Canada’s Competition Bureau calls on ticket vendors to be more upfront about prices

Canada’s Competition Bureau is calling on sports and entertainment ticket vendors to be more upfront about the prices that they charge.

The independent law enforcement agency says that while companies offer seemingly low prices online or through mobile apps, consumers find themselves faced with additional mandatory fees when it comes time to make a purchase. This practice is called ‘drip-pricing,’ which the Competition Bureau says can be misleading to those who see a favourable advertised price that is later unattainable as a result of further “hidden” charges.

In fact, The Bureau noted that these extra fees could increase the final price from 10 percent up to 57 percent. Furthermore, these unexpected fees are often added in the last steps of the transaction, once buyers have already selected their seats. It’s important to note that additional costs are sometimes buried in the fine print and are regularly described as “service,” “order processing” or “facility” fees.

“Canadians spend billions of dollars online each year buying tickets to their favourite sporting and entertainment events,” said John Pecman, commissioner of competition, in a press release. “To promote continued innovation and growth in the digital economy, it’s critical that consumers have confidence that the prices they see online are the ones they will pay.”

For its part, The Bureau says it tries to “settle matters without resorting to lengthy and costly court proceedings.” The agency says it may contact companies directly to encourage voluntary cooperation, but if an out-of-court resolution is not reached, then “necessary action” will be taken to ensure compliance with the law. Specifically, The Bureau says that it has recently addressed drip-pricing in the car rental industry by reaching two agreements with companies regarding how they advertise costs.

Meanwhile, customers who feel misled by any ticket advertising may file a complaint here.

Image credit: Pixabay – StockSnap

Source: Newswire