Ok, I've seen your point often enough to know what you deem to be missteps.
In your view what do they need to do repair it. What actual services, perks, engagement that are realistic need to be done.
Personally I have been seat holder since day one and really don't care much about all the other stuff. I guess I'm easy to please cause all I care about is attending the games. Things like contests, food and beverage choices are all secondary to me and I just choose to buy or not buy. I've also never really had a need to engage with the reps for things. I'm satisfied with the food and merch discount.
On some level I think maybe some people feel entitled to far more then what is realistic.
First, I wasn't actually directing the latter part of the post at you, but cool you've noticed.
To be honest I find your comment regarding entitlement to be a little condescending. It's likely not meant that way intentionally but it's how I perceive it. It demeans the very real issues I and many other have faced when dealing with TNSE (guy with cancer asks to transfer his tickets to another member of the group and they ask for $1400 to do so? F$ck right off. Even Westjet didn't bat an eye or ask for proof). I'm pleased you've had no issues ever and I wish that had been my experience, but it's not and it's not for many others I know.
I too have been a STH from day one, Section 112 and tried to move my seats from the very first day in those P3 seats. It took me 7+ years and likely doesn't happen without my association with this board and the kindness of a board member that provided me his name, old and new seat locations that moved from P6 to better seats in P3 before me. Prior to providing that information to my ticket rep, they told me I was lying. After providing the names and seat locations I was moved to Section 103 within 2 days.
How can they repair it? I don't believe they can; not with STH they've lost. People are fine with getting cheaper tickets to the vast majority of games and not having to deal with the inconsistent treatment from TNSE.
Burning out the flippers was likely always expected and I have no issue with that. Burning out the folks that had/have the disposable income to afford STH in a declining economy is the opposite of sound business practices (you'll excuse me if I don't concern myself with budget issues).
What can they do moving forward? Value their customers. Don't undercut their STH:
1. don't sell seats next to a STH for LESS than the STH pays and provide the perk (?) of a beer and a hotdog that the STH doesn't get. You want to do that for your walk ups? Step up and offer it to the STH as well. Yeah, it doesn't happen every game but it happens at most of the non-A games (perhaps not on Friday or Saturday night - so ballpark 50% of the games). As for non-STH NOT getting into the game for less as a STH? That's complete bullshit. I pay $130 a seat for my seats and I've frequently sat beside people getting in for $85 plus the beer/hot dog. Yes, I have priority access to playoff tickets. What's that again, we qualify roughly every other year or slightly less? Big perk there. Thanks, but I'll take the $45 x 22 games = $990 in savings over the season.
2. Don't mandate me via the contract to sell my tickets on your official site for
no less than I paid when you're selling the seats next to me for under STH pricing. Sometimes seats have to be moved (work travel, illness, etc.) and I can't list my tickets for what TNSE is. That's flat out horseshit. Yeah, I can sell on fansfirst or whatever, but TNSE reserves the right to revoke my STH license if they're in the mood to do so. Our group has listed tickets at our price, only to be undersold by TNSE at a lower price. We have your money, $%^& you STH is the message.
3. Make some actual effort to keep actual records of your STH requests for relocation.
The Bombers were able to do this in the era of rulers, graph paper and rotary dial telephones. I was at the point of requesting a relocation every 3 months due to ticket rep turnover and being told "we have nothing on file". When I re-emailed my request they'd apologize and do nothing. I'm not delusional, but I do want to feel like I matter and that my concerns that are reasonable are recorded and some effort is made. See above regarding my move from 112-103. There should be a file for each set of ST but I do not believe there is. When moving to half season this year for the first time since the Jets returned, my ST rep suggested I move to section 112 because section 103 was too good for half season. I've been a STH since 2011 and I don't carry any weight at all? Really? That's going to encourage me to re-up? Come on. I fought for seven years to get out of that section and you're telling me that 103 is high demand (it's not, trust me).
4. Be responsive to your clientele. I lost a guy from my group because he got tired of lining up at the box office to pick up his tickets because he was retired and didn't want a smartphone. Yeah, I know, but you know what? The Vancouver Canucks to this day still print tickets (at additional cost) for the clientele that want it. My brother in law was a partner in a law firm in Vancouver that gave tickets to clients for their business. He retired last year so I don't know if it's current for this year but up until 2023-24 it was a thing.
I worked in the restaurant industry a long time decades ago and those that I know that are still there (mods ask if you want names) have all dumped their tickets with the switch to electronic ticketing because it's too annoying (as in the customers don't want to give their emails to the restaurant because they then expect incoming spam marketing) and inconvenient to give valued customers and/or staff a reward. I can give you several chains in Winnipeg that dropped their STH packs because of this. The tickets were used to reward staff, frequent customers. That's cutting out a corporate partner essentially.
It's not that hard, find a way to print, watermark/protect those tickets in some way, charge more and you feed that clientele. I fully acknowledge that's the way of the future, but you know what? How many Millenials have that disposable income at this point? Face it, you burned Boomer/Gen X clientele and those are the actual people with the disposable income. Well played.
I've lost many more people in my group over the years because they've simply looked at the economics and realized that they can pay full price to see Edmonton or whoever they really want to see and then go to a number of other games for under STH price in similar seats and end up saving money versus being part of a STH group and paying the $130 for P3. The penalty for that economic decision is possibly/maybe paying more to see the playoffs that they're probably not attending anyway. Tough economic times and they're winning overall. TNSE taking the short view when they should be playing long is the simple explanation. I mean how do you grow up and succeed in Winnipeg and so severely misunderstand your market?
I don't care about free merch, etc. The discounts are better (it was pretty sad when the waitlist was getting the same discount as my $10K a year payment). Contests are utterly irrelevant (would you like the name of a guy I know that has been STH of the game twice). It's something of a strawman to contend that it's the lack of perks that keep people from being a STH - do you really think there are that many people that if they got a free jersey they'd drop several thousand dollars? I suppose that's actually probably true given how many people fall for the "points" scams that are offered by many grocery retailers.
TNSE overestimated its ability to piss people off and they are reaping the rewards of their behavior. As mentioned, to me it's literally the used car sleazy salesman market. Once they have your money the follow up is severely lacking. That's an ok model for people out there that you can burn the experience with; other car dealers exist, many with the same model of business so people get hooped. That's not the case with the Jets. Winnipeggers are inherently cheap and are by and large not stupid. Why would someone pay $130 for STH in P3 to see preseason games, Utah games in late January at 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon when the team probably isn't in the mood (trust me, I've so many lacklustre efforts) when the alternative is to pick games you want and so long as it's not Friday/Saturday or a handful of teams they're ultimately paying less. Yeah, they might miss out on a playoff game but I've yet to see the Jets win a home game (luck of the draw) in the playoffs and have seen them eliminated three times. Whoo-whoo. I have lots of white towels though.
And no, I don't really want the Bud and hotdog. That will come back on me.
Provide value and people will come to you. Screw them and they walk away. I think there have been a few movies over the years espousing similar principles. Chipman and crew didn't learn that lesson. Yet.