Hidden ticket fees and vacation rental charges banned in America
CNN
The Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule banning ticketing and short-term rental companies from including hidden junk fees in their total price on Tuesday.
The Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule banning ticketing and short-term rental companies from including hidden junk fees in their total price on Tuesday. Rather than consumers getting hit with “convenience” or “service” fees for hotel bookings and concert tickets at checkout, the FTC said its new rule will ensure that pricing information is presented transparently before consumers agree to pay. “People deserve to know up-front what they’re being asked to pay — without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees that they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement announcing the rule. “The FTC’s rule will put an end to junk fees around live event tickets, hotels, and vacation rentals, saving Americans billions of dollars and millions of hours in wasted time.” The final rule does not limit what sellers can charge for a product or service. Instead, it requires businesses to display the total price, including all additional fees, more prominently than other pricing information. The rule was approved with bipartisan support at the FTC. Andrew Ferguson, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to replace Khan as FTC chair, was the sole dissenter. In a statement, Ferguson, who currently serves as a commissioner of the FTC, said that his decision to vote against the rule had nothing to do with its merits, but, rather, that he believed that President Biden’s FTC should no longer issue new rules in the wake of Trump’s election win.
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