Evenko Fined For Forcing Fees

Quebec’s Office de la Protection du Consommateur (Office of Consumer Protection) said that the company did not give consumers an option to pick up tickets at the box office for Charles Aznavour and Enrique Iglesias concerts in 2014.

This meant that consumers were forced to pay a $5 emailing fee or a $7 mailing fee, Charles Tanguay, media spokesman for the agency, told the Montreal Gazette. The agency’s guidelines require traders to provide an “all-inclusive” price for tickets, which excludes all fees except taxes. Evenko pleaded guilty and was docked C$10,056.

A similar case is being brought against Live Nation by David Himber of New York, who claims there was no way to avoid paying a $6 fee to see Rascal Flatts at Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in September. A German court ruled in September that Eventim’s print-at-home ticketing fees are unlawful, but that ruling is not yet legally binding.