Wednesday, November 26, 2008
DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
You know, when they said they were going to release the information on 11/26, was I the only one who assumed that meant at, say, 9 or 10am? Putting it up in the afternoon served one purpose and one purpose ONLY: to make sure that this debacle didn’t hit the media until it was done and over with.
I also am dumbfounded that I cannot purchase a 40 game plan. I do not want to sit in the left field reserved, and more importantly, I can’t afford 40 games out there. Why are there no 40 game plans in the Promenade Reserved Infield or even Promenade Reserved? Seriously, you couldn’t have figured out how to do that? I stared at the 40 game option for 10 minutes, because the dollar amounts involved were much larger than TBF and I had anticipated, even given all of our research, and couldn’t figure it out until a few seconds ago: it’s out of my budget because we budgeted 40 games based on Promenade level pricing. Even if I would sit there, we can’t put down $4k for next year.
I know that someone’s going to say “Well, people are going to pay it, they don’t have to be creative,” but I don’t think that’s true. I believe they will lose money. And the loss of goodwill cannot be quantified.
I am on a deadline so I will have to table this discussion now. More over the holiday break.
p.s. TBF finds that he is in agreement with Wallace Matthews for the first and only time in his life, with this article.
All last season, they used scare tactics on their partial-plan holders - people who weren’t part of some corrupt and tax-sheltered corporation, people who couldn’t afford to shell out for 81 games but could scrape together enough to come 15 times a year, or 20, or every weekend.
The Mets told those people, many of whom had been coming faithfully since Shea Stadium opened in 1964, that there would be no partial-plans at Citi Field, that only full season-ticket holders would be welcome in the new park.
They compounded the insult by offering “season-ticket plans,” along with the much-coveted priority status to buy tickets for 2009 at the new park, when there were fewer than 10 games to go in the season. Translation: If you had a 15 game partial plan, you were out, but if you bought a “full-season plan” for the last 10 games, you were in.
Then, economic reality slapped them in the face. The Mets missed the playoffs again. The recession apparently put a dent in their grand all-season-ticket plan for Citi Field. Suddenly, last month, the Mets told their partial-plan holders that there would be room at the inn for them after all, although they have yet to specify how many games, in which seats, at what prices.
What it has done, however, is allow them to hold on to all the money sent for playoff tickets that were never used, a sum that could be as much as $50 million. That’s a $50-million, interest-free loan, courtesy of the National Bank of You.
Posted by Caryn at 04:26 PM
I’m scanning through the on-line excitement now. I had a Saturday plan at Shea and I think I’ll end up with the 15 game Saturday plan again. Based on the location of the tickets and prices, I’ll probably land in the Promenade Reserved Infield (also known as “the upper deck”). Ruth HAS to see the scoreboard and screen, so this appears to be the best choice. Of course, I haven’t received my mystic letter yet, so I’m not sure when the actual sale occurs (next week, I think). The web site has a link to pick your tickets, but nothing comes up for my account yet. We’ll see.
i just got off the phone with them boobs at the ticket office cuz i figured at the least i could get dibs on where in the upper deck i wanted to sit lol - the female of latin persuasion told me - i couldn’t until the date on my letter (dec 8th) and before i could ask for some clarification she hung up on me !!! damn i hate this process i woulld like the promenade box for $ 525 but ill more than likely get the reserved for $375 - due to the economuc situation if its still available lol btw grrl if we both get tixx maybe we can have a meeting of the metsgrrl comments crew lol btw - im originally from sheepshead bay
I hear you, but I’m somewhat relieved to know we have some options here. I was expecting the worse and don’t tink that’s what happened here. The way I am looking at it, unlike Shea, there will be very few “bad” seats in this house, pretty much anywhere you sit will be at a minimun more spacious, confortable and offer a decent view. Now, this is what I am thinking: Two 15 game plans, a Saturday and a Sunday plan, @ $375 & $390 per seat for the promenade infield level, my total will be $1,530 for 30 games/2 seats per game. I think me and my 7 year old will have quite a few exicting weekends to look foward to. ( I might also downdowngrade to promenade reserve and buy 4 seats instead, bring along the wife and 3 year old, who knows, I have until Dec. 5th @ 10 am to make up my mind, I’m excited!!!!!)
Hey Rusty,
I’m not sure what the ticket rep’s ethnicity has to do with anything. Please take that attitude somewhere else. It’s not cool here. AT ALL.
Given the performance of the stock market they probably lost some of the money they were holding.
I want the 15 game plan, but being in left field would kind of suck. I’d rather be somewhere than the “upper deck”. I used to have Mezz 17 just under the overhang. It was perfect. I want something like that again. I just don’t know what this field is going to be like.
One more thing. I’m hoping with fewer seats available I’ll be able to sell some of these at a profit.
sorry caryn i was frustrated at the time i wrote this so please accept my apologies
I spent most of Friday just staring at the options. I too, was looking forward to a 40-game plan. I used to go to 25 games a season on my old Tue/Fri plan. I never went on weekends. I was sure I could sell the 13 weekend games that would come with a 40-game plan, considering its the maiden year for a new ballpark…
Then I looked at the seating / pricing options…. It would seem that the 15-game plans and the 40-game plans are on the other sides of the planet.
You want a 40-game plan?? You’re gonna pay… to sit in *prime* seating. You’ll get playoff tickets, but in an ALTERNATE location? What kind of crap is that? So I can pay almost $10,000 for 4 tickets, maybe have club access, then get stuck somewhere else in the park for the playoffs? That is snake-oil and I will have none of it.
I did the math. 40-game plan in a Prom Club seat averages just under $60 per game.. Not bad. But is it worth it? I think not.
I will probably get a 15-game plan (or two) on Wednesday, and then use the money I would have spent on a 40-game plan to buy playoff tickets on the secondary market. If I want extra games, I can use my fee-free perk. I am most certain that I’ll be able to buy all the playoff tickets I want (if they make it) for under 7 grand.
Cheers!
-Doug
My BF was completely doomsday beforehand about pricing, but that didn’t offend us so much. What does piss me off, however, is that because we were Sunday plan ticketholders I can’t buy tickets until DECEMBER 12.
No offense to Saturday plan holders from last year, but it is completely unfair that Saturday folk get a chance to buy before Sunday folk. It should go on seniority of how long you’ve had tickets, not just what day you went last year.
It doesn’t really matter, either way though, because we’re going to buy the tickets anyway. All I can hope is that the Wilpons get a huge amount of bad press about their actions this time. I don’t get why the “tough” NY media says nothing about the complete mishandling of Citi Field.
The seniority thing is tough. They should have been able to calculate something between amount of time you have had a plan and financial commitment. This time they went with financial commitment, which I’m not sure I agree with 100%. There had to be some kind of existing formula they could have used to determine where a Saturday plan holder who’s been there since 1995 should be in the ranking compared to a Tuesday/Friday plan holder since 2000.
I firmly believe that they used soem factor to determine seniority.
In an ideal world, it would work out something like this:
1. The number of seats you can buy is equal to the number of seats in your current plan.
2. The pecking order would be determine by multiplying the number of years you had for your plan by the number of games in the plan. The higher the number, the greater the priority. A Tue/Fri or Mini-Plan was 25 or 26 games. A Saturday or Sunday plan was 13. The Weekday Plan was 55. This would allow a good balance between longevity and size of plan.
I’ve had my Tuesday / Friday in the Mezz since 1996. I am purchasing on Wednesday. When I started attending, the Mets were lucky to draw 15,000. I am sure seniority played some role in the pecking order.
Cheers!
-Doug
I didn’t say that they didn’t establish seniority, just that they didn’t do it well.
I’ve only had the plan since 2006. I, too, will be purchasing on Wednesday. Make of that what you will.
Wow…
I guess that theory is out the window….
Congratulations on ‘winning the lottery!’
i agree on the senority issue -im a sat plan holder since 07 - someone thats been a planholder from 06 and before deserves to pick b4 me on my notice i can call on dec 8 anyone else?
Husband has had a Saturday plan since about 1985 (well, he had Sundays but switched to Saturdays a few years ago). He can’t pick until 12/10 I believe.
1/3 into last season, I purchased two tickets for the Sunday plan. I will be seleting my new plan on Dec. 5th. Considering some people will have to wait until Dec. 17th I really can’t complaint. In fact I think me picking this early is probably an oversight (god, please don’t let ANY Mets officials read this entry).
We do have a narc on the blog. I don’t know if they actually read, and for all I know they could just be a fan, but I don’t know. I see the ‘nymets.com’ referrers in my server logs at least 2x a day.
im sorry cj you and your husband definitely deserve to pick b4 alot of us damn ticket holders since 85 and you are getting the royal screw job the mets front office definitley care more for the money than for the die hards
I’m scanning through the on-line excitement now. I had a Saturday plan at Shea and I think I’ll end up with the 15 game Saturday plan again. Based on the location of the tickets and prices, I’ll probably land in the Promenade Reserved Infield (also known as “the upper deck”). Ruth HAS to see the scoreboard and screen, so this appears to be the best choice. Of course, I haven’t received my mystic letter yet, so I’m not sure when the actual sale occurs (next week, I think). The web site has a link to pick your tickets, but nothing comes up for my account yet. We’ll see.