Not So Funny Fee

This past weekend I attended a comedy show at The Improv Comedy Club in Orlando. I was excited to go see Lil Duval, a comedian from Jacksonville who I have been following since his 2005 Coming to the Stage days, AND it was only $20! Anyone who knows me knows I’m cheap, so for a well-known comedian to be that price I had to hop on.  I’ve caught him on television and the Internet and gotten a good laugh but the real experience (and low price) was my driving force. So I proceeded to go to the website and purchase my ticket. I forgot there was a dreaded convenience fee...darn.

In terms of live entertainment, the expenses put into putting on the production aid in determining the ticket price. Online registration and event ticketing systems most certainly charge for its service so these fees are passed onto the patrons, which can range upwards to double digit numbers. What I would appreciate is a bundling or lowering of these fees for multiple tickets. I bought two, one for a friend of mine, and spent more than I originally got excited for. Unfortunately there are not many of us who can get out of these fees. Unless we go to an actual ticket box.

Ticket purchasing isn’t the only place where we see these fees; they may be attached to other bills we pay. Some have deferred it if you enroll in automatic payments so I wonder if this or something similar will work with online ticket purchases to live shows. Maybe if you are a member of the site? With the takeover of technology, I’m slightly confused as to why they are taking advantage even though this is the way a large majority of people make purchases now. Other than that tidbit, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.