A survey carried out by consumer body Which? has found that consumers feel that tickets for musical events are "too high and unclear". The organisation criticised booking agencies for their high booking and postage fees, which may not be apparent until a sale is almost completed, and may also not be refunded if an event is cancelled.
Which? editor Neil Fowler said: "Airlines have taken a bashing recently for adding sneaky extra charges to the cost of tickets, but they're not the only ones – we found ticket agencies hiking the cost of tickets by nearly a third with various fees and postage costs. These charges only become apparent when people are well into the buying process - they should be made clear up front so that people can compare prices properly".
On the not getting a booking fee refund when gigs are cancelled, Nick Blackburn of Seetickets told the NME: "I believe we have the right to retain that booking fee as we have done the work for which we have charged the customer. When we have to refund the customer following cancellation, the cost of that work is covered by the original booking fee and for large concerts or events, this work can be extensive".