IMAGINE you went to Tesco and at the till you were told the bill was £21. You offered your card and were then told “we charge £5 for providing you with the goods, plus £4 for using your card, plus £1 compulsory ‘donation’ for us to keep the building in good order”.

I suspect nearly everybody would walk away. But this is exactly what venues such as the Grand Opera House, York do. Instead of the advertised £21 for a Ralph McTell ticket, the website asked for £30.25 – about 50 per cent mark-up.

Apparently, I could avoid a transaction fee if I went to the Opera House and paid cash, but the booking fee is still chargeable – so what am I actually paying for?

Someone at the desk to reach down and give me a ticket and that costs £5 or so? I appreciate the Grand Opera House is not alone in doing this, but isn’t it time for some honest pricing where the cost of the ticket is the price you pay?

Clive Tiney Towthorpe Road, Haxby.