Great day for consumers and concert goers as credit cards fees come a cropper – Noone

Fine Gael Dublin Senator, Catherine Noone, has said that today (Friday) is a great day for consumers and concert goers as a new EU directive comes into effect which will ban credit card surcharges and hidden fees.

“It’s always a bit of a sting in the tail when you are buying tickets to go to a concert or an event online and just before the payment is processed excessive fees are added to the bill. For too many years these fees have been unjustifiably high, and I am delighted that this new common sense EU directive will banish them for good.

“Now, the total cost of the ticket or service you are buying will have to be displayed before you place your order. This will put consumers back in the driving seat as you will be able to immediately see whether something is worth the money or not.

“The sneaky trick of the ‘pre-ticked’ box will also be banned. In the past, consumers have been duped into signing up to additional services by failing to spot a pre-ticked box.

“As more and more of us seek to do a large chunk of our shopping online, it is only right that the EU should move to offer greater protections to consumers. This directive doubles cooling off periods and puts an onus on retailers to refund consumers more promptly in the event of a cancellation.

“This is another great example of how the EU can have a really positive impact on people’s everyday lives.”