I Renewed My Season Tickets

Discussion in 'In The Stands' started by Texas Taps, Mar 11, 2015.

  1. BlueStar

    BlueStar < 25 Posts

    The faculty/staff ticket prices have always been far below market value. The low ticket prices were a perk for university employees. Apparently, Patterson decided that the perk was excessive and reduced it. The tickets are still discounted but not by nearly as much.
     
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  2. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    Unjustified price hikes that don't match an increase in product improvement are one thing. Many longtime fans have bluffed backing out of their packages at some point over the years, due to ill-timed price hikes. When reckoning arrived, most of us realize just how much attending these games means every year. However, the new resell restriction is simply intolerable to some. Selling us a costly asset that loses all financial value regardless of circumstance is not acceptable treatment nor fair business practices. Congratulations, your greed exceeded tolerable limits I didn't anticipate was possible, Patterson.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    Thank you. I had seen the parking map but had not noticed that it included the charges per lot / garage. At least I now know how much I will be reducing my additional contribution from the past year(s).

    BTW, did anyone else notice that seat chair backs are now purchased at the time you renew your season tickets? We've purchased them for years but will cut back this season to make up for the increase in season tickets and parking costs.
     
  4. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    Yea, that's a scripted reply if I ever heard one. It's interesting that Patterson is quick to talk about the $1,000,000 parking is costing the university but doesn't mention the million dollar buyouts for Mack Brown and Charlie Strong.
     
  5. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    I guess my response to that is who cares and now we are going to keep up with the aggies? If the athletic department is hurting for money, which I dispute, I would point out the millions being paid for the coaches' buyouts. That dwarfs the money they are "losing" on parking.
     
  6. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    Somebody's got to pay for that, plus UT and other schools may start paying $2,000 to $5,000 per athlete per the NCAA.

    http://time.com/3089288/ncaa-college-athletes-pay/
     
  7. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    It's the buyouts that are being balanced on the backs of season ticket holders. Add in Rick Barnes buyout and we basketball season ticket holders are next to be dumped on.
     
  8. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    1. Contracts are legally binding.
    2. UT Athletics is financed by fans, period.
    http://www.texassports.com/sports/2013/7/29/foundation_0729133256.aspx?path=lfoundation
     
  9. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    Well duh! But administrators / AD's are also fired for their poor financial decisions.

    Texas athletics is swimming in money - - the decisions they make to allocate the money is up for question. Charlie Strong cost us $9.4 million in 2014. That includes Strong's $4.3 million buyout. That was a financial decision by Patterson. And yet he's crying about $1 million for parking.

    But hey, we have DJ Mel at Club Erwin courtesy of MC Steve. And let's not forget Jet Pack guy and the new DJ for baseball! Hooray!
     
  10. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    He's actually crying, or explaining why UT is passing costs onto the user?
    Does any major program ever hire a coach that's not under another contract?
     
  11. IvanDiabloHorn

    IvanDiabloHorn 1,000+ Posts

    Losing the parking perk for a relatively small amount of the athletic budget is ludicrous and basically a slap in the face. The parking cost is relatively low, but I just get the sense of pettiness and a bad decision from Patterson. Discounted season tickets were raised from 420.00 to 525.00 in my section and parking is 100.00. So why wouldn't he have simply added an unseen parking fee and charged 550.00 for the discounted season ticket price? Same cost either way. " We raised your season ticket price, but your parking is still free".
    Patterson is a marketing genius?
     
  12. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    That's how I would have handled it, but I guess he feels he's throwing a bone to folks that don't use reserved parking
     
  13. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    Or how about stagger each of the three bs additions into separate seasons, instead of ***** slapping us with the whole enchilada at once? He could've added the parking charge this year. In 2016, increase the ticket prices since we likely just won more than 6 games. 2017, smack the grandfathered fans with the no resell policy.

    Each would've caused a hefty stir, but of much less extent than the meltdown that's occurred. I know a handful of longtime season ticket holders who are dumping tix. Of the people I've asked, more are doing so than not. In each case, I expected it would take an act of Congress for these type of loyal fans to bail. Especially after so many years invested at high levels. In the end, all it took was a greedy a-hole like Patterson serving up a triple helping of "go f yourself" to the most loyal and invested group of the fan base.

    I can't believe I'm forced to minimize my costs (donations) as much as possible to reduce effects of the triple screw over. I think he definitely made some poor calculations at how much this would rub us the wrong way, and how many will reduce or forfeit altogether.
     
  14. PecosBill

    PecosBill 1,000+ Posts

    Today I renewed my season tickets online for 2015. For the renewal for the same seats we have had for 15+ years was an increase of $175 or 10.7%. I will have to pay for parking at a later date when available and it will cost $100 so the overall increase was $275 or 16.8%. This is for 4 seats.

    Based on the comments above of long time LHF members giving up their seats and the comments of my Rep on Loyalty Points ranking tickets for RRS and parking ranking should improve over last year.

    Most people don't like change and really don't like it after a 6-7 season.

    Winning solves everything.
    :hookem:
     
  15. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    You sound like my representative assigned by Patterson. Is that you Phil?
     
  16. PecosBill

    PecosBill 1,000+ Posts

    Perhaps the parking problem will be resolved by making the payment separate from the donation level under the new policy. The LHF would tell me each year what the donation level required would be to get into certain lots. Pink 70 went from under $2000 to over $3500 in the last three years. As a result we moved our tailgate to Blue.

    As mentioned in many places, UT Athletics paid $1 million to UT and garages for approx. 10K spaces assigned to LHF members and others. Of which 6100+/- avg were used on game day.

    By charging $50 to $200 per parking space per season there might be more ground parking utilized and the surplus or unassigned and be sold on game day as cash lots.

    With the medical school construction eliminating most of the ground parking from 15th street to DKR in 2015 and coming years parking is going to be a premium.
     
  17. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    Busted. I thought I could fool you buy starting this thread
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2015
  18. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    Well at least you are honest. :smile1:

    I spoke with a friend who works for the LHF (not my rep. - I guess they work for the AD?) Anyway, he told me the Foundation has never experienced the negativity / push back from season ticket holders / boosters as is happening right now. Relations between the foundation and Patterson are frayed to say the least. Off the record he told me that we should be contacting regents, the Chancellor's Office and key legislators with ties to Texas. They keep hearing that many are cancelling their season tickets but won't know if this is just bluster until after the deadline passes in 3 weeks. But they are seeing donations being reduced from some who have contributed in excess of their grandfathered amount. (That's what I am doing) But still too early to tell. The biggest complaint isn't necessarily the price increase for season tickets, but that Patterson has portrayed it in the media as 6%. This is coming across as disingenuous and hurting Patterson's credibility.
     
  19. orangeblack&gold

    orangeblack&gold 500+ Posts

    Been out of the Country for 8 months. What is the change in the resell policy? I lost my season tix mates to work in Dallas a few years ago so am just a simple scalper on game days and need to know how I'm going to have to adjust for Rice and beyond.
     
  20. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    No reselling tix on secondary markets if your package has been renewed from the previous year and/or seasons prior. By doing so, you have been getting discounts on the package as a grandfathered ticket holder. School has agreed with Stubhub and other online ticket sites to help them enforce this. Meaning you resell on their sites, Texas will be informed. You face punishment of being stripped of season tix. Unsure if there is a first offense warning. Either way you'd be flagged and naturally can't resell again without losing seats.

    Option 1: Renew your seats, yet at the market renewal rate that matches the current amounts it would cost a new buyer. Good luck making that increase up on the secondary resell market, no chance in hell if you divided the grand total by the per ticket cost for every game.

    Option 2: Renew at your discounted rate as usual, and find a buyer in private with no way for the university to track. Which we all know is a task in itself with the program watered down for so long.

    This no resell policy is the biggest problem I have with renewing. We have a large group that's been going together for a few decades. Every year, there's a couple here and there that can't make it due to life events. Events most people don't choose a football game over...family wedding, injury, whatever. When we sold tix it was meant to cover the cost of absence, not seen as an extra revenue stream. Which in the last few years was a a task in itself to break even and often impossible.

    I would've strongly disagreed with the price increase after a losing season, but swallowed it. I'd have been more upset with charging for parking as it was a perk we got for being loyal fans/donors. Which to me is removing a longtime privilege and clear sign we aren't valued as much by the new AD. But the resell policy is the one that my values can't stomach, and has forced a decision between lowering donations to the minimum, or forfeiting seats altogether.

    I love Texas athletics, and have put in my time, blood, sweat, tears, and wallet for a very long time. When a Johnny-come-lately AD shows complete and utter disrespect for any of that in chase of the almighty dollar, that's something I can't accept without a major downgrade in financial support.

    I hope as many others follow suit as possible and at least reduce to the minimum donations for the upcoming season. We need a united way to teach this greedy sob we won't stand for absurd disregard like this going forward. And the only language he speaks is money, so that's where he needs to see his miscalculation.

    Patterson's in a trial and error period now, feeling out the fan base and where his limits are. He's dictating to us now, but we're the ones with the real power, the core that funds this program. We need to push back hard if we don't want to be treated this poorly again going forward. By reducing donations, no one loses their priority seats they've earned. You can always increase in the future and get back to your norm.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2015
  21. orangeblack&gold

    orangeblack&gold 500+ Posts

    Thanks, Brad. Guess I'll figure out how bad it's going to be on game #1. I wasn't able to test drive Patterson's new decree, and other bad decision IMHO, on sitting in your seats for B'Ball as I almost never do that even if my seat is better as I have a spot I particularly like behind the opposing bench right in line with the other Team's Coach. So far this new AD hasn't been a home-run hire from what I've observed from long distance.
     
  22. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    I think the media calculated that it was a 6% increase. On LHN Patterson said that some seats are like "beach front property" but fans in those seats haven't been paying a premium price while folks in less desirable seats were paying more.
    http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/03/09/ut-raising-football-ticket-prices/24651821/
    http://www.mystatesman.com/news/spo...btomystatesmanpremium#0b449eae.3588741.735666
     
  23. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    The blended / average 6% increase was a talking point originated by Patterson and company given to the media. It was included in an email from my representative.

    The other talking point is that the extra costs for our seats, parking etc is to invest in the student athlete.

    When I told my rep. I was reducing my yearly donation to the grandfathered amount ( a reduction of $900), he said I would be hurting the student athlete. I told him nope that happened when Patterson originated these policies. I did let him know my donation would go back up next season if Patterson makes the necessary changes (resignation would be acceptable).
     
  24. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Agree with you inclusive write up Brad but my anger is over all three phases, the audacity of the resell policy, the hypocrisy of ticket increase what with the product degradation, and the insult of the parking charge excuse. My number one is the ticket increase with resell close # 2. Dumb blind brand loyalty kept me doing it one more year.
     
  25. marley

    marley 500+ Posts

    -----------
    Yep, Orangeblood, for 19 years I have been contributing significantly more than my minimum-required donation. But as a result of this misfit AD's outlandish policy changes, I dropped my donation to the minimum required and don't plan to increase it until the objective of this web site is achieved: www.FireStevepatterson.com
     
  26. TXLonghorndad

    TXLonghorndad 100+ Posts

    Have you been contacted by your rep. about dropping your donation amount to the minimum required?
     
  27. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    Good theory, but when you aren't producing a top qualify product, you can't charge the premium price. He doesn't get it and seems to rely on the brand recognition to jack up the price. If the ticket prices and donation get too high only corporations will have the seats and the true fans will be left out...I'd hate to see that.

    I too paid the minimum this year. It came down to up the donation or new truck.....donation or new truck.....donation or new burnt orange truck (hmmmmmm)......donation or new burnt orange truck with bevojoe license plates......OK! Decided to go drinkin' and save money for a summer vacation.
     
  28. Orangeblood

    Orangeblood 1,000+ Posts


    Actually, I called my rep to let him know that the amount of my required donation on the form was quite incorrect. That it was listed as over $3000 (my donation last year) instead of the $600 that I was grandfathered at for football tix. He took a few seconds to look at my account and said I was right. Then I said that my tailgate spot (the main reason I had upped my donation) had been demolished for the new chilling station for the new med center and without that value for parking (which was now separate anyway) and given the new prices and policies that I completely disagreed with (and were insulted by) I was dropping to the $600 minimum for football. However, I said I should do $1000 so I can get baseball parking. He told me to go with $600 and to make my baseball donation later when the season ticket application came out because they are going to single sport donations in the near future.

    There's some more for y'all to chew on.
     
  29. Texas Taps

    Texas Taps 5,000+ Posts

    Yum :angry:
     
  30. dang-str8

    dang-str8 1,000+ Posts

    This is just getting ridiculous... It was greedy before, but now it's just a down right scam system.
     

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