Some promises are only as sturdy as the fine print that was meant to cover them, and a Milwaukee fan who paid a thousand dollars in 2015 for the right to the best seats now finds that the future arrived with different terms. When the Brewers reached their first World Series since 1982, the Timeless Ticket program they had sold as a privilege ran headlong into the limits of available seating and the clumsiness of their own internal process. The team has acknowledged the error and offered a remedy that preserves the tickets and the future claim, though whether that restores the trust once placed
Brewers' 'Timeless Ticket' Promise Sours as World Series Seats Disappoint Long-Time Fans
Everyone got seats, but not the seats they felt they'd been promised
Mark
Why does a ticket promotion from 2015 matter this week?
Mimi
Because people paid $1,000 for it, and many were waiting for exactly this moment. Danny Fochesato bought his on his 27th birthday planning to use it for a World Series.
Luke
Worth noting the promise itself said best available seats, subject to availability at redemption. That's a real qualifier.
Mark
So what are fans actually upset about?
Mimi
The sales pitch, as Fochesato remembers it, was priority just behind season ticket holders. Then the form only offered 400-level or standing room, and holders couldn't see which game they'd get.
Luke
That pitch is his recollection, not a document we've seen. The written offer is what we can quote.
Mark
Did the team dispute any of it?
Mimi
No. Rick Schlesinger said they erred in internal communications and didn't live up to the spirit of the program.
Luke
He also said everyone got seats. The complaint was location, and we don't know how many of the several hundred holders were unhappy.
Mark
What's the fix?
Mimi
Holders who applied before the deadline keep their World Series tickets and keep the Timeless Ticket for a future game.
Luke
Unknown is whether anyone gets better seats now. The remedy as described doesn't say so.
O Pulso
- Several hundred Timeless Ticket holders who paid $1,000 a decade ago found their World Series redemption forms listing only 400-level or standing-room options.
- Fans who had been promised first dibs behind season ticket holders now say the offer fell well short of what was sold to them.
- Holders could not even know which game they would be assigned, forced to state a preference and wait while public buyers saw better seats.
- The Brewers admitted internal communication errors, apologized, and are keeping World Series tickets and future Timeless claims intact for those who applied before the deadline.
- The first games in Milwaukee arrive Friday and Saturday, and the fans' reaction will depend on where they are finally seated.
Some promises are only as sturdy as the fine print that was meant to cover them, and a Milwaukee fan who paid a thousand dollars in 2015 for the right to the best seats now finds that the future arrived with different terms. When the Brewers reached their first World Series since 1982, the Timeless Ticket program they had sold as a privilege ran headlong into the limits of available seating and the clumsiness of their own internal process. The team has acknowledged the error and offered a remedy that preserves the tickets and the future claim, though whether that restores the trust once placed in the pitch remains a question the seats themselves will answer.
Danny Fochesato bought his Timeless Ticket on his 27th birthday with a plan: redeem it when the Brewers reached the World Series. This year they did, for the first time since 1982, and his plan met a form that offered him very little.
The 2015 promotion gave holders admission to any future game, plus eligibility to buy three more tickets at full retail, subject to availability. Fochesato says the salespeople stressed the best available seats and priority just behind season ticket holders. In 2018, during an NL Championship Series run, that promise held: he got four tickets behind home plate, though the Brewers lost Game 7 and he never used them.
This time the redemption form listed only 400-level or standing-room seats, with no way to know the game in advance. Fochesato bargained his way to three 400-level seats for Game 2 and a lower-level corner seat for Game 1, then saw better seats on the public sale line.
Brewers executive Rick Schlesinger admitted the team "erred in our internal communications" and said that, though everyone received seats, the program did not live up to its spirit. The remedy lets holders who applied before the deadline keep their World Series tickets and their Timeless Ticket for future games. The series opens in Milwaukee Friday, and whether the fix satisfies fans like Fochesato may depend on the seats they end up in.
Danny Fochesato of Milwaukee bought his Timeless Ticket on his 27th birthday. He had a plan from the start: he would redeem it whenever the Brewers reached the World Series. This year they did, for the first time since 1982, and the plan ran into a form that offered him very little.
The Timeless Ticket was a Brewers promotion from 2015. For $1,000, a fan received admission to any future game. Redeeming it also made the holder eligible to buy three more tickets to that game at full retail price. The offer said the tickets could be redeemed for the best available seat locations, subject to availability at the time of redemption.
Fochesato says the salespeople stressed that language back then. In his telling, they pitched the best available seats and priority just behind season ticket holders. Anything season ticket holders did not claim, Timeless holders would get first dibs on for a World Series. He said that was the story they sold.
In 2018, when the Brewers reached the NL Championship Series, that pitch held up. Fochesato tried redeeming his ticket for a hypothetical World Series game and got four tickets in the 100 level behind home plate. The Brewers lost Game 7 of that series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, so he never got to use them.
This time the process was different. Fochesato said the redemption form listed only 400-level or standing-room options. Holders could not even know which game they would get. They could only state a preference, submit the form, and wait. His reaction was immediate: he thought it was bogus.
He bargained his way to 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. He then stood in line for the public ticket sale and saw that better seats were available there than the ones offered under the Timeless program.
Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger addressed the complaints Tuesday. Several hundred holders, he said, had indicated they wanted to redeem for a World Series game. He acknowledged the team "erred in our internal communications on the logistics of fulfilling the requests." Everyone received seats, he said, but some were unhappy with the locations. Even with extraordinary limits on available seats, he said, the team did not live up to the spirit of the program.
The team's remedy is straightforward. Any Timeless Ticket holder who applied for World Series tickets before the deadline keeps those tickets and also keeps the Timeless Ticket itself, which can be redeemed for another game in any future season. Schlesinger said the team regrets the mistake and looks forward to welcoming those fans to American Family Field.
The first games of the series are Friday and Saturday in Milwaukee. Whether holders like Fochesato consider the fix enough may show up in how they feel about the seats they end up in.
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
They really touted that these would be the best available seats, with priority just behind season ticket holders.— Danny Fochesato, Timeless Ticket holder
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