Any way to avoid huge Kennedy Center Ticket Service Charge?

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of buying tickets to a show at the Kennedy Center for my whole family to go together...but now I see that they are tacking on a $90 ticket service charge. WTH?

Any way to buy the tickets and avoid it?

[Anonymous]

$90!! Woah, I've never been charged such a high surcharge. I would not be buying those tickets. Sounds like it could be a mistake, have you tricked calling the ticket center?

[Anonymous]

Buy them in person at the box office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking of buying tickets to a show at the Kennedy Center for my whole family to go together...but now I see that they are tacking on a $90 ticket service charge. WTH?

Any way to buy the tickets and avoid it?

How many tickets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy them in person at the box office.

Exactly, this works for any event. 9:30 Club adds a dollar to each ticket if you buy there (except the day of the show), but $90? Wow.

[Anonymous]

We bought Springsteen tickets from Nats Park, and they added $20 per ticket. So yeah, $90 in fees is unreasonable but all too common.

Because, you know, it costs so much to email a PDF.

[Anonymous]

That is very obnoxious!

[Anonymous]

15% online or by phone; 10% in person at the box office. Crazy.

[Anonymous]

I'd much rather they have to include all that in the price they show up front. This goes for everyone. Just like AIR BNB had to stop showing a low nightly rate only to tack on a high cleaning fee.

It's dishonest and irritating. Show the price per ticket, including fees and estimated taxes, up FRONT before I spend time looking for a show time that works and seats we'd like.

[Anonymous]

Another reason we don’t go to shows - too expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking of buying tickets to a show at the Kennedy Center for my whole family to go together...but now I see that they are tacking on a $90 ticket service charge. WTH?

Any way to buy the tickets and avoid it?

How many tickets?

Yeah, OP, how many? You mention taking your "whole family" so multiple tickets. Yes, it racks up fees but I think some here are picturing a $90 fee on just a few tickets when it sounds like you mean more than just a couple of seats.

Service charges are a pain, I agree, but not unexpected or a shock unless you're buying a lot of tickets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd much rather they have to include all that in the price they show up front. This goes for everyone. Just like AIR BNB had to stop showing a low nightly rate only to tack on a high cleaning fee.

It's dishonest and irritating. Show the price per ticket, including fees and estimated taxes, up FRONT before I spend time looking for a show time that works and seats we'd like.

I think Biden has proposed legislation to do just that.

Because he is just that awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd much rather they have to include all that in the price they show up front. This goes for everyone. Just like AIR BNB had to stop showing a low nightly rate only to tack on a high cleaning fee.

It's dishonest and irritating. Show the price per ticket, including fees and estimated taxes, up FRONT before I spend time looking for a show time that works and seats we'd like.

I recently bought some tickets for my MIL at a local arts venue in FL, and the website did exactly that. When I hovered over the price, a little popup showed the ticket price, taxes, and fees broken out. It was nice and made me want to support the venue more.

[Anonymous]

I bought tickets at the box office for this week’s Kennedy Center Handel’s Messiah I don’t think I paid extra fees.

[Anonymous]

Just paid $40 something in fees per ticket thru Ticketmaster. Not sure how this is even legal.