| 03 August 2010
Have you felt buyer's remorse after paying anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000 for a pair of old Yankee Stadium seats? Did you pay for a specific pair of unrefurbished Yankee Stadium seats only to unknowingly receive a refurbished pair of generic seats? Do you despise Steiner Sports and would love nothing more than to see them take a bath financially?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll want to take a look at the class action settlement released last week (link to Google Doc), entitling some fans who purchased old Yankee Stadium seats a full refund, or a $65 - $95 coupon for Steiner Sports Collectibles.
Back in October, the New York Post profiled one Yankees fan who felt especially slighted in his dealings with Steiner Sports. In fact, he had proof that the seats Steiner sold to him (and presumably other fans) as unrefurbished and their own were falsely advertised and realized his only choice was to sue.
It has been nine months since the New York Post exposed the story, but those who purchased seats from Steiner finally received the class action settlement papers last week. The key details are as follows:
- Those eligible for the settlement must have purchased the seats between May 1, 2009 and August 15, 2009 and have a sales receipt
- The settlement offers two choices:
- A full refund for the purchase of the seats (of course, you'll have to return the seats)
- A $65 or $95 coupon for a future Steiner Sports purchase ($65 if you originally bought a generic pair of seats, $95 if you originally bought your specific old Yankee Stadium seats
- Settlement hearing is set for September 22, 2010
- All members of the class action lawsuit must file their claim by December 21, 2010
There is the potential for Steiner to take a huge loss on this class action lawsuit, since all fans who purchased in that three and a half month window have the right to a full refund (as long as they are willing to part with their seats). Those who ordered their exact seats and are happy with the purchase are unlikely to take advantage of the full refund option, but many who bought generic seats have an opportunity to save some money and still have their coveted seats.
These seats often pop up on secondary markets such as Ebay, and sell for much less than the current Steiner asking price of $1,500. It should be noted that there isn't a huge supply on the secondary market, so this option might be more of a hassle than it is worth.
In any case, this is a great story about one fan who was unwilling to be ripped off, and as a result, many fans are better off. We here at NYYSI encourage everyone who purchased seats in the three and a half month window to dredge up their old receipts and at the very least claim your Steiner coupon. They falsely advertised the product you were buying, and they should have to pay for that.
UPDATE (8:30 PM): A source tells us that only 2,000 seats were purchased within the date range outlined above, so the company is unlikely to be too badly affected by this class action lawsuit. Of course, it still shows that they misled fans and it was proven in the court of law. Not exactly a feather in the cap of Steiner Sports. This same source tells us that 30,000 seats are still available for sale, so the seats aren't exactly a hot commodity.
