The Yankees have already screwed the average fan numerous times, most recently by trying to move everything in season ticket packages, and not opening up single game sales until less than 2 weeks before opening day. Well, they’ve added a new wrinkle to their plot to separate New Yorkers from their cash: outright lying about cheap seats not being available.
Here’s the short story: don’t ask for any seats less than $375, because you’ll be told they’re all sold out. They’re lying to you. It’s a particularly insidious and illegal way to sell their most expensive tickets.
For the long story, which I hope reads extra bold because I’m pounding the keyboard that hard in my anger, meet me after the jump.
I called the Yankee ticket office to try to get two seats for a game, any game, and I was told that most everything was sold out for the season, and the cheapest I could get two tickets together for was $375 apiece. My brain said “f**k no,” but my mouth said “no thanks” and I hung up.
Just for laughs, I logged on to the Yankees’ website and started searching for tickets. Sure enough, there were plenty of $375 seats available. But here’s the thing: there were plenty of cheaper tickets too. There were plenty of field level seats available for $90, main level seats for $75, and even some terrace seats for as cheap as $48.
I went up to Yankee Stadium yesterday, since I have gift certificates that are only redeemable at the stadium ticket office. While in line, I heard the sales rep tell people in front of me the same line: that nothing cheaper than $375 was available the entire season.
I got the same spiel when I asked for tickets, but luckily I had poked around online first. So when I asked him to check the specific game I wanted, those seats magically became available.
So I walked away with two $90 tickets–field level, spectacular seats– for a September game against Boston. If there are still prime tickets left for key divisional matchups during the stretch run, I’m going to guess there are a ton of other seats available for cheaper than $375 throughout the season.
Since I got the $375 figure from two different salespeople, I’m going to surmise that it’s official team policy to tell people only the expensive seats are left, and hope they don’t bother to check for themselves. That’s about the lowest thing I’ve ever seen from a team, and against the law to boot.
10:49 am on April 8th, 2009
We need to get Chris Hansen on the case. Hello Mr. Steinbrenner, Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC… Seriously, that's pathetic behavior by an organization. Most organizations try to advertise they have affordable tickets available. I'm a lifelong Sox fan, but not a Yankee basher and the Sox have tried to squeeze every penny out of their fanbase since the new ownership bought the team, so they aren't saints when it comes to corporate greed. Yet, flat out lying takes your experience to a new level of corporate arrongance and deceit. I've given up my Patriots season tickets because Mr. Kraft jumped the price last year to a ridiculous amount of $$$ for where we sat. I can afford them, but I refused to be taken. I'll put the $$$ in my kid's college fund first and not the pocket of an owner who wants ALL of the marbles in the playground. Hope you enjoy the stadium because the experience of getting the tix would have soured me from going…
11:58 am on April 8th, 2009
I just clicked best available for Wed 4/22, to take my family to the game. $900 each.
12:01 pm on April 8th, 2009
Anon, don't click best available, that's the most expensive - plenty of terrace and main level seats left for that game.
1:06 pm on April 8th, 2009
I actually just called about a couple of games and heard the same run around. Now I am just angered to find out the truth.
1:52 pm on April 8th, 2009
Well how else are they going to make up for GM Brian Cashman's mistakes??
3:56 pm on April 8th, 2009
Is anyone really surprised? I mean, really?
4:07 pm on April 8th, 2009
The most ridiculous way to make up for the most ridiculous spending. A new stadium and $423 million for 3 players' contracts? And no, I'm not surprised.
7:53 pm on April 8th, 2009
Pirates tickets cost average around 20 bucks. Screw you and your good team. I can take my family to see my shitty team.
8:06 pm on April 8th, 2009
i gave up going to see the yanks 20 years ago when it cost me $120.00 for me and my kids. i haven't missed it at all.
8:55 pm on April 8th, 2009
Glad I'm a Brewer's fan. We'd never get this shit from our owner, thankfully.
10:23 pm on April 8th, 2009
What a sucker. You guys bitch and moan how the Yankees screwed over the fans and yet you will still shell out good bucks in spite of it. If you're willing to be taken advantage of, then don't bitch about it. But wait, you managed to beat them at their lying game. You bought two tickets at $90/each. You showed 'em that can't hustle you.
10:34 pm on April 8th, 2009
I don't live in the area anymore, but here's my theory, because ticketmaster used to pull the same shit.
Ticketmaster gets a block from the Yanks that even the Yanks official box office can't give you so long as Ticketmaster has them. The fun part is the online ticketmaster has a different set from the in-person Ticketmaster say by South Street seaport. This ticketmaster will have different tickets that another ticketmaster.
So it makes sense to me that the Yankees in person-box (which is likely the same as the one on the phone) tells you that they don't have any cheap seats left (because they don't) but online, through ticketmaster, you have plenty. Basically because they don't *technically* have any.
Hope this helps.
10:40 pm on April 8th, 2009
That's the beauty of living in the Kansas City area.If I want to see the Yankees when they're in town,I can get decent seats for 20 bucks a pop.Having a crappy home team does have its benefits.
10:41 pm on April 8th, 2009
Oh, and I learned this almost 8 years ago when I had a similar issue with ticketmaster and Yankee stadium. The Yankees box claimed there weren't any bleecher seats, as did online ticketmaster, but I got some from a ticketmaster at S.S. Seaport. The guy there explained to me what I said above.
So it's just wierd policies concerning ticketmaster.
12:09 am on April 9th, 2009
soooo it was the lowest thing you've ever seen from a team, buuut you bought tickets from them anyway, although cheaper??? i guess at least its a September game…their season prolly won't last much longer than that after CC eats his 3rd child
2:27 am on April 9th, 2009
And this is where you should ask yourself: "Am I fan, or am I slave?" You know they are trying to defraud you, and yet you still buy? <sarcasm> I can't imagine how the Yanks thought they could get away with it </sarcasm>
So, they tried to butt rape you, and you proudly proclaimed "NO! It will be in the vagina or nothing!"
Have some pride, man. Any.
10:20 am on April 9th, 2009
Twins tickets are something like 7 dollars a piece general admission (upper deck) and $35 a piece for above the dug out. And that was when we had our Cy Young pitcher. O.o
2:54 pm on April 9th, 2009
Call the Post, call the Times… and call Mayor Bloomberg's office.
5:04 pm on April 9th, 2009
The joke's on you for continuing to be a fan after this. The team is so evil and impersonal that they will lie to their own fans to literally steal their money illegally? And then you go and line their pockets by buying tickets anyway? I can't believe you actually expect sympathy. Maybe my team (the Royals) aren't perennial winners but last I checked they don't treat their own fans like scum.
9:42 pm on April 9th, 2009
By charging $375 a seat NY is completely alienating their core fan base. They are relying completely on rich non-fans going every once in a while.
11:15 pm on April 9th, 2009
so, when you went online to buy, did you go to ticketmaster, or the yankees own website? and yea, most tickets bought through ticket services were purchased from the stadium, so, to them, those seats are already sold. even if the reseller doesnt sell them all.
on the plus side, this reults in more "sell out" blackout waivers for local fans.
11:45 pm on April 9th, 2009
I can hear Mushnick raging in 3….2….1
12:36 am on April 21st, 2009
That’s f***ing low. That’s no way to do business.
12:39 am on April 21st, 2009
You didn’t have to buy them. Jackass.