Problems with Padres "Loaded" tickets

by Dex on May 12, 2008 7:37 AM PDT

The Consumerist has a post with a disgruntled recent San Diego transplant regarding the Padres Loaded ticket dea l. Now, if there's a problem with a promotion like that, it's not the worst thing ever. The ticketing agency and concessions are both outsourced so it's understandable that there might be problems. The problems with customer service however shouldn't be tolerated.

Personally, I don't think the customer is always right, but when the customer is then he or she shouldn't be given the runaround.

From the letter:

Of course I had to leave three messages with different departments before receiving a call back. Then we played phone tag for over a month (six or more calls)to be told that they could not offer me any money back. They would only offer us some more tickets but no apology, explanation or money back on the concessions.

For shame, Padres! Tempting people with delicious ballpark food and then not allowing the people to eat it! FOR SHAME!

0 recs | Comment 15 comments

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I wanna see the Padres response.

Some things there do not add up. Here is the post

What jackass stands in line for food for three innings? I don’t think I could find a place in the ballpark with a line that lasts for three innings, not even the bathrooms (and those are free!).

Parking 10 blocks away? I’d also like to see that…

What happened when he went to complain at guest services?

To his credit, bugs in the turnstyle system are all too common.

The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

by Axion on May 12, 2008 7:46 AM PDT 0 recs

Totally agree

Forgive my skepticism, but almost everything in this guy’s letter sounds greatly exaggerated or made up.

by Winfield's Ghost on May 12, 2008 7:50 AM PDT up 0 recs

It does sound exaggerated

But he’s a Padres fan transplant, so it’s natural that he complain about the park while wearing some other team’s hat.

At the same time, I don’t have any experience with the Loaded tickets, so I imagine that there could very easily be potential annoyances. Customer service needs to be on that.

by Dex on May 12, 2008 8:18 AM PDT up 0 recs

also we need a word for those people

Transplant Padres Fans.

TPFs? Trannies? Tranfannies? Fanplants? Trandrefalants?

by Dex on May 12, 2008 8:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

I like Fanplants

You’re right. He probably had a Yankees hat on the entire time and they were just messing with him.

“Let’s mess wih this Yankee tool and tell him his ticket isn’t actually loaded and see what he does.”

by Winfield's Ghost on May 12, 2008 8:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

Concessions

is extremely slow. With volunteers working all the food stands, it does take a very long time to get your order. Three innings sounds a bit long, but still I’ve stood behind a short line of 3 people and waited over 15 minutes.

by jbox on May 12, 2008 9:54 AM PDT up 0 recs

The Padres should sign

anyway who can throw a stone from San Diego to Oakland.

by Wes on May 12, 2008 9:07 AM PDT 0 recs

I guess it is a pretty good deal

when you consider your free peanuts and soda on the flight up. That pretty much cancels out the $100 roundtrip plane ticket. If you’re really lucky, they might even give you the whole can of carbonated beverage.

by SD Chick N on May 12, 2008 10:48 AM PDT up 0 recs

Toyota Terrace

is the only concession that honors the loaded ticket food deal. You cant go to any food counter. And yes, the loaded ticket parking is a long walk from the park. About 8 blocks or so. like everything the front office does, it is bait and switch.

by strummer on May 12, 2008 10:08 AM PDT 0 recs

This guy obviously didn't inform himself

But the other concession people should’ve known where to send him. I swear, it’s like they just pulled those guys off the street. They really don’t care at all. On opening day, when I was getting my frigid coffee, the cashier was befuddled by his register. He just stood there staring at it while the line next to me was blurry with its speed as people came and went. He left to go get someone to help him but I think he did that thing where you just go into the back and sit for a few minutes to make the customer think you are doing something. Hey, I’ve done it. I finally asked the cashier next to my line to ring me up. It was really frustrating, but I realized I shouldn’t be consuming anything on the premises of Petco anyway. It’s all garbage. Except for helmet ice creams, of course.

by SD Chick N on May 12, 2008 10:41 AM PDT up 0 recs

My first question

is whether he actually had “bases loaded” tickets in the first place. Perhaps this guy messed up on his purchase and bought regular Toyota Terrace tickets, since the loaded tickets are only good in 3 sections. If he did have a loaded ticket he must not have read the fine print that said it is only good for use up in the Toyota Terrace section. All the concession workers in the Toyota Terrace are familiar with the bases loaded promotion so I cannot see there being any problem there, but if he did go down to the field section many of the concession workers have no idea about the bases loaded promotion because it is not something they have to deal with usually.

In my mind this guy did lose some cred when he said he waited for 3 whole innings for his food? Thats about as likely as a stone being thrown from SD to Oakland…

As far as the parking that he bitches about…he gets to choose where ever he wants to park…and he chose to park in that lot. There are plenty of closer lots that the Padres sell that he could have chosen to park in….all the parking information is listed on the website and there are maps if you buy them in person.

A real possibility is that he ordered these tickets over the phone via the friartix line which is actually located in TJ and the friartix people screwed up and sold him non bases loaded seats and told him they were bases loaded, which would explain the delay in getting back to him since they would have to listen to the tapes and see if that happened before offering him credit for future games (which they did, and he was not happy with?)

The Frequent Friar

by Peavyforprez08 on May 12, 2008 12:45 PM PDT 0 recs

there's definite holes in the story

Like how they decided to leave the game early and complain to guest services, but in the next paragraph talks about leaving phone calls with 3 different departments. I’m curious as to what guest services was able to do for them if anything. Also, like other people mentioned, I’m not sure where the Padres prepaid parking is $10 and 10 blocks away. From what I can tell, all the prepaid parking is $20 and a block or two away from the ballpark.

by Dex on May 12, 2008 12:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

No, he does not get to choose

wherever he wants to park. The bases loaded parking is far south of Petco.
Just as the food is only available at Toyota terrace, the parking for bases loaded is only honored at a particular lot. On top of all this, the padres are developing a poor PR image right now. They need to return phone calls. Too often, their attitude is Take it or Leave it.

by strummer on May 12, 2008 1:03 PM PDT up 0 recs

Eh

The $20 of credit should be enough for these people. If he didn’t want to park “in the boonies” he doesn’t have to. He could have taken MTS for all intents and purposes. Just because you have a Bases Loaded ticket doesn’t mean you forefit your parking choice. It just means that you pay to play, like everyone else.

And as someone who has had the Bases Loaded tickets and have used them for eateries (Club 19), it works fairly easily. I don’t see how this promotion causes so many problems to anyone who’s paying attention.

by Phantom on May 12, 2008 2:35 PM PDT up 0 recs

Why would you buy "loaded tickets"?

I don’t get what the value is. Are the Toyota Terr seats that bad, that you have to drown your sorrows in a bunch of crappy food? Are you better off getting better seats without the load of crap? Splain me.

Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand.
Leo Durocher

by planetjeffy on May 12, 2008 4:16 PM PDT 0 recs