The Labour Party Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is facing calls to ban booking fees on tickets for events such as gigs, theatre performances, and festivals, as part of efforts to support households amid the Cost of Living crisis. The Guardian's Hilary Osborne has led the campaign, arguing that such fees are unjustifiable when consumers have no alternative but to pay them.
Osborne said: "In the days when you could choose to go to a box office, or between having your tickets posted or emailed, there may have been a justification for some of the add-ons to cover different costs for the promoter, but when there’s no choice, it sticks in the throat. Retailers do not charge ‘transaction’ or ‘order processing fees’, so why can they still be slapped on tickets?"
Government's consumer protection push
Mr Burnham, who took office as Prime Minister, has already signalled his intention to tackle consumer issues. On his first day in office, he stated that he did not want to end his tenure without taking difficult decisions to address England's social care crisis, which he said had challenged governments for nearly three decades. This week, he launched a policy blitz, including a pledge to ban subscription traps for households.
The government's broader consumer protection agenda has been welcomed by key organisations. Sue Davies MBE, Head of Consumer Rights Policy at Which?, said: "Which? has repeatedly exposed businesses, including trusted household brands, ripping off customers with dodgy deals that aren’t what they seem - but regulators have often found it too difficult to take action. It’s great news that the government intends to tighten up the law and explicitly ban misleading pricing practices, while putting an end to subscription traps."
Davies added: "The government must implement these rules swiftly to give consumers much-needed protection against sneaky pricing tactics and hold businesses to account with tough enforcement, including fines, if they fall short."
Consumer groups respond
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, also expressed support for the government's actions. She said: "For too long consumers have been tricked into paying for products or services they don’t use - or didn’t even want to begin with - costing millions of pounds each year. So we really welcome the government’s move to speed up action on subscription traps and look at banning other tactics firms use to catch consumers out."
Moriarty highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that Citizens Advice previously found that over 13 million people (26% of UK adults) accidentally took out a subscription in a year. She continued: "People shouldn’t have to waste their time and effort avoiding dubious online tactics and fixing unwanted purchases and sign-ups. Today’s announcement is an important move, but it can’t be the end of the story. We look forward to seeing the detail in the consultation on deceptive online pricing and how it will ensure consumers are protected and treated fairly."
Impact on ticket buyers
If the ban on booking fees is implemented, it would directly affect millions of consumers who purchase tickets for live events, potentially reducing the overall cost of attendance. The move aligns with the government's wider efforts to alleviate financial pressures on households, though specific details on how the ban would be enforced are yet to be outlined. The consultation on deceptive online pricing, which is expected to include provisions on booking fees, will be a key step in shaping the final policy.
