LENOX — Inconvenience fees: the various and often mysterious surcharges on our phone, utility, cable and internet ticket-order bills. A prominent waste management company even adds an 8 percent “energy and environmental” fee to its monthly invoices. You might recall how Andy Rooney of curmudgeonly memory had a field day on “60 Minutes” decades ago, displaying his household bills and railing against surcharges as only he could do.
As in: “Have you looked at the fine print on your phone and electric bills lately? I have!” But since it’s online ticket-buying season for our county’s beloved arts and entertainment presenters, it’s worth mentioning that “convenience” fees, as they’re often described in true Orwellian fashion, are soaring. A recent $25 internet ticket order came with a $6 surcharge. Would an order for $100 require $24? Just wondering.
Some presenters add a standard fee per order, no matter how many tickets you buy. Others add a 10 percent extra charge per ticket, as I learned recently when a $630 online charge for a half dozen shows came with a $63 “handling fee.” A personal visit to a box office may yield significant savings.
Sadly, it’s necessary once again to blast the online ticket-scalping phenomenon in the so-called “secondary market.” The Lenox window will be open this Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. for in-person sales, including the Robert Plant-Alison Krauss show on July 2.
Last March, when I covered the.