Class Action Ticket Fees

A longstanding suit against Ticketmaster is creeping its way through the courts with the recent release of a notice of class action to consumers who purchased tickets from the company between October 1999 and May of this year.

Filed by two men in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2003, the suit raises issue with UPS delivery charges and order processing fees on the TM website, making several claims including violations of California business codes, false advertising and unfair practices.

“Members of the class and subclass … were wrongfully charged excessive UPS delivery fees for delivery of tickets purchased through Ticketmaster and/or paid an order processing charge which was not related to the cost of processing tickets as Ticketmaster represented,” the suit alleges.

Instead, the filing claims TM’s fees are “a profit generator designed to maximize Ticketmaster’s overall profit by obtaining a bottom-line dollar amount on deals with its clients,” with “no known connection to the actual ticket fulfillment costs.”

The suit seeks restitution of any monies “improperly obtained” through TM’s “wrongful acts” to plaintiffs and members of the class and subclass, as well as plaintiffs’ legal fees.

Ticketmaster disputes that its conduct is illegal and also disputes that class members are entitled to any refunds, the notice said.

The case is set to proceed to a non-jury trial beginning Jan. 26, 2011. While some members of the class have been notified via e-mail, further information regarding the suit is available at ticketfeelitigation.com.