Season Ticket Holder Frustrations

Hey there Twins fans - I wanted to post about my experience as a season ticket holder the last few years and see if anyone else has felt similar.

I've been a season ticket holder in the past (a few years in the 1990's) and every year so far at Target Field.

Does anyone else feel that they are being taken for granted? It seems like the Twins really don't care about me as a STH.

Most recent example is the "complimentary" tickets to TwinsFest 2012. I know I get a ticket for each seat I have, but like everything there is no dates or communication on when they will be available until the last minute. You would think they could have this down like clockwork by now. I receive a e-mail from the Twins telling me how I can buy tickets to the event. Perhaps a bit jumpy, but since I haven't received anything about when I will receive my free STH tickets to the event, I decide to call the "STH VIP Hotline", asking if they know when I will receive info about my free STH TwinsFest tickets. They have no idea and tell me "It should be coming in a couple of weeks". Well, since the event is at the end of January and this is almost mid-December I'd hope the info would be coming in a couple of weeks, but what can you do. The very next week I get the e-mail about the STH tickets to TwinsFest being available today (12/13), through the convoluted system of having to enter your information online, along with your credit card even if you do not plan on buying additional tickets - no doubt in place in hopes that you will buy more, especially if you are forced to enter that info already.

But none of this is new since Target Field, it's just frustrating. In the 90's you were mailed out your tickets no questions asked. The STH staff was informed when you were getting them, and you got them before you were informed about when the public could buy them. It was decent customer service.

What is new this year - is that you are forced to select "print them at home". Well, I don't have a printer. Even if I did, why is there no option to have the tickets mailed to me? Some people like to collect their stubs as memories of the event.

Again I call the STH VIP Hotline. A teenage, perhaps young 20 something fellow answers the phone with annoyance before I even say a word - I explain I just filled out the online form for my free STH TwinsFest tickets but there was only a print-at-home options, would it be possible to have my tickets mailed to me. "Uh, I think that is the only option for this service. You could try e-mailing a friend". What if I don't know anyone with a printer I asked - "Then you won't be able to take advantage of these tickets" I'm told.

Now I may be making a big deal of this, but this is poor customer service.

The Twins communicate how to buy tickets before I get any info about the tickets I'm entitled to, how I'm forced to give them my credit card and how they are saving money by not mailing the tickets out, the rude phone representative, all just really rubs me the wrong way.

And this is just the most recent and perhaps the most minor issue I have run into in the past 2, going on 3 years as a STH.

Normally when I call the STH VIP hotline with a question I'm directed to my "account representative" who never seems to be in, and never calls me back (Seat Relocation, Suite rental questions, etc). The moves by the organization - both major and minor - to save costs (Autograph party silently killed, not mailing out tickets). The poor communication. The list goes on.

This is just plain bad customer service. This isn't even touching the team performance last year or the odd off season moves so far, two other good reasons to vote with my dollar.

I love baseball and the Twins. It's my favorite entertainment. But I feel like they aren't really interested in keeping me as a customer.