In February 2013, the ASA upheld complaints against four advertisers concerning the advertising of ticket prices on their websites (AKA Group, Charing Cross Theatre Ltd, Ambassador Theatre Group, The Old Vic). The ASA found that compulsory fees and charges were not being included up-front in advertised ticket prices. This meant that fees charged on a per-ticket or per-transaction basis were made clear only later in the buying process.

The rulings make clear that advertised prices for theatre tickets must include all unavoidable fees and charges in quoted ticket prices, requiring promoters to be more up-front about booking fees. This means that consumers will have all the information they need in the first instance to help them make an informed choice and to shop around should they wish to look for a better deal.

Looking at the rulings these are the likely impact they will have in a few common situations and scenarios:

  • If a booking fee is compulsory and charged per ticket, this should be made clear when the ticket price is first displayed on the website. For example, if a ticket is priced at £50 with a £2.50 booking fee per ticket, the ticket should be advertised as an inclusive price of £52.50.

  • If the booking fee is a one-off transaction charge, the first time a price appears it needs to be qualified with a reference to the existence of the booking fee. This should be clearly linked with an asterisk to information that includes the amount of the booking fee (e.g. £25 plus booking fee*. *Booking fee is £3 per transaction). If the first time a consumer is given the ticket price is in a hover box over an interactive map of the seating floor plan, for example, then the ticket price needs to be immediately qualified with a reference to the existence and amount of a booking fee.

  • Prices exclusive of booking fees can be quoted provided it is made clear the circumstances in which those prices can be obtained. For example, if the prices are only for customers using a certain payment method, like buying in person at the box office, this must be made explicitly clear in the advertising (e.g. “For box office customers...”)

We’ll continue to cover key rulings in Insight and you can get general advice on compulsory charges here. And of course, there’s always the CAP Twitter feed to keep you up to date on our latest news: @CAP_UK

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