SeatGeek Hit with Class Action Over Allegedly Hidden Online ‘Junk Fees’

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SeatGeek faces a proposed class action wherein three New York consumers claim the ticket sales platform has unlawfully hidden certain added fees until the very end of the online purchasing process.

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The 20-page lawsuit alleges that when a consumer visits SeatGeek.com, the company initially quotes the shopper one price and only at checkout reveals hefty added fees that substantially increase the total ticket cost.

The suit contends this tactic violates New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which requires ticket sale or resale platforms to clearly disclose the total cost of a ticket, including any additional fees, before the ticket is selected for purchase. The law also precludes a company from increasing a ticket’s price during the purchase process, and requires them to conspicuously display the portion of the cost that constitutes a service fee or other surcharge, the case adds.

As a result of SeatGeek’s allegedly misleading practices, consumers are tricked into buying tickets that ultimately include unexpected “junk fees,” the complaint argues.

“Despite having the ability to properly portray the true total cost of a ticket up front, including any additional fees, [SeatGeek] systematically and intentionally misrepresents what [it] will ultimately charge consumers,” the filing claims.

According to the lawsuit, a consumer who buys an event ticket on SeatGeek.com is first presented with a screen that displays seating options and corresponding ticket prices. Though ticket costs have a fine-print notation indicating that the price includes an added fee, no further explanation of the surcharge is provided, the suit says.

It is only after navigating through multiple screens to finalize their purchase that the user arrives at the order summary page, where the extra fees and now-increased total ticket price are revealed, the case shares.

The plaintiffs claim that after initially being quoted ticket prices without fees by SeatGeek, they were respectively charged between $27.87 and $31.24 in fees per ticket at checkout.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone who purchased tickets through SeatGeek.com who were subjected to a ticket sales process which violated New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.

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