[News] Flames introduce paperless tickets

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by getbak

A lot of these companies now charge their customers extra to send out a paper bill/statement each month.

I would pay the Flames the extra 50 bucks it costs to print a full season worth of decent tickets for me if it was lumped in to the purchase price and would not blink

[Caged Great]

I got my cards in today for my tickets, and I've already called to get the paper tickets. I don't see why they couldn't have had this as an option on the ticket renewal form. I'd pay 50-75 bucks extra just to have the normally designed ticket package without issue. It just sucks that there was no option.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I got my cards in today for my tickets, and I've already called to get the paper tickets. I don't see why they couldn't have had this as an option on the ticket renewal form. I'd pay 50-75 bucks extra just to have the normally designed ticket package without issue. It just sucks that there was no option.

That is the great thing about being the only game in town.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

I absolutely haven't read every post in this thread, so I may have missed some. If you think I've missed anything relevant, you certainly could have re-itterrated the points, seen as you didn't, I'll assume you did so due to the lack persuasiveness of those arguments.

Also, 400 people you give tickets too? What kind of racket are you running? If you are re-distributing or re-selling your tickets, not really sure the Flames should be considering your business model while they make their decisions. If you aren't, why doesn't the email options work for you?

Also, 400 people is a pretty small % of any game day traffic, no solution will be loved by all, but decisions need to be made for the majority.

I don't know how I came up with the math to say 400 tix. It is about 160 but I do mean in a season.

[SeeBass]

For all this talk about no printed tix keep in mind the company that prints them for many of the other pro leagues in Western NA is based in Calgary.

This is going to cripple their business and probably create a loss of a few dozen jobs. It is not a lot of people but it sucks for them as they appear to be in a "buggy whip" job.

[Resolute 14]

The same can be said of people who work for book printers, CD manufacturers and the like. Changing technology means job reductions in industries that are becoming obsolete. Always has, always will.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

I guess we will see if that is true or not. The 2 pairs of people that I have sold my other 1/2 of the season do not want e-tickets and are going to walk away so I will soon find out if the Flames are forcing this down our throats or not.
Personally I think that the tickets should be printed as usual as we expect and option B should be STH if you would "also" like e tickets they are now available.
Second as mentioned before by other posters, giving an actual ticket as a gift or to customers has more of an impact than a stupid printed piece of paper.
I feel for the elderly STH and from what I have seen there are number of STH that are 50 +. Does the CF really think they are down with e-tickets and printing them off, etc. This is a real BS decision by the Flames and is strictly about saving the cost of them printing out a proper ticket book.

Like I said I guess I will soon find out if they will indeed print out all the tickets.
I'm not losing my ST partners over the Flames being cheap and cutting costs with what is fundamentally so basic like the actual friggin tickets.
Please tell me this is KKings baby so I can have yet another reason to dislike him.
In the Flames lame statement they claim that STH wanted this if so then why weren't we simply emailed with 1 simple question.
Would you prefer an e-ticket that you can print off yourself or the regular hard copy season tickets?
They don't have the balls to really ask STH this basic question instead they prefer to lie and make a blanket statement that we want this. Bollocks.
STH's did not ask for this instead of our regular tickets. It is a bold faced lie of a statement in an attempt to eliminate the cost of STH all together.

I emailed my account rep and asked for hard copy tickets. They are being printed and mailed to me. I still have the option to go to my online account and forward or print off the PDF versions. I also prefer the hard copy tickets, and it's nice that they are giving me the option. I don't see what the issue is.

Yes, the communication of how this was done should have been better. They could have given you the option to pick which one you prefer a month or two ago. I would have picked hard copy at that point. I am still able to get this option, so I'm happy.

[flamesrule_kipper34]

I would have wanted hard-copy as well...but personally, not having the usual designed hard-copy tickets is of no interest to me. I do not want those ticketmaster thermal prints.

[Lord Carnage]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I emailed my account rep and asked for hard copy tickets. They are being printed and mailed to me. I still have the option to go to my online account and forward or print off the PDF versions. I also prefer the hard copy tickets, and it's nice that they are giving me the option. I don't see what the issue is.

Yes, the communication of how this was done should have been better. They could have given you the option to pick which one you prefer a month or two ago. I would have picked hard copy at that point. I am still able to get this option, so I'm happy.

The issues are:
- you are correct - communication sucked and 'stretching the truth' was certainly involved
- the 'tickets' that they are offering to print are the junk thermal ones and only MARGINALLY better than the 8.5 x 11 piece of paper as opposed to the nice tickets I've historically received. They are better to track, but still embarrassing to hand out
- the statement from the Flames that there will be a cost that will be charged to us going forward to get something as simple as a ticket

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The same can be said of people who work for book printers, CD manufacturers and the like. Changing technology means job reductions in industries that are becoming obsolete. Always has, always will.

You mean like a "buggy whip" job that I mentioned in my post

[karl262]

I REALLY don't like how the printed tickets has your name and Flames account number on them. I give lots of tickets away to clients and I'm positive that sometimes they in turn give them away to someone else. It just doesn't seem secure to have both your name and account number on the printed tickets when those are the ones used to give away. I miss the old tickets, the excitement of opening a new seasons package and looking at the physical tickets all shiny and new, the feeling of tearing tickets out along the perforated line and having something substantial feeling to give to a friend or client. Now its just going to be pieces of printed computer paper.

I called the ticket office and was told that if you want physical tickets in the future they will do that, but they will be simple generic looking things.

[Drury18]

I sent my ticket rep an email yesterday on behalf of my company stating our dissapointment with the new system and appearance of the optional printed tickets and was told that a few options are currently in the works for this season due to the complaints and we would be notified once they become final.

Perhaps enough people have made comments that they will print out rush season tickets like last year when the season was announced. While they didn't have the nice players pictures and coupons on the bottom and all that, they at least looked more professional then thermal ticket master tickets. I know my company would be happier handing out the tickets with the Flames and opposing teams logo's rather then ticketmaster crap.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

You mean like a "buggy whip" job that I mentioned in my post

Yes, but you never articulated why anyone should care. These hypothetical people won't lose their jobs because the Flames are trying to be progressive, but because the world itself is changing.

[ken0042]

I wonder if some people would be happier if the PDF was redesigned? Basically allow it to look more like the "professional" tickets that we normally receive.

You could even take that a step further and allow a graphic to be uploaded to Ticketmaster, so when "ABC Company" gives me a pair of tickets; they printed them on the company's nice colour laser printer and have the ABC Company logo on part of it.

It might even cut down on the company "scalpers." The people who take a pair of tickets with a face value of $500 from their company, sell them to Bronco Dude for $150 and go out for dinner.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Yes, but you never articulated why anyone should care. These hypothetical people won't lose their jobs because the Flames are trying to be progressive, but because the world itself is changing.

I didn't think I needed to.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I wonder if some people would be happier if the PDF was redesigned? Basically allow it to look more like the "professional" tickets that we normally receive.

You could even take that a step further and allow a graphic to be uploaded to Ticketmaster, so when "ABC Company" gives me a pair of tickets; they printed them on the company's nice colour laser printer and have the ABC Company logo on part of it.

It might even cut down on the company "scalpers." The people who take a pair of tickets with a face value of $500 from their company, sell them to Bronco Dude for $150 and go out for dinner.

That's an interesting idea. I'd rather see them invest in doing things like that than just stick with the status quo because people don't like change.

It's not like the Flames are blazing trails by doing this. They're catching up to the other teams.

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I wonder if some people would be happier if the PDF was redesigned? Basically allow it to look more like the "professional" tickets that we normally receive.

You could even take that a step further and allow a graphic to be uploaded to Ticketmaster, so when "ABC Company" gives me a pair of tickets; they printed them on the company's nice colour laser printer and have the ABC Company logo on part of it.

I really like this idea! You should email this to the Flames.

If the PDF could be redesigned to print a larger ticket, equivilant of the size of the regular old season tickets, in colour, with the corresponding Flames and opposing team logo's, and possibly the company logo it would be a much more aesthetically appealing product to hand out. You could even print it out on thicker paper and make it feel like the traditional ticket.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnage

The issues are:
- you are correct - communication sucked and 'stretching the truth' was certainly involved
- the 'tickets' that they are offering to print are the junk thermal ones and only MARGINALLY better than the 8.5 x 11 piece of paper as opposed to the nice tickets I've historically received. They are better to track, but still embarrassing to hand out
- the statement from the Flames that there will be a cost that will be charged to us going forward to get something as simple as a ticket

The guy I replied to said he had two partners willing to walk away from the group because they didn't want e-tickets. I'm saying there is a simple way to get hard tickets. No, they aren't as nice as in years past. No, it doesn't make any difference to me. If someone is willing to walk away from the ticket group because the quality of the paper from the tickets isn't as nice or as glossy as other years is looking for anyway out. I would guess it's more due to the product on the ice or the financial aspect. To say you have to use the PDFs or the reusable ticket card is false. To say they are shoving these options down your throats is false. When they give you a solution to the problem, by printing the tickets for you, I don't see why there is an issue.

[woob]

Has anyone called their rep to see about getting an extra set of ticket cards? For those of us that share with another individual or multiple individuals, it would be nice to be able to give them a pair of cards for their seats as well. Sorry if this was covered already.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Jeepers, do all of you cut the stub off your phone bill and pay the bill at your bank branch too? Kidding. I get that there is a real PIA for some and a change for all. But I think most people will be over it by Christmas.

The execution could use work but this is a great idea - necessary even. There is no way the flames did it to save printing costs. That's pocket change. They will have done it to create/control a secondary market that adds even more value to tickets, make them easier to share and use, eventually allow you to buy stuff at the dome with your pass (save transaction fees, shorten lines, etc). And ticket holders like me absolutely want this kind of thing.