TST6 for 2010
It pays to persevere or at least try again. The possibility exists that ticket sales for 2010 are not going so well. I’m not too sure. In any case, I was pleased to hear that we finally managed to purchase tickets for next year’s tournament. Our attempt in the first round draw for tickets in the team-specific ticket (TST) category was unsuccessful, probably because TST7 includes tickets to the final.
With no luck in the draw, the open ticket sales proved to be the next best opportunity. Indeed, we managed to secure tickets in the TST6 category to follow Germany (I just checked – those tickets are no longer available). We’ll be doing without the final, but that was a slim chance to begin with – six games will take us to the semi-finals. Let’s hope the Germans will join us…
Whilst the online ticket purchase is a seamless experience, my biggest bugbear is the stranglehold both FNB (as the official banker) and VISA (as the official credit card) have on the cash held in trust by them for the initial draw.
To enter the draw, full payment for all requested tickets is required. In exchange, a personalized FNB Visa Official Mascot Prepaid Card is provided. An unsuccessful attempt means the money stays in the bank. Try paying online for your ticket order during the next phase: no chance to use the Prepaid Card. No chance of transferring the cash from that Prepaid Card to anywhere else either, according to FNB staff. Their best advice is to withdraw cash from an ATM using the card, with a limit of ZAR 2000 per day applied. No problem if the amount in the account is less than ZAR 2000, but certainly impractical and expensive when considering amounts in excess of ZAR 50,000! Furthermore, to gain access to the cash when withdrawing from the bank requires a round of FICA accreditation, an odd requirement, considering the account and ticket application requires positive identification…
How much money the sponsors make out of their sponsorship is never revealed, and one will always hear stories of huge investment and cost. Forcing customers into fee payments that are bogus is a clear indication that money can be made, by fair means or foul.
In the meantime, here’s Alexander‘s countdown to 2010.
