New York Renaissance Faire Operator Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Hidden Online Ticket Fees [UPDATE]

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims the company behind the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, New York has violated state law by concealing the full price of an admission ticket until the end of online checkout.

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The 17-page lawsuit alleges that Renaissance Entertainment Productions waits until the end of the ticket purchasing process on RenFair.com/NY to reveal an added service fee, processing fee and order fee, in violation of the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law. The suit argues that the last-minute disclosure of these extra charges is a “cheap trick” that has allowed the company to “swindle” consumers, who are surprised by the increased total price at checkout.

According to the case, the state law requires operators of places of entertainment to prominently display the total price of a ticket, including any added charges, before it is selected for purchase. By law, ticket prices cannot increase during the purchase process, the complaint explains.

The filing contends that instead of lawfully disclosing the extra fees at the beginning of the purchase flow, Renaissance Entertainment Productions quotes consumers fee-less ticket prices before “ambush[ing]” them with the added charges after they have clicked through numerous pages to confirm the details of their transaction.

The service fee is first revealed several steps into the process when the consumer is prompted to select the type of admission ticket they wish to buy, the New York Renaissance Faire lawsuit specifies. Only after navigating to the “cart summary” page are the other fees displayed for the first time, increasing the total ticket cost even more, the suit says.

What’s more, the customer is put on a countdown clock to hurry them to complete the transaction lest they lose their selected ticket, the case asserts.

“With a countdown timer and multiple decisions to make on this screen, consumers are unlikely to notice [the company’s] sneaky fees,” the complaint claims.

The lawsuit looks to represent all individuals in the United States who purchased tickets to the New York Renaissance Faire from RenFair.com/NY on or after August 29, 2022.

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