Season Tickets - Reps, Exchanges, Vouchers

[CP0861]

I have a 13g Sunday plan.....but I exchange several games. 

Just got off the phone with the Orioles, and I'm sorta irked.

First off, I used to have a great ticket rep.  Apparently, he left the organization before the start of this season.  Earlier in the year, I called to exchange some tickets, and I asked who my new rep would be.  I was told that everything could be handled through the regular ticket staff and that I would not be assigned a new rep.  

I've got 2 tickets for Sunday, but I want to take both of my kids.  So...I need 3 tickets.  I go online to do the exchange, and see this message:

"Due to time constraints as the 2017 regular season nears an end, we are no longer allowing online exchanges for 2017. You still have plenty of ticket options as you may forward to family or friends, post for resale, exchange at the Orioles Box Office, or forward to your personal account representative for exchange (both of the last two options must be done at least 48 hours in advance of the game). Please keep in mind that all money from exchanges must be used for 2017 regular season tickets or tours."

With my old agent, I would forward him the tickets and tell him in the notes what I wanted, and he took care of it.  I'm a very literal person when it comes to following instructions.  This message above says I may "forward to family or friends......or forward to your personal account representative."  I don't have a personal account representative, and I didn't want to simply forward to the ticket office email since that was NOT listed as an option (family, friends, personal rep), so I called.  And IMMEDIATELY the lady gives me a tone like I'm stupid for calling, and says, "oh, well you know you can just do that online".  Well friggin excuse me for not having a personal rep and calling the ticket office to exchange some tickets.  Then I told her that from the message on the website, it did not give the option to forward to the ticket office and specifically listed family, friends, personal rep.  She blew that off.  Whatever.  I'm not an idiot.  You give me instructions, I follow them, if I'm in a particular situation that's not addressed with the message, if anything is not clear - especially with this being the last day I can forward them - I'm going to call and speak to someone so I'm certain there's no problem with my exchange.  If I could exchange to the ticket office, then they should have included that in the otherwise very detailed and specific message. I understand they get a lot of calls, and they probably get annoyed with people, but hey, they took the job. 

So....anyway, we get past that....and then I mention that I have vouchers.  In the past, my ticket rep let me use my voucher balance and I think I mailed them in after the fact.  Apparently, this was against policy, or it is now.  Vouchers can only be mailed in, or used in person at the box office.  Which I think is absolutely stupid, and I can't think of any other reason for that other than they are purposely making the vouchers hard to redeem, so they can squeeze out a few extra bucks.  What a stupid stupid system to spend the money printing and mailing vouchers out to people, and they have to mail them back in order to use them.  Everything is online....everything is electronic....you can forward games online, exchange games online, but for whatever reason, they insist on the physical back and forth exchange of paper tickets to use any remaining balances. 

I politely told her how ridiculously inconvenient that was....to have vouchers....a leftover balance that I PAID that still I can't use even when all the information is there electronically.  This was somewhat of a spur of the moment decision to take both kids....it's the last friggin game of the season....and I can't use the vouchers that I've paid for because they must be physically turned in? Gimme a break.

She said it's a very very common complaint....so.....I guess my question is, why maintain it??  And couldn't they have been a little more lenient considering it's the last game of the season?  Nevermind the years and thousands I've spent as a STO....I've already paid them $500+ for next year (I got the playoff package).....but they're holding my own balance hostage. 

Has anyone else lost their rep?  Was it replaced?  Also, has anyone else encountered that hard stance with vouchers?  Or.....let me guess.....your reps probably let you use the vouchers like mine did last year and I'm basically just getting screwed for having lost my rep?  I feel like giving my vouchers to some Red Sox fans....they might as well use them, because apparently the Orioles don't want me using them.

 

EDIT:  You know what.....I just remembered this.....I wish I had remembered this when I was on the phone with the ticket lady.  A month or so ago, I did an exchange and was due a $70 voucher.  I went back in the next day I believe, and bought some other tickets, and the system gave me the option to use the $70 voucher....I guess it hadn't been printed/mailed yet....so they let me apply it.  Wouldn't that be in violation of their own policy?  But I can't do that for the last game of the year.....when the stadium will probably be mostly empty and 60% full of Red Sox fans.

 

[beantownrefugee]

I have had the same experience with respect to "you can do all of that online", and the attitude returned when you ask for help.  It takes time to learn any online system.  Are the O's ticket reps really that busy?  If the Orioles want to emphasize online use, they need to know that there will be a learning curve for users. 

I completely agree with the printed vouchers. Why not have your online account show a credit balance, and you can choose to use that when you buy tickets online? 

And I never enjoy having a single rep.  He or she isn't always there -- understandably.  Purchasing or exchanging tickets is often time sensitive.  My preference would be for the Orioles to offer a pool of season ticket reps, and the next available rep fields your phone call.

[Going Underground]

They go through reps constantly. I have had some good ones and bad ones.Most come here to get experience. If you have been a season ticket holder for awhile, you should have gotten a personal rep.I would email or call the head of season ticket sales.If they did not give you an assigned rep and have been a season ticket holder for years that is another example of how not to keep your fan base. Marketing has been as poor as I have ever seen it.

[CP0861]

1 minute ago, beantownrefugee said:

I have had the same experience with respect to "you can do all of that online", and the attitude returned when you ask for help.  It takes time to learn any online system.  Are the O's ticket reps really that busy?  If the Orioles want to emphasize online use, they need to know that there will be a learning curve for users. 

I completely agree with the printed vouchers. Why not have your online account show a credit balance, and you can choose to use that when you buy tickets online? 

And I never enjoy having a single rep.  He or she isn't always there -- understandably.  Purchasing or exchanging tickets is often time sensitive.  My preference would be for the Orioles to offer a pool of season ticket reps, and the next available rep fields your phone call.

Yes...very much so....I've only spoken to the ticket folks 2 or 3 times this year, but each time, although they were technically polite, I definitely detected attitude as if they were being bothered with my basic questions. 

I guess the reps all come down to chance...like I said, my rep last year was phenomenal....which is probably why he left for what I'm assuming are greener pastures.

And I meant the Rays this weekend....not the Sox....stuck in last series I guess.

[CP0861]

2 minutes ago, Going Underground said:

They go through reps constantly. I have had some good ones and bad ones.Most come here to get experience. If you have been a season ticket holder for awhile, you should have gotten a personal rep.I would email or call the head of season ticket sales.If they did not give you an assigned rep and have been a season ticket holder for years that is another example of how not to keep your fan base. Marketing has been as poor as I have ever seen it.

I guess I was lucky to have had the same guy for 3 years.  I've had my current plan now for 4 years, and I had 2 different Sunday plans years ago back in the Mazilli era, but I don't think that counts towards however they figure their seniority (even though my info for that account still pops up when I log in).  I just assumed that being a 13 game plan holder, and only having 4 recent years, I was low in the pecking order and not assigned another rep.

[Going Underground]

2 minutes ago, CP0861 said:

I guess I was lucky to have had the same guy for 3 years.  I've had my current plan now for 4 years, and I had 2 different Sunday plans years ago back in the Mazilli era, but I don't think that counts towards however they figure their seniority (even though my info for that account still pops up when I log in).  I just assumed that being a 13 game plan holder, and only having 4 recent years, I was low in the pecking order and not assigned another rep.

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=bal

I would speak to someone hire up . Zach Brown might be a good start. And his band .

 

[CP0861]

2 hours ago, Going Underground said:

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=bal

I would speak to someone hire up . Zach Brown might be a good start. And his band .

 

Thanks for the idea.  Hadn't thought of that.  I just sent him an email. 

 

Does anyone know if I were to give the vouchers away, could someone else walk up and use them?  Or does the STH have to be there in person?  I think my name is on the vouchers......