Patriots end ticketExchange, go with NFL-wide TicketMaster scheme

[QuantumMechanic]

I'm on the waiting list and just got this email. So among other things it looks like there's no longer much of a reason to be on the waiting list other than wanting to eventually get season tickets.


"The NFL recently extended their league-wide ticketing agreement with cornerstone partner, Ticketmaster. As a result of the extended agreement, we will no longer be providing Patriots Ticket Exchange, the service that previously allowed Patriots Waitlist Members and Season Ticket Members to purchase tickets exclusively from one another.

Most importantly, members of the Patriots Waitlist will remain first in line to purchase Patriots Season Tickets as soon as they become available. Waitlist Members will also still have access to exclusive ticket presales for Patriots individual game tickets, Patriots Playoff tickets, and Gillette Stadium concerts and events, as well as ProShop discounts and invitations to Special Events.

However, now for additional Patriots game tickets, Waitlist Members will take advantage of Ticketmaster's new NFL Ticketing Network. The NFL Ticketing Network is a first-of-its-kind, "open" system for ticketing, where fans will have the opportunity to buy and sell Patriots game tickets on additional, League-licensed, authorized platforms, where all NFL tickets will be authenticated by Ticketmaster. Besides Ticketmaster's NFL Ticket Exchange, StubHub is now an additional authorized platform and more are expected to be announced later this year.

The new NFL Ticketing Network provides numerous benefits to Patriots Waitlist Members, including:

• Increased options to buy and sell authenticated tickets in the secondary market.
• Reduced fraud as all tickets on the NFL Ticketing Network will now be authenticated by Ticketmaster.

The NFL Ticketing Network will officially launch following the NFL's 2018 Season Schedule release later this month. And, at that time, we fully expect Patriots games tickets to be available to buy and sell.

IMPORTANT: With the launch of the NFL Ticketing Network, Ticketmaster will no longer provide the "Print-at-Home" PDF ticket option for Patriots tickets. This decision was made to protect the integrity of all NFL tickets and prevent the fraud and counterfeit problems that have steadily increased in recent years. For Patriots games, you will be able to use either hard stock tickets or mobile tickets. As we get closer to the start of the season we will provide detailed mobile ticket "how to" guides for you."

 

[jah]

Damn, there was a problem with counterfeit tickets and I didn't get in on it before they fixed it?

 

[FlyboyPatsFan]

They don't make it easy to cancel. I plan on canceling.

"You may request that we remove your name from the Waitlist and refund your deposit at any time prior to our contacting you that you are eligible to purchase season tickets. Your refund request must be in writing and accompanied by a photocopy of reliable identification. Mail requests to: Gillette Stadium Ticket Office, One Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035. Deposit refunds will be administered once per year, in June. All refund requests must be received prior to April 30 in order for you to qualify for a refund that year. If you remain on the Waitlist and we contact you that tickets are available for your purchase, you must purchase season tickets for those seat locations offered to you, or otherwise you will forfeit your position on the Waitlist as well as your deposit"

 

[jah]

They don't make it easy to cancel. I plan on canceling.

"You may request that we remove your name from the Waitlist and refund your deposit at any time prior to our contacting you that you are eligible to purchase season tickets. Your refund request must be in writing and accompanied by a photocopy of reliable identification. Mail requests to: Gillette Stadium Ticket Office, One Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035. Deposit refunds will be administered once per year, in June. All refund requests must be received prior to April 30 in order for you to qualify for a refund that year. If you remain on the Waitlist and we contact you that tickets are available for your purchase, you must purchase season tickets for those seat locations offered to you, or otherwise you will forfeit your position on the Waitlist as well as your deposit"

Wonder how it feels to be the sack of **** corporate lawyer who drafts these airtight policies.

 

[Shockt327]

So, will this new NFL Ticketing Network have better security to prevent "bots" (or whatever it's called) from instantly snatching up tickets as soon as they show up?

Because I loved Patriots Ticket Exchange when it first started back in 2009 (?). I often searched and saw some tickets available at face value; and snatched some really great seats, too. Then that completely went away in a few years, or so. I've heard people suspect it was lack of security that allowed companies to take advantage, etc.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Probably won't matter that much since you'll now be competing with everyone for tickets instead of only competing with STHs and waiting list members.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Also wondering how the alleged bots worked on ticketExchange. Any bot would need a waiting list or STH account to buy anything. And each account is limited to buying 4 tickets per game. So there would need to be a huge number of bot-affiliated waiting list accounts. One would (hahah!) think the Patriots would notice something fishy when processing waiting list applications.

 

[DarrylS]

It almost seems as though they are trying to feed the "secondary" and "tertiary" ticket markets, to increase the profit margin for many..

I go to an occasional concert and google the tix, usually Google promotes one at the top that is a resell site.. how many get ripped of on these shenanigans??? Recently I bought tix for an event in Boston and on the first site the tix were $165 not including extra charges, did some research and got the same tix directly from the venue for $73.00 not including extra charges.

I love going to Pats games, but they all have gotten too rich for my blood...

 

[PatsDeb]

Well that sucks. There goes any chance of getting a few extra tickets at face value a day or two before the game.

 

[primetime]

Ticketmaster and StubHub both charge bananas processing fees too. It's totally unclear what you're actually paying for other than company profit margin.

 

[2000army]

They don't make it easy to cancel. I plan on canceling.

"You may request that we remove your name from the Waitlist and refund your deposit at any time prior to our contacting you that you are eligible to purchase season tickets. Your refund request must be in writing and accompanied by a photocopy of reliable identification. Mail requests to: Gillette Stadium Ticket Office, One Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035. Deposit refunds will be administered once per year, in June. All refund requests must be received prior to April 30 in order for you to qualify for a refund that year. If you remain on the Waitlist and we contact you that tickets are available for your purchase, you must purchase season tickets for those seat locations offered to you, or otherwise you will forfeit your position on the Waitlist as well as your deposit"

my letter...



Dear New England Patriots,


Please remove Acct #: XXXXXX from the waitlist program as well as refund my deposit for season tickets. As a lifelong fan who looked forward to getting tickets on the exchange at face value, I am now be forced to overpay on the secondary market due to the decision of Patriots executive management. I hope that I will still be able to see a game in person without having to mortgage my house.

Sadly,

2000ARMY

 

[Tunescribe]

Ah yes, more "progress" to go along with stadium lounges, fantasy stat displays, $40 parking, $10 lite beer and terrible rule changes. Most importantly, it appears that putting tickets into this new system makes them available for ANYONE ANYWHERE to buy, not giving Patriots fans on the team's own ticket exhange first option (although brokers have been snagging them anyway). The "mobile ticket" option means if you don't own a smartphone you're out of luck -- even more "progress"! I'm starting to miss those rough-hewn days of old Foxboro Stadium where real football watched by real fans was all that mattered.

 

[Kontradiction]

Wonder how it feels to be the sack of **** corporate lawyer who drafts these airtight policies.

Probably feels pretty good.

 

[BUSTAMOVE]

I have been a season ticket holder for 27 years. I am getting older and attend 2-3 ames a year and the playoffs. I do sell at face value the rest of the games to friends and family. Every year I do sell back a game or two to the Patriots because of lack of interest from my friends.

I think we should have a link on PatsFans to sell our tickets to you all. Hell I know you guys would enjoy and respect our seats more than some yahoo who has no clue about the game. There would have to be a huge trust factor. I am sure that part can be worked out.

My only other question would be if the Patriots would allow us to resell on a forum. Before if you resold your tickets on a secondary market they could revoke your season tickets.

Just a thought

 

[XLIX]

Damn, there was a problem with counterfeit tickets and I didn't get in on it before they fixed it?

There was no problem with counterfeit tickets. This is to make it harder for people to use StubHub.

It won’t be long before the Patriots do what many other teams in sports are doing: completing abandoning the idea of hard tickets and every ticket it distributed electronically and you need your phone to get in the game.

 

[XLIX]

It almost seems as though they are trying to feed the "secondary" and "tertiary" ticket markets, to increase the profit margin for many..

The only profit margins they care about are their own. This helps them collect a piece of the action from all secondary market sales.

 

[bresna]

Well, sad to say, but there goes my chances of going to games from here on out. I've acquired at least 4 or 5 regular season games and one or two playoff games every year for the past 15 years using the Ticket Exchange. I've never had any luck - none - getting tickets using the Patriots' early season link to "Click here to access single game tickets before the general public". I never got a single ticket that way.

There is no way that my chances will improve with this new system. I had enough trouble getting tickets when I was only competing with other wait list members. It took many hours of hard work for many games to get tickets. Now the general public will be competing on there too? Fuggettabowtit.

Even worse - now watch when the Patriots play a team like the Steelers or Ravens, whose fans travel well. Not good.

 

[XLIX]

I am not 100% sure, but I think part of the consequences of this is sellers will be able to set any price they want, including above face value. Maybe the Patriots will still not allow that, but that is currently how things happen on Ticketmaster.

I expect plenty of good seats will be available for everyone - you just have to pay for them.

 

[FCB02062]

I am not 100% sure, but I think part of the consequences of this is sellers will be able to set any price they want, including above face value. Maybe the Patriots will still not allow that, but that is currently how things happen on Ticketmaster.

I expect plenty of good seats will be available for everyone - you just have to pay for them.

And how much of that % over face value goes right into Krafty Bob's pockets?

 

[XLIX]

And how much of that % over face value goes right into Krafty Bob's pockets?

I believe Ticketmaster collects a 10% surcharge on sales. What percentage of that goes to the team, I do not know.