Madame Tussauds New York Illegally Fails to Include Fees in Online Ticket Prices, Class Action Says

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A proposed class action claims the operators of Madame Tussauds New York have violated state law by waiting until customers are at the end of the online ticket purchasing process to add a $4.99 processing fee to the total ticket price.

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The 13-page lawsuit alleges that the Manhattan attraction’s owners—defendants Merlin Entertainments Group U.S. Holdings, Inc. and Madame Tussauds New York, LLC—have run afoul of New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law by routinely misleading consumers about the ultimate price of tickets sold on MadameTussauds.com/New-York.

Per the suit, the state law mandates that operators of places of entertainment must clearly and conspicuously disclose the total price of a ticket, including any extra fees, before the ticket is selected for purchase. In addition, the law bars a company from increasing a ticket’s price during the purchase process and requires the business to plainly identify what part of the cost represents a service charge, the case says.

According to the complaint, a consumer is initially quoted a fee-less price when they select a ticket on the wax museum’s website. It is only after the visitor reaches the checkout page that a $4.99 processing fee is displayed and added to their transaction, the filing shares.

The suit condemns the use of this “bait and switch pricing tactic,” arguing that the New York law was enacted to protect consumers from precisely this “type of scam.”

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased a ticket to Madame Tussauds New York from MadameTussauds.com/New-York at any time between August 29, 2022 and February 28, 2024.

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