[Albion] PASSING ON A TICKET WARNING

[trueblue]

The issue might be that fans on a ban, for whatever reason, are then able to enter grounds. This would make bans worthless.

For this match, there's nothing to stop fans on a ban getting a guest ticket from someone. Punish banned fans heavily if they are caught breaching the ban - not everyone else. The ability to resell the ticket via the club for an admin fee would get rid of that problem anyway.

 

[PeterT]

For this match, there's nothing to stop fans on a ban getting a guest ticket from someone. Punish banned fans heavily if they are caught breaching the ban - not everyone else. The ability to resell the ticket via the club for an admin fee would get rid of that problem anyway.

If nothing else, the one thing that this thread has highlighted is that there is a blindingly obvious need for the club to find an approved and legitimate way for fans to be able to resell or pass on all match tickets, not just for home games, at face value to other fans. In the absence of such a system, the void gets filled by workarounds which are generally done with the best intentions but risk those involved getting unfairly punished as seems to have happened in this case.

Now that we are a club playing more and more major games, maybe even in Europe, the need for this to be implemented will only grow or else so will the problem.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

Does that not, in itself, break the “law” we’re always being told about regarding re-selling over the face value? Or don’t these seats have a face value as they’re not sold individually by the venue in the first place?
Whatever, it’s a terrible mess.

These are usually 10 year debenture seats that cost a lot of money to buy. It’s the yours to do as you wish for sporting and music events etc. So no … there’s no face value to these seats and the owner of the debenture is permitted to sell the seat for any event they don’t use themselves.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

For this match, there's nothing to stop fans on a ban getting a guest ticket from someone. Punish banned fans heavily if they are caught breaching the ban - not everyone else. The ability to resell the ticket via the club for an admin fee would get rid of that problem anyway.

Anyone have any idea how many ‘fans’ we have banned from buying tickets to away games? I can’t imagine it‘s a big number?

And I wonder if the terms of the ban includes a potential further ban for acquiring tickets from ’other’ routes than just buying themselves?

 

[trueblue]

If nothing else, the one thing that this thread has highlighted is that there is a blindingly obvious need for the club to find an approved and legitimate way for fans to be able to resell or pass on all match tickets, not just for home games, at face value to other fans. In the absence of such a system, the void gets filled by workarounds which are generally done with the best intentions but risk those involved getting unfairly punished as seems to have happened in this case.

Now that we are a club playing more and more major games, maybe even in Europe, the need for this to be implemented will only grow or else so will the problem.

Agreed. If the club's main concern is the effect on the loyalty system and people harvesting points for tickets they can't use, having a formal way of reselling them would help. The loyalty points could be removed from the account. If they want to discourage people buying on spec, perhaps there's even a case to remove all loyalty points accrued for that transaction - not just the ticket in question. Some might think that's harsh but it's better than the current options.

 

[dazzer6666]

Agreed. If the club's main concern is the effect on the loyalty system and people harvesting points for tickets they can't use, having a formal way of reselling them would help. The loyalty points could be removed from the account. If they want to discourage people buying on spec, perhaps there's even a case to remove all loyalty points accrued for that transaction - not just the ticket in question. Some might think that's harsh but it's better than the current options.

What other loyalty points would be accrued in the transaction other than the ones for the ticket ?

 

[PeterT]

These are usually 10 year debenture seats that cost a lot of money to buy. It’s the yours to do as you wish for sporting and music events etc. So no … there’s no face value to these seats and the owner of the debenture is permitted to sell the seat for any event they don’t use themselves.

Official ticket packages for Man United for that game can still be bought from €400, so paying £525 from a dodgy website seems excessive anyway.

https://www.gosporttravel.com/en/football/facupsemifinal/65153?step=ticket

 

[goldstoneseagull]

Still tickets for sale here in the Brighton end, not Club Wembley

Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United tickets | FA Cup

Book your Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United tickets for the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley here!

www.livefootballtickets.com

Well this is actually it. If the club actually cared about clamping down on ticket touting then they would invest in buying up the tickets that are being touted to then allow for disclosure of the sellers details, to then put the information forward to police to prosecute accordingly as part of a sting operation. Instead, they’ve lazily opted to pick on one person for a game within which the club has actually invited season ticket holders to invite unnamed guests. It’s farcical.

 

[dazzer6666]

Well this is actually it. If the club actually cared about clamping down on ticket touting then they would invest in buying up the tickets that are being touted to then allow for disclosure of the sellers details, to then put the information forward to police to prosecute accordingly as part of a sting operation. Instead, they’ve lazily opted to pick on one person for a game within which the club has actually invited season ticket holders to invite unnamed guests. It’s farcical.

How do you know they're not doing something about it ?

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Well this is actually it. If the club actually cared about clamping down on ticket touting then they would invest in buying up the tickets that are being touted to then allow for disclosure of the sellers details, to then put the information forward to police to prosecute accordingly as part of a sting operation. Instead, they’ve lazily opted to pick on one person for a game within which the club has actually invited season ticket holders to invite unnamed guests. It’s farcical.

Think that's a bit unfair as the club are on record as having done just that for other games this season.

It's the 'sting' of an NSC user acting in good faith that tickets are transferrable for this one that leaves a sour taste

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Anyone have any idea how many ‘fans’ we have banned from buying tickets to away games? I can’t imagine it‘s a big number?

And I wonder if the terms of the ban includes a potential further ban for acquiring tickets from ’other’ routes than just buying themselves?

100 just in February according to this Argus article

Albion crack 'ticket touting ring' selling home tickets to away fans for £250

Albion have uncovered an “attempted ticket touting ring” which sought to “exploit” supporters by charging up to £250 to attend the FA Cup…

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[Bozza]

Well this is actually it. If the club actually cared about clamping down on ticket touting then they would invest in buying up the tickets that are being touted to then allow for disclosure of the sellers details, to then put the information forward to police to prosecute accordingly as part of a sting operation. Instead, they’ve lazily opted to pick on one person for a game within which the club has actually invited season ticket holders to invite unnamed guests. It’s farcical.

I’ve posted about this before recently, very possibly on this very thread.

The club do work very hard, continuously, on what is essentially organised touting of Albion tickets.

However it’s a never-ending game of whack-a-mole as these touting companies operate from outside the uk which makes legal action difficult if not impossible.

 

[Lewesian Seagull]

There's a chap in my office who I thought didn't even like football but it turns out he's a plastic Spurs fan. He was in our end at at Tottenham the other week. He bought his ticket from a friend of his, who is 1901. This 1901 member had acquired nine tickets, the majority of which he passed on to spurs fans. That's the sort of person who deserves a 10 match ban!!
It doesn't sit right with me that 1901 members appear to be above the rules the rest of us have to abide to.

 

[BrightonLoyal]

There's a chap in my office who I thought didn't even like football but it turns out he's a plastic Spurs fan. He was in our end at at Tottenham the other week. He bought his ticket from a friend of his, who is 1901. This 1901 member had acquired nine tickets, the majority of which he passed on to spurs fans. That's the sort of person who deserves a 10 match ban!!
It doesn't sit right with me that 1901 members appear to be above the rules the rest of us have to abide to.

1901 season ticket holders dont get any priority on away tickets though?

100% agree that this is worthy of a 10 game ban if not more but not sure what the 1901 relevance is, is it because the tickets don't have names on? So actually there must have been 9 season ticket holders who passed their tickets on to Spurs fans?

 

[Wozza]

1901 season ticket holders dont get any priority on away tickets though?

Perhaps he buys 10 tickets for EVERY away match, so is in the top loyalty tier (guaranteeing tickets)?

 

[goldstoneseagull]

1901 season ticket holders dont get any priority on away tickets though?

100% agree that this is worthy of a 10 game ban if not more but not sure what the 1901 relevance is, is it because the tickets don't have names on? So actually there must have been 9 season ticket holders who passed their tickets on to Spurs fans?

There’s no name attached to 1901 tickets. So I see it as either the case that the 1901 holder, holds 9 corporate seats (I know a company who hold 6) buys up away tickets and passes them on or 9 individual 1901 members and passed them on.

 

[Lewesian Seagull]

1901 season ticket holders dont get any priority on away tickets though?

100% agree that this is worthy of a 10 game ban if not more but not sure what the 1901 relevance is, is it because the tickets don't have names on? So actually there must have been 9 season ticket holders who passed their tickets on to Spurs fans?

Yes, from what I could gather, (he started to get a bit cagey) the 1901 member had some of his own and acquired ther rest from other members which he then passed on. Presumably no names required and no random checks.

 

[Miami Seagull]

Doesn’t say but at those prices presumably Club Wembley in middle tier.

Yes, middle tier.

 

[trueblue]

What other loyalty points would be accrued in the transaction other than the ones for the ticket ?

I'm saying that if someone buys, for instance, 4 tickets seated together in the same transaction, then the loyalty points for all 4 tickets are reversed as a disincentive to people handing tickets back on a regular basis.

 

[Commander]

1901 season ticket holders dont get any priority on away tickets though?

100% agree that this is worthy of a 10 game ban if not more but not sure what the 1901 relevance is, is it because the tickets don't have names on? So actually there must have been 9 season ticket holders who passed their tickets on to Spurs fans?

I have 1901 tickets in my company name- that's the issue, anybody can use them as they are not named tickets. I'm not sure how you would get around this.