I don't understand why ticket agents need a full service fee - they should either be paid by the promoter, or receive a margin or royalty on sales. We certainly shouldn't have to top them up.

I had tickets to the second Stevie Wonder show when he cancelled to play an Obama gig. To their credit, Ticketmaster refunded the full ticket price - service fee included. It's the only cancelled gig I've actually had tickets to, so I can hardly complain.

The fee for service, which by definition you should be expecting some (extra) service. One of my favorite tricks when these businesses like to charge a service fee is to ask exactly what that fee is for.

Just like any other invoice or charge I expect them to quantify it and break down the amount. In most cases you are left with stuttering buffoon who has absolutely no idea what the fee is for and if they can't tell me then I won't pay it, and quite often they have to get a supervisor who is just as inept at answering the question.

On more than one occasion I have paid only the amount charged for the actual items, goods or service and have told the retailer or business to take me to court for the shortfall.

Funny how none of them ever have.

Thank you for exposing this rip-off for what it is, a means to give the impression of lower ticket prices and a non-refundable pocket liner for the vendor in the event of cancellation.

Hear hear! Why the 'service' fee can't be built into ticket prices, I'll never understand. Ticketek are the worst (and have the worst service to match), but other agencies are starting to creep up there, too. Apparently you can book for up to three shows on the same service fee, but only in person or on the phone (if you can get through) and not online. I tried to explain this to a Ticketek agent once as I booked three shows together at one of their offices and she tried to charge me $24. For $8, I'd at least expect the service to be good, or even moderate, but sometimes it's downright rude! The option to be charged $5 to use my own paper and printer and produce my own ticket is simply insulting, yet we are at their mercy. As a side note, I won't go to any Fringe Festival show which requires bookings through Ticketek; considering that these tickets usually cost $10-15, adding $8 on top of that is almost as much as the show itself, which I'd rather pay directly on the night. Great way to support up-and-coming artists, Ticketek!

Reminds me of going to see Tool play at that dump of a venue on the Wellington waterfront. Those of us who paid for tickets well in advance had the privilage of paying the service fee AND waiting in line for an hour to get in. Those who turned up without tickets walked straight in to the door sales counter and paid $8 less. Go figure.

What s**ts me is paying a service fee and being told the fee helps them run their website. Why then did I end up with about 20 AC/DC tickets, along with pretty much everyone else who tried to get tickets in the morning when they went on sale. Both Ticketek and Ticketmaster have the shittiest websites ever. They always fail when tickets for big bands go on sale. They get completely overloaded and can't handle the traffic. I also didn't get a refund for my service fee when Day on the Green was cancelled. And it took them forever to refund my money for those tickets and even longer to refund the extra AC/DC tickets I didn't want. I would happily pay a service fee if their websites weren't so s**t and it wasn't so difficult to buy tickets on the morning they go on sale.

It is a bit like going to a real bank(as opposed to doing it online) to make a transaction(such as banking my hard won $8 cash!)using a real teller(an actual human being) and then being charged a transaction fee for utilising the teller who actually gets paid a salary to do the transaction anyway.

I guess the only real answer as to why they can charge $80 for nothing is because they can.

My most recent cancellation was the 2009 Mission Concert. Not only was I not refunded the service fee, but had to wait for the refund itself which took months. In addition to this, I drove 5 hours to get to the gig through gridlock Auckland traffic whereupon I arrived to get saturated and covered in mud before the show was canceled some half an hour later. Fun times :-)

I don't see how this is any different from the fuel surcharges etc that air NZ were forced to stop hiding by the commerce commision.

I know it's a music blog and it was a sports event but I went to the india v NZ 20/20 game last year at the stadium, I bought a ticket at the booth by the gate assuming I wouldn't have to pay a service fee as it was gate sale, I am assuming it will be the same for A/DC

I've never really thought about it to be honest. Now that you mention it, a service fee is awfully silly. The promoter pays the retailer so they aren't exactly getting a raw deal, just a way to make a quick dollar (or 8) without anyone questioning.

As for getting refunded, when Judas Priest cancelled (which I only found out the day before the concert) I had to get the refund... I'm pretty sure they refunded the whole amount but to be honest I wasn't really paying attention.