Consumerist
A Bostonian now living in Cincinnati, reader Patrick was excited to see that this year's Major League Baseball schedule includes a Red Sox at Reds series. He went to the Reds' ticket website to buy tickets for his family, friends, and himself. That's where things got ridiculous.
It turns out that the Cincinnati Reds, a once-proud baseball team that used to win games but is now managed by Dusty Baker, have realized that a series against the defending-champion Red Sox could be a big draw. But instead of just calling this a "premium series" and boosting the price, the Reds also forced Patrick to buy tickets in four-packs, that is, for every Red Sox/Reds ticket Patrick wanted, he also had to purchase tickets to three other, non-Red Sox games. Patrick wanted to buy eight tickets for each game of the three-game series, for a total of 24 tickets. The Reds wanted him to buy 96 tickets. When he called to complain, the rep told him that since he was a Red Sox fan from Boston, he should be used to paying high prices. The rep also advised him to buy tickets to other big series, such as the Cubs or Indians, and scalp them. That's right, the rep advised him to buy tickets, then scalp them. With the cost of all the extra tickets, Patrick's family and friends were only able to buy tickets to two games, and will have to tune into ESPN for the third game, where they will be able to listen to Joe Morgan ramble about 1975 while cursing the Reds' existence.
Patrick's emails are below.
Dear Consumerist—After Patrick's letter reached someone at the Reds, he got a phone callI moved to Cincinnati over 5 years ago from Boston, and have been waiting for the years since to see my hometown team play in Cincinnati. So, to my surprise, the scheduling gods smiled upon me and scheduled the Sox to play the Red 3 games over a weekend in June (13-15). So now for months I have been waiting for information on when the tickets go on sale and any limitations that may be in place for ticket purchases (I have about 10 people flying in that weekend to attend the games). So I called the ticket office today and was told by a CSR that the Red Sox series is a premium game (one of only 2 the whole year which means the tickets are about twice as expensive, but that's ok) and that they are only being sold as a part of a package with 3 other Reds Games! Basically, if my family and friends want to see the 3 games that the Sox will play in Cincinnati, they will have to purchase 9 additional tickets to 9 additional games when they wont be in town (which amounts to almost $200. The CSR then told me that this is the only series that this "rule" is being applied to (I've since called back twice and now have been told the same thing by 2 additional CSRs.) This is complete BS, they are taking advantage of fans from one team and forcing them to either 1) not attend the games 2) buy marked up tickets from scalpers or 3)pay an additional 200 dollars to buy tickets to games they cant attend! I have e-mailed as many members of the Reds organization as I could find e-mails for (you can't find information for an EECB for baseball teams) and have overnighted a letter to the person whom I was told is in charge of ticket sales. I thought I would bring the matter to your attention in hopes that others can realize this ridiculous situation.
I received a phone call from a member of the Reds yesterday evening, who pretty much told me that what the CSRs had told me was correct and I would have to purchase a pack of tickets for each of the single Red Sox games I wanted to see. He then went on to tell me that since I am a Red Sox fan originally from Boston, I should be used to paying these prices for baseball games! He proceeded to tell me that I get packs that include other "big games" such as the Indians or Cubs that I could resell or scalp and most likely get my money back for, but most likely would get stuck with 1 Red Sox Game/1 Good Game/2 games that will suck. I am still furious and now will have to shell out close to 200 dollars to see 3 Reds games (compared to the 80 dollars I was anticipating my family/friends to spend considering the Reds are one of the cheapest ballparks in the Majors). Not even Bronson himself could play me a song on his guitar to make me happy at this point in time. The Sox haven't been to Cincy since the 75 series, and this is how they are treating their visiting fans!It turns out that the "big games" the Reds rep mentioned weren't available, so Patrick instead gets to see the types of teams that the Reds could actually beat:
Here is what happened when the tickets went on sale. They were sold online and you had to click on a special icon to get to a special virtual waiting room for Red Sox tickets. Once in there, they were sold as 4 packs, so you go to pick 1 of the games the Sox were playing the Reds (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and pick your seat (remember the seats for the Sox game were about 3 times more expensive than a regular Reds game since it is a premium ticket). Once you pick your section for the Sox game, you are then forced to purchase 3 more tickets to games on the same day to any other Reds games. So, since I purchased 8 tickets (for friends and family that are flying out to Cincinnati) to all 3 games, in essence I had to purchase 72 tickets, when I only want to use 24 of them. And of course, when I tried to purchase tickets to other "bigger" Reds games on weekends (Cubs, Mets, Indians, etc.) I was told that they didn't have tickets to those games available (whether they were already sold out in the sections I wanted or it was sketchy, I don't know). So now I am stuck with games to see the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates among other awesome NL teams. So much for the CSR's advice of just scalping them or selling them online, I dont think there will be much demand for the games I got.
One final note to the story, turns out that when my brother purchased the tickets (I unfortunately had to work that Saturday they went on sale) most of the people could not afford to do all 3 games with the extra ticket prices, so we only purchased 8 tickets to the Friday and Saturday game. Meaning we had to purchase a total of 64 tickets (16 tickets to 2 Red Sox games, 48 tickets to random Reds games). Now I'm even more pissed than before! Way to rip off paying customers so they cant even attend all 3 games!
Comments
No, it's buy one, get three free. The extra cost is just Ticketmaster.
Solution: Buy zero tickets.
I hate the Red Sox, therefore this pleases me. Although I do admit it's pretty jerky.
I don't have a problem with this at all. A smaller market team wants its own fans to be able to go to a big game against the Red Sox. The only way to ensure the majority of tickets end up in their own fans hands was to bundle them and scare off Sox fans like Patrick. It worked.
Maybe if someone like Marge Schott was still running the place, things would be different.
Who cares, hes from bawston. He should be happy watching it on the Eastcoast Sports Programming Network!
@l951b951: Agreed.
@l951b951:
I concur
@gamehendge2000:
Yeah, you'd have to wear a Gestapo uniform to the games to get the discounts.
Keeping Red Sox fans out of your park is a very good idea. Bravo, Reds!
I'll come if you need someone to take that extra Sox ticket for ya.
@zibby: Interesting since it's the Reds who are acting like sleazy jerks.
MLB is a giant scam and has been for years.
From boston to cinci? If it wasn't 5 years ago, I'd have assumed you moved because of the P&G/Gillette buyout! Haha! I'm just trying to buy tickets for a home game in Boston for August. It's like $50 for standing room only! Over $100 for the Green Monster bleachers. Against Toronto for god sakes. And you wonder why people don't want to go see baseball.
He should have choosen a better team. Go NY Mets!!!
Sad but not surprising. This is becoming all too common in MLB. More teams are creating packages like this to maximize overall ticket sales and ensure that tickets are sold for less popular matchups.
Yet another eff-wit consumer NOT voting with their wallet. Way to teach the Reds a lesson!
Can we institute a Consumerist rule? If you end up paying for the good or service at the end of the story anyway, you lose the right to have your complaint published.
Oh, and no need to insult my dearly beloved and completely harmless Buccos. It's like making fun of the disabled kid.
Hey original poster...how is it a ripoff if they are up front with the policy and you willingly pay it. You can knock it as poor policy...but there is nothing sleazy about this...just charging what people (you) are willing to pay. Realize (if you wanted)you will be able to sell the Boston tix for higher than face value...so lets try to put both sides of the story out there.
The Phillies are doing this too. When you have an inferior on field product and brand you need to make money somehow.
I just cannot believe that he was advised to scalp tickets for an Indians game. I'm offended.
Not too surprised, since the Reds have been having trouble selling tix in the home market. Last few times I went to see the Cubs in Cincinnati, Chicago fans easily outnumbered Reds fans, even during a mid-week day game in April.
@Patchy Drizzle:
It's not so much a ploy to keep Red Sox fans out, since presumably Reds fans will also have to buy the extra tickets. More like a scheme to pad "paid attendance" numbers to games that no one ends up going to. Chances are, the OP ended up with tickets to some
Reds-Pirates or Reds-Marlins game...
@satoru: I worked for 4 seasons right by Fenway Park and never made it to a single game. Maybe it was the aggressive scalpers hitting me up for tickets at all hours...or just the overall outrageous price.
It turns out that the Cincinnati Reds, a once-proud baseball team that used to win games but is now managed by Dusty Baker...
Brilliant, Alex.
I would just buy an HDTV instead
to be fair, the Phillies did the same thing for the opening series and perhaps others...but they did away with college night
As a displaced Nati sports fan, I couldn't love the teams more, but the further away I get, I realize what sleazy plays both Reds and Bengals management manage to pull of year after year, while continually running the teams into the ground. Win games, THEN screw your fans on prices is such a better formula.
Also, this is not the only team that does it. The mets also did it with subway series games. You could only buy them in packs. My resolution to my problem? I didn't buy it. He could have done the same.
Same applied with the Baltimore Orioles during spring training. Want to see the sox buy ticks to 4 other oriole games. Only diff is that during spring training tickets are cheaper. It's still a sucky deal. They make you go see the Nationals vs. the Orioles to see the BOsox play. What a crock. At least I can get in a nap during the Nationals game.
BTW if it were the Yankees that were playing I'd buy season tickets just to see one game. Now there is a real baseball team for ya! Not like that Boston bunch of bums that just happened to get lucky twice in 86 years.
@backbroken:
You, sir (or madam), are brilliant! I can't believe how many posts end up the same way..."Some merchant treated me like crap, it took me 14 days of wasting time and money to try to buy a product...and I ended up buying it." Are people so greedy/materialistic/stupid that they put up with such treatment to give their money away?
@ satoru
I think your comment proves that people DO still want to see baseball. Unless you're not a person. You're a robot, aren't you?! Show yourself, robot!
I grew up in Cincinnati. (And, coincidentally, later moved to Boston, but that's not the point here.) I grew up liking the Reds. Not really obsessed with, I mean they kinda sucked (and Marge Schott turned out to be a crotchety old bigot, and then Pete Rose did his whole thing), but liked.
I still have cheerful memories of getting to go to games as a treat. The parking was horrible, we were in the nosebleed section, often our seats were behind big concrete supports so we couldn't see much, and the opposing teams were even worse than the Reds -- but I was eight, what did I care? It was great. But as this farce of a ticket sale clearly illustrates, there's really no way to easily afford to go to a game.
BAD REDS. Don't make people pay for games they don't want to go to. If you can't fill the stadium on your own merits, encouraging fans to scalp tickets is HARDLY a solution to your problems. Maybe not acting like total dickwads is more likely to make people want to come.
Well, this isn't much of a help... but if you go ahead and get the extra tickets, I'd be more than happy to buy some from you... especially when they play the Cubs in September. (though that might be a big game)
Shoot me an e-mail Droy44@hotmail.com or something.
@thirdbase:
that's 3 times in 86 years, thank you very much
my bad, 3 times in 89 years
Yep. In order to get tickets for the Mets Opening Day, Closing Day, or any of the three games against the Yankees, you had to either buy a ticket pack of at least seven games, or enter an online lottery. And as far as scalping, most teams have it set up now where you can resell the tickets through the team.
@y2julio:He should have choosen a better team. Go NY Mets!!!
I thought you said a better team?
Sounds just like the cable companie's tactics: bundle crap. You should buy a total of 0 tickets. That's what I am doing.
It may be ugly, but it's called charging what the market will bear. Since you went ahead and bought the tickets, clearly they know their market pretty well.
This is similar to the Timberwolves plan,which states that if you want to see the Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Mavericks, or Suns that you must purchase a 41 ticket package*.
And all the preseason tickets, too.
@Greasy Thumb Guzik: BWAH!!
@Gamehenge: So I was correct in saying twice in 86 years. Please do your research before attempting to correct the master.
@l951b951: This.
Minor league games are more fun and you can probably get season tickets for that kind of money.
@Patrick
I live in the cincinnati area, I might be interested in purchasing some of his tickets, how do I get his email address?
I love seeing sports fans get ripped off by their beloved sports. You'd think they'd learn to find something more productive to do with their time. But the sports leagues count on the fact that their fans are stupid enough to *buy* all those extra tickets. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. They "had to" buy all those extra tickets. Maybe next time Consumerist could include a picture of the gun used to force this sale.
@l951b951: Yeah, I agree with the "Buy zero tickets" policy.
However:
"He then went on to tell me that since I am a Red Sox fan originally from Boston, I should be used to paying these prices for baseball games!"
LOLOLOLOLOLOL, I love the reputation that our good ole bay state has around the country.
Honestly, he doesn't HAVE to scalp the tickets. He could just sell them at face value...
It's not that surprising. There's nothing more humiliating than having half your stadium filled with visiting fans. Is this a fan-friendly policy? Hell no. It's professional sports. When's the last time they were fan-friendly?
The White Sox do it for people that want Cubs tickets.
Better to just buy them on the street on the day of game, where they'll still be cheaper than the extras you'd need to buy.