S2 Episode 20: Ticketmaster & Unfixed Price Tactics: What’s The Real Cost?

Link to episode:

Featured Guest: Elaine Bogart
Fractional CFO

Prices are rising, fees are multiplying, and transparency is disappearing. In this episode, we break down how Ticketmaster, ride shares, airlines, and even grocery stores use surge pricing, hidden fees, and algorithmic pricing to squeeze more out of consumers.

Fractional CFO Elaine Bogart joins us to explain the financial mechanics behind these tactics and whether personalized pricing is fair game or a violation of trust. We explore equity, transparency, surveillance pricing, and what it would take for companies to fix their relationship with the public.

In This Episode:

• The rise of ambiguous and personalized pricing across industries
• Why Ticketmaster’s monopoly keeps driving fan frustration
• How data-driven pricing risks crossing into digital discrimination
• The difference between surge pricing and surveillance pricing
• Why transparency and trust are now business essentials
• Fixing it: what “fair pricing” could look like for companies and customers alike

Key Takeaways

• Transparency is currency. When customers understand the “why,” they tolerate change better.
• Algorithmic pricing can deepen inequality if unchecked for bias or demographic profiling.
• Profit isn’t the enemy — opacity is.
• Trust is an asset that brands can’t afford to lose in the name of short-term gain.

Links:
Website – wefixeditpod.com

Follow us on:
Instagram/wefixeditpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod
YouTube/@wefixeditpod

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them.