FYI...more playoff tix were released this morning

[coachx]

FYI...better playoff tix were released this morning.I was looking for good seats but none were available but the last 5 rows of the 100 section.Got a call from the sales team yesterday and they had better seats then what was available online. Then this morning the public was able to see the extra tix too,......I'm assuming these seats became available b/c season tix holders did not use their playoff rights to purchase themWas able to get 2 seats in Section 114 / Row B for $99 each. That is the actual 4th row behind Celtics bench ( AA, BB, A, B, C, etc.) I'm so glad I did not jump the gun and pay the same price for Row V / Row 35 last week.Me and JackB1 will be there cheering on our Hawks for Game 2.

Edited April 25, 2012 by coachx

[Admin]

Come on HF that sounds like quite a conspiracy theory, I know you hate them but dang. And besides even if they did that I'm sure that they're far from the only team who would do it. I'm far more likely to believe this is due to the season ticket holders not taking those seats though.

[Admin]

No conspiracy involved, unless you believe economic theory is a conspiracy. Then I see its just a semantics argument.

If that's the only realistic scenario that you can see then yes I believe it's a conspiracy theory as I know without a doubt that teams get open seats well after the initial sale as visiting teams are allotted a certain amount and season ticket holders also get first crack. I'm not saying that your scenario isn't possible or even partially the case, but I refuse to believe that the ASG are doing this simply as a means of extracting the most possible money out of their fans.

[Admin]

http://www.qcue.netI wonder why they use dynamic pricing, so they can always get the fans the best deal possible?

There's a difference between dynamic pricing and trying to screw the fans out of as much possible money as you're suggesting they did with the earlier sales.What I'd like to know is how much a few random seats are going for today and what they were going for yesterday, 2 days ago, 5 days ago, etc. or whenever the 1st day they were available was. Regardless this doesn't prove that they didn't have tickets returned to them from the visiting teams allotment or turned down by season ticket holders.Any season ticket holders here know when the deadline for claiming their seats was?

[coachx]

There's a difference between dynamic pricing and trying to screw the fans out of as much possible money as you're suggesting they did with the earlier sales.What I'd like to know is how much a few random seats are going for today and what they were going for yesterday, 2 days ago, 5 days ago, etc. or whenever the 1st day they were available was.Regardless this doesn't prove that they didn't have tickets returned to them from the visiting teams allotment or turned down by season ticket holders.Any season ticket holders here know when the deadline for claiming their seats was?

Playoff tickets have not changed in price since they went on sale. I know b/c I have been looking daily. Better seats opened up today in the 200 and 300 sections too. LikeI think they called everyone they had record of buying past playoff tix, directly through the Hawks, to give Hawks a fans 1st dibs on good seats before releasing them to the public, online, where Celtic fans would eat up a good share of good seats. Edited April 26, 2012 by coachx

[Admin]

Playoff tickets have not changed in price since they went on sale. I know b/c I have been looking daily. Better seats opened up today in the 200 and 300 sections too. Like

I think they called everyone they had record of buying past playoff tix, directly through the Hawks, to give Hawks a fans 1st dibs on good seats before releasing them to the public, online, where Celtic fans would eat up a good share of good seats.

Now that certainly makes sense to me as I'm sure they want Philips arena to look like it has Hawks fans in it instead of Celtics fans.

Thanks for the feedback on the prices and that's what I expected is that they'd be the same or possibly even a little more now that we're getting closer to game day.

[Admin]

Nope. I am basically describing one function of dynamic pricing. You might have this nostalgic perspective of how the A$G would use dynamic pricing in a way that "maximizes fan fundom!" It really is not in this scenario. And with the way the A$G have set this program up, it is evident that their "dynamic pricing" is just a mechanism to raise prices and extract consumer surplus.At one point in time the A$G made a guarantee that season ticket holders would pay the lowest average per game. This resulted in a lower bound for which Q-Cue could price. In essence, Q-Cue only increases and is not really dynamic pricing. I used to be an advocate for dynamic pricing because fixing a price for all games to be the same is foolish as clearly demand is greater for Lakers games than Bobcats games. Problem is, with a lower bound you cannot actually price correctly for a Bobcats game (because they suck that bad). The A$G also found a niiiiiice legal loophole to their Q-Cue and season ticket holder agreement of having a lower bound by offering groupons and living social which have the ticket "plus something else" (hot dog and coke or something lame like that). In their policy with season ticket holders, tickets with promotions are exempt from the lower bound. Strange thing is, the Hawks price these special deals lower than their equivalent season ticket seats even though those tickets also give away food/beverage.

Who said I think it's about "maximizing fundom" or some crazy nostalgic belief like that? Just because I don't believe the absolute worst doesn't mean I believe the absolute best either. And coach said directly above that prices haven't changed so that kinda throws out the dynamic pricing argument. You can argue that they held onto the best seats to sell those last and extract the most money out of the consumers but again that's expecting the absolute worst from them and we all know how biased you are against the "A$G". And even if you are right then big whoop, a company is trying to make as much money as they can off of their product, it's not exactly revolutionary LOL.All I can say is that I know with absolute 100% certainty due to having a very good friend who works in sales and marketing for Houston sports teams that season ticket holders do get the right to buy their seat first and visiting teams do get allotted a certain amount of tickets for games and when those seats are returned they are opened up to the general public and they're usually among the better seats as well.

[coachx]

Is Dr Z still a season tix holder ? He would know when the deadline is for season tix holders to retain rights to their seats for the playoffs. That will answer the conspiracey theory.

[xhawk]

Is Dr Z still a season tix holder ? He would know when the deadline is for season tix holders to retain rights to their seats for the playoffs. That will answer the conspiracey theory.

]That deadline has already passed...I believe it was March 23rd officially.

[Admin]

]That deadline has already passed...I believe it was March 23rd officially.

Really? A month before the playoffs even start? Had we even clinched a spot at that point?

[AtLaS]

That is essentially what I have already said, although I should have been more careful with what I posted initially. Re-reading it, it was a very sloppy first post. I probably shouldn't have used "expensive", but referred to seats that are not desirable but of the same price as the seats that are opened up later in the process. The problem with this is when I reach the conclusion that the A$G are extracting consumer surplus/profits it is not at all obvious (and some people may not believe me even though it is true).Q-Cue wants to initially open up the seats that generally do not sell out quickly. Get those with high willingness to pay to snatch those up because people usually appreciate certainty to uncertainty (maaaaybe a better seat will open up...).

You could be 100% correct, but I'm not sure why it's a problem or a reason to slam the owners. Contrary to what most people would like to believe, this is a business. Owning the Hawks is an investment for the Spirit and for the large part of their tenure, it hasn't been a profitable one. And, I highly doubt we are the only team to explore an unorthodox pricing system.I have no problem with this move, if true.

[tonegully]

I wish I was in Atlanta or Boston to attend the playoffs this sucks

[AHF]

I wish I was in Atlanta or Boston to attend the playoffs this sucks

I am in your situation as well but at least the games will be on TV and getting some attention. Just imagine if we were playing Milwaukee, Orlando, etc.

[Admin]

Back in 2008 when we played the Celtics and it went to game 6 I nearly bought a ticket that night before and drove to Atlanta but I couldn't get off of work at such late notice and looking back I really hate that I missed one of the greatest Atlanta Hawks home playoff games of all time.