Look forward to some tickets, select the date, choose the seats, give our information and make sure everything is correct. Once the usual process is completed, it is time to pay… and the invoice shows a “management fee” that increases the cost.
The purchase of tickets for concerts and events on the internet often ends with unexpected charges that force you to pay more than expected. In the case of official websites of festivals, museums or shows, the charge could be considered abusive, since there is no intermediary, and give rise to a claim, according to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU).
After carrying out a study on the sale in 50 official pages – of festivals, cinemas, theaters, museums, football clubs, exhibitions, shows and the like – the OCU has detected an average charge of 3 euros per ticket, 7% of the final price , for the concept of management. The highest costs occur in concerts and festivals, with 5.4 euros per ticket on average and assuming up to 10% of the final price.
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“The charging of management expenses is not justified, since it is the user himself, not the seller, who assumes the weight of managing the purchase of a ticket online,” the OCU stated. In the case of official pages, it cannot be argued that there is an intermediary in charge of the negotiations: “The purchase is made directly with the company that organizes the event”, it is stressed.
These types of charges are not considered abusive by the Ministry of Consumption, “but a court could consider them in this way, at least when they are official websites,” the OCU assures. That is why it is called to claim when the circumstances discussed occur.
To do so, the first step is to question the company that sells. “If we do not get a response, which is the most common, the official claim can now be started,” say OCU sources. Thus, the conflict can be escalated to the local consumer agencies -Municipal Consumer Information Office (OMIC)- or the regional General Directorate of Consumer Affairs.
“A court could consider them abusive,” they defend in the OCU
Another criticism from consumers is the commission charged for each ticket and not for the purchase operation, which is unique, and that the concept is not reflected until the last step of the purchase.
The organization does see more correct a charge for additional services, such as a personalized notice in case of cancellation or the delivery of tickets to the home. “They should in any case be optional, not mandatory.”
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