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After several days filled with complaints about excessive fees on the $20 tickets to see The Cure – including complaints from its frontman Robert Smith – a report indicates that Ticketmaster will refund some of its fees.
rolling stone reports tonight that Ticketmaster is giving a discount on its fees, which more than doubled the price of a ticket to see The Cure.
“After further conversation, Ticketmaster agreed with us that many of the fees charged were excessively high, and as a goodwill gesture offered a $10 ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for lowest ticket price transactions,” Smith tweeted.
“And $5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for all other ticket price transactions, for all Cure shows at all venues,” he added. “If you have already purchased a ticket, you will receive an automatic refund; all tickets sold tomorrow will bring lower fees.”
In one fan screenshot that circulated widely on the internet, a purchase of four tickets for $20 had an $11.65 service fee added to each ticket, an added $10 facility fee per ticket, then a $5.50 order fee. That led to a total of $172.10 on four $20 bills sold for $80.
The Cure has been proactive in trying to reduce costs for its fans. It eschewed the so-called “dynamic pricing” plan, which increases fares based on demand.
Ticketmaster has been embroiled in controversy for decades over what many fans believe are excessive fees.
The Cure could control the price of its tickets, but not the excessive fees. Their “Shows of a Lost World” tour has a three-night stay at the Hollywood Bowl on May 23-25.