That's why I call them ticketbastards.

I'm always incensed by the "convenience charge" -- I'd respect them more if they just called it the "pure unadulterated profit charge".

I've always had a violent hatred for Ticketmaster. Ugh. (I remember when it was something like $4 to print your own ticket.)

Notably, in the 1990s, Pearl Jam brought a lawsuit alleging that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, whose anticompetitive practices allow markup prices of more than 30%. The case was acquitted because ticket purchasers were not deemed to be the actual customers of Ticketmaster.

Of course not, whoever contracts Ticketmaster to sell tickets is its customer.

And, for events of a certain size, they have an effective monopoly. So they pretty much can charge ticket buyers whatever they want. Like 2.50 to send you an automated email so you can print your own ticket. I tend to go to smaller events, so it's been years since I've had to use them, but this time I had to bite the bullet since there was no alternative.

It all might be legal, but it sure isn't right.

Ticketmaster cannot charge what they want; they must charge what they were contracted to charge by the venue or the promoter. Those add-on fees are in that contract. The blame, if any, lies on the venue or the promoter.

As for being a monopoly, venues and promoters have quite a few different companies from which to choose to sell their tickets. The monopoly charge just does not hold.

Eek, it'll be a $6.50 "comment charge" to bring up Ticketmaster on this thread.

It's been deducted from your card.

Thanks.