Season ticket auto-renewal puzzles Proctors customers

Subscribers can opt out of automatic purchases where they used to opt in

A new practice by Proctors that automatically renews season subscriptions for existing customers — before they know what shows they’ll be buying tickets for — has confused some customers and incensed others.

Subscribers have until the end of the day Tuesday to opt out of the auto-renewal, according to an email from Proctors that says each customer’s credit card on file with the box office will be charged on Wednesday.

Titles for the 2019-20 Key Private Bank Broadway Series and other season details will be unveiled at a March 4 “bash” that will feature performances from select shows on the upcoming season.

Several veteran subscribers contacted the Times Union, including one who called the situation “outrageous . ... Something is wrong here, and we feel uncomfortable with this situation.”

Jean Leonard, chief of staff at Proctors, explained that the theater has for several years charged for a renewal prior to the release of the next season. The only change this year is that subscribers need to contact Proctors to opt out of the autorenewal, as opposed to the past practice of needing to call to opt in for the renewal.

Subscribers were notified of the change via mail or email in November and again earlier this month, Leonard said. Those subscribers who said last year they would never be interested in auto-renewal were not included this year, Leonard said.

Last year, about 30 percent of subscribers opted in for the auto-renewal, Leonard said. So far this year, about as many have opted out.

She said Proctors manages approximately 11,900 subscriptions for its own series and 3,400 for Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, which is a subsidiary of Proctors.

There is no penalty for subscribers who choose not to auto-renew, Proctors CEO Philip Morris said. They have until mid-april to renew — more than a month after the season is unveiled, while retaining their existing seats and performance nights.

“We’ve been doing it for convenience’s sake,” said Morris, noting that in past years the large volume of renewal requests overwhelmed box office staff in the days after the upcoming season was announced.

Given that about 85 percent of subscribers renew for the following season — a figure that has grown annually over the past five years, Morris said — Proctors is confident most audiences will want to see its upcoming shows and appreciate the convenience of having their subscriptions renewed automatically.

Those who are dissatisfied have a variety of options, he said, including swapping tickets for shows they do want to see, and partial or even full refunds.

“If they’re unhappy the day after they’re charged or the day after the bash, we’ll take care of it. This isn’t trying to force anything; it’s to make things easier,” said Morris. “We see this as less of a transaction than a relationship, and we want to create more relationships.”

Proctors subscriptions cost about $200 to $450, depending on seat location and performance choice, for seven shows. Annual attendance for all shows and events on Proctors stages and spaces is about 775,000, Morris said.