2013 Season Ticket Pricing & Renewals

[Hambone]

The goal of any pricing structure should be to fill from the bottom up. It doesn't serve the Lions or the league well to have TV cameras focus on 5,000 empty seats in the lower bowl while 5,000 seats are filled in the upper bowl out of camera range. The Lions should cut the prices in the corners of the lower bowl. That's where the most empty seats are.

Agreed BCFAN. The old "bronze" pricing for the lower bowl was from one corner of the end zone to the other until the Lions decided to charge more for seats that are probably the furthest away from the field in the lower bowl.
Based on those corner end zone sections being consistently empty, it has failed miserably.

I recently checked Ticketmaster for seat availability in the various price groups. What I found was that there aren't a lot of seats available in that corner seat price range where they are next to the sideline seats price group. Similarly the majority of endzone seats close to the corner seats are also sold.

[sj-roc]

Just got this notice from the Lions. No price reduction

That's NOT the case for me; I'll be paying almost $10 more than what I shelled out for 2012, which included a prepaid playoff ticket; it's not even clear if that's included this time around with that $10 bump up. Probably not, so apples to apples, it's probably more like $50 extra. Whatever the change is, from this year to next, probably depends on your seat section. Dunno about you but I'm in the TD corner category. My email is identical to yours except that these two paragraphs in yours:

Beginning today, we ask you, our loyal fans, to make your commitment to our 60th season by placing a deposit and renewing your support of the club. From now until December 14th, your renewal will guarantee you the same ticket pricing you paid in 2012 and will secure your seats for another exciting year of BC Lions football.

By committing early, you also have a chance to win some outstanding early bird prizes. Details on how you can win a Nissan Juke, an exclusive Lions road trip experience and a chance to win TWO tickets to the 101st Grey Cup in Regina are listed by clicking on the prize draw information below.

... have been replaced by the ff text, in a different font, even:

Beginning today, we ask our fans to make their commitment for our 60th season by making a deposit and renewing your support of the Club. Commit by the dates below and you will have a chance to win some outstanding early bird draw prizes. Details on how you can win a Nissan Juke, exclusive Lions road trip experiences and a chance to win TWO tickets to the 101st Grey Cup in Regina, are listed by clicking on the prize draw information below.

... i.e., they've pointedly axed out any mention of a price freeze. Which seems to suggest that the cheapest tickets are going up again.

[ik17]

No, it depends how long you've been a season ticket holder.

Pricing on older accounts is being moved up to the new prices, theyve been doing that slowly over a few years. I remember it being mentioned in past renewal infoF

[SammyGreene]

Looks like identical pricing to this season in a smaller configuration. But there will be an increase after Dec. 14.

http://www.bclions.com/tickets

[dfootball]

Looks like identical pricing to this season in a smaller configuration. But there will be an increase after Dec. 14.




Like the configuration of the seating looks way more intimate, but the prices, so I am a guy who can not buy season tickets because of my commitment to my work in the summer, and I am going to get hosed on the casual fan who wants to go to a game once in a while, and has to buy tickets at ticketmaster.

The lions are heading down hill with attendance next year, it is going to be worse than this year, winning the grey cup or not. When is skulsky going to wake up and smell the coffee.

[notahomer]

I am going to have to check my bill from last year. According to the person I spoke with my seats DID NOT go up but I think the charge on my credit card was the same. However, the person claimed the Lions weren't doing the pre-paid playoff ticket next season??? First of all WHY NOT? Second, how are my prices the same if I'm getting one less ticket? Fuzzy logic if you ask me....

[sj-roc]

I am going to have to check my bill from last year. According to the person I spoke with my seats DID NOT go up but I think the charge on my credit card was the same. However, the person claimed the Lions weren't doing the pre-paid playoff ticket next season??? First of all WHY NOT? Second, how are my prices the same if I'm getting one less ticket? Fuzzy logic if you ask me....

I'm getting the impression that these little changes year to year in their billing practices are a deliberate way to help mask price increases. How can you tell if you're paying more when you're buying apples one year and oranges the next when they do it like this? They know most people don't have the time or inclination to sit down and micro-analyse this and a lot of people probably don't even save any old records long enough to make the proper comparison anyway.

[SammyGreene]

I am going to have to check my bill from last year. According to the person I spoke with my seats DID NOT go up but I think the charge on my credit card was the same. However, the person claimed the Lions weren't doing the pre-paid playoff ticket next season??? First of all WHY NOT? Second, how are my prices the same if I'm getting one less ticket? Fuzzy logic if you ask me....

I'm getting the impression that these little changes year to year in their billing practices are a deliberate way to help mask price increases. How can you tell if you're paying more when you're buying apples one year and oranges the next when they do it like this? They know most people don't have the time or inclination to sit down and micro-analyse this and a lot of people probably don't even save any old records long enough to make the proper comparison anyway.

Yep there is no upfront playoff ticket cost for next season.

This is how are three seats breakdown:

2012: full season $2,133.90 Playoff game: $213. 39 total due: $2,352.89

2013: full season $2141.40

That does include HST and stadium improvement fees. I thought prior to the HST we only paid GST on tickets so wouldn't it save us money to pay the balance April 1, 2013 when the HST blended tax is no longer??

Kevin Falcon

"As promised, on April 1, 2013 consumers will only pay PST on those goods and services that were subject to PST before the implementation of the HST. All permanent PST exemptions will be re-implemented," said Falcon.

"There will be no PST on purchases like food, restaurant meals, bicycles, gym memberships, movie tickets or for personal services like haircuts, just as it was previously."

[sj-roc]

I am going to have to check my bill from last year. According to the person I spoke with my seats DID NOT go up but I think the charge on my credit card was the same. However, the person claimed the Lions weren't doing the pre-paid playoff ticket next season??? First of all WHY NOT? Second, how are my prices the same if I'm getting one less ticket? Fuzzy logic if you ask me....

I'm getting the impression that these little changes year to year in their billing practices are a deliberate way to help mask price increases. How can you tell if you're paying more when you're buying apples one year and oranges the next when they do it like this? They know most people don't have the time or inclination to sit down and micro-analyse this and a lot of people probably don't even save any old records long enough to make the proper comparison anyway.

Yep there is no upfront playoff ticket cost for next season.

This is how are three seats breakdown:

2012: full season $2,133.90 Playoff game: $213. 39 total due: $2,352.89

2013: full season $2141.40

That does include HST and stadium improvement fees. I thought prior to the HST we only paid GST on tickets so wouldn't it save us money to pay the balance April 1, 2013 when the HST blended tax is no longer??

Kevin Falcon

"As promised, on April 1, 2013 consumers will only pay PST on those goods and services that were subject to PST before the implementation of the HST. All permanent PST exemptions will be re-implemented," said Falcon.

"There will be no PST on purchases like food, restaurant meals, bicycles, gym memberships, movie tickets or for personal services like haircuts, just as it was previously."

As I understand it, the HST is still applicable on sales that close before the date of PST reversion, regardless of when the payment is due or made, and that would be the case here. I recall there were such changeover rules in place when the HST was introduced: the closing date of the sale solely determined the sales tax applicability. Assuming the same rules this time around, you'd have to close the sale of your season tickets, i.e., order them, after April 1 to avoid the HST. But you'd miss whatever early bird discount applies so you'd be hooped there, too, and someone else might have ended up taking your seats by then anyway.

[SammyGreene]

As I understand it, the HST is still applicable on sales that close before the date of PST reversion, regardless of when the payment is due or made, and that would be the case here. I recall there were such changeover rules in place when the HST was introduced: the closing date of the sale solely determined the sales tax applicability. Assuming the same rules this time around, you'd have to close the sale of your season tickets, i.e., order them, after April 1 to avoid the HST. But you'd miss whatever early bird discount applies so you'd be hooped there, too, and someone else might have ended up taking your seats by then anyway.

Thanks for the clarification. I figured once you have put your deposit down in December to lock up your tickets, that's the date of the business transaction. At least the Lions will have a built in price break for 2014 tickets

[sj-roc]

As I understand it, the HST is still applicable on sales that close before the date of PST reversion, regardless of when the payment is due or made, and that would be the case here. I recall there were such changeover rules in place when the HST was introduced: the closing date of the sale solely determined the sales tax applicability. Assuming the same rules this time around, you'd have to close the sale of your season tickets, i.e., order them, after April 1 to avoid the HST. But you'd miss whatever early bird discount applies so you'd be hooped there, too, and someone else might have ended up taking your seats by then anyway.

Thanks for the clarification. I figured once you have put your deposit down in December to lock up your tickets, that's the date of the business transaction. At least the Lions will have a built in price break for 2014 tickets

I wouldn't count on there being no boost in the base price to (more than) make up for it, though! Speaking of the changeover, as the end of winter draws near, we'll probably see some sales promotions (I'm talking general retail now, not the Lions in particular) where they structure things to waive the HST prematurely, in effect at least if not fully in fact.