Old Away Scheme member......

[Gerbil]

Edited to add that I aimed that post at Gerbil and he knows why. He is another one who boasts that he doesn't go to Withdean.

Another dig at me.Well done
Sorry I must remember not to worry about saving my money for my kids and any other stuff and to go to Withdean more just to please you and some of the other superfans on here.
Reading some of the digs you have at people is it any wonder more and more people are staying away with "fans" like you?

 

[jonny.rainbow]

9 yes NINE f^cking pages and still no-one has explained to me why the club HAS to charge (only a) TENNER for people to go onto the 3rd tier of the new scheme?

What issue does it resolve?

 

[sparkie]

...
As for the cost, these things need administering, including updates on ticket details via email, web and post, the cost of the card itself, the administration of ticket applications (ensuring golds, blue and whites apply at the appropriate time) and so on. For whatever reason, too many people were unhappy with the previous system, so the club felt they kind of had to 'start again' with the AMS. I'm sure they didn't really want to have to charge us, but, any changes do cost. And, for the sake of a tenner, I certainly don't feel I've been fleeced or the victim of a con.

Even though the original 'lifetime' AMS members paid 10 pounds to join the scheme which was partly justified in terms of 'administration', the club didn't see fit to send out renewal forms so these members were aware they had to re-register.

If that's the case then what the original ten pound 'administration fee' for?

I think the club really needs to do the right thing and honour their original commitments and not spin away that 'lifetime' membership really meant the lifetime of the scheme, or in fact any term that the club saw fit for.

They cannot simply revoke a lifetime membership just because it suits them.

So I say to the club - honour your promise to the fans who bought into the original lifetime scheme, don't weasel out of your commitments and rethink this dishonest policy.

As a suggestion, perhaps an amnesty on paying a renewal fee for any AMS members who haven't renewed, and also spending some of their original 10 pound membership fee on writing to them and explaining they would have to renew.

Do the right thing.

 

[sparkie]

If it only took 6 years to accumulate 40,000 pieces of dead wood, each paying (only) a tenner, then surely it will only be a matter of time before another cull is needed. After all we can't possibly expect a club to be able to cope with 40,000 names on a database can we?

Indeed , at least don't market the current scheme as a lifetime membership - more like an indeterminate amount of time membership...

Anyway, surely the club could have checked on their database which memberships had been active in the last year ( at least ) , and written to those with an option to renew?

Afterall it's the active AMS memberships which have lost out[ if they didn't notice the renewal compulsion in the argus, or program, or be able to hear the PA at Withdean].


Oh I forgot they just want to scam some more cash out of us.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Oh I forgot they just want to scam some more cash out of us.

Exactly, the scheme STINKS.

None of the reasons people have given for justifying the scheme, filtering out old members, preventing people who only go to big games, necesitate the club charging £10.

 

[sten_super]

This thread makes me angry.

JESUS CHRIST. It is £10. Yes, maybe the club should have informed you more clearly. Maybe the club is in the wrong. BUT SO WHAT. I refuse to believe that £10 is beyond the means of anyone here. I'd guess that the majority probably give much more than that to the club over the space of a year anyway!

And as others have pointed out, there were probably Terms & conditions attached to the initial agreement which gave the club power to shut down the scheme.

If any of you are seriously actually thinking about legal action, I think you need to get a grip. This club, which you support, and which has had sod all money for years, is asking you for ten quid. Do you really want to try to score one over the club just so you can feel morally superior? Really?

 

[e77]

Even though the original 'lifetime' AMS members paid 10 pounds to join the scheme which was partly justified in terms of 'administration', the club didn't see fit to send out renewal forms so these members were aware they had to re-register.

If that's the case then what the original ten pound 'administration fee' for?

I think the club really needs to do the right thing and honour their original commitments and not spin away that 'lifetime' membership really meant the lifetime of the scheme, or in fact any term that the club saw fit for.

They cannot simply revoke a lifetime membership just because it suits them.

So I say to the club - honour your promise to the fans who bought into the original lifetime scheme, don't weasel out of your commitments and rethink this dishonest policy.

As a suggestion, perhaps an amnesty on paying a renewal fee for any AMS members who haven't renewed, and also spending some of their original 10 pound membership fee on writing to them and explaining they would have to renew.

Do the right thing.

They did and gave everyone the chance to renew for free! I almost refuse to believe that anyone that keen to go to away matches didn't look at the official website, read the Argus, came on NSC or got a programme at the end of last season.

If you really are that determined not to pay £10, make representations to the club and ask them for an extension to reapply.

 

[sparkie]

I don't want anyone to take legal action against the club. But how on earth can you sell someone a lifetime membership and then take it away?

I just want the club to stand by their previous commitments to supporters and not try to rip them off.

It's not to late to change this, and offer an amnesty to all AMS memebers when they next buy a ticket. The dead wood will no longer be buying them afterall.

Didn't we have a supporters charter which the club were so proud of a few years ago which was meant to look out for supporters rights?

It seems that things are changing at the heart of the club now and in my view not for the better. I think it's about more than 'only 10 quid'

 

[sparkie]

If you really are that determined not to pay £10, make representations to the club and ask them for an extension to reapply.

According to the first poster who spoke to Martin Perry this isn't an option.

 

[Beach Hut]

Perhaps the club should introduce an annual fee for AMS for those who are not STH ?

Awaits a major flamming.....................

 

[Bozza]

It's not to late to change this, and offer an amnesty to all AMS memebers when they next buy a ticket. The dead wood will no longer be buying them afterall.'

That would be stoopid. As soon as we draw Arsenal away in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the 40,000 or so dead-wood/glory hunters would then all apply using the "amnesty to all AMS members when they next buy a ticket", thus giving them a level playing field with all the regularly attending fans.

The club had to draw a line, and they have to impose a price to join in order to deter all the 1 game wonder glory-hunters. These moves are to try and make it easier for regular attending away fans to get tickets when they want them.

I'm willing to buy the poorly communicated line, possibly, but I understand why that was the case.

 

[sparkie]

Someone suggested a 3 week or so delay. I would have thought that's just about acceptable to be honest and would stop the above situation being an issue.

I don't particularly care about the 1 game glory hunters, although at the end of the day they too have purchased a lifetime membership.

However, I do think the club should do something so as not to penalise regular users of the AMS over the past few years, who for whatever reason, have missed this random cut off date.

There's plenty of opportunity for the club to rethink.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

That would be stoopid. As soon as we draw Arsenal away in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the 40,000 or so dead-wood/glory hunters would then all apply using the "amnesty to all AMS members when they next buy a ticket", thus giving them a level playing field with all the regularly attending fans.

The club had to draw a line, and they have to impose a price to join in order to deter all the 1 game wonder glory-hunters. These moves are to try and make it easier for regular attending away fans to get tickets when they want them.

I'm willing to buy the poorly communicated line, possibly, but I understand why that was the case.

It wouldn't be stoopid if they said that you can transfer to white membership at any point but you won't receive the priority for 2 weeks.

That would stop people just renewing to get a ticket for the big game.

The club could quite easily do that.

 

[fork me]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who queried this scheme (the old one) to be assured by the club that it was a once for all scheme (contract) with the fee set for life(of the member,not the scheme),and this has been reneged on by the club.

Don't care about the yeah,buts of it.The plain fact is that this is something the Board should reflect on with shame.It's only a tenner?It's only a tenner to the club,too.Fact is they've had my tenner for a deal they've backed out of.

Shabby.

Agree fully.

As I have already sdaid, I donate much larger amounts to the club fairly regularly anyway, but this is shabby treatment by the club.

It's not the amount that counts, but the principle.

The club I support and help financially often, is paying me back by ripping me off for another tenner. It's not on.

Fork Me

 

[fork me]

True, however a binding contract with scheme rules/t&c's attached.

Unless you have seen these terms and conditions (which certainly weren't on display when I signed up) this is pure conjecture.

The only terms and conditions I was made aware of were regarding the fact that I could be removed from the scheme if my behaviour fell short of that expected.

Fork Me

 

[Yorkie]

At the risk of being slagged off again, you were given three months notice to transfer to the new scheme free of charge.

I made the effort to put a thread on Nsc to make sure people saw it.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

At the risk of being slagged off again, you were given three months notice to transfer to the new scheme free of charge.

I made the effort to put a thread on Nsc to make sure people saw it.

Whilst this is true, it should not be left to you to do that. It should be upto the club to inform all members. However, it is quite clear that this is designed to benefit those that follow the club regularly and check the main sources of official club outlets (shop/website/programmes etc.) It would have deceived the whole purpose if everyone had switched over. The cull would have been ineffective and we would be back towards square one.

The sooner we can get some sort of 'club card' to collect points, the better to avoid any of this tripe in the future.

 

[Ernest]

At the risk of being slagged off again, you were given three months notice to transfer to the new scheme free of charge.

I made the effort to put a thread on Nsc to make sure people saw it.

Thank you for your endeavours

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Thank you for your endeavours

tsk tsk


If it makes anyone feel any better, I didnt hear about the AMS being disbanded or anyone on here discussing it.

 

[Ernest]

I was just want to CLARIFY my ARS will never be DISBANDED