Izzone fans frustrated with ticket troubles
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In his four years at MSU, communication senior Mike Haslett never missed a chance to watch a game with the Izzone. This weekend, he’ll miss the two most important games of the year.
Haslett is one of thousands of disappointed Izzone members who were denied a ticket to Final Four games on Saturday and Monday in Detroit because of a faulty link provided by the Student Alumni Foundation to student section members for purchasing tickets.
“It sucks — I can’t put it in better words than that,” he said. “It’s hard to know who to be upset with.”
Izzone adviser Dan DiMaggio said he fielded phone calls Tuesday from disgruntled Izzone members upset with the ticketing procedure.
“It could be best summed up as a lot of phone calls,” DiMaggio said. “The majority of the calls are on the mix-up, so we’re just explaining to them what happened.”
DiMaggio said the error was caused by a link provided by Veritix, a third-party company made responsible by the NCAA to handle ticketing. The 400 students who successfully purchased tickets will keep them.
Veritix spokeswoman Susan Kirkpatrick said the company sent an initial e-mail to Izzone members Monday containing the broken link. A second e-mail sent about six hours after the first — and about an hour after tickets were supposed to go on sale — gave a working link, Kirkpatrick said.
No mass explanation or apology had been issued as of Tuesday by the Student Alumni Foundation, the Izzone or Veritix, leaving some students still wondering what happened.
“We’re really confused and don’t know what to do,” general management senior Sean Petersen said. “We need to know as soon as possible if we need to buy tickets. Prices are going up. That’s the most frustrating thing.”
Haslett said he was most frustrated when he saw a ticket for sale at allmsu.com for $800.
“It seems upsetting that I’m a senior and there’s someone trying to sell their ticket online,” he said. “There are obviously more dedicated students than that — I’m sure people would be willing to camp out if that was at all possible.”
Some students spent Tuesday sorting through rumors that tickets were attained by non-Izzone members, and that more tickets will become available.
“I heard a rumor that more tickets might be given,” Haslett said.
“It sounded like the athletic program was pushing for that.”
Political science sophomore Val Klemmer was one of thousands of Izzone members who spent hours trying to get a ticket and one of 400 who succeeded. Klemmer said she is excited for the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity and feels lucky to represent the university.
“To the people who didn’t get tickets: We’re going to represent the Izzone, and we’re really excited to go,” Klemmer said.
Commentary
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T-Dubs
(04/01/09 1:03am)Report
https://wtms.worldtek.com/events/189/GameInfo.html
GO TO THIS SITE. UCONN HAS NOT SOLD ALL THEIR TICKETS YET, BUY EM UP KIDS
Johnny Spirit
(04/01/09 1:17am)Report
SAF fails again
Concerned
(04/01/09 1:18am)Report
nuke this comment page!!!
Kula Mavi
(04/01/09 1:21am)Report
And how is SAF not to blame? They should have sent the link out themselves to only qualified candidates and gone by first come first serve.
another angry senior fan
(04/01/09 2:32am)Report
I’m with Mike on this one, this sucks, and it especially sucks that people would buy a ticket, then sell it on allmsu to make a profit. No real fan would do that, and it sucks that fans like Mike, myself, and many others who are seniors (or younger) that have gone to every game for years got screwed out of tickets by a faulty system. I’m waiting for an apology, and until then I have no respect for anyone who was involved in this process. I’ll still be angry if we get an apology, but someone could at least have the decency to explain what happened, and apologize. I appreciate the State News covering this issue so much, but I expect more from every organization involved
Oh really
(04/01/09 6:17am)Report
Something else for people to think about… do people know that someone figured out how to bypass the error page by replacing the word error in the URL with quantity? Tickets were not going that fast until someone posted this info on allmsu and the like. That, izzone members, is a HUGE reason you didn’t get ticekts. SAF knows about this… yet another reason for them to make it right.
Jack
(04/01/09 8:03am)Report
ALL IZZONE MEMBERS – We’re dues paying members of the SAF, which means they have to let us attend meetings and vote. Let’s move to impeach the SAF directors and vote them out of there!
ben
(04/01/09 8:07am)Report
There was a similar situation in 05, my senior year in the Izzone. All Izzone members ended up being offered tickets. I know that won’t happen this year. The SAF/ Izzone is a joke. It has turned into an issue when the Izzone Directors can totally give special treatment to there other nerdy friends.
To avoid students selling there tickets in 2005 you had to physically pick up the tickets in St. Louis with a photo I.D. We drove 8 hours straight, picked up the tickets, and immediatly a guy offered me $2,000 for the 3 games. I didn’t take it.
I wish you all the best of luck but I would have to say you probably shouldn’t have any hope in the lowely Izzone Directors or any of those banana heads at SAF.
Cynical one
(04/01/09 9:21am)Report
So, you are finally figuring out it’s not about sports-it’s about money for the NCAA
Matt
(04/01/09 9:44am)Report
As an MSU alum, I would gladly give up my chance to buy tickets to give priority to the Izzone. I’d rather have the rowdy Izzone at the game to give the Spartans a better chance to win. I think Hollis should reserve a few thousand tickets to offer to students before they are offered to alum.
Disappointed
(04/01/09 11:52am)Report
…..UConn’s tickets are all sold out too as of today. I don’t even know what to do with myself right now, it is a mixture of sad, disappointed, angry, and very confused. Such a large numbers of diehard student fans got screwed over by this and no one seems to really care, which is the most frustrating.
Truth
(04/01/09 11:55am)Report
Can we just all agree SAF sucks and remove them from the Izzone?
I Understand but be thankful
(04/01/09 12:46pm)Report
Ok I understand that people are upset due to the technical problem, but i think people need to keep in mind, never in the history of the final 4 have they set aside tickets for students only. In the past they would buy tickets at the same price and fight for tickets as everyone else. So just be thankful there were even tickets to be arguing over!
Home Brew
(04/01/09 12:56pm)Report
I prefer to watch the game with a fine cabernet…perhaps a Chilean variety…by the case mind you!
Jason
(04/01/09 1:39pm)Report
Not that it will get a lot done, but here are a few kids trying to sell izzone tickets for huge profit on allmsu.com
Derek James Baker bakerde2@msu.edu
Andrew Robert Lake lakeand1@msu.edu
Taryn Huizenga sunkissed31290@aol.com
Ryan
(04/01/09 1:53pm)Report
I agree with Jack, we Izzone members should go to the next SAF meeting and move to impeach the directors. It may not be their fault, by there does seem to be a lack of leadership. We have not even been informed what they are trying to do or what their plans are.
Wow
(04/01/09 1:54pm)Report
Wow. Mark Hollis or the SAF better come up with something quick, or else you have 2,000 angry students on your hands, things will not end up pretty.
this guy
(04/01/09 2:01pm)Report
(3 year lower-bowler): Yeah, I was pissed, but I’m over it. We were lucky to even have a chance at $20 seats. I’ll enjoy the game in EL anyway.
Go Green
Sympathetic
(04/01/09 2:44pm)Report
I feel bad for everyone that didn’t get tickets, especially the Izzone members. I have a couple friends that are Izzone members, and one was able to get tickets and the other didn’t, when the second one is a bigger fan than the first! It broke her heart when she wasn’t able to get tickets…and I feel so bad for everyone else too.
Fan
(04/01/09 3:41pm)Report
I read online that UConn was allotted 3200 tickets. We only got 400?
Jason
(04/01/09 3:42pm)Report
The 3,200 is for the basketball program. Thats the same number we got. The 400 is just the little student section the NCAA was offering for the first year ever.
SAF admit responsibility
(04/01/09 4:29pm)Report
This is absurd. First off, SAF: admit that you made a mistake. Second off, correct it. It is not that hard. They deserve every bit of the backlash that has been received, due to their scandalous behavior. The fact that nothing is being done goes to show how unjust the system really was.
Tickets
(04/01/09 4:56pm)Report
How can this be the largest crowd in the history of the final four and universitys get only a small amount of tickets. this is outrageous. As an Alum I would like to see the students get a chance to go to the game but the students must realize that most of michigan states tickets go to people at the michigan state basketball/familes and administration…as well as donors that contribute a significant amount of money to michigan state university.
they need to change the ticket policy for these games. give the schools more tickets!! SAF and Mark Hollis are not to blame for this. It’s the NCAA that runs these games. So if you want to be mad at someone point ur blame at them.
As for myself I ended up buying a ticket for 250 bucks.
And for these students that are selling their tickets for above face value after getting them through the school. (below that were in an earlier message)
Derek James Baker bakerde2@msu.edu
Andrew Robert Lake lakeand1@msu.edu
Taryn Huizenga sunkissed31290@aol.com
The school should kick them out of the Izzone and take their tickets away.
Taryn H.
(04/01/09 5:20pm)Report
Hey I don’t know how my name got involved with this but I AM GOING TO THE GAME and NOT selling my tickets. Thanks.
this guy
(04/01/09 5:27pm)Report
all you people who feel righteous about what happened, and think you, above others, deserve tickets…shut up. there were only 400 tickets to start off with, most of you STILL werent going to get tickets. i dont care that you sat there for an hour with your clicker about to hit the link, so did tons of other people. first come, first serve. the system failed? things happen.
two summers ago the system failed for angel during finals week. no press was given to that, but if we stop and think about it, isnt education more important than a basketball game? yeah, get excited about your team, root, whatever, but dont forget that there are a lot more important things than attended this game.
p.s. if you have a computer and the credit card to buy tickets for this game, i bet you also have a tv. so turn it on, and shut the fuck up.