December 18, 2006
If this is how they treat VIPs…
Jay wrote this today:
Hey Raps fans,
Okay, obviously, you know how Lang and I are huge Raptors fans. So when I received an invitation to the Raptors Ultimate VIP Experience last week, I was pretty excited. Lang and I are thinking about buying season tix for next year with a couple of other people, so while I was taking my wife to the event, it was going to be a good source of info to take back to Lang when considering our purchase.
Anyway, here’s the invitation…
Now, here’s a letter I am sending to Richard Peddie, outlining the complete debacle that took place when I tried to go to this thing. The Raps are trying to get MORE season ticket holders, right? Wow. It’s kind of long, but it’s a good read. Enjoy. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Toronto Raptors Basketball Club
40 Bay Street, Suite 400
Toronto, ON M5J 2X2
Attn: Mr. Richard Peddie, President & CEO
Dear Mr. Peddie:
As a long time Raptors supporter and completely consumed Raptors fan, I have to say that last week was a step in the wrong direction for the Raptors organization in my opinion. I usually attend somewhere between 5-10 games a year, most of which I buy tickets for via walk-up, but occasionally in advance. As my career has progressed, so has my disposable income, which has led me to thinking about purchasing Raptors season tickets.
A couple of years ago, I met you at a Raptors season ticket holder appreciation night (as a guest of a friend) and you were very enthusiastic about the Raptors, even though the team was enduring some rough times. We briefly talked about season tickets and at that point, it wasn’t a realistic option for me. I vowed that when it was feasible, purchasing season tickets would be one of my top priorities.
Needless to say, last Wednesday, when I got home from work and opened an envelope that was inviting me to the Ultimate Raptors VIP Experience, I was very excited. While I found the whole “wine and cheese” thing a little funny considering we are talking about basketball here, I understood that the point of the event was to talk to Raptors fans about season tickets if not, at least, flex packs. I figured I had received the invitation at random after filling out a questionnaire regarding media at one of the many Raptors games I attended last season and was going to take my wife, who through me, has also turned into a voracious Raptors fan.
I called the number indicated on the invitation on Thursday, but at the recording, found I had called outside of office hours and made a point to call first thing Friday morning. After calling Friday morning, I was informed by your season tickets team that the event in question was actually that same night, before the Nets game. While on short notice, I said that it was fine, that I would still be able to attend and was looking forward to it. I was then informed that I could not attend, because there were no spots left; the event was completely booked. I stared at the “reservation” number on the front of my invitation, questioning whether the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club had any understanding of what “reservation” means. So after answering a few questions regarding my Raptors ticket purchasing habits, I hung up, completely embarrassed for the Raptors organization, which had just taken a potential Raptors season ticket purchaser and pushed him away.
While missing the event was disappointing, it isn’t the main point of this letter. Between my wife, my friends and I, we have sat everywhere in the ACC for Raptors games, literally from courtside to the very last row. The point that the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club continually seems to miss is that this is still a young franchise trying to build its season ticket base. The Raptors aren’t the Lakers. The Raptors can’t afford to treat their fans like dirt (and no organization should), especially those who are just about ready to purchase season tickets, it’s just not good business. Why would an invitation to something on a Friday night arrive at my house on a Wednesday? Why do I have a reservation number if my spot isn’t reserved? Why does an organization push away the people it needs to seduce? How many other Raptors fans were treated the same way?
Our plan was to purchase season tickets with some friends and within 2 years, if we were happy with things, look towards each of us buying our own separate set. After this debacle, we are starting to rethink things since we all have our responsibilities and season tickets are a cost we do not have to incur. Flex packs for the New Year and jerseys were supposed to be Christmas gifts this year, but this whole situation has set us off the Raptors and we will now look at some Blue Jays packages for the summer. We are still big Raptors fans, but will most likely spend our time watching the games at home instead of at the ACC.
As a final comment, please note that as avid Raptors fans, my friend and I run a Raptors blog called Raptorsforum.com. It has been in existence for about a year and is experiencing encouraging growth. We will be posting the invitation on the site, along with this letter and any feedback we receive in order to provide Raptors fans with an idea of how the Raptors deal with customer relations. While it’s great to read comments, post messages and watch games, there’s a certain sense of intrigue that comes with viewing the inner workings of an NBA franchise.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, we look forward to your response.
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Filed under: Raptors Forum
December 19th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Hahaha. Wine and cheese. Figures the Raptors would screw up like this. Was Araujo working the bar?
December 20th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Actually, I think Hoffa was going to work the bar, but in practice, he tripped over his own feet, dropped the wine and thought the wheels of cheese were the new NBA balls.
They cut him.