StubHub UK fined almost £900,000 over ‘hidden’ ticket fees

StubHub UK has been fined £889,200 and ordered to refund more than £590,000 to over 51,000 customers after the UK’s competition regulator found it added mandatory fees at the checkout without showing the full price upfront, a practice known as drip pricing [1]. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the average refund for the 51,350 affected customers was about £10.33 per transaction [1]. The hidden costs, which included delivery and service fees, were added at the final stage of the booking process for tickets to gigs and sports events between 6 April and 7 December last year [1]. The penalty included a 40% reduction because StubHub admitted breaking the law and settled the case [1]. Emma Cochrane, the CMA’s executive director of consumer protection, said: “Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal. It’s not fair to draw people in with what looks like a good deal, only for them to find the real price is higher when they get to the checkout due to extra charges that can’t be avoided” [1]. She added that the action means “thousands of fans will get back money taken unfairly through hidden fees” [1]. The fine is the second financial penalty the CMA has imposed for a consumer law breach since it gained new powers to decide enforcement action without going through the courts [1]. Under those powers, the regulator has secured more than £1.95m in refunds and levied fines exceeding £5.7m [1]. The CMA’s investigation into StubHub was part of a wider sweep of eight companies [1]. A probe into rival reseller Viagogo UK remains ongoing, with an update expected in the summer [1]. The regulator is also examining gym operator Gold’s Gym over a one-off joining fee not included in advertised annual membership costs, and homeware retailers Wayfair, Appliances Direct, and Marks Electrical over whether time-limited sales ended as advertised or whether customers were automatically opted into additional paid services [1]. StubHub has been approached for comment [1].