Mar
29
2005

music service fee

Ticketmaster’s fee structure mystifies me. This evening, I was looking up tickets for a concert next month. The per-ticket base price is $18. Ticketmaster then adds a $4.75 per-ticket service fee. On top of that, I then get the following choices for receiving said tickets:

ticketFast: NOW (Recommended)US $4.00The quickest delivery method available. Tickets delivered via email, you print them out!
UPS: 2 - Business Day MorningUS $19.50by 12 noon in 2 business days - undeliverable to PO Box addresses
UPS: 2 - Business Day EveningUS $18.50by 7:30 pm in 2 business days - undeliverable to PO Box addresses
UPS: 3 - Business Day EveningUS $14.50by 7:30 pm in 3 business days - undeliverable to PO Box addresses
UPS: SaturdayUS $25.00by noon on Saturday. Order must be placed by Wednesday prior - undeliverable to PO Box addresses
Standard MailNo additional chargeYour tickets will be mailed to your billing address and delivered no later than 48 hours before the event in a plain unmarked white envelope.

What I don’t understand is why Ticketmaster makes customers pay for the “print-your-own ticket” option. Aside from the initial investment for the technology to create and process that kind of ticket, I would think that Ticketmaster would be saving money by directing customers to follow that option, as they’d avoid the time and expense of printing and mailing paper tickets — a service Ticketmaster offers for free.

Posted at 12:50 AM in music

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