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81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

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Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#201

From my quick research online, it seems they've gone digital-only for season tickets because they don't want people just reselling them to turn a profit. They want actual season-long fans, so now if you transfer too many games they can track it and ban you. This is essentially anti-scalping. There's a legit justification. You can still buy paper tickets at the stadium for a single game. But not for season passes anym…

Having to own anything beyond the money to buy something to buy something, is, in fact, unreasonable.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If this guy has the money for a season pass (!) he has the money for a smartphone. Maybe it's not about the money. Maybe he does not want the negative consequences that come along with having a smartphone. Maybe he has dexterity issues that make using a smartphone difficult. Maybe he doesn't want to install their invasive app. Maybe he finds that paper tickets are easier to manage. Maybe he recognizes that the vend…

He can get a smartphone dedicated to the ticket app if it is such a huge piece of his life/hobby

"Cheap android phone" on Google Shopping shows options for $30. Didn't even know they get that cheap.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#203
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't give the app any permissions, it doesn't spy on you either. What about the other apps? What about the phone itself?

The guy already has a phone. Flip phones still track your location. If you don't want other apps, don't install other apps.

>The guy already has a phone. Flip phones still track your location.

Locations from flip phones have to be triangulated. Smartphones track more precise locations and a lot more than just location data.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#204

From my quick research online, it seems they've gone digital-only for season tickets because they don't want people just reselling them to turn a profit. They want actual season-long fans, so now if you transfer too many games they can track it and ban you. This is essentially anti-scalping. There's a legit justification. You can still buy paper tickets at the stadium for a single game. But not for season passes anym…

> If this guy has the money for a season pass (!) he has the money for a smartphone. Maybe it's not about the money. Maybe he does not want the negative consequences that come along with having a smartphone. Maybe he has dexterity issues that make using a smartphone difficult. Maybe he doesn't want to install their invasive app. Maybe he finds that paper tickets are easier to manage. Maybe he recognizes that the vend…

>Maybe it's not about the money. Maybe he does not want the negative consequences that come along with having a smartphone.

Maybe he doesn't then get any of the benefits of having a smartphone.

I don't understand why we need to bend over backwards for folks who have chosen to ignore modernity. There was a woman in my neighborhood association at one point who would throw a fit about us using email for communication because "not everyone has a computer you know." This was in 2018. As a society, we've gone completely out of our way to make living on your own terms legal and doable. You don't even have to get you or your kids vaccinated if you don't want to! But then going even farther and expecting to get all the same benefits as folks who've decided to accept and use modern technology is ridiculous... the Dodgers don't owe this man physical season tickets, just like Google doesn't owe me the ability to physically mail in a search term and have the results physically mailed back to me.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If this guy has the money for a season pass (!) he has the money for a smartphone. Maybe it's not about the money. Maybe he does not want the negative consequences that come along with having a smartphone. Maybe he has dexterity issues that make using a smartphone difficult. Maybe he doesn't want to install their invasive app. Maybe he finds that paper tickets are easier to manage. Maybe he recognizes that the vend…

I’m not sure how exactly this should be worded in law, but I really wish they would pass a law requiring supporting people without smartphone apps. Obviously there would be some exceptions where justified, even for things other than “the app is the whole point” and those need to be thought through, but in this case and plenty of others, there’s just no reason they can’t accommodate non app users. “It costs more to su…

The law that he can invoke in a weaponized way is the ADA.

It’s vague enough about what a disability is, that something like “my hand tremor and farsightedness preclude using a touchscreen, I request a reasonable accommodation” is a valid request. If they deny admission and accommodation to somebody incapable of using a smartphone, there is a whole army of lawyers that will gladly take the case on contingency.

As you note, the app is not inherent to seeing a game, or preventing resale. There’s no reason an id and confirmation number can’t be used to get him in.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't give the app any permissions, it doesn't spy on you either. It doesn't have any more information than the info you give it to buy the tickets in the first place.

It does when the ticket app demands Location access "to protect your security"

You can set location to only while you're using the app. And when you open it to scan the ticket, they already know where you are. You're at the entrance to the stadium where they scan your tickets.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy already has a phone. Flip phones still track your location. If you don't want other apps, don't install other apps.

>The guy already has a phone. Flip phones still track your location. Locations from flip phones have to be triangulated. Smartphones track more precise locations and a lot more than just location data.

Great. If you're that paranoid, only turn your phone on to buy the tickets and when you're at the stadium. And don't use it for anything else.

This dude has previously paid hundreds of dollars per year because he wanted custom-printed tickets. He can pay a hundred for a cheapo Android to use exclusively for tickets and not give up any privacy at all, if he's more paranoid about tracking than the other 99+% of the population who uses smartphones just fine.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paper doesn't spy on you.

If you don't give the app any permissions, it doesn't spy on you either. It doesn't have any more information than the info you give it to buy the tickets in the first place.

> It doesn't have any more information than the info you give it to buy the tickets in the first place.

Many apps ask for permission to use your GPS position and other sensor data, even though they don't need it. Most non-technical people don't understand what that means and will just allow it.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#209
post #200

My wife and I had an appointment last week to apply for a line of credit. We talked it all through with the clerk and decided to go for it, so he started the whole process on his computer. His jaw dropped half-way through when he asked for my wife's and my phone number, and I had to tell him that I don't own a smart phone. Turns out you must have a smart phone because the system sends you some kind of code to verify…

>Turns out you must have a smart phone

Any phone that can receive SMS, not a smartphone. You could purchase a burner flip phone for this purpose.

Re: 81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone

#210
post #104

From my quick research online, it seems they've gone digital-only for season tickets because they don't want people just reselling them to turn a profit. They want actual season-long fans, so now if you transfer too many games they can track it and ban you. This is essentially anti-scalping. There's a legit justification. You can still buy paper tickets at the stadium for a single game. But not for season passes anym…

IMO, the right thing to do is grandfather in any existing season ticket holders, if they ask. Have them go to a specific entrance where someone can check an ID and mark them off a list. Simple job for an intern or whatever.

I agree. He's one of some tiny number of people that all the staff will know on sight. Even printing a ticket for him is just a formality really.
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