By: T. Love
On Atlanta’s sport radio 790 the Zone this afternoon, the “Zone Topic” of the day was Are Atlanta Falcons’ fans entitled to a refund on their season tickets? Since the entire Michael Vick fiasco went down, I have often joked and said that I want a refund on my tickets. Now that I think about it, if a fan wants a refund I think they should get it.
For the second-straight year, the Falcons melted down in the last half of the season to finish at 7-9. In an effort to “get in line with the NFL average”, Arthur Blank raised ticket prices once again. That is a pretty bad business move in my opinion to raise prices after your team failed to reach expectations for a second time.
Luckily this season, the Falcons have two Monday Night Football games and will take on the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts in the primetime game on Thanksgiving Day. This coupled with the chance to see the leagues most dynamic player was a weak, but understandable justification to raise ticket prices.
A simple concept called supply and demand.
Tickets were sold with those factors and now one of those selling points is gone. None of the tickets have been used since the Falcons have yet to partake in a home game and if a fan no longer feels they are getting an equal return on their investment, a refund is in order.
King Artie is already having a tough time selling tickets this season which is evidenced by the single-game ticket advertisement during preseason contests and the disappearance of the 30,000 plus waiting list for season tickets.
If you think this doesn’t have anything to do with Vick, you are kidding yourself.
It is already evident that the demand for Falcons tickets is no longer there. In the NFL, fans are forced to pay full price for two preseason games and eight home games prior to the start of the season. Well, if in two months the value of my investment has decreased and the product has yet to be used, then you should have the option to get your money back.
What do you think?
9 comments ↓
I think they should pay fans to watch Joey literally throw away the season.
In this case I kind of have to disagree. I definitely think it was bad timing for Blank to raise ticket prices, but I think it would be a pretty sad reflection on our fan base if everyone wanted their money back just because Vick was gone. If this season goes completely into the tank in a hurry on top of the offseason issues, then yes, some people are going to ask for their money back–and there’s an extremely slim chance they’ll get it.
Dave, I can understand how some fans would want their money back; however, I have been with this team from the start and I’m not backing out on them now. Even though I think this season might be a disaster.
Check out this blog by Jeff Schulz at the AJCrap. These guys are always stirring stuff up.
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2007/08/22/new_falcons_tic.html
This subject is a tough one.
Season ticket holders feel like they payed premium dollars, and in return, would recieve a premium product. The problem is, the front office feels the exact same way. Only instead of season tickets, their premium investment was in #7’s contract.
Now we have two parties, who both feel they have been wronged to some degree, are for the same cause, and niether are remotely responsible for the circumstances that got them to this point.
Honestly, I don’t believe anyboby’s getting any kind of refund. Tim, you nailed it, it’s economics. Arthur’s already losing out on single game ticket sales, with blackouts looming on the horizon. He’s not about to compund this problem by givng money back that he’s already got. That said, I do have an alternative that I believe is fair.
Solution:
We feast or famine, but we do it TOGETHER.
The Falcons, if possible, will inevitably go hunting for those millions tied up in Vick’s contract, salary, bonuses, the works. If Vick is let go, or his contract monies are recovered, the front office should re-distribute that money amongst season ticket holders, up to the price of their packages. This solution would have a fighting chance because the front office could use funds that they couldn’t depend on anyway, and their not losing anymore money to Ron.
Next year we start over TOGETHER. Corporate has some cap room. The fans will have a better idea of what they’re paying for.
I don’t believe that fans should be able to get a refund their money. What if Vick had played and got injured the first play of the game and was out for the whole season. Would you want a refund then too!!!! That’s crazy!!! From a consumer point of you can say, I didn’t get what I for, but you did. You paid for tickets to a football game and that’s what you got. Now I don’t think that Blank should raise the ticket prices anymore, cause we are not getting the team we were promised but, I don’t think he owes you money. Damn, are there any true Atlanta Falcons fans anymore?
I hear you Jared.. But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying you paid for football game tickets, and that’s what you got. You paid for tickets with an understanding of who you were paying to watch.
An analogy:
I buy a Mercedes that is advertised in paper by the dealership. Let’s say this advertisment is the theoretical equivalent to the news story that falsely stated Mike Vick would not be indicted. When I show up to pickup my Mercedes, it’s been towed off the lot. I am given an ‘88 Chevy Celebrity. The dealership then proceeds to tell me that I paid for a car so that’s exactly what I’m getting, a car.?
Now if I drive the Mercedes off the lot, and I wreck turning out of the place, tough sh*t. That’s life. But at least I got a chance to experience what I thought I was paying for, regaurdless of how short-lived it was. At least I got to ride… (Similarly, if Mike broke his leg on the first play, tough sh*t, that’s football).
Because people are dissapointed about the developments that have gone on, and rightly so, does not make them less of a fan.
We just wanted a chance to ride…
That is how I kind of feel about the situation. I will be supporting the team regardless, but what about the people that wanted a chance to ride? Prices were jacked up based on an opportunity to see Vick.
And this is far different from Vick breaking his league in 2003. The season had already started, no one has yet to use their tickets and if you feel that your investment is not worth it and you have not USED them, you should be able to get your money so someone else can buy the tickets.
Rob,
Nice analogy, but a bit off base. From someone who played football (you might have as well), but people fail to realize that you are going to watch humans play. And it is in this that there are factors that may affect if the they do or do not. In this instance the ruling of the government and Roger Goodall supercede you wanting to see your favorite player on the field. In your analogy, you reference to the business practice of bait and switch. This is not the case. Your weren’t misled into thinking Vick was going to playing only to find out were stuck with a piece of crap Daewoo. Vick would have played if the money wasting federal government hadn’t used my tax dollars to conduct a witch-hunt for dog fighting. But they did and here we are. Neither the Falcons nor Blank lured people to buy tickets under false pretense and to reference that is absurd. We just caught a bad break. S— happens.
Jared - First off, my grandmother owns a Daewoo and let me say it is a fine automobile.
I do think fans were dooped however, because how could such an erroneous report be released? Since the time this shit (you guys can curse in the blog, this isn’t for kids) started, it has been nothing but negative press after negative press. How is it that the one positive thing that comes out happens to come right before money for season tickets was due?
People thought Vick would be there and the Falcons would not be up against probably the toughest season in sports history. Would people have renewed the tickets if they knew Duck-N-Chuck was going to be the QB?
I’m not saying that this is some conspiracy because I just don’t think the NFL rolls that way, but is a bit fishy.
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