Red Sox Sued Over Junk Fees, Misleading Seat Prices

A lawsuit was filed in January by some Boston Red Sox ticket buyers alleging that the ball club for a number of years advertised misleading low prices for tickets but then jacked up the total price by adding various junk fees at the end of the online purchasing transaction.

In the suit [see complaint] the consumers’ lawyers alleged:

*MOUSE PRINT:

The Red Sox’s false advertising centers on their use of drip pricing and junk fees. Specifically, the Red Sox would advertise illusorily low prices for their tickets. When purchasers attempted to buy those tickets, however, the Red Sox would add mandatory fees at the last minute, such as “Per-Ticket Fees” and “Order Fees,” that could increase the cost of a purchase by as much as 150%.

After ticket buyers saw the advertised price for the tickets they wanted and added them to their cart, a countdown clock popped up giving them five minutes to complete the transaction. Only as buyers got close to finalizing their purchase were “per-ticket fees” and “order fees” added to their bill which could substantially increase the ticket price, particularly on cheaper tickets.

For example, one of the ticket buyers in the case was purchasing a $21 ticket, but when the junk fees were added on, the total came to $31.50.

The lawsuit focuses on the 2022 to 2024 baseball seasons. After that state and federal regulations kicked in requiring the complete pricing of event tickets upfront.

In particular the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees went into effect in May 2025, requiring businesses that sell live-event tickets and short-term lodging to disclose the total price upfront.

Similarly, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office issued new junk fee regulations in September 2025 requiring that the initial price shown to consumers be the total price except for shipping and government taxes.

Like Ticketmaster which was sued for similar alleged deceptive practices and subsequently started advertising complete prices upfront, the Boston Red Sox now do the same thing:

You now see the total price including fees when first searching for tickets.