White Sox Disinformation

[Lefty Of Love]

Let me start off by saying I am not a person who will complain about the price of tickets, food, etc. at the ballpark. I understand entertainment involves a markup and that the Sox will take full advantage of opportunities like the Cubs series to make as much dough as they can.

 

However, I believe the Sox acted innapropriately in regards to this past weekend. According to an official press release you can read here release that clearly states no standing room tickets will be sold over the weekend.

 

I bought a standing room ticket on Sunday outside the park, and having read this press release, it seems pretty clear something is amiss. It makes me think that the standing room tickets made their way out the back door instead of the box office and that the Sox had no intention of trying to sell these tickets to their fans - in other words, they were destined for resale.

 

I don't know why the Sox did this, but it certainly wrecks my opinion of the organization being a first-class customer-service oriented team. I thought it was only the other team in this town that purposely deceived their fans.

[SoxFan1]

Simple....money. Which team doesn't want more? It doesn't seem like to much of a deal to me but everyone has their opinions and preferances.

[Lefty Of Love]

Simple....money. Which team doesn't want more? It doesn't seem like to much of a deal to me but everyone has their opinions and preferances.

 

I don't have a problem with them wanting more money at all. I don't care to be lied to, especially by a business I think I have been a good customer too. Why would they explicitly say they were not going to sell standing room tickets when they could've said nothing on the subject at all?

[SoxFan1]

I don't have a problem with them wanting more money at all.  I don't care to be lied to, especially by a business I think I have been a good customer too.  Why would they explicitly say they were not going to sell standing room tickets when they could've said nothing on the subject at all?

Perhaps it was a misprint or an informational mistake?

[Guest JimH]

Personally I think they do it to discourage people from coming down to the game if they don't have a ticket.

 

One, it alleviates additional congestion, and two, it encourages people to buy tickets early.

 

Despite this, some people will still come down to the ballpark looking for tickets even though it's long been listed as a sellout.

 

I'm not sure why you're upset. They said they didn't have seats left, they said not to come down if you didn't have seats ... you went down there anyway and you got ahold of a standing room ticket. I'm not sure how they could have made you happy no matter what?

 

If you're upset they said they wouldn't sell standing room tickets, and yet you got ahold of one from a 3rd party ... they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Who says they sold the standing room ticket to anyone, it could have been a giveaway.

 

Personally I don't blame they from discouraging people to come down couting on standing room tickets. If they have 500 standing room tickets, and they say they have standing room tickets, all the last minute types will rush the box office, and customer #501 and on will be very pissed off. I can see the message boards now ... "they have room for a lot of standing room, why couldn't I get in?".

 

Edit: wait a minute, let me edit this. How can you be sure they lied? You did not buy the standing room ticket from the Sox box office. Many, many times sports teams will give away comp standing room tickets to big games to staff, vendor relationships, corporate people, etc. If that's the case, which I find entirely possible, the White Sox have absolutely no control over what someone does with a free ticket. And even if the price was listed on the ticket, it doesn't mean they sold it to whomever sold it to you.

 

If you bought the standing room ticket from the box office, your beef holds a little more water, but not much.

Edited June 29, 2005 by JimH

[Lefty Of Love]

Seems to me they're trying to serve customers who show up despite the Sox telling them there are no seats available.  I'm not sure why you're upset.  They said they didn't have seats left, they said not to come down if you didn't have seats ... you went down there anyway and they accomodated you with a standing room ticket.  I'm not sure how they could have made you happy no matter what?

 

If you're upset they said they wouldn't sell standing room tickets, and yet they did to accomodate fans ... one of which was yourself ... they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

 

The problem as I see it is that their strategy played right into the hands of ticket scalpers, rather than an honest Joe fan such as myself. Since those standing room tickets are all that's left very close to game time, someone is going to have an excellent opportunity to purchase a lot of them for resale opportunity. If they had sold those tickets along with the rest of them, it wouldn't have gone down like it did. Instead, they gave scalpers a lay up and I paid a markup that had I not been mislead, I may have avoided paying.

 

In short, I am upset because what easily can be construed as a bald-faced lie lined the pockets of a ticket scalper at my as well as other honest folk's expense. I don't condone lying in any walk of life, and it is discouraging the White Sox would knowingly publish and publicize incorrect information.

[Guest JimH]

The problem as I see it is that their strategy played right into the hands of ticket scalpers, rather than an honest Joe fan such as myself.  Since those standing room tickets are all that's left very close to game time, someone is going to have an excellent opportunity to purchase a lot of them for resale opportunity.  If they had sold those tickets along with the rest of them, it wouldn't have gone down like it did.  Instead, they gave scalpers a lay up and I paid a markup that had I not been mislead, I may have avoided paying.

 

In short, I am upset because what easily can be construed as a bald-faced lie lined the pockets of a ticket scalper at my as well as other honest folk's expense.  I don't condone lying in any walk of life, and it is discouraging the White Sox would knowingly publish and publicize incorrect information.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wait a second. Think about it.

 

They said they wouldn't sell standing room. You got ahold of one from a 3rd party. They did not say they wouldn't give standing room tickets away to staff, vendors, etc. or as a special favor to neighborhood people or whatever.

 

Do you think it's possible that:

 

1. The standing room tickets were given away, and you bought from someone who got it for nothing, or

 

2. They sold out of standing room say, two weeks ago, and then made the announcement they weren't selling standing room?

 

I think both are likely scenarios.

 

They also told fans specifically not to show up at the park if you didn't have a ticket. You showed up at the park without a ticket. Therefore you subjected yourself to having to deal with a 3rd party. You did, and it was a scalper. Such is life. I mean, you are bright young guy Ben... how can you blame them when you didn't buy the ticket from the box office? You put yourself in that position. Those games were listed as sellouts for a long time. The only last minute tix are friends and family tickets that aren't claimed, or comp tickets that aren't claimed.

[Steff]

Oye ve...

 

They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

 

There isn't a venue ANYWHERE that doesn't sell standing room if the demand is there.