(The Center Square) – Legislation targeting predatory sales tactics that leave consumers paying inflated prices for concert tickets, vacation rentals and basic necessities advanced in the state House this week.
The Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee unanimously approved several bills Tuesday that will offer stronger penalties for deceptive marketing tactics.
One measure cracks down on junk fees – the additional charges added to many goods and services on top of their advertised prices. Increased transparency will allow consumers to have a better sense of the total cost of what they’re buying.
While the federal government has its eye on the financial sector among other industries, House Bill 636 has been amended, limiting its scope to ticketing, food delivery, and lodging, a divergence from the original “industry agnostic” proposal.
The narrow parameters still leave small retailers open to competition from stores and online sellers who list lower prices on goods only to add fees at checkout and leave consumers vulnerable to hard-hitting bank fees.
House Bill 1378, a bill prohibiting “grinch bots” also moved forward. Grinch bots are software that circumvents online purchasing queues, allowing buyers to hoard high-ticket items, artificially inflating their prices for resale.
Famous examples include tickets for the recent Taylor Swift tour and PlayStation 5 sales, but during an informational session last month, lawmakers also cited concerns about supply chain stress in situations like the pandemic where consumers struggle to find affordable access to basic necessities.
Additional safeguards for concertgoers and event attendees are also created in House Bill 1658, which bans speculative ticketing, a practice in which third-party sellers take payment for tickets they don’t yet have.
The bills now await voting from the House before being moved to the Senate for consideration.
