Paul Barber - ID checks of fans at away games?

[ropey9]

There won't be very many gaps for the kids who have been forced to move out, to be able to move into tho. Which is a real shame. Maybe actually makes sense to disband the Family Section so that current families in there can continue to sit next to each other, irrespective of age. And the JCVLs on the waiting list can just, er, WAIT.

Exactly the reason I didn't get season tickets in the family section as there was (when the amex opened) / is no policy on where you go when your children grow up apart from onto the waiting list. You should be allowed to stay on in the family stand until a suitable space opens up in another area of the ground where you take priority over the waiting list. Its not difficult to come up with a simple solution that doesn't piss people off.

 

[fozzie's headband]

I have two tickets, 1 adult and 1 65+. My elderly relative is no longer well enough to go and hasn't done for about the last 18 months so my teenage son has been using the ticket. The club aren't losing out financially as he falls into the U18 category which is actually cheaper. I enquired as to whether I could change the seat into my son's name and the answer was no.
So my only option is to keep the 65+ ticket renewing and for my son to use it. Seems ridiculous really.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Now that is ridiculous. I accept there will be numerous different scenarios where people may feel they deserve the right to retain the use of a season ticket for a connected other, but surely the one you describe is one where it should absolutely be permitted.

You have my sympathy for what sounds absolutely ridiculous.

I absolutely agree.

However, where do you draw the line? Say it's his uncle who wants the ST, is that close enough? Father in Law? Mate down the pub?

The problem with this sort of thing is that you'll create either a massive tome of every possible circumstance over time which can be rigorously applied (although, human error will assuredly mean that it isn't consistently applied), or you leave it up to the individual person in supporter services to use their common sense - this latter approach will also assuredly lead to inconsistencies (John and Jane make different judgements; John leaves and is replaced by Jane; etc.).

It's easier by far, and way, way cheaper, and also guarantees consistency, for the club to just say "No, we're not transferring any ST into another name, no matter what the reason". This will lead, eventually, to ST "holders" being 125 years old where the family have just kept the original ST and give it to whoever is now going. In the case of this poster, he could effectively do this now...just keep the ST going and give it to his younger child, but he'll be overpaying until that child reaches maturity.

 

[Goldstone1976]

As much as I loathe Manchester United, they could easily increase ticket prices, and/or sell a lot more tickets to football tourists who are far more likely to waste money in the Megastore, stadium tour etc.

However they don't do that, ticket prices have been frozen for five or six years. The reason for that is the vast majority of the people working at the club are genuine fans who want the best for their fellow fans, and even the gimps in charge of United have taken some notice of pricing.

Tony Bloom is an Albion fan, many of us have seen him with his sandwiches on trains heading to/from matches. Paul Barber is a football fan, he is also a very good administrator, and does work his bollocks off for Tony. They are not evil, and Tony isn't out to recover his investment in the club by trying to fleece the fans.

I don't think this issue has been handled particularly well, and it raises many questions that perhaps need answering in due course, but that shouldn't take away from the achievements of the past few years in building up an infrastructure that has put us in with a superb chance of promotion.

Yep...absolutely.

 

[Goldstone1976]

I have two tickets, 1 adult and 1 65+. My elderly relative is no longer well enough to go and hasn't done for about the last 18 months so my teenage son has been using the ticket. The club aren't losing out financially as he falls into the U18 category which is actually cheaper. I enquired as to whether I could change the seat into my son's name and the answer was no.
So my only option is to keep the 65+ ticket renewing and for my son to use it. Seems ridiculous really.

Exactly...and eventually, your elderly relative will be 125 according to the club's system...

 

[spanish flair]

Exactly...and eventually, your elderly relative will be 125 according to the club's system...

Except when his son looks older than 22 they will challenge him for ID and then refuse him entry.

 

[Bozza]

I absolutely agree.

However, where do you draw the line? Say it's his uncle who wants the ST, is that close enough? Father in Law? Mate down the pub?

The problem with this sort of thing is that you'll create either a massive tome of every possible circumstance over time which can be rigorously applied (although, human error will assuredly mean that it isn't consistently applied), or you leave it up to the individual person in supporter services to use their common sense - this latter approach will also assuredly lead to inconsistencies (John and Jane make different judgements; John leaves and is replaced by Jane; etc.).

It's easier by far, and way, way cheaper, and also guarantees consistency, for the club to just say "No, we're not transferring any ST into another name, no matter what the reason". This will lead, eventually, to ST "holders" being 125 years old where the family have just kept the original ST and give it to whoever is now going. In the case of this poster, he could effectively do this now...just keep the ST going and give it to his younger child, but he'll be overpaying until that child reaches maturity.

Oh I know. I'd have typed more along similar lines to you if I wasn't on my phone away from home with spotty signal coverage.

But the scenario where an Albion-mad kid who would gladly go to the Amex to see any game at all misses out to someone who jumped on a waiting list in the hope they may see Chelsea, Arsenal et al is so obviously wrong it's laughable.

 

[AWAYDAY]

As much as I loathe Manchester United, they could easily increase ticket prices, and/or sell a lot more tickets to football tourists who are far more likely to waste money in the Megastore, stadium tour etc.

However they don't do that, ticket prices have been frozen for five or six years. The reason for that is the vast majority of the people working at the club are genuine fans who want the best for their fellow fans, and even the gimps in charge of United have taken some notice of pricing.

Tony Bloom is an Albion fan, many of us have seen him with his sandwiches on trains heading to/from matches. Paul Barber is a football fan, he is also a very good administrator, and does work his bollocks off for Tony. They are not evil, and Tony isn't out to recover his investment in the club by trying to fleece the fans.

I don't think this issue has been handled particularly well, and it raises many questions that perhaps need answering in due course, but that shouldn't take away from the achievements of the past few years in building up an infrastructure that has put us in with a superb chance of promotion.

Totally.

I may not agree with everything that PB or the club do but take a look around at what we get and how other clubs are run. Jeez we've got a lot of whining sorts about!

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Now that is ridiculous. I accept there will be numerous different scenarios where people may feel they deserve the right to retain the use of a season ticket for a connected other, but surely the one you describe is one where it should absolutely be permitted.

You have my sympathy for what sounds absolutely ridiculous.

there have been 4 or 5 people with identical cases already on this thread

 

[Goldstone1976]

Oh I know. I'd have typed more along similar lines to you if I wasn't on my phone away from home with spotty signal coverage.

But the scenario where an Albion-mad kid who would gladly go to the Amex to see any game at all misses out to someone who jumped on a waiting list in the hope they may see Chelsea, Arsenal et al is so obviously wrong it's laughable.

Yes; clearly wrong.

Eees complicated.

 

[El Presidente]

I absolutely agree.

However, where do you draw the line? Say it's his uncle who wants the ST, is that close enough? Father in Law?

Indeed, and remember if we were talking about Norwich, the uncle and father in law are likely to be the same person.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Indeed, and remember if we were talking about Norwich, the uncle and father in law are likely to be the same person.

You b'stard. Spat tea over my keyboard.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Totally.

I may not agree with everything that PB or the club do but take a look around at what we get and how other clubs are run. Jeez we've got a lot of whining sorts about!

THIS!

As Starlin so famously put it"I may not disagree with what you say but by god i'll defend your right to say it"

 

[El Presidente]

I'm glad you are so confident. Why is the price of tickets per match for fans going up by around 20%+ next season if we get promoted...?

Because I buy a ticket for a season, regardless of the division we are playing in.

The corollary of your comment is that fans who support teams who are relegated from the Premier League should expect their season tickets to rise in price by 20% as they get the chance of seeing them host Burton, Brentford and Wigan.

Even Mike Ashley wouldn't try that.

 

[El Presidente]

You b'stard. Spat tea over my keyboard.

Just as well it wasn't camel tikka massala.

 

[fozzie's headband]

Except when his son looks older than 22 they will challenge him for ID and then refuse him entry.

Indeed which is why I will put him on the waiting list. But what happens when he reaches the top of the waiting list and is offered a season ticket? Obviously I will want to be sitting alongside him so what happens then as he is likely to be offered a seat that is nowhere near me.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Only a matter of time before the ticket office gets outsourced to Bangalore to fend off all enquiries from the pushy JCVLs who've paid their £22 to go on the waiting list

 

[Notters]

I absolutely agree.

However, where do you draw the line? Say it's his uncle who wants the ST, is that close enough? Father in Law? Mate down the pub?

The problem with this sort of thing is that you'll create either a massive tome of every possible circumstance over time which can be rigorously applied (although, human error will assuredly mean that it isn't consistently applied), or you leave it up to the individual person in supporter services to use their common sense - this latter approach will also assuredly lead to inconsistencies (John and Jane make different judgements; John leaves and is replaced by Jane; etc.).

It's easier by far, and way, way cheaper, and also guarantees consistency, for the club to just say "No, we're not transferring any ST into another name, no matter what the reason". This will lead, eventually, to ST "holders" being 125 years old where the family have just kept the original ST and give it to whoever is now going. In the case of this poster, he could effectively do this now...just keep the ST going and give it to his younger child, but he'll be overpaying until that child reaches maturity.

This is why I would limit it to your children. Seems fair enough. They haven't been in the past because they weren't born. Adults will have to lump it.

Only a matter of time before the ticket office gets outsourced to Bangalore to fend off all enquiries from the pushy JCVLs who've paid their £22 to go on the waiting list

I thought it already had been partially outsourced (not to Bangalore, admittedly)?

 

[spanish flair]

Indeed which is why I will put him on the waiting list. But what happens when he reaches the top of the waiting list and is offered a season ticket? Obviously I will want to be sitting alongside him so what happens then as he is likely to be offered a seat that is nowhere near me.

Won't they also take your Dad's ticket away from you for misuse and if they do and your paying by Direct debit, aren't you legally bound to pay until the end of the season?

 

[Bozza]

I thought it already had been partially outsourced (not to Bangalore, admittedly)?

I'm not sure it's outsourced as such, but overflow at peak times gets routed to a third party contact centre. It was my experience with this contact centre that led me to give up and just buy a more expensive ticket online than I needed. As poor customer experience goes, it was right up there (down there?).