[Albion] FA Cup SF: Purchase History window. Yes or No?

[jordanseagull]

I think that the club has made it pretty clear that this was a benefit of Season Tickets (greater benefit) and Membership (some benefit). Members have not got to the stage where they can bring a guest.

I imagine a good percentage of those who’ve been bought a guest ticket will have been to games before.

I know of quite a few United ‘fans’ who have been bought guest tickets by STH, unfortunately. Boyfriend of the STH’s daughter etc.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Yes.
Due to sight, personal and financial reasons I have only been to one game this season. Palace at home, because it went to Purchase History. Odd that I could get a ticket for this game but not buy a SF ticket. (Not bitter or complaining though, to be noted).

 

[BN9 BHA]

Yes.
Due to sight, personal and financial reasons I have only been to one game this season. Palace at home, because it went to Purchase History. Odd that I could get a ticket for this game but not buy a SF ticket. (Not bitter or complaining though, to be noted).

See post above yours, I would be complaining

 

[Midget]

I think the difficulty is that many of the guests are fans who've been to see games recently, but may not have their own purchase history. Family members who've come to the Amex on STH guest tickets. Often kids, our next generation of fans, should they come to the Amex regularly and then miss out on Wembley? Carers who don't accrue purchase history. People who share or allow others to use their STH (I think you can pay to do this x times a season? but I doubt that person gets purchase history). They are fans and most still contribute financially to the club (e.g. via STHs buying guest tickets).

I think that's why they sold them in tiers using the original priority windows, trusting that the fans who go the most would be getting them for people they know are fans. Both those who attend but have no purchase history, and those they know are lifelong fans but with purchase history only. I don't think many STH P1s would be buying for Man U or that annoying bloke from work who's suddenly your best pal and has 'always had a soft spot for the albion'. Yes there will always be the odd exception (dicks).

But I do really feel for those with purchase history only. Some of those people were there in our darkest times. Some will have recent purchase history, just not a paid membership. Some won't know a 'regular' who can get them guest tickets. Still others will be non-Brighton, coming as a neutral when there's a ticket free, or to watch the other side.

But I think it would be really complex and costly for the club to administer. This is very different from a mid-week away game that there are still tickets left for. PH only would be a massive window, are you going to put tiers in for that too or just a huge free-for-all and crash the system? And should someone who was at Hereford but hasn't been to the Amex, get tickets before someone who goes now but only away, or before a STH can bring their 5y.o. kid, etc etc. Who might be Man U in disguise, who might cause trouble, who might tout their ticket out? How far back do you go - GDPR means they probably wouldn't have kept most of the data.

How does someone at the club decide who's more deserving without something measurable in place? Purchase history only tells them you've bought tickets but not committed to a membership. Everything else is a guess based on which games, how many - who are they going to pay to analyse that? Every human 'judgement call' makes it more complex and adds risk, and every extra consideration brought into the system costs the club more.

And there would still, always, be those who feel they've been hard done by, or can't sit where they want or with who they want to. And those who say 'why does it take so long to get tickets sorted and why do they make it so complicated?'

Ultimately we're past the days of queueing at the Withdean to buy 10 for whoever. Membership schemes make it simpler and more cost-effective for the club. Beyond the membership tiers, they're giving some level of trust and decision making to (as they see it) their most loyal fans. As well as outsourcing some of the responsibility for the behaviour of the 'non-regulars'. It's both a good thing and a bad thing. But these days 'it is what it is'.

I guess I'm saying ees complicated.

I didn't vote

 

[Midget]

Shit sorry I didn't realise that post was so long! 🫣

 

[Official Old Man]

But who is a guest and who has purchase history? Yes, someone who goes to x amount of games but are unable to attend all games due to other commitments should get a ticket. But having said that, they could get a ST and put unwanted games on the exchange.
Someone who only goes to the big games shouldn't get a ticket though ahead of someone who only goes to the games they can get to.
I'm taking daughter and grandaughter as guests. I think I'm right in saying they have no PH as they come to games under my name as guests.
Also, they've been told that, should we win, not much chance of a final ticket.

 

[Sheebo]

Yes. But if you wanted a ticket badly enough for the semi you’d have 100% got one with a bit of organisation / favours / begging on here etc.

 

[levs]

I don't think it's fair that I'm unable to get a ticket for this or potentially the final as I don't have My Albion + already. It presents little value for me to have membership as I live in Cornwall and can only get to 1 or 2 games a season at best. Occasions like a semi final or final should be an opportunity for all Albion fans to come together from far and wide. I don't know any season ticket holders, and my efforts on NSC to get a ticket in the past have been fruitless. I feel like I'm being excluded due to geography, I have supported Brighton all my life and went to games frequently at Withdean and Amex before I moved away

 

[Beanstalk]

More than anything, I'm surprised that the club has been happy to have a number of unnamed, untraceable guests with tickets. I'd expected the guests to need a fan number at least, and be named on the ticket.

This isn't entirely true. STH who buy guest tickets are responsible for their guests. It's in the T&Cs. If you buy a guest ticket you assume responsibility for that person and will suffer consequences if they misbehave. If you give your guest ticket to someone you don't know in exchange for money, you are breaching the T&Cs anyway and if caught will suffer the consequences of "touting" your ticket.

The club are happy because the STH Guest tickets give a way for connected fans (as in they already know someone committed to a season ticket) to get a taste of the Albion without having to assume the administrative responsibility.

 

[Berty23]

Yes.

I was lucky that I got one on here thanks to a hero. It seems odd that I went to Stoke away in the cup (live in the midlands) but unless I got lucky on here I would not have got a ticket over people who just fancy a day out as a guest.

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

Yep, names on away tickets and rigid traceability and non sharing of tickets when it suits. But 1901 club members and, now this game, shows that other rules also apply.

Money talks.

Yes unbelievable how strict it’s been for away games, then the biggest away game for years and STHs can buy tickets for whoever they like. I’ve been going to 3-4 away games every season for over 30 years, so have a long purchase history, but Aunty Mavis jumps the queue.

 

[Seagull27]

This isn't entirely true. STH who buy guest tickets are responsible for their guests. It's in the T&Cs. If you buy a guest ticket you assume responsibility for that person and will suffer consequences if they misbehave. If you give your guest ticket to someone you don't know in exchange for money, you are breaching the T&Cs anyway and if caught will suffer the consequences of "touting" your ticket.

The club are happy because the STH Guest tickets give a way for connected fans (as in they already know someone committed to a season ticket) to get a taste of the Albion without having to assume the administrative responsibility.

True, but it makes for some messy situations if a guest does misbehave, it won't be black and white in many cases.

Even under the same priority structure, surely it would have been beneficial to the club to require every guest to have a fan number - it's a step towards them getting membership, many of them would be added to marketing lists, plus they could restrict guests who are already banned for whatever reason.

And the guests get loyalty points.

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

I know of quite a few United ‘fans’ who have been bought guest tickets by STH, unfortunately. Boyfriend of the STH’s daughter etc.

Which is one of the most obvious reasons why purchase history should have gone before guests.

 

[Napper]

Guests are more likely to have painted faces , half and half scarves and WON'T sing




probably

 

[Beanstalk]

True, but it makes for some messy situations if a guest does misbehave, it won't be black and white in many cases.

Even under the same priority structure, surely it would have been beneficial to the club to require every guest to have a fan number - it's a step towards them getting membership, many of them would be added to marketing lists, plus they could restrict guests who are already banned for whatever reason.

And the guests get loyalty points.

Yes, maybe in the long term. I think the reality is that we don't have 36,000 members currently and that for a single fixture having thousands of new fans needing to register is probably a huge administrative task. The STH Guests policy lets the club sell the full allocation quickly without the administrative burden of registering and confirming thousands of new fans. It also covers responsibility through the STH - messy maybe, but it is a risk put on to the STH buying the ticket.

 

[Bozza]

I don't think it's fair that I'm unable to get a ticket for this or potentially the final as I don't have My Albion + already. It presents little value for me to have membership as I live in Cornwall and can only get to 1 or 2 games a season at best. Occasions like a semi final or final should be an opportunity for all Albion fans to come together from far and wide. I don't know any season ticket holders, and my efforts on NSC to get a ticket in the past have been fruitless. I feel like I'm being excluded due to geography, I have supported Brighton all my life and went to games frequently at Withdean and Amex before I moved away

I completely sympathise with you, as you are in the exact situation I outlined in my post earlier on this thread.

However, I think we can see that membership would have provided you with value as, right now, you'd be excitedly counting down the days and hours to Wembley, as well as giving you an enhanced chance of being able to go to games when you are in the area, as getting hold of home tickets has become increasingly difficult this season.

Beyond that, I think if I were living far away from Sussex, I'd want to be a member to feel like I was doing my bit, in a small way, to financially support the club.

Do you think you may become a member in future seasons, or do you feel so disenchanted that it's turned you off even more?

 

[The Grockle]

.

They have, certainly, but there seems to be a few fans, often now living away from Sussex, who did not personally know any STHs who could help them with a guest ticket. We've seen a fair few of them on here, asking if there are any STHs who could help them out.

It does feel a real shame that genuine long-term fans may miss out if they were unable to find a STH who would trust them with a purchase on their behalf.

This certainly applies to me. I've never lived in Brighton or Sussex and have always followed the Albion from afar.

As I now pick and choose occasional games the membership seemed a little pointless to me as I've not had any issues getting home tickets.

I'm happy to be low down in the pecking order and appreciate my chances would be slim but I think its fair that fans in my position could at least have a chance of securing a ticket.

 

[chrisg]

Someone ask it in the fans forum in august - why purchase history is less important than a friend of a ST or member.

 

[levs]

I completely sympathise with you, as you are in the exact situation I outlined in my post earlier on this thread.

However, I think we can see that membership would have provided you with value as, right now, you'd be excitedly counting down the days and hours to Wembley, as well as giving you an enhanced chance of being able to go to games when you are in the area, as getting hold of home tickets has become increasingly difficult this season.

Beyond that, I think if I were living far away from Sussex, I'd want to be a member to feel like I was doing my bit, in a small way, to financially support the club.

Do you think you may become a member in future seasons, or do you feel so disenchanted that it's turned you off even more?

I like to think that I would be doing my bit by purchasing the ticket itself. I have exaggerated how often I go in my previous post, I have been to 1 game this season (Man U away) and happily waited patiently for it to go to purchase history. If I paid for My Albion + it would have nearly doubled the cost of that 1 ticket. Previous to that game I hadn't been since Bristol City away a couple of times in the championship. So for the frequency I get to games it doesn't represent value, I don't really want to pay membership in advance in the hope that the FA cup draws an away tie in the south west, or we get to a semi-final or final.

I think I'll just stick to being an armchair fan, which is shame as I love the rare occasion I get to a game. I'm going to Plymouth Argyle this weekend so may become more interested in them over time if their games are more accessible.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I don't think it's fair that I'm unable to get a ticket for this or potentially the final as I don't have My Albion + already. It presents little value for me to have membership as I live in Cornwall and can only get to 1 or 2 games a season at best. Occasions like a semi final or final should be an opportunity for all Albion fans to come together from far and wide. I don't know any season ticket holders, and my efforts on NSC to get a ticket in the past have been fruitless. I feel like I'm being excluded due to geography, I have supported Brighton all my life and went to games frequently at Withdean and Amex before I moved away

Hi, I also live in Cornwall but I do buy membership every year and have done since we got promoted. For me, being a member helps keep me connected to the club, let's me feel a little more sense of ownership of our club I suppose, even though I manage just a couple of games a season. Can't deny its been handy either in getting tickets to two semi finals, spurs in the Cup and the odd away game, but that's not why I buy the membership in the first place. And I've certainly been annoyed at how members were treated during covid. But it's my club and being a member is just a natural part of that, which I like, not least because we're surrounded by countless United, Liverpool and Chelsea fans that populate our corner of Britain.