In a surprising yet not at all surprising move, the Cleveland Indians are still charging fans for their March season ticket payments plans, despite the MLB season being delayed until April 9 at the earliest, with a May or even June start more likely.
Season ticket holders took to Twitter to voice their frustrations after receiving an email that first assured fans that the Indians take their safety very seriously, then snuck in a single sentence about charging them for their yearly season ticket plan despite the lack of games being played.
Paul Dolan is a thief. @Indians have shown their ass so many times when it comes to how their ticketing process works. This is an awful way to treat fans during this time. pic.twitter.com/1LUtjPxzCt
— EG (@EGreenyyy) March 16, 2020
According to some, the payments have already come out of their bank accounts.
Our payment came out today
— Lindsay Felske (@lindsayfelske) March 16, 2020
The Indians do note that we are in an unprecedented time, which is why most organizations around the country are taking unprecedented measures — such as landlords waiving rent, employers giving extra paid sick leave, and most other sports franchises paying for their hourly workers who may be without a paycheck for months. Meanwhile, MLB owners are leaving minor leaguers out in the lurch completely and now it appears they’ll be reaching into the pockets of their fans as well. How very precedented.
This is only a monthly charge for those on a year-long payment plan, so there is still time for the Indians to do the right thing and forgo future payments when the games do actually start, or even issue refunds if the delay goes on long enough.