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The attorney general for Washington, D.C., sued StubHub on Wednesday, accusing the ticket resale platform<\/a> of advertising deceptively low prices and then ramping up prices with extra fees.<\/p>\n The practice known as \u201cdrip pricing\u201d violates\u00a0consumer protection laws<\/a>\u00a0in the nation\u2019s capital, Attorney General Brian Schwalb said.<\/p>\n \u201cStubHub intentionally hides the true price to boost profits at its customers\u2019 expense,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n The mandatory \u201cfulfillment and service\u201d fees are hidden until the end of a lengthy online purchasing process that often requires more than a dozen pages to complete as a countdown timer creates a sense of urgency, Schwalb said.<\/p>\n That makes it \u201cnearly impossible\u201d for buyers to know the true cost of a ticket and compare to find the best price, he said. Fees vary widely and can total more than 40% of the advertised ticket price, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n StubHub is one of the world\u2019s largest resale platforms for tickets to sports, concerts, and other live events.<\/p>\n Sally Greenberg, CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group National Consumers League, applauded the lawsuit. \u201cHidden fees in the ticketing industry have truly gotten out of control. The price that is advertised is the price that we should pay \u2014 full stop,\u201d she said. Ticket fees were also part of a sweeping antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department\u00a0filed against Ticketmaster<\/a>\u00a0and its parent company in May.<\/p>\n StubHub used to advertise the \u201call-in\u201d cost of a ticket about a decade ago, but changed after finding that people are more likely to buy tickets at higher prices with the \u201cdrip pricing\u201d model, he said.<\/p>\n Washington residents\u2019 per-capita spending on live entertainment outpaces that of many other major U.S. cities and since 2015, StubHub has sold nearly 5 million tickets in Washington and reaped about $118 million in fees, the suit states.<\/p>\n The lawsuit seeks damages and to block the pricing practices. Schwalb\u00a0settled<\/a>\u00a0another lawsuit last year with the Washington Commanders\u00a0over fans\u2019 season ticket deposit money.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nRecommended Newsletter: <\/strong>CEO Daily provides key context for the news leaders need to know from across the world of business. Every weekday morning, more than 125,000 readers trust CEO Daily for insights about\u2013and from inside\u2013the C-suite. Subscribe Now<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n