September 10, 2026
Max Augugliaro/USA Today via Reuters Connect
Vivid Seats takes customers through multiple screens before displaying the true total price, a Pennsylvania lawsuit says.
Pennsylvania officials are taking Vivid Seats to court for employing "deceptive, manipulative and unfair" business practices that pushed customers to spend more on concerts and sporting events.
The lawsuit, which includes district attorneys from Bucks and Montgomery counties, describes "digital dark patterns" the ticket seller employs on its website and app. Vivid Seats often uses a tactic called "drip pricing," the litigation says, wherein a business advertises only part of the true cost of its product. The full price tag is revealed later in the checkout process.
As demonstrated in screenshots of the Vivid Seats interface attached to the lawsuit, customers will move through several screens displaying a "deceptively low" cost before reaching the final "place order" page. There, service and transfer fees will be added to the total. The district attorneys argue these additional charges are not fixed or explained to the consumer in any meaningful way. They can cost up to 40% the price of the tickets.
"By forcing consumers to click through at least seven screens before they see the real price, Vivid Seats puts consumers in the position of having to choose between either paying those unexpected fees or abandoning the time and effort they have expended," the suit reads.
As the prosecutors argue, it's possible for Vivid Seats customers to completely miss the true price of their tickets. On the app, the full total is displayed on the final checkout page behind a "place order" button. If a user does not scroll past that button, which was static on previous screens, they will not see the total.
The litigation alleges that the countdown clock Vivid Seats displays as customers move through checkout creates a "false sense of urgency," adding pressure to swallow the hidden fees. The $2.50 electronic transfer fee for mobile delivery is also "unfair and deceptive," since Vivid Seats does not actually transfer the tickets. That process is handled on a separate platform and initiated by the original buyer, as the company itself acknowledges.
While seven district attorneys from eastern Pennsylvania brought the suit, they are seeking restitution for all state residents who paid service and transfer fees on Vivid Seats and anyone who paid those fees for a Pennsylvania event. They are also asking the court to bar the company from engaging in deceptive business practices, as outlined in the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, and impose civil penalties.
Vivid Seats did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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