TICKET Act bans hidden fees & offers event ticket buyers full price transparency; Cantwell: “The price they say should be the price you pay”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined her Republican colleague in introducing the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act to require event ticket sellers to display the total ticket price in all advertising as well as disclose to consumers the base ticket cost—plus an itemized list of additional fees—prior to selection of a ticket. The bill would also require sellers to disclose if a ticket being offered for sale is not within the seller’s possession.
“When families budget for a night at a ball game or to hear their favorite band, they shouldn’t have to worry about being surprised by hidden fees that suddenly raise the final cost of tickets well over the advertised price. The TICKET Act requires sellers to disclose the real price of tickets up front. The price they say should be the price you pay. This bill is one part of comprehensive legislation I plan to introduce to rein in deceptive junk fees driving up costs for consumers,” Sen. Cantwell said.
Studies from the New York Attorney General’s office and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) show that surprise fees can contribute anywhere from 21% to as much as 58% of the total cost of tickets. In reviewing the secondary ticket selling market, GAO also found that “speculative ticketing” – in which a seller is not actually in possession of the ticket—can cause confusion for consumers especially when the consumer is not aware that they are buying from a seller who does not have possession of the ticket at the time of sale.
Specifically, the TICKET Act requires all event ticket sellers, including primary and secondary market event ticket sellers to:
- Display the total ticket price (including all required fees) in any advertisement, marketing, or price list.
- Disclose to consumers the total ticket price (including all fees), including an itemized list of base ticket price and each ticket fee, at the beginning of a transaction and prior to selection of the ticket.
- Disclose to consumers if a ticket being offered for sale is a speculative ticket where the seller does not have actual or constructive possession of the ticket.
The bill is cosponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Commerce Committee Ranking Member.
The full text of the legislation is available HERE.