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No More Hard Tickets


DevsMan84

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Also, the commemorative tickets AND free ticket printing and forwarding WILL be given to Premier STH according to the Devils website .  I guess the $$$ I spent on STH in the 100's isn't enough to warrant these benefits. 

 

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Edited by miket424
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11 minutes ago, miket424 said:

Also, the commemorative tickets AND free ticket printing and forwarding WILL be given to Premier STH according to the Devils website .  I guess the $$$ I spent on STH in the 100's isn't enough to warrant these benefits. 

 

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As of yesterday their site still said this for non premium too. Who knows if this part (premium) was changed or is old.

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26 minutes ago, devils744 said:

As of yesterday their site still said this for non premium too. Who knows if this part (premium) was changed or is old.

I saw that on the Devils membership site (devilsmembership.com) but had to logon to my account to see it.  By going to devils.nhl.com the benefits are different for STH but do show different benefits for Premium accounts.  The Devils organization is as much responsible for this as TM.

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36 minutes ago, miket424 said:

I saw that on the Devils membership site (devilsmembership.com) but had to logon to my account to see it.  By going to devils.nhl.com the benefits are different for STH but do show different benefits for Premium accounts.  The Devils organization is as much responsible for this as TM.

It's out of date. The option that started the thread and I confirmed are all anyone can do regardless of STH level. 

For me, the only difference will be my tickets look ugly. I don't care all that much.

 

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6 hours ago, Satans Hockey said:

Are you gonna argue about having to pay the fee or just not get hard tickets? Cause Im going to especially since they said it was included in the tickets 

No.  I refuse to pay that extortion fee.  It's ridiculous and solely of the Devils choosing.  It's a matter of principal for me.  I spoke to my rep today and laid out my concerns to her.  

I really have no problems with the ticket card rather than the paper tickets.  My problem is with them taking away the ability to print at home, which is super convenient for me when I transfer tickets to friends, co-workers, etc., in addition to selling on stubhub.  If that doesn't change, I'm out after this season.

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10 minutes ago, Chuck the Duck said:

No.  I refuse to pay that extortion fee.  It's ridiculous and solely of the Devils choosing.  It's a matter of principal for me.  I spoke to my rep today and laid out my concerns to her.  

I really have no problems with the ticket card rather than the paper tickets.  My problem is with them taking away the ability to print at home, which is super convenient for me when I transfer tickets to friends, co-workers, etc., in addition to selling on stubhub.  If that doesn't change, I'm out after this season.

I agree, my issues are the same. Red Bulls have the ticket card but they allow pdfs.

What did  your rep say? 

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3 hours ago, Satans Hockey said:

I agree, my issues are the same. Red Bulls have the ticket card but they allow pdfs.

What did  your rep say? 

She said all of the things others have already stated here.  They are fully blaming it on Ticketmaster and their decision to go away from paper tickets as a fraud prevention measure (total BS).  She said that if I wanted to bypass the new system, I could call or email her and she would leave the tickets at will call for the person I was giving them to.  That's ludicrous as it entails me actually being able to get in touch with her day of game, which isn't always easy because the reps are busy, and understandably so.  It doesn't help with ticket resale, but at least it's an option when I give them to friends or family to use.

They must have been coached with talking points like a telemarketer because she kept coming back to the fact that the Jets are going with the same system this year, while blowing off what I said about the Yankees.  When I gave her a number of reasons why comparing football to hockey makes no sense, she dropped that line.

What I don't get is the fact that the Devils are letting a vendor of theirs dictate how they run a key element of their business.  Ticketmaster works for the Devils, not the other way around.  I know their reasoning for this change is a line to try to appease the masses and is not grounded in reality, but it just makes no sense and defies logic to even think that would be the case.

She kept saying that she would do everything she could to make this a great experience, but it's all lip service.  I'm going to see how this plays out.  I just hope it turns into the disaster I fully expect it to be and they are forced to change course the way the Yankees did.  Maybe a couple of games with 8000 in the building will get the point across.

I feel bad for these reps as they are getting bombarded with unhappy fans right now.  They are taking the flak while the clowns making these decisions don't deal with any of it.  Definitely not a good way to start off the new season.

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10 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

That line is not accurate.  The commemorative stock is the "cricket" that you will receive for entrance to all games.  However, if you want hard tickets for each and every game, you will have to pay $25 and for that you will get hard tickets on the plain gray Prudential Center stock.

That's why I said it was "borderline."  Their language was written vaguely enough to get around a potential consumer fraud issue.  Plus, their terms and conditions that they make you agree to allow they to change everything they promised at their choosing, basically without ramifications.  But we all know that the "cricket" is not what they meant by commemorative ticket stock when the renewal package was sent out to sth's last season.

In the end, it's just horrible business practices from a team that needs all the support it can get.  Alienating fans is not an option for them, and they need to realize that, real fast.

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8 hours ago, Chuck the Duck said:

That's why I said it was "borderline."  Their language was written vaguely enough to get around a potential consumer fraud issue.  Plus, their terms and conditions that they make you agree to allow they to change everything they promised at their choosing, basically without ramifications.  But we all know that the "cricket" is not what they meant by commemorative ticket stock when the renewal package was sent out to sth's last season.

In the end, it's just horrible business practices from a team that needs all the support it can get.  Alienating fans is not an option for them, and they need to realize that, real fast.

Got a point there.  The wording is pretty vague but I wonder if at the time of renewal they were still unsure or on the fence about this plan or simply still hashing out all the details.

The more I read about this the less I believe their story that TM forced their hand in this.  This is a mutual decision by TM and the Devils and a direct attack on Stubhub.  If their marketing/ticketing people believe that it is all SH doing for their low attendance then they live on Fantasy Island.  Last year I went to about 10-12 games which is down from the previous 3-5 season where I averaged 15-20 games.  This year if this plan goes through and SH is not an affordable/logistical choice, then I will probably go to even less (not a huge deal to me as the older I get the more I find it a pain to go to games).  They aren't the Yankess, Blackhawks or Maple Leafs.  This team indeed should be making it easier and not harder to make it to games.

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15 hours ago, sundstrom said:

It's out of date. The option that started the thread and I confirmed are all anyone can do regardless of STH level. 

For me, the only difference will be my tickets look ugly. I don't care all that much.

 

If the devilsmembership.com pages are out date, then maybe they should fix those pages.  That's where I go to check the status of my account including my payments, not nhl.devils.com.  This is a classic example of lack of communication within an organization between departments and with the STH.

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9 hours ago, Chuck the Duck said:

I feel bad for these reps as they are getting bombarded with unhappy fans right now.  They are taking the flak while the clowns making these decisions don't deal with any of it.  Definitely not a good way to start off the new season.

Agree with this a million times. Their job is hard enough, trying to sell New Jersey Devils ticket plans during a rebuild, not an ideal situation to work with. And then their bosses task them with dealing with this sh!t too?

I know someone who worked as a ticket rep. Not that it matters all that much, but if you're giving them a call, please be respectful and don't shout down at them, they're not the ones calling these shots, they're the ones cleaning up the mess.

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11 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

Agree with this a million times. Their job is hard enough, trying to sell New Jersey Devils ticket plans during a rebuild, not an ideal situation to work with. And then their bosses task them with dealing with this sh!t too?

I know someone who worked as a ticket rep. Not that it matters all that much, but if you're giving them a call, please be respectful and don't shout down at them, they're not the ones calling these shots, they're the ones cleaning up the mess.

I told my rep that right off the bat. I made it clear to her that I know she had nothing to do with this decision and, unfortunately, she is the one bearing the brunt of my frustrations with it.  Plus, she's new and I'm sure she didn't expect this kind of start to her new job.  I feel bad for her, but she handled the call with class and professionalism.  I was impressed.

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14 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Apparently enough people complained because my rep said the $25 fee for asking for printed hard tickets is going to be waived. 

glad they listened. what they should now do is offer the cricket as a pilot program for those who want it and offer them a few incentives as a thank you to work out some of the kinks. any word on how ticket exchange will work or any other secondary site (yes, i know they want to get rid of stub hub sales).

Edited by devils744
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7 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Apparently enough people complained because my rep said the $25 fee for asking for printed hard tickets is going to be waived. 

Not good enough.  I don't care if the T&C say the benefits are subject to modification by the New Jersey Devils.  What I see spelled out on the benefits page for my membership account specifically shows commemorative ticket stock and lanyard (exclusive to season ticket members) and free ticket printing and forwarding.  The Devils organization was quick to modify the T&C to reflect 2016-17, but neglected to change what the STH receives for their account.  They should honor what's displayed.

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19 minutes ago, devils744 said:

glad they listened. what they should now do is offer the cricket as a pilot program for those who want it and offer them a few incentives as a thank you to work out some of the kinks.

Thats a good start.  Glad to hear they are listening.  They still need to allow the print at home option for tickets to satisfy my concerns though.  That is the bigger issue for me, and I'm sure a lot of other people as this still basically restricts the use of Stubhub for resales, while making it harder to even transfer to friends or family unless they have a TM account and/or the Devils app.

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1 hour ago, Chuck the Duck said:

Thats a good start.  Glad to hear they are listening.  They still need to allow the print at home option for tickets to satisfy my concerns though.  That is the bigger issue for me, and I'm sure a lot of other people as this still basically restricts the use of Stubhub for resales, while making it harder to even transfer to friends or family unless they have a TM account and/or the Devils app.

Yeah, Print-At-Home is the major issue here, and I hope they reconsider. That's kind of a big deal.

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I'd bet some of the stuffed suits think this is a good idea from a financial standpoint, figuring the one or two games a season fan will still purchase from TE or TM with the option of cheaper seats through SH no longer being available.  Now all of the revenue from the sale will go to TM and the Devils. I've already brought this up to a couple of my co-workers who would purchase from SH and they have said they will not be going to any games now because of this. 

Has Devils management even given consideration to the revenue just in concessions from fans who purchase seats through SH?  Maybe because they can afford to purchase a ticket at a reasonable price through SH, that fan can afford to also fork over $35 for a couple beers and something to eat.  With this new policy, there's the potential the Devils lose the fanny in the seat AND the concession revenue.

I have a very bad feeling this will lead to lower attendance and within 2 years, the rumblings will begin about having to move the team for lack of fan support.  Maybe that's the plan after all?

Edited by miket424
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12 minutes ago, miket424 said:

Has Devils management even given consideration to the revenue just in concessions from fans who purchase seats through SH?  Maybe because they can afford to purchase a ticket at a reasonable price through SH, that fan afford to also fork over $35 for a couple beers and something to eat.  With this new policy, there's the potential the Devils lose the fanny in the seat AND the concession revenue.

I'm a STH now, but that was absolutely where my head was at several years ago when I was going to single games here and there. If I got tickets to a game on StubHub for $20, I'd absolutely buy a beer or two extra vs. if I paid $30-35. It's psychological; that's potentially $20 less in concessions even though the ticket price difference was $10-15. That's just how we are as sport event consumers; if you feel like you got a good deal, you're down to enjoy the gameday experience a bit more. You can't teach this sh!t in Ivy League M.B.A. programs, I guess, but it seems so common sense to me.

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36 minutes ago, miket424 said:

I'd bet some of the stuffed suits think this is a good idea from a financial standpoint, figuring the one or two games a season fan will still purchase from TE or TM with the option of cheaper seats through SH no longer being available.  Now all of the revenue from the sale will go to TM and the Devils. I've already brought this up to a couple of my co-workers who would purchase from SH and they have said they will not be going to any games now because of this. 

Has Devils management even given consideration to the revenue just in concessions from fans who purchase seats through SH?  Maybe because they can afford to purchase a ticket at a reasonable price through SH, that fan can afford to also fork over $35 for a couple beers and something to eat.  With this new policy, there's the potential the Devils lose the fanny in the seat AND the concession revenue.

I have a very bad feeling this will lead to lower attendance and within 2 years, the rumblings will begin about having to move the team for lack of fan support.  Maybe that's the plan after all?

That last part is a real stretch 

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2 hours ago, miket424 said:

I realize that, however when profit is involved, never say never.

Name a team that has moved since 1985 that moved due to lack of fan support?

I'll make it easy for you: zero.  It's always shaky ownership or some sort of political issue that moves teams.

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6 hours ago, miket424 said:

 

I have a very bad feeling this will lead to lower attendance and within 2 years, the rumblings will begin about having to move the team for lack of fan support.  Maybe that's the plan after all?

While its been pointed out that this is a ridiculous assertion, lets look at this deeper just to point out how silly it is. You're not taking into account the fact that the Devils' lease is for 25 years (as of 2013). Now obviously that can be broken, but there are other facts at play here. The Prudential Center is one of the busiest arenas on the planet. Not just the country. Revenue wise this arena was top 20 in the world last year. This affects the Devils since DAE run the arena. The Devils could bleed money and we wouldn't have to worry about the team leaving any time soon, simply because the revenue from the arena would offset a massive loss which is unlikely to occur anyway. Losing the money from parking, and business revenues around the arena, a regular tenant leaving would affect The Rock in a huge way. On top of this is the MSG contract, which while regularly re-negotiated, is still a top 10 in the league deal.

The time to move the Devils was in the early 90s and I think its a safe bet that had Lou not gotten this team to respectability, it may have moved. But that worry is pretty much dead once The Rock opened. If that's Vanderbeek's legacy, I'd say that alone is pretty good. 

Even with the ridiculous idea that this is (ending hard tickets), attendance would have to fall to astronomical lows for relocation to even be considered. Its been proven over and over again with this team, if they're playing well, people will come. And as also mentioned, attendance is not an "only" issue to cause a relocation. Attendance has to fall to a specific low before attendance can even be considered in a lot of pro leagues and it has to be a sustained negative. Not having hard tickets isn't going to do that.

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