DES MOINES, Iowa — If you've been to a show recently, you are probably familiar with hidden fees.
You pick out your ticket, get ready to check out, and then your final price is a bit higher than you were expecting. A Des Moines business is answering the call to get rid of the extra charges altogether.
Leaders from Live Nation, SeatGeek, and more joined President Joe Biden for a meeting at the White House last week as the president called for companies to put an end to the use of junk fees.
"These are just the latest private sector leaders who are responding to my call to action," Biden said, noting that junk bills "can add hundreds of dollars a month and make it harder for families to pay their bills."
But the seats at that roundtable weren't just filled with executives from national companies.
Tobi Parks, the owner of xBk Live, a Des Moines performing arts venue, was also at that meeting. Parks is looking to implement all-in pricing—meaning no hidden fees on tickets—as soon as September.
"It helps build trust between ourselves and our patrons that come here to xBk," Parks said. "But secondarily, I think it's a teaching tool, so when consumers are going to buy concert tickets, if they're not seeing all in pricing, then perhaps they understand that there are some other things that are going on."
It's a popular move across the political spectrum.
Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults support the plan to limit hidden fees for online ticket purchases, according to a poll from Morning Consult.
And it could even help save you money, too.
Research from the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization found that when fans are looking for tickets from multiple sellers, they will most often buy from whichever one has a lower advertised price, even if hidden fees would actually make it the more expensive option in total. Parks hopes the commitment from venues like hers will help inspire other companies to take similar steps.
"It's gonna take time to make sure that we're not putting ourselves at a competitive disadvantage in the market, but ultimately, my goal is to help around this broader spectrum of education around ticketing and around what we need to do for ticketing reform," Parks said.
In March, the Junk Fee Prevention Act was introduced to Congress, which would require companies to include mandatory fees when a customer first sees the price of an item. That bill was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation but hasn't received any action since then.
The Associated Press contributed to this report