Cameron

I'm going to make a cursory observation, and then run for cover. Aren't we all (myself included) acting somewhat like entitled children when demanding things like no-charge guaranteed annual upgrades/relocations, equality in free jerseys, and a ticket office that actually answers the phones politely and helpfully with live Redskins employees despite dealing with abuse and complaints all day long? And they aren't rerouting your calls to Hyderabad or Tijuana? The Redskins organization is a business-- granted,it's a unique one that makes its profits from the business capital of fanaticism, loyalty, and the uncertainties of winning in professional sports-- but it is in the end a for-profit business. Here's the cynic's point of view: we don't pay PSL's, so what has the team really promised to you in any contracted way? Do any of you (club level excluded) have paper that says you even can get your seats back next year if you decide you want them? No matter how long you've been a ticket holder, who your grandpappy rooted for, or how many times a day you check your online season ticket account, those seats annually aren't yours-- they belong to the company and are theirs to sell. Moreover, can you truly justify that the team will spend untold hours and dollar investments (staff, computer systems, etc) to try to upgrade/relocate you each and every year at no additional charge over your 10-game ticket package? Bottom line, in a strict academic business sense the team *should* simply do only what's smart to increase the business capital and the mechanism that derives profit from that capital. I think they do a lot more than that. Give them some credit now and again. They are our team and they do a pretty great job. In truth, the upgrade system as a whole is a pretty remarkable and unjustifiable business expense. It's all part of increasing loyalty, which, yes, the Redskins have done amazing things to convert to a monetizable asset, but it's always an indirect and unquantifiable formula. They would undoubtedly make even more money by ripping away the very best seats from longtime fans and making them available to the highest bidder, as happens in professional basketball. But our team doesn't do that. I do love my Redskins. It ruins my week every time they can't convert their talent level into a win, and steams me when I see players who don't respect their own burgundy and gold tradition. But I am fiercely proud to be part of the organization, even in some small way. Sorry. It must be a Monday. I guess I must be bummed that my own upgrade didn't happen this year, so I'm trying to rationalize that it's really okay.

I love this board.

I agree that the TO appears to have stopped upgrading people inside the 15 yard lines without a special club deal or some other extenuating circumstance. I was very happy to make the turn off the corner last year to nice side-of-the-endzone seats in section 126, but progress has halted this year. No upgrade yet. I have a set of 3 tickets together with a buddy, and pretty good seniority. My theory isn't really drawn from my own experience (reinforced by, yes, but not based on). It's more that this is an active board and no one has ever posted auto upgrades within the 15's, to my knowledge. Ticket office, if you're reading this, feel free to use me as an example to prove the theory wrong. I promise I wouldn't mind at all.

I've heard it from a couple of different ticket office reps over the past few years. Would love confirmation from another season ticket holder if anyone wants to pursue it and ask. Certainly happy to be corrected if anyone gets different info.

Agree 100%. Ticket office has been really friendly-- in fact better and better every year. Also agree that nothing ever seems "normal" when trying to track the system-- there are anomalies every year, most of them explainable IF the details surface (bumped up via club seat purchase, high system seniority never capitalized upon, etc etc), but then again sometimes there are simply just weird outliers. It's a big stadium and ample room for outliers to occur. No upgrade for me yet this year (LL to LL) but watching and waiting and hoping. I was told that based on my seating location (pretty good) and seniority (moderate in the context of LL longtimers) to estimate 50/50 at best. ---------- Post added June-13th-2012 at 12:59 PM ---------- Here's a thought that would turn this entire thing upside down: some major college football programs have figured out how to take "seniority" (transparently defined by annual giving level, longevity as ticket holder, class year, etc-- I'm sure defined by the athletic department development office), and then to give each ticket holder a rank. Based on that rank, the ticket holder goes online at a certain time and date and chooses an upgrade on an interactive stadium map, based on remaining available seats at that point in the relocation season. Fun, yes. Profitable for team? No idea. ---------- Post added June-13th-2012 at 01:06 PM ---------- Before I go, I'll drop this bomb: what is the eventual likelihood of a seniority/upgrade system something like what I described, supplemented by a profit motive for the ticket office: a fee to participate in the upgrade program in any given year? Before I get killed here, I'm not advocating it, I'm just pointing out a scenario that has undoubtedly already occurred to a great for-profit enterprise (the Redskins) looking to grow revenue without raising ticket prices.

A small but important edit to the info you're looking to gather: ticket office seniority is tied to the date you entered the season ticket wait list, not the date you first obtained tickets. For some old timers like me, there's a healthy differential between the two.

I agree 100% on the idea of donating preseason tix to a charity. I've done it several years in a row, and it works out positively for everyone. People/kids who want tix get tix, the charity gets cash, and you get a tax deduction. Plus you increase your karma points. Bingo.

Check out redskins.com and try to find the link to log into your season ticket account (under drop-down menu "tickets"). From what I can see, the option has disappeared. It's May 3 and quite probably the TO is working on upgrades/ overdue renewals? Ticket Office seems to be on a very businesslike schedule this year, great to see. Upgrades were posted on June 20 last year, so it's still early, but things are apparently moving along. Also, lots of new (?) links on home page to Facebook, fourquare, twitter, google+, and various boards including this one. Good stuff! I'm seeing lots of improvements this year.

True 'nuff. Oh well-- no one took the bait (yet). Either way, I'll continue to enjoy my season tickets and my slow march to midfield lower level. I love owning my own and building up seniority in the system. It's fun for me-- no disrespect to others, but I do know what it's worth to me and I renew because I do. I also I own my car even though it's one of the few "investments" that is guaranteed to reduce in value over the course of ownership. Math says no, I say yes. I do it 'cause I do. And I'm happy. Congrats again to Hoover-ball on joining the ranks. Good times!

Congrats and welcome to owning your own, Hoover-ball. Now for the requisite comments from season ticket naysayers... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Yes, system is back up. Nothing to see here, move along. The one thing I did notice is that now my 2011 invoice (under "completed invoices") is broken out game-by-game. There are ten tickets, each priced individually, to add up to my completed invoice. I may be mistaken, but I don't remember seeing this before. Always a new wrinkle in the accounting/billing system, but the timing of upgrades has been pretty consistent for several years. If past practice holds, and I don't think there's any reason this year it wouldn't, it will be a couple of months before we see upgrades. It was June 20th last year (at least it was for the first news on lower-level to lower-level upgrades).

Just checked my records from last year. Longtime season ticket holder, lower level. Last year's first upgrades were posted online on June 20th, 2011. If the ticket office has started early, it's mighty early. Plus, I might add, I can't imagine a possible incentive or reason for the ticket office to be giving out automatic upgrades now (or even this month), especially if those upgrades would possibly displace non-renewed accounts whom the TO hasn't had but a few days to try to contact. Hang tight, everyone. Just sayin'. (btw, my account is "locked out" right now too).

I agree with SonnyandSam on all of the above. Been watching my invoices every year since they went online-- over ten years I think. This year the invoices / seat numbers are presented differently. However, something, insignificant or significant, seems to be different every year. There's always a new part of the system. I wouldn't pay a bit of attention to the invoices for clues to seat upgrades for six to eight weeks yet, at least. Patience, people, patience. My tix have moved from the top (really, in truly, the very top-- I could see my car in the parking lot if I turned around during the game) of the upper deck to good lower-level goal-line sideline seats ever so gradually over the years. It does happen. Eventually.