StubHub Lawsuit Claims Ticket Seller Hides Additional ‘Junk Fees’ Until Checkout

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims StubHub systematically misrepresents event ticket prices by concealing additional “junk fees” until checkout.

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The 31-page lawsuit says that a consumer, while searching for an event on StubHub.com, can apply a filter to view ticket prices that include “estimated fees.” However, when a user applies this filter, StubHub consistently understates the additional fees it charges until final checkout, the suit alleges.

The case argues that when a consumer turns on the “estimated fees” filter, they are led to believe that the stated price will be the total amount they will pay for an event ticket.

Nevertheless, the complaint contests that StubHub “invariably understates the total cost (with estimated fees) of every single ticket quoted at or above $20 by an exact amount of $3 per ticket.” Tickets quoted below $20 are also regularly increased by between $2 and $3 at checkout, the filing adds.

“In other words, StubHub is not estimating anything,” the suit scathes.

The lawsuit contends that StubHub’s “estimated fees” filter is intentionally misleading and used to “lure” consumers into buying tickets onto which the company will tack hidden junk fees at the end of the purchasing process.

According to the suit, StubHub’s “bait and switch” junk-fees tactic is “even more deceptive” given that a customer is presented with the total ticket price on the final checkout page only after being shown a 10-minute countdown to complete the order and navigating “over a half dozen cluttered screens that inundate them with colorfully distracting information.”

In addition, even when a consumer reaches the final checkout page, the price increase is subtle, and noticing the difference between the total cost and what was previously advertised “requires quick-witted memory and mental math,” the case insists.

“But customers can’t take too long on this screen to determine by how much they are being cheated, because when the clock runs out, they are kicked out and must begin the whole process all over again,” the complaint asserts.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased event tickets from StubHub.com using the “estimated fees” filter and guest checkout during the applicable statute of limitations period.

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