Spring 2020 New York Season

[angelica]

12 hours ago, mimsyb said:

Does anyone know if the Box Office will be open beginning Sunday for Member's exchange week?

You can call them at 212-362-6000 after 12:00 noon to ask. If you do get an answer, please let us know.

Edited March 13, 2020 by angelica
Add sentence.

[Barbara]

I called Wednesday to ask if I could exchange by phone on Sunday, rather than by mail or in person. The recording noted a 15 min wait time to speak to someone so I chose the option of leaving my phone number to get a call back. No one ever called back. I’ll try again today. 

[mimsyb]

I received the same reply when I called the Box Office.  No reply either to my leaving a number.  My guess is that they are swamped with all sorts of many issues.  The HD showing has been cancelled.   I had sort of wished that perhaps ABT might have come up with an answer regarding exchanges.  I suppose they too have many issues to address.  I guess we wait and see.   Just hope all will remain healthy and safe.

[abatt]

They are swamped with refund requests.  They have automatically  applied my refund for my Sat opera tixs to my Met Opera account, without my consent.  However my understanding is that if you do not use the money by the end of the current Met Season (May 2020) it converts to a donation to the Met.  Also you cannot apply your Met Opera account funds to ABT tickets.  This will probably take hours of being on hold to resolve.

[nanushka]

2 minutes ago, abatt said:

Also you cannot apply your Met Opera account funds to ABT tickets.

That's nuts. The tickets are sold from the same box office and the same website. You can even use Met Opera gift cards for ABT tickets.

Edited March 13, 2020 by nanushka

[abatt]

1 minute ago, Leah said:

They’re saying you can still convert the credit to your account as a refund. Apparently you can do that in your account but I haven’t figured out how.

If you figure it out please share.  I do not see any way to convert the funds to a refund just by logging into my account.  I have many opera tickets in March and hell will freeze over before I allow all that money to end up as a Met donation.

[abatt]

30 minutes ago, nanushka said:

That's nuts. The tickets are sold from the same box office and the same website. You can even use Met Opera gift cards for ABT tickets.

I've been down this road with Met in prior seasons.  The folks at the box office have said that ABT is a separate entity, so any funds in the opera account cannot be applied to purchase ballet tickets.

 

 

[Helene]

I was planning to go to Montreal next week, and had a ticket to the Montreal Symphony.  They are doing the same thing as the Met Opera: automatically converting the ticket amount to an account credit, and you have to call to convert it into a refund.  

I suspect many arts organizations use the same type of underlying software for their ticketing systems.  

If I were planning to ask for a refund, I would wait a couple of weeks.  PNB has a single response for those who want to donate the ticket amount for the now-cancelled program that was supposed to open tonight, and those who want ticket exchanges, which is not to expect to hear for a week.  And those are the requests coming through a form that they can address without having to work with people on the phone, on demand, and a smaller ticket-buying base than Met Opera or ABT.

[California]

ABT just sent this email. Single ticket sales are postponed, including Member Advance Sales, which was to start this Sunday.

Dear Friends,

 

The safety and well-being of our audience, employees and dancers will always be of the highest importance to us. Following the advice of public health officials and the Center for Disease Control, we will be delaying the on sale dates for single performance tickets for the 2020 ABT Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. We will announce the new dates for Members Advance Sale, Subscriber Exchange Week, and Single Ticket On Sale soon.

 

At this time, there are no changes to the performance schedule for our 80th Anniversary Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 11 to July 4.

 

Thank you for your support of American Ballet Theatre and for your understanding during these uncertain times.

 

Please stay safe and healthy, and we look forward to seeing you at the ballet soon!

 

 

Sincerely, 

American Ballet Theatre 

[Barbara]

I got this too. Takes some of the pressure off and gives the box office more time to handle opera patrons requests. 

[NinaFan]

20 hours ago, abatt said:

If you figure it out please share.  I do not see any way to convert the funds to a refund just by logging into my account.  I have many opera tickets in March and hell will freeze over before I allow all that money to end up as a Met donation.

You bought something (item/service/performance) and have not received it.   How on earth could the Met get away with this!  Your credit card company can resolve this if you can't.   I guess we have this nonsense to look forward to if any ABT performances are cancelled.

I received an e-mail from Telecharge the other day saying they would automatically refund to my credit card for theater tickets during the Broadway cancellations recently announced.  That's what the Met should be doing.

[NinaFan]

 

8 hours ago, Barbara said:

I got this too. Takes some of the pressure off and gives the box office more time to handle opera patrons requests. 

Got this too.  And yes, it makes sense.

[nanushka]

18 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

You bought something (item/service/performance) and have not received it.   How on earth could the Met get away with this!

Not sure how/whether they can get away with it, but this is undoubtedly why they're trying to, rather than automatically refunding credit cards:

Quote

The Met is the largest performing arts organization in the nation: It is a $308 million-a-year operation, but a fragile one. The high costs of mounting opera, coupled with weakness at the box office and a relatively small endowment, make it highly dependent on donations. Now, it will lose millions in ticket revenues.

“There is no question that it is of severe financial consequence to the Met not to have performances,” said Peter Gelb, the company’s general manager, adding that he hoped some people with tickets for canceled performances would donate the money to the Met instead of seeking refunds, and that other donors would also step in to help. “We have an obligation to the world of opera, and to our public, to survive.”

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by nanushka

[California]

Colorado Ballet is giving people three very reasonable options. Patrons have to take the initiative to decide what they want to do. Nothing is automatic. From the Facebook responses, it looks like many will donate the ticket value and get a tax deduction.

===============

Ticketholders may:

• Turn their ticket(s) purchase into a donation to help Colorado Ballet finish the season strong. All ticket donations are fully tax-deductible.
• Receive an on-account credit that can be applied to tickets for the 2020/2021 season. This credit can be used for subscriptions or single tickets when purchased by phone. The credit will be good for one year for the value of the tickets, if purchased through Colorado Ballet.
• Exchange their ticket(s) for a gift certificate for a performance during the 2020/2021 season.

As a nonprofit arts organization with 55% of our operating cost covered by ticket sales, Colorado Ballet thanks all patrons who will consider donating their ticket(s) purchase.

[NinaFan]

16 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Not sure how/whether they can get away with it, but this is undoubtedly why they're trying to:

"he hoped some people with tickets for canceled performances would donate the money to the Met instead of seeking refunds....."

I certainly understand that they are fragile, as are most of the arts organizations, but I certainly hope that they cannot get away with doing this without consent. 

A friend of mine who subscribes to KC was sent the following for cancelled performances.  Seems to me that the Met should be doing the same thing if they want to encourage VOLUNTARY donations.

• Exchange your tickets for a future date or alternate show (where possible)
• Donate your tickets, and receive a tax deduction for the total ticket value
• Exchange your tickets for a Kennedy Center gift certificate, or
• Receive a full refund for the value of the ticket and associated fees

Edited March 14, 2020 by NinaFan

[nanushka]

3 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

I certainly understand that they are fragile, as are most of the arts organizations, but I certainly hope that they cannot get away with doing this without consent. 

A friend of mine who subscribes to KC was sent the following for cancelled performances.  Seems to me that the Met should be doing the same thing if they want to encourage VOLUNTARY donations.

I agree that it's not the best way to generate good will. That said, the three options @California reports Colorado Ballet as offering do not include a refund option, only donation or (basically) exchanges (i.e. an account credit or a gift certificate), so I'm guessing the Met may be legally in the clear on this. I'd be curious to hear what credit card companies do if anyone tries that route, though.

[NinaFan]

5 minutes ago, nanushka said:

I agree that it's not the best way to generate good will. That said, the three options @California reports Colorado Ballet as offering do not include a refund option, only donation or (basically) exchanges (i.e. an account credit or a gift certificate), so I'm guessing the Met may be legally in the clear on this. I'd be curious to hear what credit card companies do if anyone tries that route, though.

Yes, I just saw that they were not offering a refund.  The problem with their credits is they expire in one year.   I don't know about others, but the number of ballet performances I attend each year varies.   I have a hefty amount tied up in ABT (and NYCB tickets) and would hate to be in a position to be forced to make a mandatory donation. 

[nanushka]

10 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

Yes, I just saw that they were not offering a refund.  The problem with their credits is they expire in one year.   I don't know about others, but the number of ballet performances I attend each year varies.   I have a hefty amount tied up in ABT (and NYCB tickets) and would hate to be in a position to be forced to make a mandatory donation. 

And of course not everyone who attends performances is local (certainly not at the NYC companies, but even for regional companies), and so those who may have been planning to see a performance during a one-time visit to the area are left with no real option other than donation, if a refund is not available.

Edited March 14, 2020 by nanushka

[California]

I wonder if there is an unspoken option for all of these cancellations, viz., a full refund. It might be that they are not eager to encourage it, for understandable reasons. It probably depends on their original ticket terms and local statutes.

On a related note: the American Philosophical Association just cancelled their San Francisco meeting. Although they hope registrants will donate their registration fee, you can get a refund -- minus a 15% processing fee! This is not going over well on social media. http://dailynous.com/2020/03/12/apa-cancels-pacific-division-meeting/

[California]

I'm looking at how other companies are handling this.

• PNB says ticket holders will get email. No information that I can find on their web site. I'm wondering if we have ticket holders here who could tell us what options they are offering. http://www.pnb.org/aboutpnb/health-update/
• SF Ballet is offering two options: donation and credit toward a future performance (but not Nutcracker!). No mention of a refund. Is this what ticket holders understand? https://www.sfballet.org/a-message-regarding-the-covid-19-virus/

[YouOverThere]

3 hours ago, California said:

Colorado Ballet is giving people three very reasonable options. Patrons have to take the initiative to decide what they want to do. Nothing is automatic. From the Facebook responses, it looks like many will donate the ticket value and get a tax deduction.

===============

Ticketholders may:

• Turn their ticket(s) purchase into a donation to help Colorado Ballet finish the season strong. All ticket donations are fully tax-deductible.
• Receive an on-account credit that can be applied to tickets for the 2020/2021 season. This credit can be used for subscriptions or single tickets when purchased by phone. The credit will be good for one year for the value of the tickets, if purchased through Colorado Ballet.
• Exchange their ticket(s) for a gift certificate for a performance during the 2020/2021 season.

As a nonprofit arts organization with 55% of our operating cost covered by ticket sales, Colorado Ballet thanks all patrons who will consider donating their ticket(s) purchase.

They included the statement "Patrons who have tickets to this performance have three options to enable them to continue enjoying Colorado Ballet performances.", so it isn't clear that this list is exhaustive.

I can easily see this crisis being the death knell for many performing arts organizations, especially since it seems quite possible that cancellations will have to be extended.

[California]

4 minutes ago, YouOverThere said:

I can easily see this crisis being the death knell for many performing arts organizations, especially since it seems quite possible that cancellations will have to be extended.

This was the last program of the season for Colorado Ballet and the dancers were expecting lay-off after that until July, when they return. Many teach in the summer. Some perform at Vail. But San Francisco and PNB have many more programs ahead. Dr. Fauci said this could go on for at least two more months, maybe more.

I'm seeing discussion about the fate of the fall semester for colleges and universities that have abruptly gone on-line. This could all drag on a long time and "death knell" is probably sadly accurate for many arts programs, colleges, and more, not to mention small business, restaurants, you name it. Will everything be back to normal by April for NYCB and May for ABT? I don't think anybody should assume those are safe.

[NinaFan]

3 hours ago, Leah said:

I understand that refunds may just not be viable for many arts organizations. However if that’s the case then ticket holders should be able to have an indefinite credit with no restrictions on their account.

And if you are going to give refunds it should be automatic. The Met is just adding unneeded stress. The credit is still listed on my account, they won’t email any confirmations, and I’m worried that the refund just may not go through.

I totally agree.  If done as a credit, it should have no restrictions.  But I honestly hope it is not legal to keep the money as a donation, especially when it is a large amount of money at stake. 

Have you been able to get through and ask to speak with a manager? 

[Helene]

I understand why their systems aren't set up for refunds , and even if they could do a blanket refund easily, there might not be enough cash flow to refund people, especially since I'm sure this has cut into subscription sales for next season, which do provide cash flow.

Ultimately, they're making the patrons;

1. Do the work, including being on hold, pursuing promised call-backs, etc.

2. Be that person who wants their money back, and saying that to a human at the other end of the phone.

[NinaFan]

I just looked at ABT's website, and their links provide the information below for cancelled performances (on tour):

Durham,NC - For our ABT presentations, most affected ticket buyers who purchased using a credit card should see a credit appear on the charge card account used for purchase within the next 2-3 weeks. This automatic refund includes those that purchased tickets online or by phone with DPAC or Ticketmaster, or in person using a credit card at The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Ticket Center at DPAC. If you purchased with cash, please return to the Ticket Center to obtain a refund. For more information, please email DPAC at customerservice@dpacnc.com.

Chicago - If you have tickets to an upcoming performance in the next 30 days, the Auditorium Theatre will contact you in the next few days to discuss ticket options. Please be patient as we navigate the next steps, as we are expecting a high volume of inquiries.

Abu Dhabi Festival -All pre-sold tickets will be refunded