News0 min ago
Booking Fees. Grrrrrr
24 Answers
The Mrs went to buy some tickets for a gig. She got them from the venue but still got changed a £1-00 booking fee.
I don't mind getting charged if I've bought them from an agent, but I think it's a rip off if they're from the venue!
I don't mind getting charged if I've bought them from an agent, but I think it's a rip off if they're from the venue!
Answers
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£1 is definitely at the lower end of the scale though. For example, if you book to see Black Sabbath at Manchester Arena, a ticket will cost you £75. Purchasing at the box office normally incurs a 10% booking fee but that's capped at a fiver, so that's how much you'd pay. Purchasing online though would incur a booking fee of £8.50.
Sounds like a well established rip-off to me. They're there to sell tickets for a performance, that's part of selling the service and should be included in the quoted ticket price; but you find this everywhere. Someone realises they can charge folk multiple times for something, so they do. Consider restaurant service charges, or "congestion" charges etc. etc. etc..
The worst offender in my book is BT. I used to pay my phone bill quarterly as and when it arrived. A few years back I noticed a charge 'payment processing fee - £4.50'. When I queried this I was told that the only way to avoid this charge was to pay by DD, which I do now. I still cannot get my head around the logic of billing someone then charging them for the privilege of settling the bill.
Booking fees are how venues make money.
Most of the ticket price goes to the artist. The bigger the artist, the more harshly they will tie down the venue.
The booking fee all goes to the venue.
So, essentially, if local venues are going to put on a lot of good acts, they need to charge a booking fee to survive.
It's like cinemas charging a lot for popcorn. It's how they keep going.
So really, it's the other way round. If you buy them from an agent, they shouldn't charge a booking fee. They don't have the overheads of running the venue, and they will take a cut of the price. But venues themselves really need to charge a booking fee.
So don't be too harsh to venues. They do a good job.
:o)
Most of the ticket price goes to the artist. The bigger the artist, the more harshly they will tie down the venue.
The booking fee all goes to the venue.
So, essentially, if local venues are going to put on a lot of good acts, they need to charge a booking fee to survive.
It's like cinemas charging a lot for popcorn. It's how they keep going.
So really, it's the other way round. If you buy them from an agent, they shouldn't charge a booking fee. They don't have the overheads of running the venue, and they will take a cut of the price. But venues themselves really need to charge a booking fee.
So don't be too harsh to venues. They do a good job.
:o)
>>> We've also looked into booking to see John Shuttleworth at the same venue. On top of the booking fee they want a fulfillment fee! Whatever that is
It's obviously not the (wonderful) Chelmsford Civic Theatre then! They're charging £17.50 to see John Shuttleworth. The only fee they charge is £1.50 per transaction (not per ticket) and you can avoid that by paying by cash or debit card at the box office (or by debit card over the phone).
It's obviously not the (wonderful) Chelmsford Civic Theatre then! They're charging £17.50 to see John Shuttleworth. The only fee they charge is £1.50 per transaction (not per ticket) and you can avoid that by paying by cash or debit card at the box office (or by debit card over the phone).
Only 4 things can happen.
(1) The venue scraps the booking fee and takes an extra £1 from the ticket price ... but the big acts wouldn't agree to that.
(2) The face value of the ticket price is increased to include the booking fee ... but then the artist would take a cut of the booking fee.
(3) Scrap the booking fee ... but then some venues would eventually be unable to it on acts, and there would be less music for us to see.
Or, and this is the biggest one ...
(4) Persuade everyone to sto using Spotify, and trying to download or dream free music, and buy CDs ... if the music business started making money again fro sales in high street record shops, it wouldn't be so important to squeeze out every last penny from live events.
Whooahh!! ... oops, sorry, I almost tripped, getting down off my soapbox.
:o)
(1) The venue scraps the booking fee and takes an extra £1 from the ticket price ... but the big acts wouldn't agree to that.
(2) The face value of the ticket price is increased to include the booking fee ... but then the artist would take a cut of the booking fee.
(3) Scrap the booking fee ... but then some venues would eventually be unable to it on acts, and there would be less music for us to see.
Or, and this is the biggest one ...
(4) Persuade everyone to sto using Spotify, and trying to download or dream free music, and buy CDs ... if the music business started making money again fro sales in high street record shops, it wouldn't be so important to squeeze out every last penny from live events.
Whooahh!! ... oops, sorry, I almost tripped, getting down off my soapbox.
:o)
For Murraymints:
John Shuttleworth is the alter ego of Graham Fellows. He's probably best known for his various series on Radio 4 over the year but he's had Tv series and stage tours as well:
https:/
.
John Shuttleworth is the alter ego of Graham Fellows. He's probably best known for his various series on Radio 4 over the year but he's had Tv series and stage tours as well:
https:/
.
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