Mandatory Booking Fees: The ASA Responds

[Westdene Seagull]

Two things. First, you can't just "sell tickets" any more, it needs to be integrated so that you have an accurate account of your inventory, other outlets can sell tickets from the same pool, etc. It's no longer a case of picking up a bit of paper from the pile and putting it in an envelope.

Second, if you haven't even heard of transaction-based licensing then you are unlikely to remain one of the largest suppliers of software for much longer.

The point is that the ticketing software "cost" is an operational cost. The bizarre thing here is that the club are only adding THAT operational cost ( the cynic in me says it's because "they can get away with it" ). Why not add in proportion of the cost of electricity to run the system, the cost of smart cards, a little bit of the water bill etc etc etc. No, the product on sale should include the operation costs of the club. Ticket booking fees are nothing but a sly way of increasing the price and it's wrong that the club should jump on such a shameful bandwagon.

 

[thony]

Has the booking fee gone down? I remember it being £2 on line - am I misremembering that?

It used to be £2 PER TRANSACTION, it is now £1 PER TICKET.
It's now cheaper if you only buy one ticket at a time, but more expensive if you buy more than 2 tickets at a time.

 

[Brovion]

The point is that the ticketing software "cost" is an operational cost. The bizarre thing here is that the club are only adding THAT operational cost ( the cynic in me says it's because "they can get away with it" ). Why not add in proportion of the cost of electricity to run the system, the cost of smart cards, a little bit of the water bill etc etc etc. No, the product on sale should include the operation costs of the club. Ticket booking fees are nothing but a sly way of increasing the price and it's wrong that the club should jump on such a shameful bandwagon.

Exactly. It is beyond belief that people cannot see that and are STILL trying to say that it has to be shown separately. There are some INCREDIBLY dense people posting on this thread.

 

[Superphil]

Exactly. It is beyond belief that people cannot see that and are STILL trying to say that it has to be shown separately. There are some INCREDIBLY dense people posting on this thread.

I wonder whether it was a condition of the software suppliers license that the booking fee is shown separately. On the basis that so many other clubs and organisations show it separately, why would they show it like that?

Also, do all the other football clubs forums have such threads and views over this regarding their own clubs ticket sales? Or is this all a bit NSC, a bit 'Brighton'?

 

[Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms]

I wonder whether it was a condition of the software suppliers license that the booking fee is shown separately.

You mean they would say to the licensee 'you can use our software but you must charge your customers separately for the amount we're charging you, even though that makes us different to every other company that provides you with a service'?

On the basis that so many other clubs and organisations show it separately, why would they show it like that?

So that they can advertise a lower price than the one they're actually charging?

Also, do all the other football clubs forums have such threads and views over this regarding their own clubs ticket sales? Or is this all a bit NSC, a bit 'Brighton'?

It's not just a Brighton issue. It's not just a football issue. If you google 'booking fees' you'll see that the debate is raging all over the place. In fact the top link is to a Which? site that states There should always be an option to buy tickets at face value without paying extra service charges. For many events the only way to avoid paying any extra charges is to turn up at the venue's box office.

 

[Man of Harveys]

If the club wants to charge more, that's fine: the market will obviously find the price (capitalism's good like that).

The big problem is whether it does so by stating that tickets simply cost more, or whether it does so in a sneaky, devious way, as they have done. I'd love to see the more desperate club apologists' reaction to being charged a 1.50 "booking fee" by Tescos for the privilege of buying their product directly from them: they'd laugh in their face.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I wonder whether it was a condition of the software suppliers license that the booking fee is shown separately. On the basis that so many other clubs and organisations show it separately, why would they show it like that?

Also, do all the other football clubs forums have such threads and views over this regarding their own clubs ticket sales? Or is this all a bit NSC, a bit 'Brighton'?

I'd be astonished if a supplier can demand that a ticket booking fee HAS to be shown separately !!!! No, if a ticket costs say £30 and it costs the club £1 to process the booking then they should display the ticket price as £31.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

So if the booking fee was integrated into the ticket price and an away supporter buys a ticket for a game at The Amex through their club and gets charged a booking fee on top can they complain to Trading Standards ?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

So if the booking fee was integrated into the ticket price and an away supporter buys a ticket for a game at The Amex through their club and gets charged a booking fee on top can they complain to Trading Standards ?

Why could they ? The booking will probably need to go through the software at some point. Regardless, why does it matter that there might be a bigger mark up on away tickets than home ones ?

 

[Bold Seagull]

So if the booking fee was integrated into the ticket price and an away supporter buys a ticket for a game at The Amex through their club and gets charged a booking fee on top can they complain to Trading Standards ?

Transaction Charge, Surcharge, Booking Fee, Card Fee - come on, it's just all a way of supplementing the price, these are just names for adding on costs, they aren't real like VAT for example. Read some background articles on it.

All I know is, is that if an away club doesn't charge a booking fee (which a huge amount don't for in person purchases), then the away end is going to be filled with fans having paid £1 or £1.50 less than home fans in similar seats.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Why could they ? The booking will probably need to go through the software at some point. Regardless, why does it matter that there might be a bigger mark up on away tickets than home ones ?

How long would it be before other clubs started doing the same thing to Albion fans who go to away games ? A ticket that was £28 becomes £29.50 as the booking fee is included and then you have to pay another £1 or £1.50 to actually buy it.

 

[Bold Seagull]

How long would it be before other clubs started doing the same thing to Albion fans who go to away games ? A ticket that was £28 becomes £29.50 as the booking fee is included and then you have to pay another £1 or £1.50 to actually buy it.

For now then, we'll just be happy home fans pay more than away fans for their tickets.

 

[yxee]

If they're charging £1 per ticket they should just add that the the quoted prices. A £42 cat A seat in the ESU should be advertised as £43. Seems very simple.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Seems very simple.

Not for everyone....

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

For now then, we'll just be happy home fans pay more than away fans for their tickets.

I haven't got the time or inclination to check out what the other 23 clubs in The Championship charge as a booking /administration/processing fee for selling tickets It wouldn't surprise me if only a couple of clubs didn't make any charge.

 

[bha100]

I haven't got the time or inclination to check out what the other 23 clubs in The Championship charge as a booking /administration/processing fee for selling tickets It wouldn't surprise me if only a couple of clubs didn't make any charge.

Quite a few use ticketmaster, Birmingham absorb the costs when buying home tickets and they also give an explanation as to why they use agents to sells tickets for them which seems fair enough when you read it.

Who are Ticketmaster and why do we use them?
Ticketmaster are one of the country's leading ticketing providers for the sporting and entertainment industry servicing over 13 million tickets per year. Ticketmaster are our ticketing partner and provide the club with a very comprehensive ticketing booking system, which is also used by a number of other clubs in the Barclays Premier League and npower Football League. We utilise the Ticketmaster service for out of hours bookings and also in the event of high demand. Ticketmaster have the ability to sell any ticket for a Birmingham City fixture, home or away. During the season there are periods of very high ticket demand (FA Cup / Carling Cup / play-off fixtures) where the club rely on the Ticketmaster service more heavily. They have a ticketing call centre which can service over 200 calls at any one time and can therefore service high demand faster than at the the St. Andrew's Ticket Office which reduces call waiting times and helps provide a more efficient service for our customers.

Are there any booking fees with Ticketmaster?
There are no booking fees for any home fixture, but some fees may apply if purchasing an away ticket. The booking fees associated with ticket sales of home fixtures have now been absorbed by the club to enhance the buying experience and therefore there is no extra cost to the supporter using the Ticketmaster service. There is a postal charge of 60p which is the same as the Ticket Office.

Read more at http://www.bcfc.com/tickets/A_Helpful_Guide_To_ticketing/#sMVoSt01HOdBuRX3.99

 

[Superphil]

I haven't got the time or inclination to check out what the other 23 clubs in The Championship charge as a booking /administration/processing fee for selling tickets It wouldn't surprise me if only a couple of clubs didn't make any charge.

Leeds are exaclty the same as us, same software, same booking fees

 

[mikes smalls]

Leeds are exaclty the same as us, same software, same booking fees

You never hear Leeds fans complaining about being fleeced by their club.

 

[Superphil]

You never hear Leeds fans complaining about being fleeced by their club.

And their ticket prices are higher than ours, they must be seething

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Leeds are exaclty the same as us, same software, same booking fees

So hypothetically if Leeds integrated their highest booking fee into the ticket price their £28 ticket becomes £29.50 and if I book online next week to get a ticket to watch us at Elland Road next month it would cost £30.50 instead of £29 which includes posting the ticket to where I live.