Despite being away and not having alot of free time, I have read with great interest some of the commentary about the delay in Washington Nationals Season Ticket Holders, not receiving their packages yet. This after individual game tickets for Opening Day and April have already been sent to those Ad Hoc buyers.
I understand where Brandon is coming from over at The Curly W. Like him, I am disheartened by the lateness of the packages. If, in fact, the team is openly going to struggle while they put their house in order, push through the building of the New Nationals Park to the best of their abilities, the attention to detail for the basic Season Ticket Holder Item, The Season Ticket Themselves, is not alot to ask for.
I received the following email from The Nationals this morning (as well as many others):
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING
THE DELIVERY OF YOUR SEASON TICKETS!
Nationals Season Ticket Holders can expect to receive their 2007 season tickets by Monday, March 26. If you have not received your tickets by then, please call 202.675.NATS (6287) or email stcomments@nationals.com.
You may have already received, or should receive, an email with your tracking number shortly.
We apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may have caused.
Thank you very much for your continued support and patience. We look forward to seeing you at RFK Stadium.
Sincerely,
Washington Nationals Ticket Sales and Service Department
OPENING DAY IS MONDAY, APRIL 2 vs. FLORIDA MARLINS
But, that email and the other posts online left me wanting for more.
So today, while Hopscotching across the country to return to Washington (and, If you are ever stranded in Chicago and all the weather back East is unreliable and Flights back up, I highly recommend, what I did today. I flew from Chicago to Denver and Directly back to Washington, beating just about every single available connectlng flight scenario anywhere on the east coast. It worked and I was in my house by 5:30PM Eastern Time. I didn't fly out of Chicago until 8AM Central Time), I logged in on my laptop and reached out to Our Washington Nationals, searching for an answer.
I asked the following question exactly in this form: "I noticed on the various Nats Blogs and Chat Rooms there are alot of folks grousing about The Nationals supposedly dropping the ball on getting Season Ticket Packages to people. Now, I received an email from the team to look for them soon. Can you give me any facts about why there is a delay that I can pass on in a post on the Nats 320 Blog? Any information would be better than no information, for these folks that are complaining. Especially if you happen to read today's post in the Curly W."
I received the following reply:
"All the tickets have been sent. And all accounts should have received a FedEx tracking number by now. The vast majority of people will have their tickets by tomorrow (Fri.), with some people getting theirs on Monday."
"The club made decision to mail everyone at the same time, rather than in 'waves' to avoid some people having theirs while others didn't. This policy will be evaluated as we move forward."
That was the end of the official response, and I appreciated their very quick response. I am sure the answer will not settle alot of folks complaints. That's fine, because I understand where you are coming from--especially if you are in a group that divides up the season tickets.
Its important, when Baseball Fans, Season Ticket Holders, give their money months in advance to support Our Washington Nationals, that better communication be made so confusion like this, does not occur in the future. The receiving of our Season Ticket Package should NEVER BE AN ISSUE, no matter how good, or bad, the team may perform on the field.
Hopefully, this negative response by some will strengthen the process in the future.
This is not a new problem for the Nats.....I recall 2005 I got my tickets just days before the season opener (on the road luckily).
ReplyDeleteWhile I am often a critic of the execution of the PLAN and their lack of candor about injuries, I was not worried about the tickets coming in time.
That said, if the Nats can not mail tickets that were paid for in December in my case......how can they build a team and fan experience we can be proud of?
I'm still waiting for my confirmation email.
ReplyDeleteDid you get yours yet?
"The club made decision to mail everyone at the same time, rather than in 'waves' to avoid some people having theirs while others didn't. This policy will be evaluated as we move forward."
ReplyDeleteThey obviously did not email everyone at the same time, because I have not received my message with a FedEx tracking number. Several posters on the Nats and BallparkGuys message boards have already received that message.
Yes
ReplyDeleteI got my Fed Ex number yesterday. The Nats have a hard time with honesty or execution or both.
NO, I have not received my tracking number yet, but someone within the organization personally looked into my situation after my question to The Nationals and subsequent post. My tickets arrive by Monday.
ReplyDeleteNot really sure what all the anger and grousing about the season tickets was about. Far as I was concerned, there was plenty of time to get the tickets. If I didn't get them by NEXT Friday I probably would have said something, but c'mon folks, lighten up!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I agree with you. Although, I believe the anger and grousing comes about from little, if any, information being sent out by the team. When the great majority of folks are left on the outside of the information loop, things start to be said and it starts to build. Hopefully, in the future, all this will pass, without any problem. I know the team is personally looking into the situation to improve notification and delivery for next season and beyond. That's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteRemember people slit tickets with friends, family and neighbors. In my case I need to send a ticket to my Father-In-Law in MD for as a present for opening Day.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is the NATs have a history of not doing these things well and MR. KASTEN and MR. LEARNER keep telling us.....we are investing in infrastructure and long term so planning so trust us we KNOW how to do this.....well they do not know how to send tickets......3 years running....and I get tired of the reality of 3 last place finishes and getting worse by the year AND not getting it done in the areas they could easily improve right now ("trust us we know how to do this side of the business", per Mr. Learner).
Friday afternoon and I'm still waiting for a number... I ordered mine later than you guys did, but if they held all the orders as the rep claims, that shouldn't be a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you've got someone to look into your situation, but it IS ridiculous that it has to come to that. What of the people who don't have a direct line to Kasten's office?
It matters for a few reason...
ReplyDeleteIt inconveniences those who split tickets with friends
It makes ticket exchanges of those early-season games practically impossible -- especially with the 2 week deadline for those who can't do it in-person
etc, etc.
But the big reason is that it shouldn't happen in the first place. Kasten has acknowledged that they've made mistakes in the process. It's a good attitude that he has; he just needs to see to it that it doesn't happen again next year, especially with the complications of the new stadium.
OK - now this REALLY sucks. Checked the tracking number for our tickets and see that the packages were turned over to FedEx too late YESTERDAY (Friday) and as a result the projected delivery is next WEDNESDAY at 4:30pm. This is absurd. We share tickets with friends... it isn't clear how and when we'll be able to distribute opening day.
ReplyDeleteThe Nats have had this problem EVERY year. Can you imagine if they actually did something that would cause them to sell many more season plans like, I don't know, get a new ballpark or something? You wouldn't get your tickets until the All-Star break.
Absurd.
Here is what I see from FED EX...NO TICKETS YET!
ReplyDeleteIt seems the Nats do not use local DC businesses. THEY STILL ARE USING CANADIAN PRINTERS??????? What to go STAN that will make DC fans love your planning skills!
###################################
Status
At FedEx destination
Date/Time
Activity
Location
Details
Mar 24, 2007 7:44 AM
At local FedEx facility
HERNDON, VA
Mar 23, 2007 6:13 PM
At dest sort facility
DULLES, VA
4:04 PM
Departed FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
12:43 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
Mar 21, 2007 9:00 AM
Picked up
SASKATOON, SK
Package received after FedEx cutoff
9:00 AM
Left origin
SASKATOON, SK
3:01 AM
Package data transmitted to FedEx
I just got my tracking email today (Saturday, 3/24), and it said my tickets are being shipped TODAY, from Washington, DC--not from Saskatoon.
ReplyDeleteThere is a rumor in a thread at Ballpark Guys that this means some of us are getting crappy computer-printout tickets like from Tickets.com, instead of the nice ticket booklets. Anybody know anything about this?
Dave: I would be STUNNED if that was the truth. Despite the problems and complaints that some are lodging, I just can't imagine The Nationals sending some Season Ticket Folks a lesser ticket package than others. There is too much put into the process to change it. Its going to be a interesting few days watching what others are saying when they do get their ticket packages. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI got my 20 game plan tickets today (3/24), my tracking number info yesterday and an email on Thursday that stated they were being shipped that day via 2-3 day delivery. The packet is nothing special and is almost exactly like the last 2 years.
ReplyDeleteI felt like the guy from "Fever Pitch." I almost gave the Fed Ex guy that kind of hug (if you've seen the movie you should understand).
People, People...relax. I wish I had received my tickets 2-3 weeks ago but, we have baseball and being 39 and living in this area all my life, the tickets could show up on my door step in a flaming bag of dog crap and I would be happy. Opening Day is 8 days away...Go Nats!