Consumers want transparent ticket prices

Tickets for concerts and other events should include the full costs of a ticket upfront, say nine out of ten Which? members.

Recent research carried out by Which? showed that fees can add up to 30 per cent to the price of a ticket - and agents don't even have to refund booking charges if an event is cancelled

Four in five of those surveyed thought that booking fees were too expensive and don't reflect the value of the service. A snapshot of the music industry showed that REM fans incurred booking fees that ranged from £10.50 to £13.50 for two tickets, with postage costs of up to £5.50. Theatre-lovers fared worse as fees added 30 per cent to the cost of two tickets to see Buddy Holly through Theatre Tickets Direct.

Neil Fowler, Editor, Which?, says: "Airlines have taken a bashing recently for adding sneaky extra charges to the cost of tickets, but they're not the only ones - we found ticket agencies hiking the cost of tickets by nearly a third with various fees and postage costs. These charges only become apparent when people are well into the buying process -they should be made clear up front so that people can compare prices properly."

People buying tickets through the secondary market, such as Seatwave, Viagogo, No1soldoutevents and Getmein, should be especially careful - they have fewer rights and mark-up could be very high.

Which? has the following advice for concerned ticket-holders:

Venue vs agent

The event promoter, venue or performer contracts to provide the show for you, but if you buy from an agent it is their responsibility to get the ticket to you in time

Wrong seat?

If you turn up to an event to find your sitting in the gods instead of the front row you paid for, you can claim the price difference - complain to the agent as soon as you can!

Pay by credit card

If you're splashing out and spending over £100 it make sense to pay on credit card - the credit card provider is jointly responsible if the promoted breaches the contract, so you're covered if an event is cancelled

Refunds

For fans who've bought a ticket with the hope of seeing the latest Joseph or Nancy, don't expect any refunds if the show's headline star is replaced by an understudy!

Secondary market

Check, check and double-check the terms of the secondary site before you buy. The original authorised seller doesn't have to act on a complaint you have, even if an event is cancelled.

More information about legal rights when buying a ticket through an agent can be found at which.co.uk/consumerrights