Why were Superbowl fans denied seats, then meager compensation (see details)
Asked by
kelly (
1918
)
February 7th, 2011
About 500 fans with valid tickets were denied access to stadium because the temporary seats they were sold had not been constructed. They were not notified ahead of time, only when they went through the ticket gates. They were herded aside, outside the stadium and had to wait for reason. Reportedly no alternate provisions were made by the NFL, Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones (owner of stadium) or either team; such as standing room, or sidelines area. These fans were kept out and reportedly only were offered 3 times the face value of the ticket. Then would have to sign waiver not to sue if they accepted this deal. No reimbursement of hotel,food or travel. Due they have recourse?
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5 Answers
It would really depend on if they agreed to a clause when purchasing tickets, or what kind of conditions were attached. Most likely there was ‘fine print’ or ‘check to agree’ upon purchase which they may or may not have read. Perhaps if there was not, the ticket seller would be in breach of contract, and under that they may potentially have recourse.
Could also be additional terms if they were aware that the seats were ‘temporary seats’, maybe they were cheaper than the main tickets.
You don’t have the circumstances quite right. What happened was the seats that were put up and were sold to these people were temporary. When the fire inspector did the inspection (at the last minute) he determined that the fastening of the seats was not sufficient and said they had to come down.
It was not the Cowboys fault or the NFL’s fault.
Three times face value does not seem like enough if the fans had to travel.
Reports I read said it was about 400 fans. They will each get free tickets to next year’s Super Bowl, refunds at three times the face value of their tickets. Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, said he is reviewing exactly what happened.
Some reports said the NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were attempting to break the Super Bowl record of 103,985, set at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in 1980, by putting temporary stands above the end zones, along the sidelines and selling standing-room only tickets for stairwells. Not all the work had been completed because of the recent and unexpected snows in the area. Some of the seats had to remain empty because of safety concerns.
The 400 or so fans also received free food, seats in the North Field Club behind the Pittsburgh bench to watch television, free merchandise. The had an opportunity to view the game from standing room platforms in each corner of the stadium.
I’m sure the clubhouse was very nice. I would have made the most of the situation but I’m sure I’d have been upset though. I bet if they complain enough, they’ll get more than what they’ve gotten so far. We will see.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-angryfans020611
http://www.wfaa.com/sports/football/super-bowl/tix-115443839.html
I heard on the radio that the seats were $900 seats, and they then got $2700 for them, each. If you had two tickets and got $5400, you can’t tell me that they paid more than $5400 for a few hotel nights, plane and a few meals. It does not seem too bad to me. Yes, they did not see the game live, but the compensation seems adequate, not “meager.”
Do they have recourse? Not really, once you get all the facts and find out about all the things done for them to compensate them for the inconvenience and disappointment. When compensation is adequate, there’s not really anything that the legal system is going to do for them above and beyond what they’ve already gotten.
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