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Was something lost in translation or did I insult hotel staff?

Please help me proceed. We have been attempting to purchase inter vs juventus soccer tickets for several weeks. We've been frustrated at every source - online sites have huge markups, inter Milan website messages us that our bank won't authorize and bank says they have not received any contact. We've heard that inter will not sell tickets outside of Milan until a few days befor match because of anti-hooligan laws. We were advised by a friend to ask the staff at hotel in Milan to procure them. So we sent an email letting them know we were staying at their hotel (hotel star - on Rick steves recommended list) for one night only and planning to attend Inter vs Juventus match on May 18 and asking for assistance. They replied with "good morning. Sorry we do not get any kind of tickets for unpleasant experiences. We suggest you try ..". And included an website for AC Milan tickets. So knowing inter and AC are mortal enemies are they saying they won't book inter tickets and we should see AC? Of course there is no AC game that day, so it's not an option. Or is there a different interpretation of "unpleasant experiences"? I'm debating following up since I don't want to piss off the staff if they are truly AC diehard fans - but I still need to get tickets somehow.

Posted by
3696 posts

Sounds like they used some kind of translation app that messed up! Or, they were trying to be funny or sarcastic!
I would try again but it sounds like they do not want to get tickets for any event.

Posted by
16893 posts

I don't think they are offended, but probably don't do ticket bookings, either. Rick's description does say that Vittoria is "cheeky."

Posted by
11613 posts

I think that "for" means "because of" in that context.

Posted by
18 posts

I have to admit it made me laugh out loud. I just really want to get tickets and not sure how else to go about it...

Posted by
10344 posts

They're probably, now, going to give you the worst room in the hotel.
:)

Posted by
752 posts

Where are you located? Here in Chicago we have the Italian Consulate, The Italian Cultural Institute, which also heads the Italian Language Institute, and the Italian Office of Tourism all at 500 North Michigan Avenue, on different floors as they are separate distinct offices. Chicago also has a huge Italian Language Meetup Group with some members from Milan who also teach Italian at the Italian Cultural Institute.

These Offices are dotted in major cities all over the USA. Surely somebody will know how to help you.

Posted by
3057 posts

It sounds like they purchased tickets for a guest in the past and it did not go well. So their policy is not to do it. Their suggestion of AC Milan was simply meant as a way to buy online direct---maybe not aware it is the wrong club? Maybe they aren't football fans. In any case, it is pretty definite and I would not try again or ask them for clarification!

Posted by
19653 posts

I just registered at the inter site to see what was going on.
They offered me 2 seats in the upper level Arancia for 60 euro each. I assume you have gotten that far. I did not proceed, of course, but it did seem as though there were plenty of seats still available, as only about a dozen sections in upper Arancia are sold out. Still lots of seats everywhere else. Seats in the Blu upper which is reserved for support clubs don't go on sale until 15 to 20 days before the game. Only registered supporters with membership cards from Piedmont (Juventis supporters) can purchase tickets.
I recall that my Italian friend did have trouble buying AC tickets on line in December. We ended up just going to the stadium and buying them at the gate.
So, knowing you have already called your bank about an upcoming transaction and they have not seen it, try registering your card with Visa Check Out (assuming its a Visa card of course). It sounds similar to problems I had trying to buy TGV tickets. Bank said no transaction came in, but it was finally determined that I needed to register the card at Visa Check Out.
Next, try buying them at a ticket outlet when you are in Florence. The inter website shows plenty of agencies there.

Posted by
8377 posts

I would interpret it as having had bad experiences getting stuck with tickets for someone who didn't show up or didn't like the price or seats. Plus they don't make any money by doing this for you, unless they charge for the service. Lots of room for misunderstanding and complaints.

Posted by
18 posts

Thanks to all for your responses and interpretations. It didn't dawn on me that she may have been saying they had a prior unpleasant experience. I read it as her calling the inter match an unpleasant experience and thought perhaps she was just being funny. I did send a pm to Dave on this forum since he lives in Milan. We may just have to wait until we arrive, but we're hoping to choose seats early as my kids are very excited to see the match. Thanks again to all.