(L to R) Tobi Parks, CEO of xBk, US President Joe Biden and Lael Brainard, Assistant to the President and Director of the National Economic Council, attend a consumer protection event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 15, 2023.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Several major companies, including parent company Ticketmaster A living nationvow to end surprise “junk fees” after Biden administration’s pressure campaign.
“Unsolicited fees” are additional costs tacked on at the end of purchases, often for concert tickets, resorts and rentals. President Joe Biden has made ending the practice a priority and invited Live Nation representatives, AirbnbSeatGeek and others to meet him on Thursday.
Both Live Nation and SeatGeek agreed before the meeting to commit to disclosing all upfront fees for ticket purchases, the White House said. It is expected that i xBk in Iowa. Airbnb began factoring all fees into the final price in December after calls from the White House to do so.
“Today’s voluntary actions show that companies large and small recognize the importance of providing consumers with fair, up-front prices, rather than tricking them with surprise charges at the checkout,” the White House said in a statement. “It’s also just the first step in addressing unwanted fees in the economy.”
“From my perspective, this is a win for consumers and evidence that our crackdown on junk fees has had real momentum,” Biden said Thursday after the meeting, adding that more needs to be done.
Biden first started his campaign against “junk fees” nine months ago and included calls for private companies to do so state of the union address this year. The issue reached a boiling point in November when customers faced exorbitant prices for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets.
“President Biden is working to lower costs for hard-working families by reducing inflation, capping insulin prices for seniors and eliminating hidden fees on junk,” National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard said in a statement. “More companies are heeding the president’s call for Americans to know what they’re paying for up front and save as a result.”
Brett Goldberg, co-CEO of TickPick, said in an interview after the meeting that he thinks it’s productive but worries it won’t go far enough. TickPick has used all-in pricing since its inception, meaning no surprise fees for junk.
“There’s just so much negativity around ticketing, and while it doesn’t solve all the problems, the vast majority of what people talk about is hidden fees,” Goldberg said. “Yes, there is a cost component, but it’s another slap in the face when you’re going to pull the trigger on expensive tickets, and it ends up being 20 to 30% more.”