Ticket problems

Dear Editor:I am writing to inquire about whether or not The Patriot will be addressing the controversial surplus of tickets sold for the Warren vs. Downey game last Friday. My family purchased tickets to the Downey-Warren varsity football game in advance to watch my brother play at 7 p.m. They entered the stadium and saved a few seats for my husband and I so that we could arrive at the game at 6:45 p.m. We have a 10-month-old son and did not want to spend any more time than was necessary in the cold weather. However, when we got there, we were turned away from the gates with at least 100 other people. When those of us with tickets asked if we could have refunds, the Warren staff said that they were not issuing refunds because they had signs posted stating "no refunds" and that it was our responsibility to enter the stadium as soon we purchased our tickets. I, along with many others, was outraged! I began to ask numerous people who claimed to be in charge why so many extra tickets were sold when they knew there weren't enough seats to accommodate all ticket holders. I received different answers from everyone. One official told me that they do not count the seats, so they did not know how many seats their stadium holds. Another person told me that they do not pre-count their tickets and that they have numerous students who have ASB cards that allow them to enter the game for free. My response to that was that it was their responsibility to keep track of the number of students who hold these cards so that they know how many tickets should be sold, especially since it was expected to be a popular game. Finally, at 7:20 p.m., after dozens of people had already left after being denied their refunds, Warren decided to start giving refunds to get rid of the remaining people who were still outraged. This refund period lasted approximately 10 minutes and was only offered to whoever happened to be by the front gate at the time. Once I received my refund, I noticed two women arriving at the gate with two small children and they were allowed in. I was furious! I asked the man at the gate why he just let the women in with their children when they had been telling everyone that they were at capacity? The man told me that the women were with Downey administration and that he had been given orders to let them in. I was upset and told him that being at capacity means being at capacity, regardless of whether or not they were administration and that it wasn't fair that I was expected to be seated in the cold stadium two hours earlier than that woman and her small children. He had nothing to say except that he was just taking orders. When I asked the ASB coordinator if people who had already gone home after being denied a refund would be able to get refunds on Monday, she said NO! This was after another official had told me that everyone would get a refund and that they never intended to not give refunds. I then asked her why there were signs posted stating "No refund" and she said it must have been an oversight. By the end of the night, with no definitive answer, it was very clear to me that Warren knew they were selling extra tickets and were out to make a profit, instead of taking the necessary precautions to make sure that their supporters were not cheated out of their hard-earned money. I hope that this issue is addressed and that people who did not get a refund at least receive an apology from whoever was supposed to be in charge. --Rachel Cuevas, Downey

********** Published: November 20, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 31