Comments Document

See attached file.

On behalf of the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition promoting technology’s progressive future, I write to oppose SB 388 based on its current drafting. While we support efforts to eliminate deceptive fees and manipulative pricing in certain industries, SB 388 could unfortunately have the effect of eliminating many consumer-friendly pricing options in other industries. We agree that deceptive fees in other industries like hotels, ticketing, and airlines, should be addressed. Inconsistent prices and a lack of transparency make it more difficult for consumers to do “apples to apples” comparisons between competing services and hinder fair competition. Unfortunately, the bill as drafted doesn’t reflect the complexity of some three-sided online marketplaces, like many app-based services, that have a fundamentally different structure.

Consumers are fed up with facing marketplace transactions with unexpected fees. They continue to pop up after one has gone through most of the shopping process and often make purchased items more expensive than expected. It has become virtually impossible to accurately comparison shop since mandatory fees are not included in the price quoted by many businesses. This bill will help level the playing field and help consumers get accurate, dependable information. This will help consumers pay bills and manage money to meet family goals. It will not limit what businesses can charge, it will simply ensure that consumers can readily discern accurate prices. Thank you for supporting this legislation.