Jaime D. via Facebook writes:
63 dollars for upper deck for ANY regular season game is utterly ridiculous. And this is from someone who always finds a way to get to games.
No argument here. I'm pretty sure it would have been hard to even get 63 bucks on Stubhub for last year's "marquee" tickets which carried a $36 face value. I guess one way to beat the secondary market is to eliminate the primary market and create a ticket price equally unattractive to both scalpers and actual fans alike?
BrooklynBoy4214 via Disqus writes:
I am a full season ticket holder, and received the same demand for a $250 deposit in July, but it came with a guarantee that, if I renewed, 2012 prices would prevail in 2013. Later that summer, but before the season ended, I received another email telling me that there would be a deadline, much earlier than ever before, by which I had to renew in order to keep the guaranteed 2012 prices for 2013. I thought this a fraudulent bait and switch, told them so, and managed to negotiate an extension of the deadline to sometime in October--still earlier than in prior years. But until your blog, I had no idea that this guarantee of 2012 prices for 2013 would not apply to partial plan ticket holders. Pretty outrageous.
I can understand there's a big difference between being a 15-gamer like me and a full season guy such as yourself. In that respect, I'm not even that bothered by you being able to lock in prices. What grinds my gears is the team essentially asking me for a 120% deposit months in advance and hitting me with a 20% increase. You make me basically pre-pay for my 2013 plan in summer 2012, which I gladly do, and now you still want an extra hundo?
Andrew via Disqus writes:
All of you who keep buying tickets need to stop doing so. Just scanning these comments it's obvious they have a lot of built-in confidence schemes to deceive people into buying tickets for 2013. The Wilpons may never sell this team, but we all know they certainly won't sell if they can keep selling tickets. Buy them from the secondary market or just stay home, but buying directly from the team is only playing into their hands.
If you want to go the whole "punish the owners, don't buy tickets" route I don't think the secondary market is any better. Any ticket on Stubhub was already purchased on the primary market by someone. The re-seller is taking the hit there, not the team.
David C. via email writes:
First, I contacted the Mets when i found out the tickets were going up in price, before it even occurred to me how I'd been baited. I asked, "why the increase in price?" I was told that because there was one last Yankees game, they had to account for that lost revenue by raising the average ticket price of every other ticket...
I don't buy this. Raise ticket prices because you lost 1 guaranteed (is it even guaranteed anymore) sellout. Back in the late 90's when the Mets were handed 3 new sellouts a year did they lower prices to ease the burden on the fans? Here's a radical idea, if you want to make up lost revenue why don't you try winning something? A division title, a wild card berth, an eighth grade kickball tournament...ANYTHING. I gotta believe that will help revenue.
...Second, the All-Star game. Did you know that the Mets are offering full season ticket holders from last year a 3-1 opt in for the all-star game? That means that for every ticket they hold, renewed, they get three. I found this out from talking with my ticket rep: after expressing my disgust for the surprised price hike, I asked him whether my all-star seats would be for my section. He informed me that because of the 3-1 scheme, he couldn't guarantee my seats being available.
This is the first I'm hearing of this, though I can't imagine the Mets have even a third of the building full with season ticket holders so I'm guessing I'll still be offered something come January. It was made pretty clear to me last year by my rep that seat locations weren't guaranteed so I'm playing wait and see on this one. As for the validity of a 3 for 1 offer, I'll wait till I hear back from the team.
Steven H. via email writes:
I am a Mets full season ticket holder. They did not raise my ticket prices per our previous agreement when I upgraded my seats in 2012. However, using the all-star game as a vehicle to push people to renew early, give a deposit and then jack up prices is disgusting. However, we have a choice as fans, to buy or not to buy tickets. The Mets are running a business (not a very good one of late). As "volunteer fans" we have no right to complain about how they run their business. Actions speak louder than words.
While I agree with most of Steven's points. I disagree that we have no right to complain. We have every right to voice our frustrations. Unfortunately, it is a business and the Mets have every right to ignore us. That said the team has done a little more "listening" in the past year or two so I think it's worth expressing how we feel as fans. Just don't get too upset if nothing comes of it.
No Mets were harmed in the writing of this story. Follow me on Twitter @readtheapple.
Maybe it is time for someone like Jerry Seinfeld to open up his wallet and let the moths fly out... and do something positive with the 60 to 80 MM/yr he makes in syndication alone.
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