No outrage over UConn's ticket policy?

[RSHERMVIKES]

The company line from Neal Eskin, Asst. DA in charge of Company Line BS, is UCONN has NO CONTOL over Webster Bank Arena pricing, no say in AAC ticket assignments, and Regional ticket prices! My come back to Neal is they're UCONN the #1 program in USA, if they tell Webster Bank Arena our tix prices are $17.00 and don't raise parking from $8.00 to $20.00/Tell AAC we bring 6,000 to 6,500 fans to the Tourney we want to give our season tix holders the preferential treatment/ And if the 3 other regionals are$40.00 why are our fans paying $60.00+? Use UCONN power for the good of their fans, the best and most loyal fans in WCBB, the others would step in line real quick! But the UCONN Athletic Dept. does not care how their fans are treated! So they say nothing and we're screwed!
JeannoCT- - I'm copying and sending Neal Eskin your situation from above and add fuel to the fire! I will not stop bitching at UCONN, I hope other season tix holders will join me and flood UCONN with e-mails, phone calls, and faxes so they wake up and admit there's a major problem!
-----------------------------------------------------------
INFO BELOW:
Neal Eskin Asst. DA
neal.eskin@uconn.edu
phone #: 1-860-486-2725
fax #: 1-860-486-3300

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

JeannoCT- - Below is my e-mail just sent to Neal Eskin, concerning your problems and others!


Neal, On THE BONEYARD several fans are complaining about UCONN's treatment concerning the way the UCONN version of Final Four Tickets have been handled by the Athletic Office! More and more horror stories are being told by the most loyal and dedicated WCBB fans in USA how UCONN screws their season ticket holders! I am not alone in the wilderness any longer, they're coming out of the woodwork to bitch!
I put your email, phone #, and fax on THE BONEYARD and implored the Posters to swamp you with complaints and how they are screwed by UCONN!
The following is one posted upset fan and her recent experience with the Athletic Dept.
JeannoCT New Member
Joined:
Aug 27, 2011
Haven't posted in a while, but I am a world-class lurker. We are planning to go to Nashville, and we have always got our tickets thru UConn, sitting in the UConn section. We are long-time season tickets holders and donors. Now, you can only get these tickets if you buy the whole package, which is $2000 a couple for the package, without airfare. Since we refuse to pay those prices, we have no tickets. So we will go and hope to scalp tickets from somewhere. I will write to Warde, but why should I support the Athletic department and buy season tickets, when I could just stay home at watch on TV?? The University gets upset because people don't buy tickets and support the team. Well?? Maybe they will figure it out now. Part of the reason I donate is to ensure that I can get tickets to venues other than UConn (Bowl games, Mohegan Sun, etc.) I understand the AD is getting flooded with calls from very upset donors. Just interested to hear other opinions on this - thanks!

NEAL ESKIN's complete e-mail didn't come out above it is:
neal.eskin@uconn.edu

FOR SOME REASON THE COMPLETE E-MAIL DIDN"T PRINT UP / IT"S @uconn.edu

 

[mcannon1]

I have two good lower level seats for sale. They are not together. Section 109 row EE. seat 7: and section 103. Row F. seat 16. $200. I will be arriving in Nashville Sunday afternoon and can meet you at the arena before the first game.

I'm still hoping for lower level seating ;-)

 

[JeannoCT]

The company line from Neal Eskin, Asst. DA in charge of Company Line BS, is UCONN has NO CONTOL over Webster Bank Arena pricing, no say in AAC ticket assignments, and Regional ticket prices! My come back to Neal is they're UCONN the #1 program in USA, if they tell Webster Bank Arena our tix prices are $17.00 and don't raise parking from $8.00 to $20.00/Tell AAC we bring 6,000 to 6,500 fans to the Tourney we want to give our season tix holders the preferential treatment/ And if the 3 other regionals are$40.00 why are our fans paying $60.00+? Use UCONN power for the good of their fans, the best and most loyal fans in WCBB, the others would step in line real quick! But the UCONN Athletic Dept. does not care how their fans are treated! So they say nothing and we're screwed!
JeannoCT- - I'm copying and sending Neal Eskin your situation from above and add fuel to the fire! I will not stop bitching at UCONN, I hope other season tix holders will join me and flood UCONN with e-mails, phone calls, and faxes so they wake up and admit there's a major problem!
-----------------------------------------------------------
INFO BELOW:
Neal Eskin Asst. DA
neal.eskin
phone #: 1-860-486-2725
fax #: 1-860-486-3300

Hey RShermVikes! Thanks for doing that. It's nonsense they have no control. UConn said they sold out their allotment, which was only available if you bought the bloated package price - BUT World Tek was able to secure more tickets and sell them with their bloated package. If World Tek could find additional tickets, why couldn't UConn?? My husband works with a guy who has a friend in the ticket office - she said they are getting flooded with calls from upset ticket donors. The question is do they care?? If they only got 500 tickets for the University, I bet half of them were gone to the AD staff before we could call in and get them. It will be interesting to see if respond to you. J

 

[Fishy]

There is a predetermined number of tickets reserved for each school in the Final Four.

Once they've sold that allotment, it's gone - they cannot get more unless there are returns from other schools. (Unlikely.)

WorldTek is buying tickets on the secondary markets from fans - they'll do that because they're in the business of selling travel packages and they won't sell many without tickets.

 

[cardfan]

There is a predetermined number of tickets reserved for each school in the Final Four.

Once they've sold that allotment, it's gone - they cannot get more unless there are returns from other schools. (Unlikely.)

WorldTek is buying tickets on the secondary markets from fans - they'll do that because they're in the business of selling travel packages and they won't sell many without tickets.

The ticket allotment per school is 800, or least used to be, it could be as low as 500 now. Whatever the number is, it is way too low! In years past, schools that did not sell their allotment were required to give them back to the NCAA. I know that happened for Stanford one year (STL?). We sold ours out for Nashville, which kind of surprised me given many fans I know are not going due to high cost (flights from bay area were $$$ and hotels in Nashville were insanely expensive). Other fans may have called our ticket office as well. I did my part and got 2 tickets for UConn fans in the Stanford section. They've always been nice fans and I can't make it this yr.

edited to add, Stanford did not have a package. $200 face value for all fans. easy peasey.

 

[sTu]

The only response that will change UConn's behavior is a season ticket boycott that is supported by whatever percentage of fans that will make UConn take notice.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Just to chime in that, as Fishy says, the allotment is what it is. For the Final 4, quite small, but still enough to accommodate the majority of school's traveling contingent, especially if it isn't "local". For example, RU had issues with the Philadelphia Final Four tickets that they didn't face with the Cleveland ones.

That said, the conundrum is also between really, really big givers that want to attend the "event" vs. good givers that support WBB and have season tickets vs. the fans that have been putting their butts in the seats for years, attend away games often, but may not be the biggest givers.

 

[Fishy]

The only response that will change UConn's behavior is a season ticket boycott that is supported by whatever percentage of fans that will make UConn take notice.

That is a great idea.

The school is trying to compete with schools making 12, 15, 20 times what they're making in television and conference revenue - but you go ahead and boycott it because you're miffed that they're trying to make hay while the sun shines.

 

[sTu]

"The school is trying to compete with schools making 12, 15, 20 times what they're making in television and conference revenue - but you go ahead and boycott it because you're miffed that they're trying to make hay while the sun shines."

I would, you do not have to if that is your take on their behavior.

 

[zls44]

Say what you will about certain people in the athletic department...Neil Eskin is one of the nicest people I met at UConn. He's a really good guy. Don't take it all out on him.

 

[Waquoit]

I don't understand the outrage. Just an incredible sense of entitlement being shown here.

 

[UcMiami]

Waq - I agree to a certain extent. It really does get down to numbers of season ticket holders and allotments which do not match. And of course the opposite is true with Uconn's bowl appearances which have been financial disasters because the 'allotment' actually has to be paid for by the school and they have never sold out I believe.
And sorry, but Uconn does not dictate anything to the NCAA or to the conference - part of the reason Uconn has had 'home' conference tournaments for the last ten years is because of the bid process and better financial deal the conferences have gotten at the CT venues. If Uconn demanded preferential treatment, the BE and AAC probably would have gone to Louisville or another location that was a lot less advantageous to Uconn season ticket holders and fans in general, and to the team as well.
That said - OK, sell x% of ticket allotment as a package deal to season ticket holders and the remainder as a ticket only lottery for the rest would not be a bad idea, but you would still have a bunch of season ticket holders that had no chance at a ticket from the Uconn allotment.
There is a very good reason that fans across the country buy direct from the venue as soon as the tickets go on sale every year, and a lot more end up buying from resellers or team fans whose teams didn't make it. If you are depending on Uconn for your ticket chances are you will be disappointed. And it isn't just the high roller or corporate folks that are getting in first, but it is a state school and between administration and state officials being first in line whatever the initial allotment is, season ticket holders are not first in line. State schools have to keep state officials happy.

 

[WestHartHusk]

"The school is trying to compete with schools making 12, 15, 20 times what they're making in television and conference revenue - but you go ahead and boycott it because you're miffed that they're trying to make hay while the sun shines."

I would, you do not have to if that is your take on their behavior.

What you are advocating is cutting off your nose to spite the entire university.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

What you are advocating is cutting off your nose to spite the entire university.

There is nothing wrong with making $ to run programs! You just don't have to disrespect your fans who have been loyal, some for 25+ years! The fans have nothing to do now with any decisions made by the Athletic Dept.
To show how cheap the University has gotten....... They used to honor their great players with full-sized posters. Starting with Svet A., D. Taurasi, Barb Turner $ A. Strother, Maya Moore & R. Montgomery, and finally M. Moore again. When Tina Charles was a senior she was both the rebounding and scoring record holder. When the company planning on doing her poster backed out at the last moment, the University scrapped plans for the poster and never honored Tina's accomplishments! They also had SENIOR DAY POSTERS put out by CAREERbuilder of all the seniors in game action photos. It cost extra $ so they no longer do that either! You do not scrimp on what made you such a special program! Honor your stars with something extra special!

 

[huskiemaniac]

This has nothing to do with thee school...they had 500 tickets and they were soldout after the first couple levels of donors (the biggest donors). They can't sell tix they don't have. Complain to the NCAA...they're the ones giving a ridiculously low level of tix to the schools. We have a friend who works for Buffalo Wild Wings and he has 4 tix at midcourt, 4 th row because they're a sponsor. Unfortunately they need the sponsor money so they get the great tix too.