[Albion] LoyaltyPointGate - discussion with the club

[rippleman]

My solution: Don't offer loyalty points for games with cheap tickets. The tickets were £10, what other reward do you want? If 'all' you got for your money was the right to attend the match for which you purchased the ticket, then the only people who'll buy the tickets are those who want to attend the match.

Was this too obvious for the club?

You are getting cheap tickets anyway, why the additional reward of loyalty points? Nobody is going to pay £10 for a ticket and NOT intend to go if there is no loyalty points attached. You will only get purchasers who want to go. What's so difficult about that?

Doesn't resolve the shambles of the two cup games already played but it will make life simpler and easier going forwards and totally shafts those *******s who paid £10 to buy loyalty points for the bigger games to come.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Simply to distinguish it from the bronze membership. Since take-up would probably be less than a bronze member, the club could set aside a limited number of seats per game for country members. There may also be other things that the club marketing could target us with separately.

Ah, I see. Worth an email to PB? If they're planning to change the LP system imminently, now would be a good time.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Totally agree. I've been to Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool, Tranmere and all other NW away matches for over 20 years but feel I have no chance of getting a ticket for any NW away game this season, Liverpool, Everton, City, United. My only hope is perhaps Huddersfield or Burnley, but who knows they may sell out to STHs or others with higher priority. Can't they have 10% of our allocation held back for general sale and for the bigger games to give everyone a chance. Seems like the exiled Brighton fan isn't as important as we used to be. Yours sincerely, President of the Scouse Seagulls.

So because you live close by and it's easy to get to, you want the same entitlement to a ticket to say Goodison or Old Trafford as a fan from Brighton who goes to every home game and travels the length and breadth going to 50% or more of the away games? I'm not sure I see the logic. Why don't you just travel as far as someone living in Brighton does to NW aways, and come to more Home games for which tickets have been available for every game so far?

We're in the top flight now, there is no bowling up to Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool paying on the gate type stuff. There never was much of that in the top flight in the '80s either.

 

[Simster]

I thought that number did get revealed. The official attendance was over 11,000 but a Twitter account (I can't remember which - was it Barnet? Or maybe the police?) gave the number of bums on seats as just over 8,000. So we already know 3,000 people cheated the system that night.

The difference between Barnet and Bournemouth is that by buying a Barnet ticket, you were not preventing someone who wanted to go from buying a ticket themselves. With Bournemouth there were only 1300 tickets and thus only 1300 lots of loyalty points on offer. Fine to throw a tenner in the bin for Barnet in order to up your loyalty points, but not so good when you depriving people who genuinely wanted to go to Bournemouth.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Driver8]

Totally agree. I've been to Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool, Tranmere and all other NW away matches for over 20 years but feel I have no chance of getting a ticket for any NW away game this season, Liverpool, Everton, City, United. My only hope is perhaps Huddersfield or Burnley, but who knows they may sell out to STHs or others with higher priority. Can't they have 10% of our allocation held back for general sale and for the bigger games to give everyone a chance. Seems like the exiled Brighton fan isn't as important as we used to be. Yours sincerely, President of the Scouse Seagulls.

I have lived in North Wales for over 15 years and have kept my ST and make most home games. It can be done!

 

[osgood]

It is my view that the club has been actively selling points (loyalty) ever since the Amex opened.

Until this season if you purchased a 1901 ticket you got an extra 50 points. I don't see 1901 holders as more loyal than other season ticket holders, they just spent more.

1901 holders get points for all home cup games whether they attend or not. Once again points purchased and not earned through loyalty.

600 or so ticket holding people did not attend Bournemouth, however the club has not given the figure for the Barnet game. I would hazard a guess that the number was higher.

It would seem that the club has never had a problem with creating revenue from the sale of points, it is just now that they are facing a PR problem that they are complaining about a system they created, and have allowed to function for years.

All the furore surrounding the Bournemouth match has lead them to react. I can understand peoples disappointment at not getting points, or seeing other people get them. However I feel the actual number of people who are disappointed at not getting tickets to go to Bournemouth is a lot lower than the number of grumblers.

Agree with this , as if no points were given for this fixture , there wouldnt have been 650 of ours there, most of the remainder were just paying a "top-up" ,to enhance their chances ,and most of those complaining wouldnt have gone anyway ...

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Agree with this , as if no points were given for this fixture , there wouldnt have been 650 of ours there, most of the remainder were just paying a "top-up" ,to enhance their chances ,and most of those complaining wouldnt have gone anyway ...

Brilliant. Three fantastic generalisations in one sentence. Well done.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

I have lived in North Wales for over 15 years and have kept my ST and make most home games. It can be done!

I'm in Devon and still tramp down every home game

 

[jaghebby]

Totally agree. I've been to Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool, Tranmere and all other NW away matches for over 20 years but feel I have no chance of getting a ticket for any NW away game this season, Liverpool, Everton, City, United. My only hope is perhaps Huddersfield or Burnley, but who knows they may sell out to STHs or others with higher priority. Can't they have 10% of our allocation held back for general sale and for the bigger games to give everyone a chance. Seems like the exiled Brighton fan isn't as important as we used to be. Yours sincerely, President of the Scouse Seagulls.

Well if you don't go to home games and thus do not contribute to the club then in reality your not as important as the income stream the club receives from STH's! So if you want to support the team then go to a home games and make the investment that many fans that are STH's do when traveling up from Brighton to get to away matches in the North!

 

[AWAYDAY]

I'd look in the mirror mate. By far the most patronising posts on this thread have emanated from your keyboard
Another example of blaming others..

Nice!

 

[The red pepper kid]

You're not the first person to write on here that the moaners are jcl's who won't go to away games if we go down - so can I point out that lots of us who are moaning are people who did indeed go to Barnsley and Huddersfield and others, but not having a season-ticket means all of a sudden we can't get to away games. As you well know there are lots and lots of exiles who enjoy away games and to call us glory-hunting jcls is simply insulting.

So please reset your thinking, I've been to Rochdale four times and whilst that was nice and easy to get a ticket I have no desire to go back to Rochdale. however if I can never get to see Brighton away I might start really pining for the lower leagues once more. Bournemouth in the league cup looked like one of the few games that we non-sth holders might be able to get tickets for, and for there to be 700 no-shows is a real kick in the teeth.

a very good point I didn't always have a season ticket

 

[GOM]

There are home tickets available for pretty much every game. Why would you need any kind of priority over fans for limited away tickets for fans that likely go to 70% or so of all our games?

Not concerned with home matches (those are our away games), but like CaptainDaveUK, having spent decades supporting at away matches all over the north of England and the Midlands, when we were sh*t , it would be nice to go to another away game while we are in the Prem.

 

[Bwian]

Brilliant. Three fantastic generalisations in one sentence. Well done.

So you think it would have sold out if there were no points on offer?

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

So because you live close by and it's easy to get to, you want the same entitlement to a ticket to say Goodison or Old Trafford as a fan from Brighton who goes to every home game and travels the length and breadth going to 50% or more of the away games? I'm not sure I see the logic. Why don't you just travel as far as someone living in Brighton does to NW aways, and come to more Home games for which tickets have been available for every game so far?

We're in the top flight now, there is no bowling up to Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool paying on the gate type stuff. There never was much of that in the top flight in the '80s either.

I'm not asking for the same entitlement. I merely suggested making 10% of our allocation being made available for general sale. Not everyone is able to be a super fan, committing to a 9 hour round trip for home games. I've raised my kid to love and support the Albion by taking him to 3-4 away games a season, usually a 2-3 hour round trip radius of Liverpool. He proudly worn his Brighton kit to local footy training in Liverpool for years. Hopefully I'll find a way to get us to a game but it feels like most of the away games will sell out to STHs, which means we may not get to see the Albion this year unless we drive down to the Amex.

 

[Napper]

pay on the day , guess the away attendance v Bournemouth

I cant see it being much more than 700

Lot of nonsense all of it

 

[Deleted member 2719]

The Tuesday night debacle was a one off and of the club's own making. They need to take it on the chin this time but they won't because Barber's ego won't allow it.

We have all learned from it and it won't happen again (probably), sadly depriving photo opportunities for the twitterati on here.

100% this, Barber likes the image of feeling close to the fans/customers but that simple isn't true, he doesn't take anything on the chin, maybe he see it as a weakness, i see it as a strength.

Go on Paul take one on the chin, i dare you!

 

[Bwian]

Not concerned with home matches (those are our away games), but like CaptainDaveUK, having spent decades supporting at away matches all over the north of England and the Midlands, when we were sh*t , it would be nice to go to another away game while we are in the Prem.

What you need to do then is attend more of your away games at The Amex to be in with a shout for your home games just like southern based fans have had to trek all over for games. It is a different animal this season-to get to the 'glamour' games up North and elsewhere means people need to be prepared to do a little more to qualify for tickets. That's not having a dig-it's the reality of life in The Premier League. No need for 'tickets for a fiver' days for MK Dons away to get the numbers up.

 

[Bigtomfu]

I thought that number did get revealed. The official attendance was over 11,000 but a Twitter account (I can't remember which - was it Barnet? Or maybe the police?) gave the number of bums on seats as just over 8,000. So we already know 3,000 people cheated the system that night.

But that's the thing right, it's NOT cheating the system, and at best gaming an imperfect system with the most relevant solution for each person (I.e buy ticket then attend/not attend).

This has been going on for longer than just Barnet/B'muff this season with anyone with deep enough pockets to buy and then go/not go to away games.

There's no appropriate way of the club resolving this without it being a PR disaster for one demographic or another within the supporter base.

For what it's worth I speak as someone who did buy a ticket for Barnet and not go due to work commitments on the day and as a result benefitted because the points tipped me into the second bracket for Arsenal (I got a ticket) and West Ham (also got a ticket).

The clamour for action has come from a very vocal minority of keyboard warriors who if they had used their online capabilities for good rather than bad could have sourced tickets from those no longer going.

Sadly said online clamour is indicative of the modern age and results typically in changes for all to the benefit of very few and detriment of the majority.

Suck it up, move on is my advice.

 

[Bwian]

100% this, Barber likes the image of feeling close to the fans/customers but that simple isn't true, he doesn't take anything on the chin, maybe he see it as a weakness, i see it as a strength.

Go on Paul take one on the chin, i dare you!

I think there might be more demand for that than Bournemouth tickets.

 

[Wardy's twin]

I would guess a clearer statement of the problem would be a good start, the threads covered a multitude of issues and 'concerns(gripes)' and i am unsure what the real scale of the problem is.

Is the club trying to stop abuse of the loyalty system or more generally trying to correct loyalty system's flaws (yes abuse is one of them but appears to be identified as a separate item) or both if the latter as said a clear statement of the problems is needed.

Regards the Bournemouth game what is the REAL issue ? Club saying it sold 1200 tickets and only 650 turn up so embarrassing? Or that 550 fans or so have ten points more than some people but didn't travel so didn't earn them. Regards point one the club regularly reports crowd figures higher than actual attendance. Regards the second bit , the club did not make it clear you had to travel to the game it is only implied by the purchase. So you cannot retrospectively deal with that, you could state going forward that points are based on actual attendance. You must be able to track which tickets were scanned, I worked in computing for 35 years this is just bread and butter stuff. Now assuming you track who attends , i buy a ticket for £30 and get 10 points but then don't arrive is it a black and white no you loose your points or is someone going to arbitrate (at a cost) on each case to say that excuse is valid or not? You start opening up a minefield and someone will always feel aggrieved. What do we do about season ticket holders who regularly miss home games and denying people a chance to see a game?

I could go on but won't. I bought a ticket and attended. I have got tickets for the away games that I am able to attend and am not in the first tier of fans

It might be useful if the club held a forum at the Amex where the points could be more easily debated.....