FEES! They're everywhere! Save Yourself!!!!

A few weeks ago, I went to an Eleven Hundred Springs show at the Granada. Craig and Jaime went, too, and so did my wife, extremely begrudgingly, I might add. Our plan was to walk down my street, since we're only a couple of blocks off of Greenville, eat at Snuffer's and then go over to the show. It was kind of a last minute plan, but tickets were only $12, and we had nothing else going on.

Our plan to walk was soon thwarted by the rain that had been flooding us all day. I guess we thought nature would finally relent and go back to serving us a drought and keeping us from freely burning our garbage in the middle of Dallas. No big deal; we'll just drive.

Yeah, turns out to park a mere 3/4 of a mile from my house costs $8 on a Friday night. I was tempted to drop everyone off, go back home, button up and just let nature do her best as I walked back in the rain. Then I realized I'd have to do that again to pick everyone up, and Stacie said there was no way that was happening, so I handed over $8. Also extemely begrudgingly.

We get our grub on at Snuffer's. Watch the Mavs game. Try and figure out if our waitress is more into one of the guys or Stacie. (I still think it was Stacie.) Then we make our way over to see some Eleven Hundo.

It's pretty cold, so after Craig buys his ticket, he goes inside and Stacie follows telling me she'll wait for me inside. So, I hand the dude my card, he hands it back and then hands me tickets. I hurry inside.

As I get inside, Craig has this look on his face that says, "What the hell?" Then the mouth on said face says, "What the hell? My $12 ticket cost $14."

I look down at my receipt. Sure enough. My $24 worth of tickets cost $28. Now my face says, "What the hell?" And as I look back at Jaime coming in, his face says to my face, "What the hell?"

Our receipts tell us that we have paid $12 for the tickets but there is a $2 fee.

We then ask tattooed-up ticket-tearer man, "What the hell? What is this fee for?" To which he says, "Don't know." We proceed to ask a couple of more people what the fee is for. Same response.

I know it's not a convenience fee. I had to drive 3/4 of mile in a downpour, pay $8 to park, stand in the freezing cold and fork over 2 extra bucks for my tickets. I don't see anything convenient about that. I did all the work to get those tickets.

Well...Eleven Hundred Springs did their job and put on a great show. If you've never heard a really good fiddle player play Orange Blossom Special and Rock Island Line in the same set, then you really haven't seen anything.

We only stayed for Eleven Hundo, but I wish we had stayed for at least part of Unknown Hinson after that. I didn't know who he was, but I looked him up later and I am very intrigued.

Now, fast forward with me to last night. I guess that's actually rewinding, but from the point we were at in the story it's a fast forward. Don't get all symantical on me.

Jaime, Craig and I have decided we are going to Arizona to watch a little Spring Training baseball this year. We are extremely pumped, so last night we sit down to get our hotel room and tickets to some games.

You know where I'm going don't you. Sure enough, our $103 a night hotel room actually will cost $118 a night. No big deal...taxes and what not.

Our tickets have a $4.75 fee attached to them! Now granted, ordering the tickets online is very convenient compared to my Granada scenario, but do I really have another choice. Unless I walk up to Surprise Stadium and physically purchase the tickets, I'm getting nailed with this fee. And that is undoubtably inconvenient.

It's really not that I care so much about the final price paid. It's that the price is deceptive. If you want $24.75 for your damn ticket, just charge me that. If you want $14 for your damn ticket, same thing. Don't spring it on me last minute because now, I'm not a happy concert-goer/Spring Training ticket buyer.

So, my friends, this long, long story is here for one reason only. To warn you: beware the sneaky fee. It may be closer than you think.