Postby TimInSilverlake » Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:38 pm
HELP - ADDITIONAL TICKET PURCHASING SPECIFICS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS WORK
1. NAIL DOWN WHEN THE BILLING DATES ARE, OR PROVIDE A BETTER ESTIMATE. Many of us will be carefully managing balances to make sure we have enough in our account on billing day because it is made very clear that the consequences for having insufficient funds available on billing day are fatal. For those of us with families trying to enter in the Nov/Dec drawing, particularly if we are not selected, that means scrutinizing our balances for weeks and, if we're not selected on the first round, months. The only guidance we have about billing day is the "on or before X date" language. This is going to be tough enough to manage, please have mercy and give us a narrower window period so we can make sure we have enough in our accounts on game day. I am dreading having to spend the winter months checking my balance every day and scrutinizing auto-debit transactions to make sure I'm not caught below the magic number.
2. TO MAKE A PRE-PAID CARD WORK WE NEED MORE INFO. The prepaid card option is a great idea, but we must have more clarity on it before we can rely on it. Bank-issued credit and debit cards have the cardholder's name on it. Prepaid debit cards - particularly if you're going to try to get one within eight days from now (with a bank holiday thrown in there) will likely just have the a generic identity on it ("CUSTOMER" or "GIFT CARD" at the bottom, instead of the name). Critical question: will the billing system accept a debit card that does not have a name on it? My bank allows me to purchase a pre-loaded "gift card" which works as a Visa, but it doesn't have a name on it. Will the billing company accept that? For those of us with families who are about to put $1600 onto a prepaid card, we need to know if it's going to work with the purchasing system. Also, to make a pre-paid card work, we have to know how much to load it with - see next point. (As a side note, if prepaid cards that have no names on them are accepted, how does that prevent scalpers?)
3. PLEASE NAIL DOWN EXACT COST SO WE KNOW WHAT TO LOAD UP THE CARD WITH, PARTICULARLY WHEN INSUFFICIENT BALANCE IS FATAL TO THE TICKET PURCHASE. This came up in another post. Please nail down the exact costs and tell us. How much is the ticket all in - taxes, shipping, handling, whatever. To make this work we need that information. Without it, and knowing that insufficient balance is fatal, I am going to way overestimate by about $100 per ticket. It's high enough without having to wildly overestimate to protect against default.
SERIOUS PLANS NEED SERIOUS INFORMATION TO PLAN WITH. To clarify where I'm coming from, I am a firm believer in the maxim that "He who plans, burns" - and I believe Burning Man feels the same way. I'm a hardworking homeowner with two jobs and I will be returning with my partner to Burning Man and, if I can swing it, supporting a friend who cannot afford to go on his own. I am bearing all ticket-buying responsibility for my group, which will be tough for me, but I'm willing to do what it takes and make it happen, but I need more info. Part of my financial planning and financial responsibility involves keeping just one low-limit credit card on hand for travel, and a debit card. I have home-related expenses that crop up in the thousands on occasion and with business travel on top of it, my balances fluctuate considerably. So this information is important to manage the cost, particularly on that crucial day when tickets are billed. The FAQ has been a bit of let down for me because serious plans need serious information to plan with. Not to offend, but it seems like this was thought out by people who must have vast balances available in multiple accounts and on multiple cards. I appreciate the efforts made, but more information is needed please!
Thank you for your effort in responding to these posts!
