Have your new tickets arrived (1901)

[Easy 10]

I was rather poking fune at the fact that there is not much to call customer service, certainly not on match days, if you bring it up with the management it's generally it's a case of like it or lump it, I have the emails to corroborate this. Without a doubt the most incapable bar staff in Brighton and the surrounding area are employed in our lounge, the glasses are often dirty, the staff hand over drinks with their fingers inside the glasses, they don't know how to operate pumps, optics or tills. They can't work the contactless, they still tell us they don't accept Amex cards on a regular basis. When asked for two and a half pints of Heineken we were honestly told 'we don't do that size glasses, only pints and halves'. And it has got worse year on year since we moved to the Amex.
There are some plus points obviously, otherwise I wouldn't still do it, but customer service, I really don't think it's particularly high on their priority list.

Blimey.

Obviously the biggest plus point is the fact that you get to watch the Albion in comfort in some of the best seats in the house - luckily for BHA, that pretty much overrides everything else. But delivering that level of "service" in any other industry would probably result in that business rapidly going under.

What a shame they exploit the loyalty of the fans by providing such shoddy, low-end service. Better not moan though I suppose. We're losing well over a million a month, I think I heard someone mention once.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I was rather poking fune at the fact that there is not much to call customer service, certainly not on match days, if you bring it up with the management it's generally it's a case of like it or lump it, I have the emails to corroborate this. Without a doubt the most incapable bar staff in Brighton and the surrounding area are employed in our lounge, the glasses are often dirty, the staff hand over drinks with their fingers inside the glasses, they don't know how to operate pumps, optics or tills. They can't work the contactless, they still tell us they don't accept Amex cards on a regular basis. When asked for two and a half pints of Heineken we were honestly told 'we don't do that size glasses, only pints and halves'. And it has got worse year on year since we moved to the Amex.
There are some plus points obviously, otherwise I wouldn't still do it, but customer service, I really don't think it's particularly high on their priority list.

Not far off my experience. We have one experienced bar manager who is great and a regular turnover of kids who don't know the stock, how to pour a pint, who they served and need to give change to, how to take an order for half time drinks, what food is available etc. I get that it is hard to get experienced bar staff to work once every two weeks and you put up with it. But they keep chipping away at our goodwill.

 

[BobbySmith]

Agree Phil, love the seats the people, the view, the comfort, but the customer service is bad. Sodexo are just plain awful in our lounge, when I complain all i get is that ' they win awards your know for Catering' love to know what the opposition were, Sid's cafe. We are now in discussions with them regarding parking, we negotiated 4 spaces for 10 tickets as we all signed life debentures. Now all 10 of us have received the packs and guess what?, no passes, been told we have to apply for a pass per 4 tickets, so I assume we only get 2 now, which is an issue as we come in 4 cars from different parts of the country. So you sign up and agree for life membership and they take your £1000 and we have it in writing that we have 4 car parking spaces, but they then use the 5 year deal clause?. Would be nice if we have one parking ticket for tonight or a form we can fill out, as I have asked for as a matter of urgency and no show.

 

[Beach Hut]

The I am considerably richer than you thread

 

[Driver8]

I'm a bit confused as to what these "lounges" people refer to are. I'm assuming it's just like our WSU concourse with a bit of carpet?

I can't say that it appeals as 1901ers always seem to be moaning about something.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

The I am considerably richer than you thread

I think you have got lost. You are looking for the 'I am going to sue the club because I get free First Class train travel' thread.

 

[smelly]

No tickets but hey four hours until kick off so who knows.

Rang the club; No problem will send you PDF of tickets on e mail.

E mail, no PDF.

Rang the club: "Sorry we cant attach PDF's pick them up at the ticket office"

Fine, what about our car park pass.

Ah that you should have reapplied for that!!!!

Thanks for letting me know.

They are making it as difficult as possible to support this club.

 

[Giraffe]

Posted on the other thread, but the nonsense of wasting money sending the tickets out in these boxes is just ridiculous, and yes parking passes not sent as standard unless all four of you live at the same address!

If you negotiated something at the time of the sell you have to fill in a new form and get signed by everyone.

Why wasn't this sorted out weeks ago? I have no idea.

These are the boxes and guess what, woohoo, a pin badge that are now all in the bin.

All we needed is a new pass, and we have two boxes big enough for a Dick Knight novel.

 

[Giraffe]

No tickets but hey four hours until kick off so who knows.

Rang the club; No problem will send you PDF of tickets on e mail.

E mail, no PDF.

Rang the club: "Sorry we cant attach PDF's pick them up at the ticket office"

Fine, what about our car park pass.

Ah that you should have reapplied for that!!!!

Thanks for letting me know.

They are making it as difficult as possible to support this club.

That just isn't right. They can send a pdf ticket because they just have to one of our group whose "package" couldn't fit through the letterbox. Email Paul Rogers. Paul.Rogers@bhafc.co.uk

 

[smelly]

That just isn't right. They can send a pdf ticket because they just have to one of our group whose "package" couldn't fit through the letterbox. Email Paul Rogers. Paul.Rogers@bhafc.co.uk

Perhaps mate but beyond the staff members I spoke to. Picking up at ground now. Thinking take away and sofa Friday now though!

 

[Southstandfaithful]

Just received my tickets... Luckily my neighbour took in the box for me whilst I was at work. Like others I have no car park ticket and have to fill in car share application and return to club. Total fiasco again, and I second all others exasperation that this was not communicated to season ticket holders and posting was left so late.

 

[Eddiespearritt]

I'm a bit confused as to what these "lounges" people refer to are. I'm assuming it's just like our WSU concourse with a bit of carpet?

I can't say that it appeals as 1901ers always seem to be moaning about something.

Yep - apologies for moaning about not being sent two season tickets that I have paid several thousand pounds for. In advance of the first event. Won't mention it again - promise.

 

[Eggman]

I was rather poking fune at the fact that there is not much to call customer service, certainly not on match days, if you bring it up with the management it's generally it's a case of like it or lump it, I have the emails to corroborate this. Without a doubt the most incapable bar staff in Brighton and the surrounding area are employed in our lounge, the glasses are often dirty, the staff hand over drinks with their fingers inside the glasses, they don't know how to operate pumps, optics or tills. They can't work the contactless, they still tell us they don't accept Amex cards on a regular basis. When asked for two and a half pints of Heineken we were honestly told 'we don't do that size glasses, only pints and halves'. And it has got worse year on year since we moved to the Amex.
There are some plus points obviously, otherwise I wouldn't still do it, but customer service, I really don't think it's particularly high on their priority list.

That glass line always makes me ROFL. Thanks for mentioning it again. Absolute classic.

 

[Giraffe]

A further Paul Barber note received this afternoon

I’ve read your note. I’d make the following comments:

- you may not value the presentation box but we have close to 3,000 1901 members – and, as we all know, it’s a diverse group. If we’d sent out confirmation of a 5 year commitment to the club in a plain envelope, we’d receive different complaints.
- there is a lot of logic in a second contract term to asking people to re-apply for parking; the allocation in the second term is different for many people than their first term. The club needs to have all of its paperwork in order for a 5 year agreement.
- you may not like your “ribbon” but, for our security staff, it helps identify people that should be in the lounges from people who shouldn’t be. It’s part of a process to keep YOU safe, whether you're a “supporter” or a “corporate”.
- I don’t know where you buy your coffee in a commercial environment but the cost of 10p a cup isn’t even close! As I have said, provision of tea and coffee for nearly 3,000 people, 23 times a year costs the club tens of thousands of pounds.
- unfortunately, we can’t (and don’t) run a football club based on what is said or not said on social media.
- many of the changes we have made have been initiated by Paul Rogers and his team because of their experiences in the past 5 years of operating the 1901 club; they’ve been fully explained to the executive team and board - and fully supported.

I have been asked to be frank by a few people on this issue, and so I will be:

- 5 years ago the club (and its various partners) had to make a lot of decisions from a position of relative weakness, and with a significant lack of experience of the commercial and operational issues of running a football club business at this level.
- some of those decisions, all taken in good faith, were not all the correct ones; and, over the years since the stadium opened, we have slowly, but surely, taken opportunities to correct the initial errors. Not to have done so would have been wrong.
- at the end of 5 year contract period, it is essential that the club takes the opportunity to correct any of those remaining initial errors; it is also vital to ensure that a new, stronger foundation is laid to ensure the club is better positioned for the future.
- nobody at this football club has been “mean spirited”, “devious”, “deceitful” or “penny pinching”; the club’s staff and directors have simply taken necessary steps to make this football club – YOUR football club – more financially sustainable.
- to suggest otherwise is totally unfair and insulting to many decent, loyal, honest and hard-working staff that go to considerable lengths to ensure everyone enjoys their visits to the Amex.
- some of the stuff I have read and been sent in the past 48 hours has been, quite frankly, entirely detached from the reality of how this business operates, and the steps we must continually take to ensure we are competitive as well as sustainable.
- thankfully, it has been balanced by comments from others fully appreciating that with certain difficult decisions, the club will never win. Don’t take them, our costs spiral, the budget for players is weakened; take them and we "don’t care" about fans.

The reality is:

- in the past 4 years, we’ve taken many millions of pounds out of the non-footballing operational costs of running this business while also growing our revenues. At Championship level, neither is easy. Our staff have done a fabulous job in both respects.
- at the same time, we have improved facilities and services for our fans and we’ve maintained the key benefits – transport subsidy and interest free season ticket payment plans to name two – that the vast majority hold dear.
- we have created an infrastructure that is envied across the game, not least here at the Amex and at Lancing, where we have also established a category 1 academy in less than 3 years.
- thanks to these efforts, and the continued generosity of the chairman, we’ve also dramatically improved our playing budget – whilst also complying with the dreaded financial fair play rules (which, by the way, still exist).
- as a consequence, we are enjoying our 6th consecutive season in the Championship, we have narrowly missed out on promotion, and we have reached 3 play-offs in the past 4 seasons.
- we are now set to mount another challenge for promotion to the Premier League after yet more investment from the chairman to help us retain and attract the best possible players to the club amidst fierce financial competition.
- all these things are inter-connected; efforts to reduce costs and increase revenues enable us to put more budget on the field; they also give the chairman more confidence to increase his own commitment – which he has done season after season.
- we are more open, transparent, accessible, and make more efforts to communicate with more fans at more times, through a variety of different channels, than, in my opinion, any club in the country.
- in my opinion, we are incredibly lucky to be owned by Tony Bloom. And even more lucky that he is prepared to back us to an unbelievable level on the field while ensuring that our supporters are looked after to the best of our ability off it.

In summary, and after close to 20 years working in professional football, there are very few, if any, clubs quite like this one. It is very special in so many ways. From its history to its location, from its infrastructure to its owner, from the quality of our playing staff and coaches to the ambition of everyone, and from the way we are encouraged and supported to run the club, to the club’s incredible potential. In my opinion, it’s truly one of a kind. Sometimes I do think fans (and staff) should take a step back, take a breath, not be so quick to criticise, and take time to compare and contrast. No football club (or any other business for that matter is perfect – and don’t get me started on letting and estate agents!) but I do think we all might be pleasantly surprised at how fantastic this football club is. And, no, it’s not all about what we, the club do: please be assured that we don’t underestimate how big a part our fans have played – and continue to play - in making the club what it is today. Amazing.

As ever, please feel free to share this note if you feel it would be useful to do so.

 

[Easy 10]

I'm just shaking my head at all this. What a complete and utter horlicks by the club. They leave it till too late to send out the tickets, then they omit the car park passes, they put it all in a ridiculous, pointlessly pretencious presentation box which turns out to be too big to fit through many peoples letterboxes, resulting in fans having to collect their tickets to the game from the post office THE DAY AFTER THE GAME, and leave them to fanny about tonight queuing up at the ticket office, when its going to be a complete nause trying to get there early in the first place thanks to the antics of SASTA.

And all so easily avoidable if they'd just done the sensible thing and sent them out a couple of weeks ago. UNbelievable.

 

[Eggman]

No tickets but hey four hours until kick off so who knows.

Rang the club; No problem will send you PDF of tickets on e mail.

E mail, no PDF.

Rang the club: "Sorry we cant attach PDF's pick them up at the ticket office"

Fine, what about our car park pass.

Ah that you should have reapplied for that!!!!

Thanks for letting me know.

They are making it as difficult as possible to support this club.

Really. Received mine by PDF today. Seems it's all very slap and indeed dash.

Oh dear.

 

[Superphil]

With there being 3000 of us it's only fair we have a say on these things. I just got home and our packs are here, minus a parking permit. but the best thing is I have also received the pack for someone else who is not either of us, seriously, there is every reason to complain. I hope the person whose pack I have isn't hoping to go tonight, though I will take it with me in case I can find out who it is.

 

[Superphil]

We got a new sign though

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Really can't be bothered to comment on Barber's latest comments but suffice it to say, I am very, very disappointed. Actually managed to get my pack from the post office collection office to be greeted by a letter that tells me that my continuing membership of Harveys Brewery has made the club famous worldwide or somesuch. Way to proof read your mail merges there, Albion.

I also read with interest that they will install turnstile in the main receptions and close the North and South entrances of the West Stand. Given the increasing queues due to the handheld metal detectors last season, I can foresee nothing but chaos trying to funnel everyone through one entrance. And the wording of the dress code now says that if you wear dress considered inappropriate will have a choice of buying suitable attire from the club shop or being moved (at cost and subject to availability) to the general seating area. There could be an interesting Sexual Discrimination case there as I know of at least one female who continually wears very loud and obvious sports shoes/trainers and is never challenged. Given the club's predilection for the results of surveys, I'm intrigued to know where the majority of 1901 members who believe that you can't even wear a collar-less shirt sitting outdoors, hang out. I suppose there would be women fainting at such a sight.

Still, at least I now know that committing to giving the football club many thousands of pounds over 5 years means that it is my fault that the club lose so much money and I should be grateful that they are taking away goodwill gestures for my own benefit.

Anyway, no more from me as anything said on Social Media doesn't count, apparently.

 

[Giraffe]

Really can't be bothered to comment on Barber's latest comments but suffice it to say, I am very, very disappointed. Actually managed to get my pack from the post office collection office to be greeted by a letter that tells me that my continuing membership of Harveys Brewery has made the club famous worldwide or somesuch. Way to proof read your mail merges there, Albion.

I also read with interest that they will install turnstile in the main receptions and close the North and South entrances of the West Stand. Given the increasing queues due to the handheld metal detectors last season, I can foresee nothing but chaos trying to funnel everyone through one entrance. And the wording of the dress code now says that if you wear dress considered inappropriate will have a choice of buying suitable attire from the club shop or being moved (at cost and subject to availability) to the general seating area. There could be an interesting Sexual Discrimination case there as I know of at least one female who continually wears very loud and obvious sports shoes/trainers and is never challenged. Given the club's predilection for the results of surveys, I'm intrigued to know where the majority of 1901 members who believe that you can't even wear a collar-less shirt sitting outdoors, hang out. I suppose there would be women fainting at such a sight.

Still, at least I now know that committing to giving the football club many thousands of pounds over 5 years means that it is my fault that the club lose so much money and I should be grateful that they are taking away goodwill gestures for my own benefit.

Anyway, no more from me as anything said on Social Media doesn't count, apparently.

Good point on the entry. There was a significant queue 45 minutes before kick off for a game where no one has turned up. I fear it will be significantly worse on Friday night.