Opening Day Tix

[Pedro Cerrano]

Why is the 2012 playoff this arbitrary cut-off? Why can't this team, for once, do the logical thing. Stagger the sale times based on how long you've had tickets.

[weams]

My rep was very clear to me that as a 29-game holder with 4 tickets as part of my 29-game package, that I will have access to buy 4 more and that I should have zero problem getting them.

That is what I understood. Sorry I said it wrong. You got the seats in your package. You get to by four more. You can't get five. A 13 game plan holder gets one seat per seat in there plan. That is how I understood it. And I was told that the new 13 game plan holders will get tickets if they want. Not a good selection. And of course SRO counts towards that. But if you want in, you'll get in.

[beantownrefugee]

I spoke with the season ticket office today, and also selected my ticket plan. 81-game and 29-game plans automatically get Opening Day, since those games are part of the respective plans. After that, according to the rep I spoke with, the order of priority for Opening Day is:

1. 29- and 81-game plans purchase one additional ticket per plan purchased (e.g., you have two 29-game plans, you get to buy two additional Opening Day tickets)

2. "Senior" 13-game plan holders (I didn't ask the cut-off for seniority, since I am a new season ticket holder, it didn't apply to me), up to one ticket per plan purchased

3. All other 13-game plan holders, up to one ticket per plan purchased

I had signed up for a 20-game plan last October, and since they didn't end up offering it, the Orioles are refunding the extra $125 deposit per ticket.

[eddie83]

I spoke with the season ticket office today, and also selected my ticket plan. 81-game and 29-game plans automatically get Opening Day, since those games are part of the respective plans. After that, according to the rep I spoke with, the order of priority for Opening Day is:

1. 29- and 81-game plans purchase one additional ticket per plan purchased (e.g., you have two 29-game plans, you get to buy two additional Opening Day tickets)

2. "Senior" 13-game plan holders (I didn't ask the cut-off for seniority, since I am a new season ticket holder, it didn't apply to me), up to one ticket per plan purchased

3. All other 13-game plan holders, up to one ticket per plan purchased

I had signed up for a 20-game plan last October, and since they didn't end up offering it, the Orioles are refunding the extra $125 deposit per ticket.

So no clear definition of what a 13 game plan holder gets?

[fearthenoodle]

Why is the 2012 playoff this arbitrary cut-off? Why can't this team, for once, do the logical thing. Stagger the sale times based on how long you've had tickets.

You don't understand why the Orioles would want to reward fans who have held tickets since BEFORE the last 3 years?

[Pedro Cerrano]

You don't understand why the Orioles would want to reward fans who have held tickets since BEFORE the last 3 years?

I don't understand why 2012 is the only boundary they use when staggering buy times. If the people who had tickets since 2012 get to buy before me, fine. But I should be able to buy before all the people that didn't sign up until last September.

[fearthenoodle]

I don't understand why 2012 is the only boundary they use when staggering buy times. If the people who had tickets since 2012 get to buy before me, fine. But I should be able to buy before all the people that didn't sign up until last September.

It's a slippery slope, and this is why they'll never please everyone. How many cutoffs should there be? Should every threshold have a new entry time? First year? 2nd year? 3rd year? Etc?

The more cut-offs, the greater the chance that tickets are sold out before certain groups even get into the room. It's certainly not perfect. Rewarding any pre-2012 STH makes sense. Rewarding people who upgraded from 13 to 29 or 81 makes sense.

I'm just guessing here, but I think their concern is that if they added one more cut (2012-14 STH and then 2015 new STH), that would run the risk of completely shutting out the 2015 people, who I think might have been guaranteed a *chance* at tickets when they put down deposits.

I guess they could hold back a certain number of tickets for each group, but I don't know how complicated any of that is. The way this is being set up as best as I can tell, every single STH will get the chance to be in the room and try and get tickets.

[Pedro Cerrano]

It's not a slippery slope at all. Stagger the times based on what year you bought tickets. Each year gets a unique code and do it in 15 min increments or something. It's really not complicated and is the fairest way to do it.

[weams]

It's not a slippery slope at all. Stagger the times based on what year you bought tickets. Each year gets a unique code and do it in 15 min increments or something. It's really not complicated and is the fairest way to do it.

Other people would believe otherwise. Anyway, it's not changing. This is not an evolving situation. I saw someone who bought a 29 game plan and has every ticket for sale already other than the Opening Day.

[fearthenoodle]

It's not a slippery slope at all. Stagger the times based on what year you bought tickets. Each year gets a unique code and do it in 15 min increments or something. It's really not complicated and is the fairest way to do it.

Sure it is. That's massively more complicated and the groups at the back end would end up getting shut out before their time came.

[Pedro Cerrano]

No it's really not. And if someone has to get shut out it should be the most recent purchasers. -- is it fair for someone from 2015 to get tickets over someone from 2013? If they really want to reward seniority and loyalty, this is clearly the best way to do it.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'd actually be even angrier if I bought season seats for the 2012 playoff run. That would mean two years of having seats plus renewing this year and having the same "odds" as someone who could have signed up yesterday.

Oh well, worst case I buy on the secondary market and cancel my plan next year (since I think I am locked in this season).

[CWalston108]

I'd actually be even angrier if I bought season seats for the 2012 playoff run. That would mean two years of having seats plus renewing this year and having the same "odds" as someone who could have signed up yesterday.

Oh well, worst case I buy on the secondary market and cancel my plan next year (since I think I am locked in this season).

Why not call your rep and see if you could upgrade to a 29 game plan? You could get upper deck seats or something then exchange them for wherever you normally sit. Then you'll be guaranteed your opening day tickets. It's probably cheaper to do this because the cheapest seats on stubhub were around $170 for standing room.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Why not call your rep and see if you could upgrade to a 29 game plan? You could get upper deck seats or something then exchange them for wherever you normally sit. Then you'll be guaranteed your opening day tickets. It's probably cheaper to do this because the cheapest seats on stubhub were around $170 for standing room.

If the people I had seats with wanted to go to 29 games I'd be all over that.

As it stands, I have three seats in the uppers (they are decent location) so I don't really see that as an option for me.

This is so stupid -- last year I had zero issue getting seats for OD when I bought my plan (purchased around mid-March 2014) but this year I think I am going to be shut out because of all the new plans that were bought at the end of last year to get playoff tickets.

[eddie83]

If the people I had seats with wanted to go to 29 games I'd be all over that.

As it stands, I have three seats in the uppers (they are decent location) so I don't really see that as an option for me.

This is so stupid -- last year I had zero issue getting seats for OD when I bought my plan (purchased around mid-March 2014) but this year I think I am going to be shut out because of all the new plans that were bought at the end of last year to get playoff tickets.

They have handled all this very poorly. I got the Opening Day 4 or 5 pack for around 5 years. Last year I bought I got the 13 game plan for the first time-bought them before Christmas 2013.

For starters you don't wait until around Febraury 1st when you are sending out invoices late and say oh by the way we can't tell you if you can get Opening Day tickets or not. I don't want to hear about getting a 29 game plan either. It isn't easy as some act like it is to go out and do. Not like the Orioles gave everyone advanced notice this was going to happen. At the same time they send out invoices late and you have to pay they tell us they can't guarantee Opening Day. At the very least give your existing plan holders time to react to the changes and not a month after the holidays and 2 months before Opening Day.