Warwick Festival Booking Fee

Subject: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: nutty
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 07:28 AM

I'm turning into a grumpy old women but there are things happening on the folk scene that are really getting up my nose.

The latest is Warwick Festivals idea to charge a booking fee if you pay for your ticket with anything other than cash.
No longer are you asked to send a stamped addressed envelop - cost 26p for first class stamp - but a compulsary £2 added to cost of the weekend.

Although I love Warwick and will probably still go this does seem a little unfair.

Am I alone in thinking that this is a total rip-off??

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: Mr Happy
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 07:35 AM

No

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: nutty
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 08:20 AM

You're a man of few words then Mr Happy?

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: Mr Happy
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 08:26 AM

Yes.

I'm disappointed by the increasing numbers of Fests whose prices are rising so steeply that many, including myself, will be put off attending them

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: GUEST,The Input
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 09:20 AM

Rising prices are as a result of rising running costs. Everything gets dearer year after year. And Nutty, we agree on something at last :-) I would like all fetival organisers that charge an extortionate booking fee to come on here and tell us why. If it can be justified then I'll happily pay it.

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 09:44 AM

I see this in business all the time.

Some comanies add a fee for credit card transactions. The card companies charge the vendor and if I pay by credit card I get 0.5% pay-back. The credit card company only make money from processing the money, ie commision. And maybe by any discrepancy in the pay-in and pay-out.

Plus interest from you if you run a permanent debt. Which I don't.

Having said that cheques cost money to process and cash can be expensive if you are a business. My local cinema/Cajun Festival venue - Gloucester Guildhall (local gov) charge £1,
Cheltenham Town Hall charge too.

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 09:57 AM

Nutty wrote:
I'm turning into a grumpy old women but there are things happening on the folk scene that are really getting up my nose.

The latest is Warwick Festivals idea to charge a booking fee if you pay for your ticket with anything other than cash.
No longer are you asked to send a stamped addressed envelop - cost 26p for first class stamp - but a compulsary £2 added to cost of the weekend.

Nobody likes paying added fees, but I really think you are being slightly unreasonable.

All folk festivals, whether they are being run by volunteers or by paid organisations, are commercial enterprises, in as far as they have costs and they have to meet those costs. The only way they can do this is by ticket sales and/or sponsorship.

I don't have any brief for any particular festival, but I do know that a number of festivals have tried to keep their ticket prices down by introducing this sort of tiered pricing.

The cost of camping, credit card processing, admin costs for dealing with ticket requests and sending out the tickets, are all costs that the festival has to contend with. They can either lump these costs into the ticket price for everybody, or they can charge those that use the facility. This is the growing trend to which you refer.

Surely it is fairer that those that choose to purchase their ticket online should pay the associated costs, and those that want to camp should likewise pay for the camping. Or do you think that non-campers should subsidise those who do camp?

The booking fee is just a way of funding the costs of processing.

Those that don't use an online facility can usually send in a cheque and SAE and not have to pay the booking fee. Oh and by the way, the cost of a first class in the UK is now 36p - it hasn't been 26p for years!!

Finally, I think you would be hard-pressed to find many venues and events these days that do NOT charge a 'booking fee'. And folk festivals are still incredibly good value when compared to other genres. And if you went to see each of the top 3 or 4 headliners at your local arts centre/theatre on separate occasions, you would probably pay a total amount equal to the weekend ticket. And think of all the other value that you get at the festival.

Rant over.

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: nutty
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 10:17 AM

The cost of camping, credit card processing, admin costs for dealing with ticket requests and sending out the tickets, are all costs that the festival has to contend with. They can either lump these costs into the ticket price for everybody, or they can charge those that use the facility.

Were that the case, Guest, I would tend to agree with you but this is a standard charge whether you book one ticket or ten.

I am only booking a single ticket so am either being penalised or subsidising others.

I would have felt happier if the cost had been added to the ticket price so that everybody payed the same.

Subject: RE: Warwick Festival Booking Fee
From: nutty
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 10:19 AM

PS ... Thanks for the correction on postage ,,,, a slip of the finger.