Some promises are made in the quiet of a birthday, when a young man hands over a thousand dollars for the chance to someday be present for something larger than himself. For the Milwaukee fans who bought Timeless Tickets in 2015, that someday has arrived in the form of a World Series, the first for the Brewers since 1982. What they found, however, was that the old assurance of first claim had thinned into forms and standing-room sections, and the team has acknowledged that its own internal handling fell short of what it had promised. The remedy offered keeps the tickets in hand and carries the
Brewers Fans Who Paid $1,000 for 'Timeless Tickets' Are Unhappy With Their World Series Seats
Several hundred fans, one $1,000 promise, and a form with only 400-level seats
Mark
Why does this story matter beyond one team's ticket mix-up?
Mimi
Because people paid $1,000 in 2015 on a promise. Danny Fochesato bought his on his 27th birthday, planning for exactly this moment, a World Series.
Mark
What was the promise, specifically?
Mimi
Best available seats, subject to availability. Fochesato says salespeople described it as priority just behind season ticket holders.
Luke
Careful, though. That sales pitch is his recollection. The written offer only says best available, subject to availability at redemption.
Mimi
Fair. But the team itself said it didn't live up to the spirit of the program, so it isn't just one man's memory of the pitch.
Mark
What went wrong in practice?
Mimi
Fochesato says the form offered only 400-level or standing room, and holders couldn't see which game they'd get.
Luke
And his claim that better seats were in the public sale is what he saw in line. We don't have the team's count of what was available.
Mark
How many people are affected?
Luke
Several hundred asked to redeem. How many were unhappy, the team hasn't said.
Mimi
The remedy is clear, though: keep the World Series tickets and keep the Timeless Ticket for a future game.
Luke
What's still unknown is whether anyone gets upgraded seats this time.
O Pulso
- Several hundred Timeless Ticket holders reached for World Series seats and found themselves offered only 400-level or standing-room options.
- A holder who saw better seats in the public sale line felt the sting of being treated as an afterthought by the very program he had paid for.
- The Brewers admitted their internal communications had broken down, a rare public confession in the middle of a historic October run.
- The team is now steering toward a fix: holders keep their World Series tickets and retain their Timeless Ticket for a future game, though seat upgrades remain unconfirmed.
Some promises are made in the quiet of a birthday, when a young man hands over a thousand dollars for the chance to someday be present for something larger than himself. For the Milwaukee fans who bought Timeless Tickets in 2015, that someday has arrived in the form of a World Series, the first for the Brewers since 1982. What they found, however, was that the old assurance of first claim had thinned into forms and standing-room sections, and the team has acknowledged that its own internal handling fell short of what it had promised. The remedy offered keeps the tickets in hand and carries the unredeemed promise forward, which is a reminder that loyalty, once spent, is repaid most fairly by honoring its original spirit.
When Danny Fochesato of Milwaukee turned 27, he gave himself a $1,000 Timeless Ticket from the Brewers, a lifetime pass to any future game. He had one plan: use it when the team reached the World Series.
That moment has come, the first Brewers World Series since 1982. But when holders submitted their requests, the form offered only 400-level or standing-room options, and they could not see which games they would receive. Fochesato remembers being promised priority just behind season ticket holders, with first claim on leftover seats. In 2018, that promise had seemed real when he received four 100-level seats behind home plate during a playoff run that ended in Game 7.
This year he pushed back and secured three 400-level seats for Game 2 and one lower-level seat in right field for Game 1. While standing in the public sale line, he saw better seats available than the ones offered through the program.
Team president Rick Schlesinger acknowledged the team "erred in our internal communications" and said it "did not live up to the spirit of the program." The Brewers now allow applicants to keep their World Series tickets and retain their Timeless Ticket for a future game. The team has not said how many holders were unhappy or whether any will be moved to better seats, but the tickets stay in their hands and the promise of a future game remains.
When Danny Fochesato of Milwaukee turned 27, he bought himself a birthday present: a "Timeless Ticket" from the Brewers, which cost $1,000 and promised admission to any future game. He had one plan for it all along. He would use it whenever the team reached the World Series.
That day has come. The Brewers are in the World Series for the first time since 1982, and the people who bought the ticket in 2015 are now trying to cash in. According to Rick Schlesinger, the team's president of business operations, several hundred fans have said they want to redeem a Timeless Ticket for a World Series game. It has not gone smoothly.
The terms of the promotion matter here. A holder who redeemed the ticket became eligible to buy three more tickets to the same game at full retail price. The offer said the tickets "may be redeemed for the best available seat locations, subject to ticket availability at the time of redemption." Fochesato says that was a central part of the pitch in 2015. As he remembers it, salespeople told buyers they would have priority just behind season ticket holders, with first claim on anything season ticket holders did not take for the World Series.
That approach would have worked for him in 2018, when the Brewers reached the National League Championship Series. Fochesato says he got four tickets in the 100 level behind home plate, seats he could have used had Milwaukee advanced. The team lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of that series, so the question never came up.
This year the process looked very different. Fochesato says the form he received offered only 400-level or standing-room options. Holders could not even see which game they would get. They listed preferences, submitted the form, and waited. His reaction was immediate, he said: "No, that's bogus." He pushed back and ended up with three 400-level seats for Saturday's Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays, plus one lower-level seat in the right-field corner for Friday's Game 1. While waiting in line for the public ticket sale, he saw that better seats were available than the ones offered to him through the Timeless Ticket program.
Schlesinger acknowledged the problem on Tuesday. He said the team "erred in our internal communications on the logistics of fulfilling the requests." Every holder who asked received seats, he said, but some told the team they were unhappy with the locations. Even with what he called extraordinary limits on available seats, Schlesinger said, the team "did not live up to the spirit of the program."
The Brewers are now offering a fix. Any Timeless Ticket holder who applied for World Series tickets before the deadline can keep those tickets and also keep the Timeless Ticket itself, to redeem for another game in any future season. "We regret our mistake and look forward to welcoming them to American Family Field for their World Series experience," Schlesinger said.
The team has not said how many holders were unhappy with their seats, and the source does not say whether any will be moved to better locations. What is settled is that the tickets stay in holders' hands and the promise of a future game remains intact.
Citações Notáveis
Even with extraordinary limitations on available seats, we did not live up to the spirit of the program.— Rick Schlesinger, Brewers president of business operations
He said the form only had 400-level or standing-room options, and he immediately thought it was bogus.— Danny Fochesato, Timeless Ticket holder
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