Although the MLB Giants' new electronic ticket exchange
on their Web site is "generally working well," there have
been "two specific complaints" regarding who can sell their
tickets and the ticket prices, according to Glenn Dickey of
the S.F. CHRONICLE. Dickey wrote that the "biggest problem"
is that only charter seat holders, which make up around
16,000 of the 30,000 season tickets at Pac Bell Park, can
sell tickets via the exchange program. Fans who purchased
season tickets without buying charter seats "have been
unable to use the system, though the Giants will eventually"
include them in the program. Giants COO Larry Baer: "These
(charter seat holders) are the people who helped us build
our park. We felt they should be rewarded by having first
crack at this system." But Dickey noted the "unfortunate
result of this distinction, though, has been to make the
regular season-ticket holders feel like second-class
citizens." The second complaint around the plan "is the
high prices charged for some tickets." Baer: "There's a
mythology that all tickets are being priced really high. In
reality, most of the tickets being sold are at or close to
face value, but those tickets are snapped up quickly."
Dickey noted that the Giants "can't control the prices,
except to insist that the tickets be sold for at least face
value." Baer added that the team polled charter seat
holders before the season and they "didn't want any limit
put on what they could charge" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/21).
