Death to the Seat Poachers

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, Terri Schehr said:

Oh I've heard the potty mouth.  He best be careful or he's headed to DCP jail.  

again? LOL

[Terri Schehr]

2 hours ago, LabMaster said:

I did not attend nationals in Indy.  Not once yet, but am hoping to go next year.  After reading these posts I am getting totally irritated.  Not so much to make me not want to go but enough to make me prepared to be less than kind should anyone be sitting in my seat when I get there or at anytime.  There are few things I hate in this world more than this type of action which is nothing short of theft, plain and simple.  Call it what it is people, it is THEFT.  It is not poaching, it is not a seat saver like at the Oscars.  I won't stand for this and I don't stand for line cutters.  Ask my wife.  I embarrass her when someone cuts in front of me in a line and call the person out.  In this situation DCI could and should help.  They are obligated to as part of their customer service.  It should not end once a ticket is purchased.  It is not like a local show where a sponsor manages the event.  This is a DCI managed event in conjunction with LOS.  The security staff although working with LOS should be also following their customer (DCI) R&R's for the event.  The LOS security staff coupled with DCI representatives (pink shirted people?)  joining them at gates, entry ways and seating areas.  They can certainly ands with not a huge amount of difficulty manage the "guests" much better and they should think of the paying customers as guests.

As a customer, I would have a zero tolerance level for seat stealers and talkers.  It may seem counter to the talkers, but I have no qualms telling any of them to shut up and say it loudly (the counter part) and be specific as to whom I meant.  I also have no problem calling a seat stealer just that, in a loud voice so all around me would know who I was directing by public accusation at.  I would have an usher at my hip (making them do their job) and, using my outside voice, be telling (not asking) the usher to remove the seat stealer.  What allows or enables these people to get away with this stuff is no one speaking up, right then and there.  No one making it public; loud enough for all to hear them called out as a seat stealer.  They are rewarded with their bad behavior by anonymity.  By the majority of people being nice.  Being nice and accepting your fate (standing in the tunnel and not sitting in you $40 seat) allows this to continue.  You would be no ruder than these offenders.  Some may say it would be lowering yourself to theIr level.  So what!!!  They are stealing my seat and ruining my experience (and probably others in the case of talkers).

The world at times seems like it is you against the "rules & courtesy don't apply to me" people.  Don't accept their lack or courtesy as just the way or the world.  We learned discipline in drum corps, it is time to apply it to stealers and talkers.  Many of the audience have travelled far and paid lots of money during the year to support their favorite corps.  They have a right to sit in their seat and enjoy the show.  Zero tolerance sheeple.  No more sheeple people.

Send a note to your favorite corps and ask their management and DCI meeting attendees, to raise this issue at the winter meetings and maybe DCI will take steps to make this better.  Don't just raise your voice at the show, do it all during the offseason.  DCI wants you to buy tickets now;  make DCI start taking steps to improve this concern, starting now.  DCI needs to know this is a serious concern and avoid some unfortunate and stupid occurring.

OK then, hopping off my soapbox now.

Don't let it stop you from coming to Indy. I think that if all of us who are complaining here would email DCI, perhaps we can light a fire under them.  Like you say, this is plain and simple, a customer service fail.  They should care more about the people who go to a great deal of expense to attend championships every year.  

Let's hope the squeaky wheels get some grease.  

[LabMaster]

6 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

Don't let it stop you from coming to Indy. I think that if all of us who are complaining here would email DCI, perhaps we can light a fire under them.  Like you say, this is plain and simple, a customer service fail.  They should care more about the people who go to a great deal of expense to attend championships every year.  

Let's hope the squeaky wheels get some grease.  

After this year I think I have to go.  Believe it or not my last nationals was when Boston first made finals in 99.  Quite obviously far too long. Maybe find you for a brew or two.

[Terri Schehr]

11 hours ago, LabMaster said:

After this year I think I have to go.  Believe it or not my last nationals was when Boston first made finals in 99.  Quite obviously far too long. Maybe find you for a brew or two.

Definitely! 

[MotoSurfBass]

20 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

Oh I've heard the potty mouth.  He best be careful or he's headed to DCP jail.  

Just got back from there! Honestly, it was refreshing to be away from here for 3 days.

[Terri Schehr]

3 hours ago, MotoSurfBass said:

Just got back from there! Honestly, it was refreshing to be away from here for 3 days.

Jim is there now.  I yelled at him yesterday.  He has promised to behave but I've heard that before...

[Bobby L. Collins]

Another thing to consider before you decide to throw someone over the rails for taking your seat is that there are plenty of empty seats right down front in the first 15 rows between the 35s that no one wants to sit in anymore because of all the speaker feedback.  Pretty good seats if you want to watch the front ensemble emote, however.  Something to think about before you inadvertently escalate a situation that could have easily been avoided.

[Terri Schehr]

9 minutes ago, Bobby L. Collins said:

Another thing to consider before you decide to throw someone over the rails for taking your seat is that there are plenty of empty seats right down front in the first 15 rows between the 35s that no one wants to sit in anymore because of all the speaker feedback.  Pretty good seats if you want to watch the front ensemble emote, however.  Something to think about before you inadvertently escalate a situation that could have easily been avoided.

Um no.  There weren't plenty of empty seats. 

[Terri Schehr]

I'm a pretty nice person but after over a year on here, someone has made it to ignored user.  

[Bone-Tone Lord]

The people you're calling "poachers" paid a hell of a lot more than you did and are the entire reason there even is a show. When you paid at most $129, you don't get to complain about someone who paid $3700 plus 11 weeks work taking your seat when you're not even there (99% of the time when I've seen a current member take an empty seat, anyone who bought the ticket there doesn't show up for multiple corps afterward- and when they do return, the members have always moved without issue). If they behaved the way OP described, it was in direct response to OP behaving the way they did in the post.