Though not always an early adapter, I tend to roll with and learn the latest technologies as they become readily and widely available.
With few exceptions, I do consider technology to be a friend of productivity. It frees us from dozens of tasks that at one time could be accomplished only with hours or even days of labor by hand.
As a “Boomer,” many enhancements have come to the fore during my lifetime. While I can easily recall the 8-track, cassette, CD, and fax machines, I will attest I never would have guessed that a palm-held device, such as a smartphone, would ever become so much a part of our day-to-day lives.
This is not a column to attack Generation Z, Millennials, up-and-coming teens, or tweens who are seemingly addicted to these devices. This is instead a call out against those instances where technology can take us backward, or at the very least to a more challenging, less functioning, and even occasionally unsafe space. In other words, I HATE paperless E-tickets!
I will point out, that whether we are speaking of a Delta boarding pass on your phone, or an E-ticket to a charitable, sporting, or entertainment event, this change has created significant savings for the venue, the ticket brokers, and resellers and middlemen, with E-tickets ostensibly making it significantly easier to transfer, sell and resell the same ticket, all sent seamlessly through the airwaves ... However, define “seamlessly.”
What has certainly become less than fun is the process of accepting or downloading E-tickets for each event, saving the same in your iPhone or Google Wallet (Android), or God forbid, forgetting this step and attempting to access your seats via Wi-Fi on game day.
In the event of technical problems, we are now at the complete mercy of box offices with incredibly limited hours of operation, call centers with only occasionally helpful staff, who frequently are unable to address or correct the glitches, and ultimately tickets paid for which go unused. Thank God, though, that Ticketmaster, StubHub, Seat-Geek, and the like all get their money, because after all ... isn’t that what this is all about?
The relationship between Ticketmaster and the SEC is newer. If you are receiving a ticket invitation or transfer, via email or text, you must first accept the invitation. Click on the link to enter the app or the SEC Championship/ Ticketmaster website ...
Enter your username and password, click on My Tickets … and hopefully, your ticket gate, seat, and row number then load onscreen.
Click on View Ticket.
Endlessly spinning blue circle. No tickets. The MB Stadium Box Office can provide a paper ticket, with proper documentation, on Game Day only.
The Box Office will open at 1 p.m. and kickoff is at 4 p.m. That should be a highlight of the day. Who wants to tailgate?
I am getting a strong feeling that thousands may be stranded outside on game day, cursing their phone screens and apps for the technology marvel that won’t deliver on its promise. I don’t mind overpaying for entertainment or sporting events that I want to see, for people I care about, for clients, or for worthy charitable causes.
Strangely perhaps, there is just enough Karen in me, however, that I do have a problem paying hundreds, occasionally even thousands, for event tickets knowing that the funds certainly made it to their destination for the venue, sporting franchise, artist, and the middlemen ticket broker, and yet NO ticket turns up for the actual ticket holder.
It would seem that only the fan, and perhaps an athlete or two on the field in what will easily be a tough game, run any serious risk of injury from this ongoing E-ticket scam.
Most fans I know would be willing to pay a bit more to have paper tickets – sort of like physical newspaper subscriptions costing a little more than their electronic editions.
Electronic ticketing also makes it easier for bots and brokers to buy up larger blocks of seats, as they no longer need to be bothered with physical ticket retrieval, purchase caps, box offices, and the like ... and again, the only crowd sufficiently guaranteed to be screwed are the fans, customers and supporters of the team or artist.
For all of the aforementioned, I give E-tickets an F grade! The last good E-tickets were offered when Disneyland and Disney World sold paper E-tickets (the most expensive) for the individual ride.
I am making only one request of Santa this year, please bring back the option of paper tickets. If you do, I will personally make sure that you, Mrs. Clause, and Rudolph get some great seats.