[Albion] Can't use your Ajax ticket now? Let the club know and give someone else a chance...

[East Staffs Gull]

For away games they’d need duplicate paper tickets from the club hosting to issue as resales. Ends up a huge ballache if the whole system isn’t digital (flick through 3,000 tickets looking for the right duplicate) and their ticket system and ours aren’t integrated (which they won’t be).

At present the whole system is far from being totally digital. Witness the ticket windows/offices at all stadia pre-match. Clubs have managed the reissuing and duplication of paper tickets for years.

 

[timbha]

No... Why mention sanctions then... Its a clear scare tactic by the club

If they don’t mention that there could be sanctions people will complain further down the line that they didn’t know

Breaking rules must have consequences.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

It's just a crap worded email. Threatening sanctions and giving a weird cut off date at this point seems heavy handed. But as said above it's one of our most in demand away games ever and likely a bloody big game on the pitch too, it's right that they want as many there as possible. Just not sure that's the way to go about it.

I'm almost sure they'd see common sense, but if you take that email literally and get sick after 2pm on 23rd October causing you to misd the match, you're stuffed.

Anyway hopefully it won't go to that and there will be virtually 100% attendance. And maybe in years to come there will be some sort of incentive to return a ticket if you can't go that isn't a threat.

 

[dazzer6666]

It's just a crap worded email. Threatening sanctions and giving a weird cut off date at this point seems heavy handed. But as said above it's one of our most in demand away games ever and likely a bloody big game on the pitch too, it's right that they want as many there as possible. Just not sure that's the way to go about it.

I'm almost sure they'd see common sense, but if you take that email literally and get sick after 2pm on 23rd October causing you to misd the match, you're stuffed.

Anyway hopefully it won't go to that and there will be virtually 100% attendance. And maybe in years to come there will be some sort of incentive to return a ticket if you can't go that isn't a threat.

Or……….. if you take it literally they can resell your ticket if you reply by 23rd, but can’t afterwards. Also says ‘could result in sanctions’, not ‘will’.

 

[Cotton Socks]

I have no personal interest in this debate as I'm not going unless 'everything' was free & someone could look after my dog. I can see how people would be annoyed if their ticket was resold & they didn't get anything back from it. I think the 'sanctions' are wrong, as anything could happen last minute, but from a personal point of view if I'd bought a non refundable ticket for this match & couldn't go, then yeah let someone else in the queue have the ticket rather than an empty seat. I would however be very miffed if I was ill on the day(s) or flight delays etc meant I couldn't collect my ticket & missed the match. It would be adding insult to injury to not be able to go to the next game when I'd bought my ticket in good faith. Let's face it you'd have to be a bit weird to buy a ticket for this match knowing you couldn't go, but knowing you'd need to give your life history at the same time.

 

[BNthree]

At present the whole system is far from being totally digital. Witness the ticket windows/offices at all stadia pre-match. Clubs have managed the reissuing and duplication of paper tickets for years.

Maybe I didn’t make the point very well, but the 2 different ticket offices having to coordinate paper tickets and the problems from that is why there isn’t an away ticket exchange. You said you were struggling to think why there isn’t an exchange and I’m trying to help explain to you.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

That is just pure speculation - you have no proof at all that the 100 or so tickets would mean you would have got one.... Why do people have to be accountable or provide a reason as to why they didn't attend a match they've paid to attend. There could be all number of reasons why someone didn't turn up... Why should they have to justify themselves.

By the way, I've never missed a game i've bought a ticket for I've always attended... I have no vested interest in this argument at all, I just think its massively wrong that people need to be held accountable for non attendance... even more so if the club can't offer a refund facility... - I've not know this happenin any other ticketed event ever.. ..Ashes tickets, - Wimbledon, Music concerts, theatre? comedians?, festivals? These all have demand that outstrips supply. Never seen anything like this before and i think its absolute shocking the club are taking this stance.

Unless I’m misreading the Ts and Cs provided in this thread, fans are not being "held accountable for non attendance." The club is simply asking that people who can’t attend notify them, presumably so they can pass the ticket on to one of the many fans who have bought travel and accommodation but who didn’t get a ticket. They’re not being made to account for non-attendance, as far as I can see.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I have no personal interest in this debate as I'm not going unless 'everything' was free & someone could look after my dog. I can see how people would be annoyed if their ticket was resold & they didn't get anything back from it. I think the 'sanctions' are wrong, as anything could happen last minute, but from a personal point of view if I'd bought a non refundable ticket for this match & couldn't go, then yeah let someone else in the queue have the ticket rather than an empty seat. I would however be very miffed if I was ill on the day(s) or flight delays etc meant I couldn't collect my ticket & missed the match. It would be adding insult to injury to not be able to go to the next game when I'd bought my ticket in good faith. Let's face it you'd have to be a bit weird to buy a ticket for this match knowing you couldn't go, but knowing you'd need to give your life history at the same time.

Who’s asking you for your life history? Is it just me or are people really cranking up their imagination with this one? Look, if you’ve got a ticket but can’t go, just do the club, and a fellow fan, a favour and let them know, ok? It’s not that onerous a request for heaven’s sake.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

I can see the email now........
Dear Mr Bloom,
Fan No XXXXXXXX
It has come to our attention that you missed your slot for collecting your Marseille ticket and arranged with other fans to make your own travel plans to the stadium thus causing our staff to have to meet them there with all your tickets. Please can you revise your travel for our future European games in order to give yourself more time so as to prevent a recurrence of this situation.
Yours sincerely,
Paul (OBE)

 

[Wardy's twin]

Not sure why people are defending the club in what is a piece of poor (clumsy) customer relations.... Put in an exchange system and a lot of this issue disappears. Why piss off people when you don't have to, a better worded email would have been easier to produce.

Looks to me , given the timing, the club is probably warning people about buying tickets for Athens if they are not serious about going . Again very simple just put the message CLEARLY in the Athens selling details next to the bit that says you need your passport details not some small print 5 pages in on the t&cs which most people don't read.

There were ,apparently, 100 no shows for Marsielle and I totally understand frustration of people who would have liked to go but I bet if an exchange had been put in place it would not have been 100 or anything like it. Such an exchange could work for all away games....

 

[Wardy's twin]

Who’s asking you for your life history? Is it just me or are people really cranking up their imagination with this one? Look, if you’ve got a ticket but can’t go, just do the club, and a fellow fan, a favour and let them know, ok? It’s not that onerous a request for heaven’s sake.

I think everyone is in agreement with that its the unnecessary tone of communication which is pissing people off . Whatever happened to customer service or is it because they control a monopoly they think its not necessary.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

Not sure why people are defending the club in what is a piece of poor (clumsy) customer relations.... Put in an exchange system and a lot of this issue disappears. Why piss off people when you don't have to, a better worded email would have been easier to produce.

Looks to me , given the timing, the club is probably warning people about buying tickets for Athens if they are not serious about going . Again very simple just put the message CLEARLY in the Athens selling details next to the bit that says you need your passport details not some small print 5 pages in on the t&cs which most people don't read.

There were ,apparently, 100 no shows for Marsielle and I totally understand frustration of people who would have liked to go but I bet if an exchange had been put in place it would not have been 100 or anything like it. Such an exchange could work for all away games....

The thing is though with Marseille it did not sell out so anybody could have gone. Thus an exchange for that game would have served no purpose.

 

[Wardy's twin]

The thing is though with Marseille it did not sell out so anybody could have gone. Thus an exchange for that game would have served no purpose.

I wasn't sure but someone in the thread said they weren't able to get tickets...If it didn't sell out then why the heavy handed approach to non attendees.

Anyway too many bad things going on in the world to let this take anymore time.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

I wasn't sure but someone in the thread said they weren't able to get tickets...If it didn't sell out then why the heavy handed approach to non attendees.

I suppose that with the fact that the demand for Ajax was so high they want to keep no shows to a minimum on this occasion. I have seen the figure of 100 bandied about for Marseille but i do not know if that is correct or not.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I can see the email now........
Dear Mr Bloom,
Fan No XXXXXXXX
It has come to our attention that you missed your slot for collecting your Marseille ticket and arranged with other fans to make your own travel plans to the stadium thus causing our staff to have to meet them there with all your tickets. Please can you revise your travel for our future European games in order to give yourself more time so as to prevent a recurrence of this situation.
Yours sincerely,
Paul (OBE)

He’s Fan No 000001 btw.

 

[AZ Gull]

...

Looks to me , given the timing, the club is probably warning people about buying tickets for Athens if they are not serious about going .
...

If any "supporter" is planning on buying a ticket for Athens without being "serious about going" they absolutely deserve every conceivable sanction that they might be hit with.

 

[Arkwright]

Surely it's better to have bums on seats as opposed to empty seats due to no shows.
A couple in our group are going to Amsterdam without tickets and would rather be in the ground watching.
Looking forward to the club releasing details of when these tickets are going to be released.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

If any "supporter" is planning on buying a ticket for Athens without being "serious about going" they absolutely deserve every conceivable sanction that they might be hit with.

This is not as far fetched as some might think. Back in the early days (80s?) of the England away club some fans would buy tickets for Bulgaria, Romania etc as they only cost about 3 Roubles, this would a) give them points (possibly) and b) a paper ticket to waive about the work place or college presenting themselves as the big “I am”
Now (IMO) there are a lot of Walter Mitty’s out there and if just ONE buys tickets for Athens to show off their confirmation email as some sort of superfan (as in point b) without the means to travel. that would be one too many. I might be wrong here, but I believe it’s possible.

 

[Jim in the West]

As far as I can see, this is pretty sensible - it sends a strong message to the small number of people who may be thinking of getting a ticket to Athens, but aren’t 110% committed to going.

The “threat” to non-attendees for Ajax is rather like the warning not to go to the Old Port area in Marseille…..there was never going to be any problem for Albion fans just wandering around like normal tourists, but it was a strong message to the idiots not to start chair-luzzing competitions with the locals. If you have a genuine reason for not going (eg: illness) the club are clearly NOT going to penalise you.

 

[Bozza]

I'm genu

Not sure why people are defending the club in what is a piece of poor (clumsy) customer relations.... Put in an exchange system and a lot of this issue disappears. Why piss off people when you don't have to, a better worded email would have been easier to produce.

Looks to me , given the timing, the club is probably warning people about buying tickets for Athens if they are not serious about going . Again very simple just put the message CLEARLY in the Athens selling details next to the bit that says you need your passport details not some small print 5 pages in on the t&cs which most people don't read.

There were ,apparently, 100 no shows for Marsielle and I totally understand frustration of people who would have liked to go but I bet if an exchange had been put in place it would not have been 100 or anything like it. Such an exchange could work for all away games....

I'm defending the club because...

- Ajax is one of the most in-demand fixtures in the club's history. Having empty seas when so many want to go would be a travesty.
- Anyone who bought a ticket for Ajax should have been aware of this before. It was clearly communicated. Nothing being announced now is new.
- No-one has to present a solicitor-witnessed legal document confirming their reason for non-attendance. If you can't go - just ping the club an email to let them know. Two minutes. Simple. Paul Barber isn't going to turn up at your front door with a lie detector to interrogate you.

Now, the email is somewhat clumsy, certainly - that could be worded considerably better.

And, yes, if I was returning a ticket I'd prefer to receive a refund if the club was able to subsequently sell it on again. I suspect the no-refund rule was put in place to try to deter people from initially buying a ticket speculatively, knowing they could hand it back for a refund if they decided not to go. Again - this was all stated BEFORE people bought.


(Marseille didn't sell out - if you wanted to go, you could have gone)