Saints offering refunds, canceling accounts; fans in limbo

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) — This year, The Saints are back in the Dome for the first time, but some season ticket holders are already seeking refunds.

There has been some controversy among cardholders over the city’s new COVID-19 requirements and those seeking refunds say they will not be getting their money back.

To enter the Superdome you will need a face mask and your vaccine card or proof of a negative COVID test of up to 72 hours old.

Fans should also be there a few hours early.

A spokesman for the Dome says he is still in talks about how cards and tests will be checked and whether more staff will be added.

If you don’t at least have your first shot, you’ll need to do a PCR test, which you may want to think about before Monday’s game. It usually takes two to three days to get your results.

From extraction to getting the results out of the machine, it takes several hours to get the results and they need to be verified by the lab director and then communicated to the patient and their caregivers, that’s why it takes time, Dr. Lucio Miele of LSU Health Precision Medicine Lab said.

There are rapid PCR tests, but they are usually not the free ones you can get. dr. Miele says money isn’t the only thing those quick tests can cost you.

They are also the ones with the highest rate of false negatives, Miele said.

Miele says that’s worrying, as the Dome allows full capacity. However, there are some cardholders who do not show up this year.

I asked for a refund and they sent me back the same vomited email saying to sell them through the SeatGeek app, season ticket holder David Hill said. That’s not a guaranteed sale. Your ticket prices will drop because I’m certainly not the only one who won’t show any papers to enter the building.

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

A season ticket holder since 2018, Hill disagrees with the city’s new requirements and is now trying to figure out what to do with his four seats that cost nearly $10,000.

I have a few people who want to buy individual games from me, but I’m really stuck with games that I don’t go to, Hill said. Four tickets I’m not going to use.

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

Let’s opt out again this year, like they did last year, and let’s keep our rights for the season next year, but they won’t, Hill said.

The Saints issued a statement on August 19 stating that they have not received many requests for refunds.

Based on current city and state regulations that allow full capacity, we had no intention of offering refunds on subscriptions, as has been our standard policy. We have received less than 120 ticket refund requests at this time [Thursday] This morning and, following media inquiries and recent refund policy articles, we have received thousands of calls from interested fans seeking to purchase season tickets made available by current season ticket holders seeking refunds, the statement reads.

Our preference is for these loyal fans instead of these extra tickets being made available to visiting fans through the secondary market. Those seeking a refund must contact their ticket representative by Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 4:00 PM CT. At their request, we will cancel their accounts and issue a refund. Those tickets are then immediately offered for sale on our waiting list. Due to the start of the home season next week, every effort will be made to expedite this process. Further details on the refund policy will be made available to those seeking a refund through their ticket representative.

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