Saints offering refunds, canceling accounts; fans in limbo

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Saints will be back in the Dome for the first time this year, but some season ticket holders are already looking for refunds.

There’s been some controversy among ticket holders over the city’s new COVID-19 requirements and those who are looking for refunds say they aren’t getting their money back.

To get into the Superdome, you’ll need a face mask and your vaccine card or proof of a negative COVID test no more than 72 hours old. Fans should also get there a few hours early.

A spokesperson for the Dome says they are still discussing how cards and tests will be checked and if more staff will be brought in. If you don’t at least have your first shot, you’ll need to take a PCR test, which you might want to start thinking about for Monday’s game. It usually takes two to three days to get your results.

“From extraction to getting the results out of the machine itself, takes several hours to get the results and they need to be verified by the laboratory director and then communicated to the patient and their caretakers, which is why it takes a while,” Dr. Lucio Miele with LSU Health Precision Medicine Lab said.

There are rapid PCR tests but they aren’t usually the free ones you can get. Dr. Miele says money isn’t the only thing those rapid tests could cost you.

“They’re also the ones with the highest rate of false negatives,” Miele said.

Miele says that’s concerning since the Dome is allowing full capacity. However, there are some ticket holders this year who may not show.

“I asked for a refund and they send me the same regurgitated email back saying to sell them on the SeatGeek app,” season ticket holder David Hill said. “That’s not a guaranteed sale. Your ticket prices will go down because I’m sure I’m not the only one that doesn’t want to show papers to get into the building.”

SeatGeek is an app that allows you to resell your tickets, but for a fee.

A season ticket holder since 2018, Hill doesn’t agree with the city’s new requirements and is now trying to figure out what to do with his four seats that cost almost $10,000.

“I got a few people who want to buy single games from me but I’m really stuck with games I’m not going to go to,” Hill said. “Four tickets that I’m not going to use.”

He’s not alone either. Attorney General Jeff Landry also has called out the organization for not issuing refunds.

“Let us opt out again this year, like they did last year, and let us maintain our rights for the season next year, but they will not do that,” Hill said.

The Saints released a statement on Aug. 19, saying they haven’t received many requests for refunds.

“Based on current city and state regulations allowing full capacity, we did not plan to offer refunds for season tickets, as has been our standard policy. We have received less than 120 requests for ticket refunds as of [Thursday] morning and, following media inquiries and recent articles about refund policies, we have received thousands of calls from interested fans wanting to purchase any season tickets made available by current season ticket holders seeking refunds,” the statement read.

“Our preference is to have these loyal fans in the seats rather than see these additional tickets be made available to visiting fans via the secondary market. Those seeking a refund should reach out to their ticket representative by the deadline of Tuesday, August 24 at 4:00 pm CT. At their request, we will cancel their accounts and provide a refund. Those tickets will then be immediately offered for purchase to our wait list. Every effort will be made to expedite this process due to the start of the home season next week. Further details regarding the refund policy will made available to those seeking a refund through their ticket representative.”

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