Geelong vs Hawthorn. AFL have decided to do some scalping.

Nov 21, 2010
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I have absolutely no issue with the price of food at the ground. It can cost $10 for a pie and that does not bother me. It's 2 and a half hours where I can go without food or just bring in my own food from home or the supermarket.

But what makes me filthy with the AFL, ticketmaster and ticketek are the booking fees/printing fees. You cannot avoid this cost. It is like advertising a flight for $1, but after adding credit card fees and baggage fees the flight actually costs $100.

It is a rort!

How a $7.50 booking fee to receive an email and print out a ticket with your own paper and ink can be justified despite website maintenance being pretty much the only cost incurred is beyond me. Sure, charge something, it's a for profit organisation, but you can't possibly justify that sort of mark up.
 

lenny2013

Club Legend
Jun 17, 2013
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How a $7.50 booking fee to receive an email and print out a ticket with your own paper and ink can be justified despite website maintenance being pretty much the only cost incurred is beyond me. Sure, charge something, it's a for profit organisation, but you can't possibly justify that sort of mark up.

Its $7.50 for the booking fee and then another $2.50 to send the email with the tickets attached in which we have to print out ourselves.

The transaction cost is $10 in total. (without taking into account the 20% increase of category 1 tickets.)
 
Sep 11, 2008
11,199
14,064
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Its $7.50 for the booking fee and then another $2.50 to send the email with the tickets attached in which we have to print out ourselves.

The transaction cost is $10 in total. (without taking into account the 20% increase of category 1 tickets.)

My understanding is Ticketek is $2.50 total fee, Ticketmaster $7 total fee.
Maybe you are thinking of AFL members who are charged $7.50 for a reserved seat and then $2.50 booking/handling fee at the G?
 

lenny2013

Club Legend
Jun 17, 2013
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My understanding is Ticketek is $2.50 total fee, Ticketmaster $7 total fee.
Maybe you are thinking of AFL members who are charged $7.50 for a reserved seat and then $2.50 booking/handling fee at the G?

Oh ok, I am AFL member. thought fees should be the same for everyone. same process is it not?

Guess AFL members get gouged that little bit extra then.
 
Sep 11, 2008
11,199
14,064
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Oh ok, I am AFL member. thought fees should be the same for everyone. same process is it not?

Guess AFL members get gouged that little bit extra then.
The fees are the same, that is $2.50
The $7.50 is for buying a reserved seat, that's the cost of the seat, which is actually a lot cheaper than what club members have to pay for a decent reserved seat if they want one.
The issue with the $7.50 is that the AFL trick members into thinking they need to reserve a seat when in fact there are plenty of seats available on the day.
 
"Monday’s Geelong-Hawthorn game attracted the AFL’s biggest attendance for the season to date - 80,222 - and the game’s biggest yet for an Easter Monday game" (Caroline Wilson). Whislt brilliant off and on the field the ticketing was a disaster! It was Geelong's home game, they should have first rights to the stadium - roll up with your membership and you are in.
 
With attendance numbers down by six per cent compared to last year, Demetriou said he did not yet believe there was evidence to suggest ticketing costs were impacting upon crowds. Nor did he blame the congested style of play that has drawn savage criticism from AFL legends and commentators.

Demetriou said his football lieutenant, Mark Evans, had reported his interest in trialling zones after the proposal was raised by Rodney Eade and Leigh Matthews earlier this year, but added: ''There’s not enough evidence to suggest [game style] is impacting on crowds.

''Our crowds have been down because of the soft start we had in round one,'' he said. ''And we’ve been playing catch-up ever since. But all our indicators suggest we’ll pull the crowds back by round 13 and those indicators have been extremely reliable in the past.''

Maybe if he keeps repeating that its not the cost people might one day believe him; but I doubt it :rolleyes:


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...w-demetriou-20140422-zqxvw.html#ixzz2zc2MV7TT
 
Apr 16, 2006
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The Dirty N-o-r-f
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So they are saying they let Hawk and Cat members who aren't AFL members, scan into the AFL reserve for free?
But they still had to pay if they were going into the public sections of the ground?

not sure if anyone answered but i walked up and scanned through with my membership at gate 3 (general admission), i was shocked as i didnt hear the news and just thought i would try my luck....conversely, my dad was sold a ga ticket (cost $22 for a pensioner so not sure what tax was on top of the face value ticket) from the gate 3 ticket box and was sold a ticket for entry only at gate 7. this after he clearly stated he wanted entry at gate 3 and was standing and didnt need a reserved seat. when he went back to complain he was told nothing can be done and to go to gate 7 to get in. that was bullshit.
 
Sep 11, 2008
11,199
14,064
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
not sure if anyone answered but i walked up and scanned through with my membership at gate 3 (general admission), i was shocked as i didnt hear the news and just thought i would try my luck....conversely, my dad was sold a ga ticket (cost $22 for a pensioner so not sure what tax was on top of the face value ticket) from the gate 3 ticket box and was sold a ticket for entry only at gate 7. this after he clearly stated he wanted entry at gate 3 and was standing and didnt need a reserved seat. when he went back to complain he was told nothing can be done and to go to gate 7 to get in. that was bullshit.
Wow, another twist to the story.
They said Cat and Hawk members could scan their card for no cost entry to the AFL members (gate 6 & 7) but still had to pay for a reserved seat in the public section of the ground. Yet you were able to scan your card for no cost entry to the public section of the ground (gate 3) and stand.
 
Aug 5, 2007
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You guys might want to share this around your board too, for anyone who has approached the AFL after yesterdays ticketing debacle.

http://footyfromafar.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/the-afl-responds/

Thanks will post on our board. My friend did the booking for me this game so not sure what she will do but if it was me I would seriously be considering taking things to consumer affairs. Yeah $10 isn't much but the AFL's handling of ticketing for this game was beyond pathetic and they deserve to be stung for it.
 
Thanks will post on our board. My friend did the booking for me this game so not sure what she will do but if it was me I would seriously be considering taking things to consumer affairs. Yeah $10 isn't much but the AFL's handling of ticketing for this game was beyond pathetic and they deserve to be stung for it.
Yeah, quite a few Hawks have emailed so far and given them a piece of their mind. Then had a crack at them for not even bothering to respond with anything other than a prepared statement.

I was digging my heels in and not going to go, until I saw that the tickets were no longer required. Thousands of people had already handed over cash that they ultimately didn't need to.

It's a complete rort.
 
Feb 21, 2006
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http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...icketing-andrew-demetriou-20140422-zqxvw.html

''Maybe we’re better off not calling it variable ticketing,’' Demetriou said. ''I think we should just go back to what we had previously termed it, which was reserved seat ticketing.

''It is our responsibility to explain it better to our fans. That’s our job and clearly there is still a lot of confusion. We’re turning our attention to it and while I don’t have the answer now we will have one soon - one that is practical and pragmatic.

''I’m not saying we are reviewing the entire system - we just need to make it simpler and better explain it.''

The system and gouging fans isn't the problem it's that fans are too stupid to understand the ticketing system.
 
Apr 17, 2006
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Realistically, clubs should be able to charge what they want for games, as is the case in the American sporting leagues

If a club wants to up he price, the backlash should be on them
The AFL should have no control over ticket prices
 
Sep 11, 2008
11,199
14,064
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
I was digging my heels in and not going to go, until I saw that the tickets were no longer required. Thousands of people had already handed over cash that they ultimately didn't need to.

It's a complete rort.
Just out of interest, how did this all pan out for you? There seem to be conflicting stories in the papers.
Did you hear or see an announcement somewhere on the day and exactly what did it say?
Then at the ground were you able to scan into the public section or did you have to go in the AFL members?
Someone else mentioned they scanned in to gate 3 and stood.
Did they allocate you a seat for free or did they tell you about a GA area where you could find your own seat or did you have to stand?
 

The Dodger

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2010
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http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...icketing-andrew-demetriou-20140422-zqxvw.html



The system and gouging fans isn't the problem it's that fans are too stupid to understand the ticketing system.

Ha ha thats it exactly. "Maybe if we label it better the plebs will cough up the dosh and not whinge". That is the goal isn't it, take as much as possible without bringing attention to it. This failed as it brought attention to it, so clearly they need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a way that is not so transparent.
 
Apr 12, 2010
14,674
23,284
Melbourne
AFL Club
Geelong
As demand increases I can understand the AFL having concerns over a lockout, so the pre sale can mitigate this. I get that.

Surely the fair thing to do for all declared A Reserve games is this:
Pre sale of tickets via the web up until game day. Have the better of the cheap seats available for pre book to encourage pre booking.
On the day, announce how many seats left in media, website, etc and have them available as walk up purchases. That is, bring your club membership to the ticket booth, have it scanned, fork over your $8.50 like evrybody else did, and you get your ticket and away you go.

It is fair, it will maximize attendnace, and will give people who leave it until game day a realistic indication of their chances.
 

hebog

Club Legend
Aug 20, 2009
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One of the biggest games of the year outside of the finals and the AFL have destroyed it. What other sport makes it as hard as possible for people to attend? Whoever is in charge of ticketing at the AFL should lose their job today, but they won't. They just need to scrap this botched ticketing system now, but to save face they won't.
What do the president's of Hawthorn and Geelong have to say about this? Club members are being robbed and membership is becoming next to worthless.

They are in agreement. When I complained to the club about the increase (30%) in the price of our reserved seats, they said it was in line with MCG seat pricing. Which made sense when the AFL annouced the new variable pricing for games. Since then I no longer feel the same about going to games and next year we are considering 3 game memberships.
 
Just out of interest, how did this all pan out for you? There seem to be conflicting stories in the papers.
Did you hear or see an announcement somewhere on the day and exactly what did it say?
Then at the ground were you able to scan into the public section or did you have to go in the AFL members?
Someone else mentioned they scanned in to gate 3 and stood.
Did they allocate you a seat for free or did they tell you about a GA area where you could find your own seat or did you have to stand?
I saw the realfooty article stating that the AFL had changed the ticketing for the game, shortly before leaving home.
When I got there, I simply presented my membership card, scanned in at gate 5 and headed on up to where a geelong supporting workmate was sitting on the 4th tier.
 
I'm one of the many Hawthorn members who have written to the AFL about the ticketing debacle on Monday demanding that they refund my money spent on tickets. I never buy a ticket if my membership card gets me into the game. I had one patronising pre-prepared response from the AFL in response to my first email and nothing in response to my second email.

I've also complained about it to Consumer Affairs Victoria (as directed to do so by the ACCC).

It's clear from the quotes published in the Age over the past couple of days from Darren (IIRC) Birch that the AFL just does not understand what they've done with this variable ticketing disaster. They're fascinated with how professional sports leagues in the US are administered but they either can't be bothered or don't understand how ticketing works in the MLB and NBA (from where they've drawn 'inspiration' for this ticketing regime).
 
Sep 9, 2009
2,109
2,952
AFL Club
Geelong
I'm one of the many Hawthorn members who have written to the AFL about the ticketing debacle on Monday demanding that they refund my money spent on tickets. I never buy a ticket if my membership card gets me into the game. I had one patronising pre-prepared response from the AFL in response to my first email and nothing in response to my second email.

I've also complained about it to Consumer Affairs Victoria (as directed to do so by the ACCC).

It's clear from the quotes published in the Age over the past couple of days from Darren (IIRC) Birch that the AFL just does not understand what they've done with this variable ticketing disaster. They're fascinated with how professional sports leagues in the US are administered but they either can't be bothered or don't understand how ticketing works in the MLB and NBA (from where they've drawn 'inspiration' for this ticketing regime).

While I'm annoyed at it, as an AFL member I understand the need to reserve a seat at Etihad a lot of the time. I understand Dockers & Eagles supporters have even more of an issue (& expense) with their home games. However when you have 100,000+ capacity venue that is rarely anywhere near full, the supply & demand issues that might lead to some of the US ticketing systems & higher prices really don't apply for the vast majority of games at the MCG, no matter how much the AFL might want to call them "premium" games. With the exception of ANZAC day most are form-dependant to push them in to the 70,000+ territory. What looks like a blockbuster now might be a battle of the also-rans as the season wears on.

The way things are going it wouldn't surprise me if the AFL reduced the capacity of the MCG to about 60,000 so they could justify charging more.:mad: "We're closing the top deck today due to maintenance issues. Aaaaand due to supply & demand issues, we're increasing the price of tickets by 40%."
 
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