The neverending saga of Miami Marlins management attempting to alienate their fanbase continues. According to a report from the Miami New Times, the Marlins are threatening to sue a pair of season ticket holders for requesting that their seats be moved after the Marlins installed a billboard that obstructed their view.
Jan and Bill Leon have been Marlins season ticket holders since the 1998 season, and have bought two full season, front row tickets each year since then. When Marlins Park opened for the 2012 season, the Leons bought a two season package for $25,000 per season with the option to change their seats after the first seaso. All was well and good with the seats at Marlins Park until the Marlins decided to add a billboard directly in front of the Leons' seats, obstructing their view. Here's a before and after view of the seats.
The Leons claim that the extra padding at the top of the wall obscures their vision of the entire third base line unless you move all the way up to the concrete, and it also hides line drive foul balls heading right towards the section. The Leons complained about the sign and asked the Marlins to replace it with a digital version, but were ignored. After the season, the Leons told the Marlins that they wouldn't pay for their seats for the 2013 season unless they were moved (which they had the option to when they entered into the two-year agreement). The Marlins responded…by threatening a lawsuit.
In the linked document, Marlins vice president and general counsel Derek Jackson ignores all of the Leons' requests to have their seats moved and cites the outstanding payment of more than $25,000 for the 2013 season as a reason for a potential lawsuit. The Leons have no intention of renewing their season ticket package after the team's fire sale this offseason, even if they had their seats moved.
The Marlins are now apparently in the business of alienating fans that have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the team in the past, when they could have just ceded to their requests and moved their seats. This isn't just bad management, it's bad customer service. The Miami New Times is still awaiting a comment from Marlins management.
