Dear Crabby, What’s the Deal with ‘Convenience Fees?’

Dear Crabby,

I’m a lifelong music fan, but lately when I’ve gone to buy tickets I have sticker shock by all the extra ‘convenience fees’ added to the price! What are they for and why are they so much?

Thanks, Regina Rocknroll

Dear Regina Rocknroll,

Hmmm. The last concert I got dragged to was an anniversary present for Mrs. Crabby and I. Usually, I try to avoid going to concerts since crowds (and people in general) annoy me, but it was our 50th anniversary and our kids wanted to treat us to a special night, so I begrudgingly complied. We saw Tony Bennett at the beautiful Fox Theatre in Detroit. And I have to say; the seats were nice and close—I could see every wrinkle on his face. But before the show started I was looking at my ticket and I almost fainted when I saw the price: $200.00! And then I looked closer and saw under that price a $5.00 facility fee and under that a $15.00 convenience fee! As if the price of the ticket wasn’t highway robbery, those stinkers tacked on another $20.00 in fees. I couldn’t believe it and when I asked my son about it, he told me that every ticket from the circus to sporting events and yes, even concerts have some sort of fee tacked on to the price. It’s a wonder anyone can afford to go to anything. Sounds like everyone is after their piece of the pie and will get it anyway they can. Now I’m told if you live close to where the concert or event is taking place you can go buy your tickets in person so you don’t have to pay those fees, but I guess you run the risk of not getting the best seats, or any seat at all because sometimes more than one show is going on sale on the same day at the same time. So, I guess you have to decide how badly you want to see the show and how much you are willing to pay for the convenience of someone else doing all the legwork for you. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate my kids treating us and we did have a wonderful time. But in the future when I want to see a concert, I’m staying at home in my recliner where I can watch Andre Rieu, Danny O’Donnell, and Lawrence Welk all for free on PBS, thank you very much.

Good luck and don’t forget your earplugs!
Dear Crabby

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