saintz08

Saints' ticket policies under fire

Three New Orleans Saints season-ticket holders claim the team is making it harder to purchase discounted tickets for games in Baton Rouge than in San Antonio, leaving them convinced the club is doing all it can to increase attendance at the Texas games to justify the team relocating there permanently.

Saints officials disputed there are any differences in marketing the two cities and pointed out that the cheapest ticket to a game in Baton Rouge is $15, and $30 is the cheapest option in San Antonio.

The Saints recently launched a plan offering discounted tickets in the lower corner end zones for the team's Dec. 24 game against Detroit at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The tickets, in seat locations that are traditionally difficult to sell, have been reduced from $70 to $35 each.

The Saints also have discounted end zone tickets for their remaining home games in Baton Rouge -- Sunday against Tampa Bay and Dec. 18 against Carolina -- with those tickets cut from $55 to $25.

But several Saints season-ticket holders said the difference is in the details. A 20-ticket minimum is required to get the discount for games in Baton Rouge, meaning a total payment of at least $500. The fans said they were able to purchase single discounted tickets for $35 to the game in San Antonio. The fans said they were told by team ticket agents there was no minimum requirement necessary to get the half-price rate for the Dec. 24 game in San Antonio.

Saints officials disputed the fans' claim and said both discounted ticket plans require fans to purchase a minimum of 20 tickets.

"The team is doing all that we can in order to sell as many tickets and sponsorships for all of our remaining games," said Rita Benson LeBlanc, the club executive in charge of business operations. "We have conducted two high-profile corporate meetings -- one in Baton Rouge and the other in New Orleans -- in an effort to re-connect and bolster support for those games."

But Jay Foster, a Saints season-ticket holder from Ocean Springs, Miss., said he asked a ticket executive in Baton Rouge why the team wasn't offering the same, no-minimum discount plan for the games in Baton Rouge. Foster said he was told the club was having trouble selling tickets for the game against the Lions in San Antonio because of its Christmas Eve date.

"The excuse was the seats in Baton Rouge were cheaper than in San Antonio and we've always had trouble selling out Christmas games," said Foster, whose wife Sheila bought a single $35 ticket on the Internet from San Antonio account executive Chris Cordero.

"Everybody's not buying their excuse . . . They can blow smoke all they want. We can see right through all of it," Foster said.

For the rest :

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index...7046162130.xml

saintz08

Where is saintswhodi when it is crow buffet time ?????

Got some coming right out of the oven for him ........ :08: