Aussie warns of website ticket 'scam' that secretly doubles your payment at checkout

"There’s no clear warning, no transparency, just an outrageous fee that suddenly appears."

When long-time Kylie Minogue fan and Sydney local, Michael, heard that his favourite artist was touring this year, he was keen to get his hands on the best (within an affordable range) tickets that were on offer. 

"My friend and I were thrilled at the prospect of seeing Kylie at her upcoming Tension Tour in Sydney—we’ve been fans since the early ‘90s," Michael told Kidspot. 

"We initially checked Ticketek, where there were still great seats available, but we wanted to be as close to the stage as possible to really soak up the atmosphere. When we saw two tickets on Viagogo, we figured paying a little extra for the best possible experience would be worth it."

Sadly, their experience was anything BUT worth it. In fact, Michael was slapped with a 'cheeky' extra fee that the website prides itself on staying well clear from. 

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Huge fan Michael was thrilled to be booking tickets to see Kylie again. Image: Supplied

A surprise extra fee... AFTER checkout

Michael found two tickets for $582 each that were close to the stage and decided to proceed to the checkout, but as he clicked through Apple Pay, he noticed that an extra fee was charged, with the total showing up as more than $1600. 

"I booked the tickets on my phone and at no point did I see any mention of a booking fee—especially not one as outrageous as $400!" Michael said.

"You go through several steps in the process, and there’s no clear warning about additional charges. I would never have proceeded if that information had been made obvious from the start. It’s an incredibly misleading and unfair customer experience."

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"Unable to process your refund request"

A first time customer of Viagogo, Michael initially thought the additional $400 fee was an honest mistake, so he contacted customer service immediately to rectify the error. 

"At first, they even acknowledged that it was a high amount. However, in every response since, they have refused to help, insisting these fees are necessary to run their website. That amount could nearly cover my rent for a week—it’s completely unreasonable!" he said. 

Michael continued to contact customer service requesting a refund or at least a reduction of the extra fee - they refused on each occasion.

The cost breakdown supplied shows the extra fee added. Image: Supplied

Kidspot reached out to Viagogo, who doubled down on their claim that they have no extra or hidden fees. 

“Viagogo operates a global marketplace where fans can buy and sell tickets. We are committed to transparency, and all fees are clearly communicated throughout the customer journey," a spokesperson for the website told Kidspot. 

"Ticket prices and associated fees are often influenced by factors such as local demand and currency exchange rates. In this instance, the customer purchased tickets from the international viagogo.ww website, however, all fees would have been disclosed before the buyer completed their purchase.

"Australian customers are advised to use the dedicated viagogo.com/au site, which is specifically tailored to Australian consumers and is compliant with local regulations. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to the customer and a customer service representative will be reaching out," they added. 

The customer service response. Image: Supplied

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A warning to other concert goers

Still waiting for that customer service representative to be in touch, Michael has come to terms with the fact that he might not get the refund he deserves, so is committed to warning others about the website. 

“Viagogo feels like a scam—plain and simple," he declared. 

"You go through the whole booking process thinking you’re paying one price, only to have the total double at the very last second when you hit pay. There’s no clear warning, no transparency, just an outrageous fee that suddenly appears. If any other business operated like this, they’d be shut down. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get caught out the way I did.

"At this stage, I do not think that they will refund the ‘fee’ so my main goal is to let other people know how this business operates. These kinds of business practices should not be allowed to continue, and it’s clear that stronger regulation is needed to protect consumers from being taken advantage of in this way.”

Originally published as Aussie warns of website ticket 'scam' that secretly doubles your payment at checkout