Canada’s Competition Bureau has filed a legal action against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, two of the largest event-ticket vendors in the country.

“The Competition Bureau took action today against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, for allegedly making deceptive claims to consumers when advertising prices for sports and entertainment tickets,” reads a January 25 government media release.

“The Bureau’s investigation found that Ticketmaster’s advertised prices are deceptive because consumers must pay additional fees that are added later in the purchasing process. This practice, which is known as “drip pricing”, results in consumers paying much higher prices than advertised. Ticketmaster’s mandatory fees often inflate the advertised price by more than 20% and, in some cases, by over 65%.”

According to the release, the Competition Bureau, an agency of the federal government, has filed an application with the Competition Bureau, a legal action, that asks Ticketmaster to “end to the alleged deceptive marketing practices and an administrative monetary penalty”.

Ticketmaster has emailed a short response to media outlets. It maintains the company practices transparency in its operations.

“Ticketmaster continues to work closely with Provincial governments to enhance consumer protection and provide the best ticketing experience for fans,” the statement reads.

The government’s quotes John Pecman, commissioner of competition for the Competition Bureau.

“In July, we called on ticket vendors to review their marketing practices,” he said there. “Today, we are filing an application with the Tribunal to stop Ticketmaster from making deceptive claims to consumers. Together, these actions send a strong signal to online retailers: consumers must have confidence that advertised prices are the ones they will pay.”