By For those who like to buy event tickets online, a better deal may be available by going to the box office.
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is one example of a private entity on campus that charges customers an additional $2 fee when purchasing tickets online.
Although Cal State Long Beach policy and California law prohibit charging additional fees for using a credit card, private companies may bypass that law by charging a convenience fee for using the Internet when purchasing tickets.
“The fee is a convenience fee for being able to pay online,” said Associate Vice President of Financial Management Sharon Taylor. “It’s a convenience for offering different methods of payment, not for using a credit card.”
When buying tickets at the Carpenter Center’s box office, the price stays the same whether a customer uses cash, check or a credit card. CSULB policy states that the university “prohibits certain credit card activities that include, but are not limited to adding a surcharge or additional fee to payment.”
For example, the Outpost and other student vendors cannot charge additional fees for using a credit card
California law retailer in any sales, service or lease transaction with a consumer may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card in lieu (instead) of payment by cash, check, or similar means.”
The Carpenter Center abides by a law that does not charge more for using a credit card instead of cash or check when paying in person.
However, the Carpenter Center charges a $4 order charge fee for using Paciolan, the software company that processes its credit cards, as well as a $2 convenience fee for buying tickets online.
Financial entities, such as ticket vendors and tuition services, must use an outside company to process credit cards because CSULB cannot technically “pass the fee onto the customer,” according to Campus Bursar Nancy Eckhous.
Eckhouse said the university lost $600,000 before CSULB began using outside sources to process credit card fees.
If the price for one concert at the Carpenter Center is $32, the order charge and convenience fee total is $6 or 19.2 percent of the cost of a ticket. Comparatively, the MyCSULB software uses Smart Pay, which charges a flat 2.9 percent fee for every transaction.
Carpenter Performing Arts Center Executive Director Michele Roberge said, “the other alternative is raising ticket prices.”
The Carpenter Center also charges a large fee to troupes who use their stages and equipment.
President of the Vietnamese Student Association Amy Dam said her troupe usually performs annually at the Carpenter Center for Vietnamese Culture Night, but this year the club decided to use the University Theater instead.
“Our production cost was $6,000 to use CPAC. Now, we’re paying $180 max,” she said. “There’s no difference between the two, except that it’s smaller and the equipment’s older.”
“The amount should include the fee in the ticket price,” Senior civil engineering major Erick Elias said, adding that he always uses a credit card.
The problem with online fees occurs when private companies such as Ticketmaster only take payment online. When using the Internet to make purchases, the law won’t protect customers from additional fees.
Ticketmaster also inflates their convenience fee. One Dave Mathew’s Band ticket costs $75. The convenience fee is $14.90 or 19.8 percent.
“They know what they’re doing. It’s just another way for them to make more money,” said Mark Reback, Consumer Watch Dog consumer advocate. “Bad press is the only thing that usually changes corporate behavior.”
For example, Bank of America gained a bad reputation for charging overdraft fees, and eventually changed their policies by automatically preventing customers from overdrafting.
“Our group opposes the fees because they’re already factoring the cost of using a credit card. We don’t want to see the free flow of payment choice steered from one method of payment to another.” said Michael Canning, president of Americans for Consumer Education and Competition.
Mark Reback, Consumer Watch Dog consumer advocate. “Bad press is the only thing that usually changes corporate behavior.”
For example, Bank of America gained a bad reputation for charging overdraft fees, and eventually changed their policies by automatically preventing customers from overdrafting.
“Our group opposes the fees because they’re already factoring the cost of using a credit card. We don’t want to see the free flow of payment choice steered from one method of payment to another.” said Michael Canning, president of Americans for Consumer Education and Competition.
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