As someone who opted out and is somewhat indifferent/impartial, I do think the seat assignment complaints are fair. It circles back, yet again, to transparency.
I get that this is a difficult task. I think they did a pretty good job with Step 1, which was mapping sections of YS to Citi Sections. I say that even though I hated my section assignment so much that I opted out, because even though I hated it, I can't pick out a better option and generally I think their mapping makes sense. So I give them solid marks for that.
But though I also recognize that Step 2 is logistically even tougher, I can't give them better than a "D" on how they handled it, and frankly an "F" would not be irrational. Even adjusting for the fact that the people most poorly handled will make the most noise, I'm seeing too many reports of people sitting right next to each other placed several sections apart. And having seen multiple reports of Row 1 seats at YS not getting Row 1 at Citi, I'm pretty sure I have yet to see a single counter example, where someone replies to a post or Reddit comment, or tweet, saying FWIW, I'm Row 1 at YS and also got Row 1 at Citi. The closest I have seen is Row 2 and many report being much further back. It is hard not to conclude that they did not even try to keep any sort of like for like mapping within sections. Maybe that's wrong, but the club is not even presenting a counterfactual story.
Which is why it comes back to transparency and communication: If they did try to do a better job than what appears to be random chance, they had to know days and even weeks ago how they planned to do this. Good communication would have given some notice and explanation:
Please note that though we will try to accommodate everyone with seats as close to their Yankee Stadium seats as possible, there are limitations. For example, more than 2,500 season tickets holders sit in front row seats at Yankee Stadium, and there are only 1,800 corresponding front row seats at Citi Field. But we can guarantee that anyone with a front row seat will be no further back than the third row of any given section. Similarly, though we will try to keep seatmates together, even those not on the same account, we have to warn you that in some instances that will not be possible and people may even be 2-3 sections away from each other.
We apologize and ask for your cooperation and understanding as we all navigate and try to make the best of what we acknowledge is a less than perfect situation.
Boom. Good will.
But instead the CFG way is admit nothing, explain nothing, and circle the wagons.* It's been that way since Lampard. Never admit. Never confess. No excuses. No apologies. We do things as we see fit and if you don't like it as a customer you have 2 options. Accept it or don't. So why should we customers give them the benefit of the doubt when they handle every damn negative situation the same way? I mean, they're not even claiming they made even a minimal effort to keep Row 1 in Row 1, or seat buddies close to each other. So why should we assume that's what they did if they don't even say so?
* I think things were marginally better under Patricof, though the essential culture did not change. This year under Sims I see complete regression to the CFG way.
