Cablevision is selling the $49.95 Oscar De La Hoya-
Shane Mosley bout tomorrow night with a "buyer beware" sign
attached, according to Bob Raissman of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS,
who writes that the company is offering its PPV customers "a
deal." If the fight goes "three rounds or less, Cablevision
will refund" $20 to buying customers. The offer "produces
questions," such as, "Why would anyone selling a fight of
this magnitude want to raise doubts about its competitive
quality by offering a refund?" De La Hoya promoter Bob
Arum, on the offer: "In a fight like this it's ludicrous."
Raissman adds that the refund policy "clearly illustrates a
lingering perception" that customers had a "ripped-off-
feeling" after previous PPV fight purchases. Time Warner
Sports President Seth Abraham, on Cablevision's offer: "(The
refund) is a gimmick. I don't like gimmicks --never have.
These big pay-per-view fights are legitimate sports events
that should be sold, marketed and advertised on their own
merits ... not some kind of refund." Raissman concludes
with the questions, "Would a baseball team offer ticket
refunds if the scoreboard read 15-0 after one inning?," and,
"Would the NFL offer ticket refunds if the halftime score of
the Super Bowl was 55-0? Of course not" (DAILY NEWS, 6/16).
