Well, I feel sheepish, And like a bully. I’m a bully-sheep. A sheepy-bull. Is that an oxymoron?
Anyway, I heard from Jennifer at the NAC, who is seriously the nicest person EVAH. She went to bat for me and got me these answers.
1. Yes, the NAC policy with subscriptions is that you are “buying” – or really, just signing up for – a spot on the waiting list for a subscription. After the renewal date has passed, they take all the purchases from all sources — phone, web, box office, mail — and sort through them. First priority goes to renewing members; second priority goes to previous members who are changing to new subscriptions; last priority goes to new members. Sorting this out by hand takes a while, and that’s why they just figured it all out last week.
2. This policy is clearly stated when purchasing/reserving/whatevering ticket subscriptions by phone or at the box office. It’s not as clear on the website. They’ll be looking into making this better.
3. Usually, they don’t charge your credit card until they know you have an actual package of tickets. They charged credit cards early this year so that purchasers would not have to pay the HST. That’s why I got charged, then got told later on they were out of tickets. Next year, this shouldn’t happen. (Question: if they don’t usually charge your card, do they bother to call you to let you know you won’t be getting tickets? Or is the absence of a charge all the notice you get that you didn’t make the cut? Just curious.)
4. Jennifer and the NAC are really, really, really sorry about all this. As am I, I feel like an idiot. I mean, I had a right to be angry, I think. But to compare them to Rogers? That was totally uncalled for.
5. There’s a waiting list to get tickets for subscriptions, and you can ask to be on it. So Jennifer put us on it right away. And guess what? We got tickets! A set became available. I know, it sounds fishy. But Jennifer assures me she did nothing to get us tickets other than put us on the waiting list, and seriously, she is the Nicest Person EVAH, so I have to believe her. And thus, the sheepish. And bullyish. New blog name: BullySheep.
So there you have it, happy ending. We got tickets after all. The NAC will hopefully improve their online interface to make it clearer what you are buying/not buying. And we have all learned that Jennifer rocks, and that if you’d like an NAC subscription, shop early, shop aggressively, and get your ass on the waiting list.
See you at the Kinderconcerts!
TurtleHead 
I’m glad it got worked out. And at least now we know about this bizarre policy!
Which timeslot are your concerts for? We’re going to the 9:30 ones 🙂
Oooh, we’ll be at the 9:30 ones too!! We’ll see you there!
sweet! i’m glad to hear that the NAC heard you and did something about it. power to the blogosphere! happy concert going!
I’m so glad it all worked out – hopefully ticket-buying info and policies will be made more clear on the website now.
Meh – I think you have every right to be pissed, apologies and obsequiousness notwithstanding.
Hi Lynn,
Thanks so much for this lovely post! I’m so pleased that everything worked out.
And FYI I’m only the nicest person EVAH as long as you get to me after I’ve had enough caffeine! 😉
Open invitation for anyone to contact me anytime jcovert@nac-cna.ca.
Jen
I’m so glad it’s worked out for you, and you ended up with tickets. It is too bad their website wasn’t clear. Enjoy the concerts.
I agree with CapnPlanet. Don’t you dare feel sheepish or bullyish. If people don’t speak up and complain then this sort of stuff just continues. I think the whole thing still sucks. It reminds me of a guy who dates 5 different women at the same time, making them all think he’s considering marrying them. Then he picks one and tells the others “sorry I wasted 10 years of your life”. Okay, it might not be the best analogy but it leaves the same sort of taste in my mouth.
I met Jennifer and web guy at the Social Media Breakfast this morning she is wonderful. She remembered me from BOLO (as did a few others.) Said she loved my stuff, which is always good to hear. And I’m glad they got it all worked out.
Not a big fan of huge mega global corps like Rogers and Bell. (Specially not Bell who still owe me $75.)
But to give credit where credit is due, after the Rogers are lying liars who lie post, I did get assigned someone from the “President’s Office” to look into my complaints. It did take a bit of time to get resolved but they were, in fact, responsive and he did return all my calls promptly. Unlike Bell who said the cheque was in the mail and it wasn’t.
HEY! Don’t you feel bad for ONE MOMENT about being upset. Your experience wasn’t a good one, and although the NAC had reasons for what happened, it doesn’t excuse that you were not a happy customer.
Glad to hear, however, that their customer service is focusing on the issues and responded to you promptly. For this reason alone, yes, they are superior to Rogers. I’m sure Jennifer can understand that THAT comparison was just a heat-of-the-moment thing. 🙂
I agree … no reason for feeling sheepish! This is your personal blog and you had a personal beef to share. I think they gave you a bit of a runaround and you called them on the poor service. End of story.
Except for Jennifer. She is fantastic — both professionally and personally. NAC is lucky to have her! She is a real asset.
I don’t actuallyl think it’s possible for someone like you to bully an institution like the NAC. You weren’t overly offensive or abusive, you were just indignant, and rightly so. And you didn’t know Jennifer yet.
Hi All,
Just wanted to answer the question you ask above about the policy on alerting patrons to changes to their order–the answer is that depending on the volume we would either call the patron or mail them a letter.
Lynn I totally understand your frustration and think you’re more than free to express it however you see fit!
Thanks for all the kind comments as well. Hope I can really live up to them! 🙂
Jennifer
jcovert@nac-cna.ca