MLB Ticket Refund Policy Under Attack By “Consumer Reports” |

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MLB Ticket Refund Policy Under Attack By “Consumer Reports”

By Administrator | October 25, 2008

Tod Marks writes a blog at ConsumerReports.org called “Tightwad Tod”… this week he wrote an article about the refund policy used by MLB for unused tickets to post-season games.

Marks wrote that he was initially unsuccessful in obtaining tickets to the NLCS through the lottery system used by the team — the same lottery distribution system as was used by the Red Sox and other playoff teams. He wrote that, as the NLCS progressed, the Phillies offered him a last-chance opportunity to obtain a pair of tickets to Game Seven of the NLCS.

As the Phils were up three-games-to-one at the time, he was curious as to the refund policy if the game was not necessary. He wrote:

So I poked around the Phillies’ Web site (and those of the other participating teams)… I was surprised, to say the least. (I discovered that) if I wanted a refund credited to my charge card, I’d have to apply for it within seven days of the final game of the series. No problem there. But the $20 “order-processing fee” was another matter. This fee amounted to half the price of the ticket, in the cheap seats where I had a chance of sitting. And it was not refundable, even if the game never happened!

“Are you kidding?” I asked a telephone service representative for the Phillies… “We have nothing to do with it,” the rep said. “Major League Baseball makes us do it. The money goes to them.”

In his article, Marks implied that the above-mentioned process is one that is mandated by Major League Baseball and followed by each of its teams… but what he has described isn’t reflective of my experience (or that of other fans) with the Boston Red Sox.

I cannot make any comment with respect to what the Red Sox website may or may not have said about their refund policy, but I can tell you what the Red Sox are actually doing in processing their refunds. I had obtained a pair of tickets to Game One of the World Series… they were great seats right behind home plate. The face value of the tickets was $225 ($450 total for the pair), plus the $15 processing fee.

When I received my tickets last week, the package contained a notice which included the following: Tickets for non-played post-season games… will be automatically credited back to the account holder of record… Handling charges will not be refunded.

Sadly, the game was not played.

But up here in Boston, contrary to Marks’ assertion, the club processes refunds automatically… fans don’t have to “apply” for a refund,

My refund has not been processed yet, so I cannot say with certainty whether the processing fee will or won’t be refunded… but whether the fee is or isn’t refunded, the bottom line is this: When I ordered my tickets on the telephone, a customer service representative spent time reviewing available seats with me… the rep then took my credit card information and processed my order. At some point thereafter, the tickets were printed and stuffed in an envelop… and a mailing label and postage were affixed to the envelop.

This all takes time. Employees don’t work for free… the post office doesn’t provide its services for free.

And PRIOR to completing my order, the Red Sox’ representative informed me I’d be charged the NON-REFUNDABLE processing fee — presumably to compensate the league for the wages and benefits paid to those employees who took and processed my order, and the postage costs incurred shipping the tickets.

Does Mr. Marks think the CSR and the folks processing the tickets work for free? Does he think the US Postal Service provides shipping for free?

I don’t understand why he wrote the article… and I don’t understand why Consumer Reports would print it. It seems laughable to me to assert that MLB should not be able to recover its costs of providing a service… especially when I was notified of the charges in advance.

Sometimes I think people have nothing worthwhile to write about, so they invent controversy to perpetuate their jobs.

Topics: Miscellaneous |

One Response to “MLB Ticket Refund Policy Under Attack By “Consumer Reports””

Christopher Keane Says:
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I agree with you about the nonrefundable handling fee. I think it’s a reasonable charge.

I’m still waiting for the Sox to refund my purchase of World Series game 1 tix, too. I did expect the refund to come sooner, though.

Thanks.