Tablelist Hit with Lawsuit: Accused of Slapping Hidden Fees on Tickets

Event ticketing website Tablelist sued for adding surprise 10% processing fee at checkout, violating New York law.

The event ticketing website Tablelist has swindled its customers out of “substantial sums of money” through slapping hidden fees onto ticket prices at checkout, in violation of New York law, a new proposed class action lawsuit alleges.

"Cheap Trick" Allegations: Ten Percent Processing Fee Added at Checkout

Plaintiff Alycia Steelman filed the lawsuit against Tablelist, Inc. on May 13, 2024, claiming the company has been "nickel and diming" users for nearly two years. According to the lawsuit, Tablelist displays ticket prices without fees on its website, only to add a 10% processing fee at the final checkout stage.

Steelman argues this practice violates the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which requires the total cost and fees to be displayed upfront before ticket selection and prohibits price increases during the purchase process.

Steelman says whenever someone selects a ticket on the website www.tablelist.com, they are quoted a fee-less price, “only to be ambushed by a ten percent processing fee at checkout” after clicking through the various screens required to make a purchase.  

“This cheap trick has enabled Defendant to swindle substantial sums of money from its customers,” the lawsuit states. 

Surprise Fees: A Violation of New York Law

Steelman says the practice is illegal under New York law. She says, to stop the practice, the state passed its Arts and Cultural Affairs Law in 2022.

It states that the total cost and fees shall be displayed in the ticket listing prior to the ticket being selected for purchase and the price of the ticket shall not increase during the purchase process.  

Steelman says, soon after the law was enacted, ticketing websites peppered the State of New York’s Division of Licensing Services with questions about the scope of the law. The department responded that: “the ticket purchasing process begins once a consumer visits a ticket marketplace and first sees a list of seat prices.”

Derby Party Ticket Price Jumps at Checkout

Steelman said she bought one ticket to visit Georgia Room for their Kentucky Derby Garden Party on May 4, 2024 through www.tablelist.com. She says she was quoted a feeless price of $25 per ticket across multiple screens. 

It was only after clicking “checkout” that she said she was taken to a new screen, which displayed a ten percent processing fee, taking the ticket price up from the original $25 to $29.94, which is inclusive of the processing fee and tax. 

Not the Only Offender: Other Companies Sued Over Surprise Fees Practices

Tablelist is not alone in facing legal action for hidden fees. Recent lawsuits have targeted BookTix, StubHub, SportsEngine, and SofarSounds for similar deceptive practices. These lawsuits allege the platforms hide processing fees until the final step of the online ticket purchase process, making tickets appear cheaper than they actually are.

In the Tablelist hidden fees class action lawsuit, Steelman seeks to represent a nationwide class of individuals who purchased tickets through Tablelist in New York State or via the website/app since August 29, 2022. She seeks class action certification, damages, fees, costs, and a jury trial..

Case Details:

• Lawsuit: Steelman v. Tablelist Inc.
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-03672
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Plaintiffs' Attorneys:

• Stefan Bogdanovich and Philip L. Fraietta (Bursor & Fisher PA)