Theatre fans charged £70 booking fees for shows

Theatregoers are being mistakenly charged £70 booking fees for luxury tickets to some of the West End’s biggest shows including Mamma Mia, Les Misérables and Hamilton.

The price of champagne package tickets at Delfont Mackintosh venues – which includes the Prince Edward and Prince of Wales theatres – is £195, but the payment page states tickets are in fact just £125 with a £70 booking fee. Delfont Mackintosh owns and manages eight of the most prestigious theatres in London.

Jackie Andrews bought three champagne package tickets to see Hamilton at the Victoria Palace theatre as last- minute presents on Christmas Eve. She said: “The price was what I had expected as the seats were sold as VIP premium. However, after selecting the seats, I was directed to pay and given a breakdown of the charges where I saw I was being charged £210 in booking fees.

“I assumed by going directly to the theatre it would be cheaper and while I expected to pay a booking fee, I found it very annoying to be charged for each seat when buying three seats.”

Delfont Mackintosh blamed the fault on a computer glitch and agreed to change the wording after being made aware of it by The Telegraph. A spokesman clarified the £70 “booking fee” was in fact the cost of the hospitality package and the service, which comes alongside the performance itself.

Yet Ms Andrews felt this still did not represent “good value” for money. Despite its lofty title, the champagne package entitles each ticket holder to only half a bottle of champagne. You are also greeted at the theatre by a member of staff, given a reserved table at the bar for your drinks and provided with a programme.

Ms Andrews and her two guests, who attended the matinee performance of Lin- Manuel Miranda’s award- winning musical on Feb 17, were given half a bottle of champagne each and a tub of crisps to share.

A spokesman for Delfont Mackintosh said: “We appreciate The Telegraph bringing this error to our attention. The use of this terminology stems from a pre-existing code in our purchase flow system, which we will promptly revise to prevent confusion.”