[Albion] Introduction of charges for season ticket cards

[pure_white]

There is an elderly lady who travels on our Seagull Transport bus who has neither mobile phone nor internet and relies on her card ST. Seems to me that people in her circumstances are being discriminated against bu this new charge.

I wonder if she feels its condescending offering to show her how to use the mobile ticket. I'm not sure a £35 phone with enough memory space etc is sufficient and certainly not the only charge a mobile phone contains. For anyone that is unfamiliar with one the monthly charges, internet etc. could be a shock. Of course you can use free cafe internet and so on ... if only we could go back to cash at the turnstiles, how life was so much simpler back then.

 

[BN9 BHA]

I’m slightly confused to why the club are going to charge me £20 to use the same ST card in season 23/24, I can understand there being a charge if I lost my card and I needed a replacement.

 

[pure_white]

I’m slightly confused to why the club are going to charge me £20 to use the same ST card in season 23/24, I can understand there being a charge if I lost my card and I needed a replacement.

its not just this though; if say you are in a family area and you have aged (it happens BHA no fault of a 'customer') and so have to move seats you get charged for this. Something enforced upon you (moving seats) by the club.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

It should have been spun as a £20 discount from the standard price ( which had been increased by £20 ) if you use a smart ticket.

 

[Bold Seagull]

its not just this though; if say you are in a family area and you have aged (it happens BHA no fault of a 'customer') and so have to move seats you get charged for this. Something enforced upon you (moving seats) by the club.

Are you sure? I know from a few that have moved out of the family stand your ST price changes depending on where you move as the family stand is discounted for adults and children. I’ve not heard a charge being applied though and the club is generally really helpful with these moves.

 

[Gazwag]

Unless somebody moves seat or the card stops working I'm wondering what extra cost the club incurs. The ST cards last for many seasons so I would have thought a card replacement fee would have been sufficient for damage or loss.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Is cheese pairing like wine pairing?

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

its not just this though; if say you are in a family area and you have aged (it happens BHA no fault of a 'customer') and so have to move seats you get charged for this. Something enforced upon you (moving seats) by the club.

I thought that was after the seat move window had closed ? Wouldn’t apply to people moving into another age category as they would automatically be moved in time.

The charge for ST cards is because the club does not want them. Certain fans want them and the club is accommodating that (for a fee paid by those fans) but the reality is that cards are being phased out. Just like we moved on from ST books with paper tickets.

 

[Diablo]

seems fair enough to me as a card holder. There is obviously a cost in making cards. Once you have a card presumably it lasts from season to season so it will only affect new season ticket holders or those who have lost theirs.
I have this season mislaid my ticket and office has sent me print out ticket FOC.

 

[chaileyjem]

its not just this though; if say you are in a family area and you have aged (it happens BHA no fault of a 'customer') and so have to move seats you get charged for this. Something enforced upon you (moving seats) by the club.

I moved seats last year , after the window , for reasons of poor health (my Dad). Club couldn’t have been more helpful, helped me set up a physical season ticket for my Dad who is 85 and they didn’t charge me anything.

Fact is the supporter services team are really good if you have to lean on them - so not sure why you’re so angry about them.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Once you have a card presumably it lasts from season to season so it will only affect new season ticket holders or those who have lost theirs.

Existing card holders will have to pay a £20 charge to continue using the ST card the season after next.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

its not just this though; if say you are in a family area and you have aged (it happens BHA no fault of a 'customer') and so have to move seats you get charged for this. Something enforced upon you (moving seats) by the club.

I believe you only get charged (to move not the increase in ticket cost) when doing it outside of the window like everyone else?

 

[Springal]

This is the equivalent of shops stop accepting cheques or businesses charging a handling fee to do so. Life and technology moves on.

Up until this week BT were planning to phase out PSTN (phone lines) by 2025 (now pushed back) which will upset a few

 

[amexer]

PB did say sharing scheme had not come in to raise money in fact opposite. No cost to club so charge for these cards in future is just money making. Just seems small minded to charge everybody with a card just because a few have passed ticket on Maybe when they find out that many have passed QR code on there will be an additional charge for using phone.
Lets hope it doesnt happen for a long time but in championship with 20k plus gates they will be begging people to attend

 

[Bold Seagull]

PB did say sharing scheme had not come in to raise money in fact opposite. No cost to club so charge for these cards in future is just money making. Just seems small minded to charge everybody with a card just because a few have passed ticket on Maybe when they find out that many have passed QR code on there will be an additional charge for using phone.
Lets hope it doesnt happen for a long time but in championship with 20k plus gates they will be begging people to attend

I think you're conflating different things. Seems clear the club want everyone to go digital, so the charge is about allowing some to keep a card if they really have to, but ideally everyone moves over to digital tickets. I think people have made the comment that having a card means you can share it, but not sure that is the reason to charge, I think that is probably more about putting people off having the card and encouraging as many as possible to go digital.

 

[studio150]

Now the club have established the principle of charging for everything, I'm on the look out for the email confirming £5 to bring a flask to the Amex, and £1 per bottle top.

 

[dazzer6666]

Sounds like the £20 is de facto the sharing fee because they know people will pass them on

 

[chaileyjem]

Sounds like the £20 is de facto the sharing fee because they know people will pass them on

My Dad has one this season - they have your photo on it and they have to be checked by a steward who then let’s you through - they were also free to “buy”. You had to order one via the website. (And post / email your photo iD - he used his bus pass - and a photo through to be manually checked by one of the supporter team . So they’re not - if that’s peoples intentions - share friendly. And I doubt many ppl have done so.

This is - I guess just a nudge to get more people to go ticketless - and everyone has a years notice - because the existing process is quite manual and it has overheads (issuing new ones, replacements, checking by stewards). And a £20 fee is probably the balance between high enough to get you to change behaviour but not so high that you give up your ticket etc.

 

[rippleman]

Sounds like the £20 is de facto the sharing fee because they know people will pass them on

You can't pass them on because they have photo id. Even the daftest steward would be able to tell that my picture on the ST card is not my daughter!

Would anybody with a ST card take the risk of passing them on now it is so easy for the club to identify that the rules are being broken?

It's just another Barber money-making initiative directed at rinsing those who aren't tech savvy or who can't afford the tech. It's a shame but I'm unsurprised.

 

[dazzer6666]

My Dad has one this season - they have your photo on it and they have to be checked by a steward who then let’s you through - they were also free to “buy”. You had to order one via the website. (And post / email your photo iD - he used his bus pass - and a photo through to be manually checked by one of the supporter team . So they’re not - if that’s peoples intentions - share friendly. And I doubt many ppl have done so.

This is - I guess just a nudge to get more people to go ticketless - and everyone has a years notice - because the existing process is quite manual and it has overheads (issuing new ones, replacements, checking by stewards). And a £20 fee is probably the balance between high enough to get you to change behaviour but not so high that you give up your ticket etc.

You can't pass them on because they have photo id. Even the daftest steward would be able to tell that my picture on the ST card is not my daughter!

Would anybody with a ST card take the risk of passing them on now it is so easy for the club to identify that the rules are being broken?

It's just another Barber money-making initiative directed at rinsing those who aren't tech savvy or who can't afford the tech. It's a shame but I'm unsurprised.

Tks - didn't realise they were actually checked. Paper tickets aren't..............