r/assholedesign • u/Creepy_Emu_2353 • May 29 '24
Seatgeek charges 65% fees on tickets See Comments
In what dam world is a 11$ fee on a 17$ ticket on the same planet, no same universe of reasonable.
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May 29 '24
Fee or charges or taxes should always be in the announced price.
I am not American, so idk how much common this is.
But where I am from, the price displayed is 100% of the price I pay. (Unless I add an option like a delivery or something ofc)
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u/smcl2k May 29 '24
California law regarding hidden fees is changing on July 1st, and hopefully it's going to apply to tickets - if it does, they'll really have to change across the whole of the US.
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u/Sacr3dangel May 30 '24
Or, they’ll just block the website from being available in California. Just like what PornHub did in states like Virginia. And then they’ll only have to make a separate one for California. Might seem like a lot of work, but if it brings in enough money, nothing is far fetched.
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u/Watching-Scotty-Die May 30 '24
You realise that California is the largest sub-national economy in the entire world, and would be the 5th or 6th largest economy in the world if it was it's own country. Not only that, but it's digital economy probably makes it an even more important part of the profits for a company like this.
Comparing it with a relatively economically inconsequential state where half of the population probably can't even figure out how to turn on a mobile phone is a bit silly no?
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u/RedditAcount0351 May 30 '24
"Relatively economically inconsequential state"?
Ranked 13th in the Union
VA GDP is 712.9 Billion
Our unemployment is considerably lower than California's (3.2% vs 4.8%)
California has a ridiculously high population that is below the poverty line (13% absolute, 19% relative vs VA's 9.49%)
Our GDP is bigger than Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, and Norway.
Our GDP is diverse coming from anything from tomatoes, soy and vineyards to defence work, ship yards, software, and federal government sectors.
And "where half the population probably can't figure out how to turn on a mobile phone"? Stereotypes are bad my dude.
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u/AppleSpicer May 30 '24
You’re not wrong on these facts (probably; I didn’t verify), but California’s 2023 GDP was $3.89 trillion. That’s an astronomical difference to VA’s GDP. To a business making money, it doesn’t matter how many people are below the poverty line if there’s a lot more money flowing overall.
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u/RedditAcount0351 May 30 '24
Oh I'm not arguing CA GDP. Everyone knows that. But to say that VA's in insignificant is just ignorant.
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u/AppleSpicer May 31 '24
Everything is relative, right? VA’s GDP is a massive amount of money compared to my own net worth (some negative number). But the PornHub revenue stream from VA is probably easy enough to shrug off, it could be insignificant to their bottom line, whereas California’s may be too big a hit.
Either way, yes, VA’s economy is very strong and big. I just think the “insignificant” was meant in comparison to CA rather than absolute.
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u/Watching-Scotty-Die May 31 '24
I mean if /u/RedditAccount0351 decided to actually read, he'd see there was a modifier applied to the word "insignificant". That word, "relatively" is kind of important, and had he actually read and understood this we wouldn't be having this conversation. Reading comprehension amongst hillbilly Virginians must be a point for future improvement if they're to have that glorious soya based economy they're so proud of.
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u/Watching-Scotty-Die May 30 '24
Sorry I triggered you pal. I'm actually trolling you from Ireland since you mentioned us, and we are also relatively insignificant compared to the similar economies of CA, the UK or Germany. Just be realistic - the point is that if Virginia changes it's law, Pornhub DGAF because you're insignificant. If California changed their law, Pornhub would alter their systems. California or the EU have the power to change corporate behaviour and Virginia or Ireland don't. This has nothing to do with your soy industry, or how many Virginians are still impoverished due to the continuing effects of your Jim Crow laws.
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u/Cyberhwk May 29 '24
Tickpick does it that way. I’ve been very happy with them.
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u/FoxBearBear May 30 '24
SeatGeek also have an option to bundle the prices. And usually they all have the same price. What they differ are the features such as Tickpicks amazing VR view of your seats and price freezing.
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u/JpnDude 6d ago
Tickpick is makes it a major pain to delete one's account. I made an account to buy MLB tickets but I was able to find what I needed from the team's official site. So I wanted to delete Tickpick's. They are making me fill out a form which required much more personal information than I first provided them to create the account, WTF?
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u/grishkaa May 29 '24
In most places it's illegal to not display the final price upfront.
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u/SkyeMreddit May 30 '24
Hidden fees are ubiquitous in America. Hotels, flights, and rental cars started it. Event booking sites and now restaurants are doing the same
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u/vowelqueue May 30 '24
There’s a setting in SeatGeek to show prices with all included fees. In my experience the app actually remembers this setting between sessions, unlike with other apps like StubHub where you have to select it each time.
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u/Sacr3dangel May 30 '24
In the US the fees and taxes and delivery costs are always only visible at checkout. If you’re lucky it is noted as “price” + fees and taxes. (Same in the supermarket)
I get fucked over by that still even after almost 3 years in the US, and I don’t think I’ll ever really get used to it.
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u/QuahogNews May 30 '24
I’m not interested in adding any more politics BS to the world, but I did just happen to read recently that Biden’s been working on reducing and making companies show these fees at the beginning of a transaction for a lot of different services because they really are a shitshow.
Even though he may not be able to get Congress to do what he wants, he does have federal agencies he can work with. Some of the areas he’s been working on include forcing the removal of so-called junk fees (those fees added at the last minute like “service fees,” etc. “event tickets, hotels and lodging, apartment rentals, car rentals, and more.”
Also, he’s pushing to get “no more fees for basic services like checking bank account balances, obtaining a payoff amount for a loan, or getting account information needed for applications.”
They’ve also already helped cut bounced check fees and surprise overdraft fees, and they’ve just finalized a rule making internet service providers show “clear labels that provide basic information about the costs and fees of internet service offerings, so people can compare options more easily.”
“The Department of Transportation (DOT) has secured significant commitments by major airlines to improve service. Previously, none of the 10 largest U.S. airlines guaranteed meals or hotels when they caused a cancellation or significant delay and no airline guaranteed that parents can sit with their children for free. Now, thanks to DOT’s efforts, 9 of the 10 largest airlines guarantee hotels, 10 airlines to guarantee meals, and 4 airlines guarantee fee-free family seating. Consumers can see what services airlines offer at FlightRights.gov.”
You can look at the White House site for info on other suggested rules they’re working on regarding used car sales and subscription plans like cosmetics and gym memberships. Oh, and lowering credit card fees, though I think they’re going to have a big legal fight over that.
(People say one reason he’s doing this is bc he hasn’t been able to do as much as he’s wanted to with inflation).
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u/beepbeepsheepbot May 30 '24
Also, he’s pushing to get “no more fees for basic services like checking bank account balances, obtaining a payoff amount for a loan, or getting account information needed for applications.”
I really hope this applies to rental applications. 20-50$ PER application is bogus and a scam. Yes I know they have to do background and credit checks, but so do businesses and yet they don't charge you for that.
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u/thot______slayer d o n g l e May 30 '24
And the DOJ just launched a lawsuit against Live Nation/Ticketmaster over price gouging for tickets.
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u/lindy21588 May 29 '24
Use TickPick. No fees. I’ve used it many times recently.
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u/vowelqueue May 30 '24 edited May 30 '24
Had an issue with an MLB ticket not transferring to my account a few weeks ago. Called SeatGeek support and got someone on the phone immediately who resolved the issue.
In contrast, on a separate occasion I had a ticket purchased from TickPick not scan at the gate. Called their support number and got a recording indicating the call center was closed. Could only contact via email and didn’t get a response for hours. In the end I had to take more time the next day to submit a questionnaire of like a dozen questions, took weeks for them to give me my money back.
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u/KingSulley May 30 '24
Imagine if we could buy tickets directly from the event organizers like we did pre-ticket master. Great customer service, and you don't have to deal with insane fees, promoted scalpers, and predatory pricing.
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u/BigDoosh May 30 '24
I’ve had this happen to me with tick pick and I get someone on the phone right away and was given net tickets
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u/mitchdwx May 30 '24
There are fees on TickPick. The difference is that they’re included in the price you see.
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u/greynoxx May 29 '24
That's nothing I paid 60 dollars in fees and taxes for 2 photo ops at a convention. It's insane how much of a mark up there is in extra fees to do anything. It's why ticketmaster has antitrust lawsuits on them.
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u/yuckypants May 30 '24
One time we went to go to Dinosaurs at the Pond in Anaheim. I was going to buy tickets online, but scoffed at the fees. It was like $30 ticket and $20 in fees.
And when we got there, it was $50 entrance fee with no fees.
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u/nlamber5 May 29 '24
We all know you have something against charging, but why does that have to apply to your phone?!
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u/GenNoFrag94 May 29 '24
Yeah I bought Lorna shore tickets for $80. There was a $20 fee I was like what the f*** for what? Lol luckily I got them when they did because the day after they were $130 not including the $20 fee
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u/HimbologistPhD May 30 '24
Ticketmaster under fire and suddenly seat geek hate appears on reddit. Interesting.
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u/casualperuser23 May 30 '24
Fees on electronic tickets should be fixed for every ticket at that venue. There should not be scaling of fees with the price of the same ticket. It’s fucking criminal and don’t understand how it’s allowed.
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u/fungunner12 May 30 '24
I mean what did you expect, the company literally ran an ad campaign that was asses talking to each other
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u/Just_Ear_2953 27d ago
I have no firsthand experience to back this up, but at first glance, I would suspect there is a flat amount built into the calculation, and the relatively small overall price makes whatever $10 base fee much more significant than normal.
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u/icorrectotherpeople Ford > Chevy 24d ago
Call customer service and tell them you actually just wanted to buy the tickets and didn't want to buy any fees.
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u/SXSJest 1d ago
Actually you were fooled by Seatgeek's other shady practice. These tickets were listed at $20 by the seller, (meaning $8 in fees) however Seatgeek says they are "$17" plus $11 in fees. Why would they do this to make their fees seemingly higher than they even already are? Well because by default Seatgeek displays ticket prices without fees, and this allows them to falsely display tickets cheaper (at $17, rather than $20) than they actually are, even before fees...
You can list any ticket and then click on that ticket while logged out or on another device to see that what you list a ticket for will NEVER match what it displays for a buyer, even before fees are factored in.
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u/falknorRockman May 29 '24
OP this fails rule 3 of the sub. per rule three "Businesses sometimes may charge money or deliver ads in order to offer a service, which doesn't necessarily make their business model an asshole design. It must be underhanded in other aspects as well, such as withholding information about how it’s monetized, engaging in dark patterns to upsell the customer, or misleading the customer into receiving something that’s not what was advertised." it does not do so and as such does not qualify for this sub
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u/barcode972 May 29 '24
Big difference between a dollar here and there for fees. Seatgeek will literally put a $100 fee on a $300 ticket. That’s not okay
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u/smcl2k May 29 '24
I'd be more inclined to agree if it wasn't 65%.
There's a reason these hidden fees are illegal in other countries, and it's because websites "withhold information about how they're monetized" until during the checkout process 👍🏻
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u/Creepy_Emu_2353 May 29 '24
Holy shit bro what are you the 5th grade safety patrol
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u/falknorRockman May 29 '24
no I am just sick and tired of people posting things that break the rules as if they did not even read them
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May 29 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/assholedesign-ModTeam May 30 '24
Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reason:
Don't be an Ass to Others
If you submitted a new post, it must've been really obvious for us to immediately decide it's not friendly.
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u/mozilaip May 29 '24
OMG bro did you see they put an ad in FREE GAME! Call you later, I'm rushing to Reddit
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u/togetherwecanriseup May 29 '24
I think "[Businesses] must be underhanded in other aspects as well, such as withholding information about how it's monetized" fits here.
The ticket price is advertised at far less than what the customer will pay, and those fees aren't disclosed until the very last moment of the transaction. The fees themselves are opaque and, in most cases, not based on anything other than what the business has determined customers are willing to pay. These fees aren't calculated off of recuperating operating costs and then making a bit of profit. They're continually adjusted, and Big Data models are run to see the impact on conversion. These market experiments are constantly being run to calibrate the market fees to maximize profit. When there are only a handful of Primary Ticketing Providers, they can engage in all sorts of anti-competitive practices. So yeah, it is Asshole Design.
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u/YaBoiOheb May 29 '24
Make a new account and abuse the youtuber codes I've seen that give you $20 off your first purchase. Been doing it for years