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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

Theatre booking fees

22 replies

DeckSwabber · 20/09/2013 08:06

Annoy me like hell.

It is totally in the theatre's interest to get people to book in advance, and to have payment cleared upfront.

So why charge us extra?

I'm not talking about agency fees - its direct booking on the website.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 20/09/2013 08:08

it really bugs me.

We have booked tickets to go to see a show over christmas and ended up paying £2.25 each extra for 8 of us to cover booking fees. If we had been able to get into the city to book them then there would have been no fees but that isn't possible for everyone!

Groovee · 20/09/2013 08:09

I was annoyed that tickets for one direction were £43 but really they £47.50 with the booking charge!

Tee2072 · 20/09/2013 08:12

Is it a roadhouse or a in house production?

If it's a touring company, the theatre gets a very small part of the ticket price. So they make money through their booking fees.

DPotter · 20/09/2013 08:14

Booking fees really annoy me as well. Our local theatre even charges a booking fee when you buy in person at the Box Office!! I just wish the face value of the ticket was the actual price you pay. Failing that there should be a max percentage / amount which can be charged. Perhaps a MN campaign ?

SuperiorCat · 20/09/2013 08:29

YY to paying the face value - why can't they add the booking charge into the ticket charge so you know up front what you are paying.

Booking fees, card fees, admin fees, it all just feels a bit of a rip off, whereas if they just made it one price it wouldn't (even if it totalled the same)

Tee2072 · 20/09/2013 08:47

Because if they add it to the price of the ticket, the touring company gets a bigger amount of money. By calling it a booking fee the theatre keeps the whole thing.

kim147 · 20/09/2013 09:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tee2072 · 20/09/2013 09:17

I guess I'm invisible today...

mrsjay · 20/09/2013 09:19

I booked Lion tickets and I think I was a fiver extra booking fee it is madness I don't understand it is it supposed to be for postage ?

mrsjay · 20/09/2013 09:20

so it is the venues money then tee

mrsjay · 20/09/2013 09:20

Lion king I am not going to see any real lions

Tee2072 · 20/09/2013 09:25

Yes it's how the venue makes any actual money.

Real lions would be cool!

mrsjay · 20/09/2013 09:26

I suppose if it is how the venue makes money then it is fair enough but would make more sense to put it in an all in one price

RedPencils · 20/09/2013 09:26

Tee - I didn't know that's how it works.

But If they advertised the full price up front people wouldn't feel so ripped off.

lottiegarbanzo · 20/09/2013 09:26

Then they need to explain it better tee.

Also, the Independent ran a big campaign against these charges a year or two go. They investigated properly and clearly weren't convinced that your argument made it ok. They had some success, it may still be running.

At the moment it is a cynical rip off of Ryanair proportions. It has actually put me off going to London theatres, so they lose all my money.

Tee2072 · 20/09/2013 10:09

Well, why should they explain it? Does M&S explain why a garment that costs them £5 to buy they turn around and sell for £50?

It's part of selling anything, the mark up to the consumer.

Sirzy · 20/09/2013 10:13

The difference is though tee they aren't quoting one price then increasing it when you get to the till.

I have noticed some places have on their website when booking tickets "£17.50 plus £2.50 booking fee" with it very obvious before you proceed to selecting seats or whatever which is much better than getting to the checkout and it being added

Lweji · 20/09/2013 10:14

It's like advertised plane ticket prices for £1, for example. Then we need to add airport taxes.
Or ebay items that have high posting charges.

Ultimately, just look at what the final price is and make your decision based on that.

foslady · 20/09/2013 10:21

Suggest you look at Jason Manford's recent facebook (and poss twitter, i don't do that!) re booking fees for one of his concerts earlier this week - he laid into one venue at their cost and apologised to fans rather than let anyone know if tickets were available, good to know the performers get hacked off too

www.comedy.co.uk/news/story/000001247/jason_manford_atg_ticket_booking_fees/

lottiegarbanzo · 20/09/2013 10:27

A lot of them are not clear about the charge upfront, so you cannot know what it is until you get to the end of the booking process. It's like having different unadvertised extra charges at each branch of M+S, that they only tell you about as you're handing over your card to pay.

RedPencils · 20/09/2013 10:46

Tee - because people feel ripped off when the £25 ticket costs £30 at checkout.
Why not advertise them at the price they will actually cost? You can it down at checkout; ticket £25, credit card £1, booking fee £4 etc.

SuperiorCat · 20/09/2013 16:21

Tee, but the garment isn't marked up with a £5 price tag - that is the issue.

If you took a £5 item to the till in M&S and then they added on a £10 for using credit card charge, £25 purchase fee, £10 admin fee, to arrive at the £50 charge you would walk away in disgust.

Flip