Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena to refund concertgoers, pay nearly $478K in penalties

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Climate Pledge Arena has agreed to pay $477,917 in penalties and refunds following an investigation by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson into undisclosed fees charged to thousands of concertgoers .

The investigation revealed that from February 27, 2023, to July 22, 2023, the arena added a 3% fee to food and beverage purchases without informing customers beforehand, violating Washington's Consumer Protection Act.

The hidden fee was applied during 37 events, affecting approximately 183,000 transactions and generating $162,917.16 in revenue for the arena. The Attorney General's office reached a legally binding agreement, pending court approval, that ensures full restitution to all affected customers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Climate Pledge Arena must:

"Washington law is simple: If you charge a fee, you must clearly disclose that fee before someone pays it," Ferguson said in a statement Friday. "Climate Pledge was not doing that. Now they are paying the price."

Under state law, businesses are required to clearly disclose any additional fees before customers make a purchase. The fee at Climate Pledge Arena, however, was not disclosed at kiosks or during digital payments, and attendees only learned of the charge if they requested a receipt.

Following the investigation, Climate Pledge Arena ceased charging the fee and confirmed that it has not resumed the practice. The court order now guarantees that any future fees will be clearly communicated to customers, with potential legal consequences for any violations.

Assistant Attorney General Dan Davies handled the case for Washington.

Ferguson's Honest Fees Initiative

The investigation into Climate Pledge Arena is part of Attorney General Ferguson's broader "Honest Fees Initiative," which targets businesses that charge hidden fees. To date, companies caught violating the initiative have paid more than $9.6 million in penalties and refunds.

Ferguson encourages Washington residents to scrutinize their bills and report any hidden or deceptive fees to the Attorney General's Office.

Previous actions by the Honest Fees Initiative

The Honest Fees Initiative has led to significant penalties for other companies, including CenturyLink, which paid $6.1 million in 2019 for undisclosed charges, and Frontier Communications Northwest, which paid $900,000 in 2020 for failing to properly disclose fees to its customers.

Starting in October, customers who believe they paid the fee can visit seattlearenafeesettlement.com for more information and to file a claim.

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