertainment industry certainly in the UK. Not only are there service charges for actually booking tickets, but also for ticket handling (even if the tickets are only electronic), then there are even charges for printing the damn things out at home, etc.

These charges are a fraud. Invariably they are never mentioned in any publicity literature, and are gradually added on as a booking takes place on a ticketing website. Sometimes a delivery charge is added on whilst payment goes through and only appears after a payment transaction has completed.

Concessionary tickets are rarely part of an online deal.

AND if an event is cancelled the tickets might be refunded in full or in part but the booking fees are NEVER refunded.

Recently we were trying to book tickets in London for a folk dance (FGS). It was via a Meetup.com Group. The organisation is actually a 'Not For Profit' charity. However it was necessary to book and pay for tickets online. The service charges amounted to an extra £3 each. These extra charges this time would have gone to the ticketing agency. Normally we would have simply turned up and paid at the door.

So it may be that by selling such tickets through a FOR profit ticketing agency the charity is breaking the terms of its Not for Profit status.