Controversial ticketing service Ticketek have claimed the system for supporters to secure grand final tickets ran ‘as planned’ despite Collingwood fans flooding social media by the score with complaints about missing out on seats to next Saturday’s match.
Magpies barrackers, many of whom have paid hundreds of dollars in membership fees for a guaranteed grand final ticket, have been left in the cold by alleged errors from Ticketek.
Widespread reports suggest fans who registered for ballots allocating seats at the MCG for the grand final have been either unable to secure tickets, or scarier still, have had money taken from bank accounts without a ticket provided in return.
The Magpies offer tiers of membership fees to their more than 100,000-strong membership base, with the highest supposed to be guaranteed seats to any grand final featuring Collingwood; some fans pay upwards of $1000 a year.
Each competing club receives 17,000 tickets for members to attend the grand final, with the other seats at the 100,000-capacity stadium going to Melbourne Cricket Club and AFL members, supporters of other clubs and corporate partners.
“There are major issues with Ticketek and the ballot system for GF seats,” a message sent to 3AW reporter Jacqui Felgate from a Collingwood supporter read.
“I am a Priority 1 Collingwood Member with a guaranteed seat at the GF (just not guaranteed where the seats are).
“The ballot was yesterday. I don’t have a seat, even after registering for the ballot and receiving both SMS notification and Ticketek account notification that my registration was successful.
“I buy a membership in good faith that I will be guaranteed a seat at the GF if Collingwood makes it, and now they have, a ticketing error on Ticketek’s side has seen many P1 members without a ticket they were guaranteed to receive.”
It is believed that would-be buyers who selected ‘no standing room’ in the ticket registration process were then not billeted with tickets if they were then assigned standing room tickets in the allocation system.
Also controversial is Ticketek’s awarding of tickets to the grand final with no distinction between the Magpies’ membership tiers, with some ‘Legends’ members receiving only standing room tickets while others at lower levels – and fees – secured prime seats.
The reaction to the scandal on social media was swift and brutal, with Ticketek described as a ‘shambles’ and the ballot system as ‘a complete joke’.
However, in a statement released on Sunday evening, the service defended its handling of the allocation system.
“Ticketek wants to assure all Collingwood members that the Ballot process for the AFL Grand Final ran as planned and as per the instruction from the AFL, Collingwood Football Club and the MCG without issue,” the statement reads.
“The Ballot results will be published at 9am (AEST) Monday 25 September.”
Ken Baxter
Roar Rookie
Seriously ???? Access to the GF… talk to me if you live outside Victoria! Make the Gf best of 3
JudgeMental
Roar Rookie
I'm going to be a big fat Judge, dining on all this delicious irony - Collingwood members greatest enemies seem to be other Collingwood members. I wonder if those Tier 1 members feel any empathy for the home team members they kicked out of MCG reserved seats, when Collingwood was the away team?
.kraM
Roar Rookie
$$$
Snert Underpant
Roar Rookie
I appreciate neither maths nor logic are Pies’ fans strong suites, but when you have the most number of members and a set number of seats for each team, you can’t just “magic” a solution. The Pies play two thirds of their games at home, and at the grand final venue. But no complaints then. They don’t have to try and get grand final tickets AND plane seats at inflated prices like all the interstate clubs. Lucky them. And they invariably get the best of the umpiring given the noise of their large home crowds. All good there too. But put them into a ballot system where they suddenly don’t have an advantage and watch the tears roll and the hissy fits take off. Entitled spoiled brats…
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
With the umpiring in the preliminary and the Maynard "get out of jail free" card, who cares? They are GF imposters.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
SEN and MMM are handing-out free grand final tickets, as a good publicity exercise. But why are corporates given these tickets in the first place? Why are members of participating AFL clubs missing out, yet corporates who don't support either team get access to tickets for them to give away?
Goolooloo
Roar Rookie
The president of Collingwood managed a deal to assure the grand final is held at Collingwoods home ground for 42 years. Take it up with him
Ian_
Roar Rookie
This strikes me more as a Collingwood club problem than a Ticketek one. If Collingwood were selling certain packages it was up to them to ensure that the means were in place to deliver them, for example, by having them defined specifically via contract.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
They do seem to be the culprits, yes. Sold too many of these memberships, overpromised, now paying the price
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
My heartfelt condolences to Collingwood members unable to get a seat despite being assured by the Collingwood Football Club that no matter how much they paid for the assurances, they would get what they wanted. Take it up with Collingwood is my advice.
XI
Roar Guru
Excuse me while I go find my tiniest violin