Consumers in the Netherlands can look forward to more transparency in ticket buying. Dutch authority for consumers and markets ACM announced that all costs must be included in the base price displayed for online concert, festival, and theater tickets in the country.
The measure was taken due to numerous complaints by consumers about the mandatory charges. Often, these don’t show up until the final stage of the ticket purchasing process, according to a story in NLTimes.nl.
“During the booking process, consumers should not be faced with additional costs that they have to pay”, Bernadette van Buchem of the ACM said to the Telegraaf. “Clear prices are not only important for consumers, but also for entrepreneurs who compete with each other.”
It was already law in the Netherlands that all mandatory costs be added to the base price of tickets. But many ticket sellers have ignored this fact, per the ACM. The new rules will be enforced with an audit of online listings beginning after the October 1st start date of this new measure.
