Playoff Ticket Refunds

Last week, I stopped at the Ticket Office to return my Sunday playoff tickets for a refund. When I inquired why I hadn't gotten any emails about this, Sue told me that none would be sent out this year. The "policy" can be found in the fine print on the back of the ticket. Assuming you can read the small font (I couldn't), it says something to the effect that "Refunds will be made until 4/30/2016. Unclaimed money will go to the Cornell Athletics General Fund". This means if you want the Sunday Playoff Ticket money to support Men's Ice Hockey, you need to get your refund and then make a specific donation to Men's Ice Hockey.

I suspect most of the Lynah Faithful Townies want to specifically support Men's Ice Hockey, not Cornell Athletics in general. If that's the case with you, you've got about 10 days to request your refund and then contribute it to Men's Ice Hockey when you want.

I strongly believe unclaimed Playoff Ticket refunds should automatically go to the specific athletic program. The Athletic Office should be ashamed of their slightly deceptive practices (especially the decision to not even send reminders to season ticket holders).

hippo
I strongly believe unclaimed Playoff Ticket refunds should automatically go to the specific athletic program.

I'm not sure why this should be so. I imagine ticket revenue for games that do happen goes into the athletics general fund. So why not this revenue?

Relying on fine print for the return policy is kind of sketchy but that's a different quesiton.

I agree with you hippo. Want to support men's hockey, not the Andy-controlled athletics general fund.

hippo
Last week, I stopped at the Ticket Office to return my Sunday playoff tickets for a refund. When I inquired why I hadn't gotten any emails about this, Sue told me that none would be sent out this year.........

I'm guessing that you inspired some action... I received an email from the ticket office @ 4:50PM today abt this. Good job!

CAS
I agree with you hippo. Want to support men's hockey, not the Andy-controlled athletics general fund.

I wonder if the individual sports actually have budgets, or whether they are line items on a general athletic budget.

Trotsky

CAS
I agree with you hippo. Want to support men's hockey, not the Andy-controlled athletics general fund.

I wonder if the individual sports actually have budgets, or whether they are line items on a general athletic budget.

Well somewhere there has to be a budget. Mike has to know how much he can afford to spend on travel versus equipment, doesn't he?

I think the question you're raising is if the AD's office has to approve line items in each team's budget versus allocating a certain bulk amount of money for each team.

Also, wouldn't good management by the AD imply that there's some incentive for each team to increase revenue, whether through ticket sales, t-shirts, or television? Perhaps there's a revenue sharing policy, with each team retaining a certain percentage of the revenue it brings in.

Of course, using "good management" in the same sentence alluding to AN may be a bit of an oxymoron.

Certainly the way academic research grants work at most universities is for the PI to be in charge of the grant research budget, but the institution takes a substantial percentage of total grant as "overhead." For example, a research budget of $100,000 might tack on a 50% overhead charge for a total of $150,000. Then, at most institutions a portion of the overhead goes back to the PI's college, a portion of that goes back to her department, and a portion of that goes back to the PI herself. Unlike the formal research budget, which is restricted to specific items directly related to the research, the overhead can be used for almost anything. Thus, for example, a computer might not be a legitimate research expense because it would not be used solely for the specific project, but it could be bought with overhead funds. Faculty members who do not get grants will get general support but not the goodies that come from research grants and the overhead they generate.

I'd expect athletic team budgeting to ape the academic side somewhat. So teams that generate revenue probably get a chunk back, even if the revenue initially goes into the general athletic account. Nonetheless, much of this is conjecture, and I may be wrong.

I believe that men's hockey is the only athletic program at Cornell that makes money so it is supporting the Athletic Department regardless of where the unclaimed ticket refunds are allocated.

dag14
I believe that men's hockey is the only athletic program at Cornell that makes money so it is supporting the Athletic Department regardless of where the unclaimed ticket refunds are allocated.

I assume this is just based on ticket revenue? My understanding is we still have a sufficient number of alumni who recall when football was beating Michigan and who, in their senescence, drop serious coin on the school.

I though all playoff money went to the ECAC since they set the prices.

and it might have been nice if they changed the policy to let people know in some way other than reading a ticket . i'm not even sure i have my tickets around to be read.

upprdeck
I though all playoff money went to the ECAC since they set the prices.

and it might have been nice if they changed the policy to let people know in some way other than reading a ticket . i'm not even sure i have my tickets around to be read.

There's gotta be maintenance and payroll associated with holding the games, so some money must be kept back by the host.

upprdeck
I though all playoff money went to the ECAC since they set the prices.

and it might have been nice if they changed the policy to let people know in some way other than reading a ticket . i'm not even sure i have my tickets around to be read.

Did you NOT get the Email below on Tuesday?


Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:50:23 -0400
From: athletictickets@cornell.edu
To:
Subject: Hockey Banquet Info, FREE Lacrosse Tickets & ECAC Game 3 Refunds!


Dear Hockey Season Ticketholder,

With the hockey season now behind us, it is time to recognize and honor the outgoing senior players and award-winners!

The 55th annual Cornell Hockey Awards Banquet will be presented by the Cornell Hockey Association. Come celebrate the season and honor the team's seniors at the Lake Watch Inn on Saturday, May 7 at 6:30pm. The deadline to make your reservation is April 27. The banquet ticket order form is available HERE.

Many hockey fans HAVE taken advantage of FREE tickets to Cornell men's lacrosse home games. As a season ticket holder you may attend the home games for FREE with your complimentary tickets! If you haven't seen a game yet, be sure to come out to the last home game of the year this Saturday, April 23 at 1pm vs. Brown.

Visit the Cornell Athletic Ticket Office from 10am-5pm any day this week or Saturday beginning 11:30am to secure your complimentary tickets!

You may still receive a refund for unused ECAC game three tickets. Tickets must be returned to the Athletic Ticket Office for a full refund of $12/ticket. Please note the April 30 deadline as indicated on the back of the ticket stub.

Thanks for your amazing support of Cornell Hockey and hope to see you soon!

no.. other than this board i have not found anyone of the 20 or so ticket holders who has gotten any notification.

i have have talked with many others who never got it.. also no one i know still has the tickets and why would we we need to return a ticket to get a refund if we paid by credit card?

I also asked when i bought the tickets and again when i bought extra playoff tickets when the refunds would come back and was told it was going to be refunded same as always a month or so after the season.

I wouldnt even know if that writing wasnt on tickets every year for game 3 of the playoff series.

upprdeck
no.. other than this board i have not found anyone of the 20 or so ticket holders who has gotten any notification.

i have have talked with many others who never got it.. also no one i know still has the tickets and why would we we need to return a ticket to get a refund if we paid by credit card?

I also asked when i bought the tickets and again when i bought extra playoff tickets when the refunds would come back and was told it was going to be refunded same as always a month or so after the season.

I wouldnt even know if that writing wasnt on tickets every year for game 3 of the playoff series.

I guess the other questions worth asking are: A) Are you a season ticket holder who purchased playoffs tickets through that process? And. B) Does the ticket ofc have youe email address? In my case, the answers were "yes" to both......

upprdeck
I also asked when i bought the tickets and again when i bought extra playoff tickets when the refunds would come back and was told it was going to be refunded same as always a month or so after the season.

I'm not sure what you mean by "same as always."

To the best of my recollection, unless one physically returned the tickets, no refunds were issued, It's possible that some years simply requesting the refund was enough, but I don't believe the ticket office has ever simply issued refunds for the unplayed game three to everyone who had purchased tickets. They certainly haven't done so in the recent past.

I have had tickets for 30 years.. i have paid by credit card for a large portion of that. i always buy the playoff tickets with the package so i keep my seats.. i have always gotten the refund on my credit card and never once gone to ask for it. i have had a few years where i went about this time to ask where it was and the response is usually they haven't done it yet. I talked with many ticket holders who i know and have had the same result if they paid by credit card.

I get that if you pay by check or cash you would need to go request the refund. not that thats really true since they have an address to send you a check. And even in that they rip you off since i have paid shipping on tickets that i picked up at the box office.

and yes they have my email and that of many of my friends and none of us got an email.

upprdeck
I have had tickets for 30 years.. i have paid by credit card for a large portion of that. i always buy the playoff tickets with the package so i keep my seats.. i have always gotten the refund on my credit card and never once gone to ask for it. i have had a few years where i went about this time to ask where it was and the response is usually they haven't done it yet. I talked with many ticket holders who i know and have had the same result if they paid by credit card.

I get that if you pay by check or cash you would need to go request the refund. not that thats really true since they have an address to send you a check. And even in that they rip you off since i have paid shipping on tickets that i picked up at the box office.

and yes they have my email and that of many of my friends and none of us got an email.

I agree that this is very strange.. I have no special '"in" with the ticket ofc....

I find this practice to be nothing more than a sleezy money grab..... Given the small amount of money involved, I think they should be ashamed of themselves ...... Not worth tarnishing their reputation!!

in talking with some people at the ticket office and some who went to visit

they have in the past refunded without having to go back

they have required for the last few years a visit, but most everyone who has come in does not remember it that way and they dont know why its been so confusing

the note on the ticket refund policy was added to the ticket this year for the first time.

they dont require tickets but they need some kind of statement for fiscal liability to show that you got your money and then didnt run off with it.

less than 50% of the people who were sent the email this week have opened it, which does make you wonder how many received it.

there were 3 notifications sent.

one was on the renewal paperwork, which most like me probably never even read.
one was sent out with some email that was sent about the Harvard hockey game
this last one was sent out, but again it was the trailer of a 3 part header so many might just have ignored it too.

but no single notification was sent and no reminder to those who have not got the refund to come in and get it.

they say they do not keep the credit card info on file so thats one reason they make you come back in now.

"Cornell Giving Day" and its accompanying horrific barrage of emails was earlier this week, and they're surprised only 50% of people opened their playoff ticket refund reminder??