Ticket Office this morning - What a Joke

[Giraffe]

Try buying tickets for an England game when they are first released. If you are lucky you are queue number 500! And then when you get close the system often crashes.

 

[Brovion]

I was in the club shop this morning buying my Yeovil and Peterborough ticket. The guy serving me said that last season on a weekday they would average 70 calls. This season it's over 200 a day with no extra manpower to accomodate this. Not to mention that they are also having to deal with customers coming into the shop and bookings made on the Internet aswell. So give them a break for crying out loud. They do a fantastic job for probably not a great deal of money. I'd also be gobsmacked if they were getting paid any extra with the added workload this season. We should be grateful that we have the ticket office team that we do. Everytime I've dealt with them regarding an issue they've always gone above and beyond. :thumbs up:

That's EXACTLY the point! The staff are great, the system is shit. In this day and age any system that relies on a human operator taking telephone booking details is an outdated relic of the 20th century.

Mr Burns is right and all those of you criticising him: take a look at your calenders - it's 2010 not 1960. Hopefully the system will be updated (and the human operator element removed) for Falmer as it will NEVER work then no matter how fantastic the individual staff are.

Anyway, carry on defending the indefensible.

 

[Mr Burns]

I was in the club shop this morning buying my Yeovil and Peterborough ticket. The guy serving me said that last season on a weekday they would average 70 calls. This season it's over 200 a day with no extra manpower to accomodate this. Not to mention that they are also having to deal with customers coming into the shop and bookings made on the Internet aswell. So give them a break for crying out loud. They do a fantastic job for probably not a great deal of money. I'd also be gobsmacked if they were getting paid any extra with the added workload this season. We should be grateful that we have the ticket office team that we do. Everytime I've dealt with them regarding an issue they've always gone above and beyond. :thumbs up:

Thank you. You just proved my point.

You make a cristism, and everyone jumps on you.

The staff are exellent. There is just not enough of them available when they need to be. That does't mean imploying loads ore staff, although one or two wouldn't go amiss, but it just means having existing staff available to cover peak periods.

The system and they way it is worked is shit. Th problem is the pratt who is in charge of it, not the poor buggers who work it.

the staff should, and do help out when you have a problem. But you said yourself, they told you have have trebled the phone business, and had no extra staff to deal with it.

I'd say thats the problem.

And if customers could buy online the same way as they could in the shop or on the PHONE, then it would take more than a little pressure of the excellent staff.

 

[portlock seagull]

2.5 hours when? That's a crock of bull plop. there is a perfectly good on-line system and i have never waited more than 10 minutes to get thorugh on the phone. Even when things have gone wrong, or got lost, they have been in touch and surpirsed me at how efficient they are. We are a small club at the moment and I think your expectations are a little high and unreasonable. just my opinion.

Read the thread Hercules.....Mr Burn's projected the waiting time on the phone to be this given the speed he moved up the queue.....

 

[portlock seagull]

I was in the club shop this morning buying my Yeovil and Peterborough ticket. The guy serving me said that last season on a weekday they would average 70 calls. This season it's over 200 a day with no extra manpower to accomodate this. Not to mention that they are also having to deal with customers coming into the shop and bookings made on the Internet aswell. So give them a break for crying out loud. They do a fantastic job for probably not a great deal of money. I'd also be gobsmacked if they were getting paid any extra with the added workload this season. We should be grateful that we have the ticket office team that we do. Everytime I've dealt with them regarding an issue they've always gone above and beyond. :thumbs up:

So the club have said business is up nearly 200% and yet they have no more resource to deal with it? Give the behind the counter staff a break perhaps. But yet again Ken the ghost Brown is found wanting....I think there lies Mr Burns frustration. Sorry, but I just don't buy into the apologists argument that it's ok, we shouldn't complain. If your bank did that, you'd go elsewhere. It's good to highlight poor service in my book. Might improve the poor situation currently and you'll benefit too if so. So please stop apologising for a service that could be improved. Even the club's faithful servants have admitted as much so I don't think it's your place to defend the situation.

 

[poidy]

I agree that something needs to be done I just think a number of posters didn't get there point across well and it sounded like they were venting there anger at the staff as appose to the system. If it bothers these individuals that much then a letter outlining there concerns to ken brown would probably increase there chances of change.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Is a problem is being busy. But if you move from 10th to 8th in 15 minutes, basic maths tells you you've got another hour wait. If it takes the club 7 minutes to process one call, then they need to either get someone who can work a bit quicker, or train staff shop to assits at peak periods, because I'm sure I'm not the only one whos been i the shop, seen one poor bugger working his arse off on the tiocket counter, and 3 or 4 people standing around joking and laughing at the till.

It's not the hardest thing to arrange. Think of them as Asda queue busters.

The last time I was in there (buying tickets for home game v Rochdale) they had two guys behind the counter working their butts off. One was on the phone and Scottish Paul served me. You can only work at a certain pace without making mistakes , so telephone bookings can take a while to process. The online ticketing system needs some tweaks , allowing a STH to buy additional tickets for home games for already registered friends and family ie 3 seats together and the original STH seat can then be resold as a single.

 

[portlock seagull]

I agree that something needs to be done I just think a number of posters didn't get there point across well and it sounded like they were venting there anger at the staff as appose to the system. If it bothers these individuals that much then a letter outlining there concerns to ken brown would probably increase there chances of change.

Before anyone does that, remember, Ken the ghost Brown is an imaginative PR stunt by the Albion's marketing team e.g. he doesn't exist. Either that or his intray is Brighton's very own version of the Bermuda Triange because he never acknowledges letters.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Well that comment itself justifys the moan then.

You can phone up out of the blue, and order two tickets, but as a season ticket holder, you cannot order ONE additional ticket online.

If the online system was sorted, people wouldn't need to phone in, and am I correct in thinking this is an updated system ready for Falmer. f***ing god help us if it is.

The two seats that were there all weekend and were in talking distance of my seat, have now gone, so f*** em.

They can have my tickets and I'll miss the game. The ticketing systems at the club always have been, and always will be (if this IS the system for Falmer) a f***ing complete shambles.

Maybe leaving the buying of the extra tickets until the Monday before the match, especially the Monday following a big away win is a of a shambles, especially seeing as you would have had several weeks beforehand to have ordered extra tickets before today. - So is that the club shops fault that you have decided to wait so long and then to phone at a time when it is likely to be very busy?

honestly, did you expect only a couple of people to be trying to book up at that time?, or did you think that the phone system should be able to tell that you are a season ticket holder and therefore deservedly jump the queue and be served quicker?

Also why couldn't the people the extra tickets were for book them themselves online, rather than you having to by phone? - especially as they didn't need to be season ticket holders to do so as tickets are on general sale.

 

[Mr Burns]

Maybe leaving the buying of the extra tickets until the Monday before the match, especially the Monday following a big away win is a of a shambles, especially seeing as you would have had several weeks beforehand to have ordered extra tickets before today. - So is that the club shops fault that you have decided to wait so long and then to phone at a time when it is likely to be very busy?

honestly, did you expect only a couple of people to be trying to book up at that time?, or did you think that the phone system should be able to tell that you are a season ticket holder and therefore deservedly jump the queue and be served quicker?

Also why couldn't the people the extra tickets were for book them themselves online, rather than you having to by phone? - especially as they didn't need to be season ticket holders to do so as tickets are on general sale.

Thats what I love about this site.

Twats like you come in late, read the first and last post, haven't grasped the discussion and talk down to you. Either read the thread as if you clearly haven't, or just f*** off back to your crayons and colouring book.

 

[Brovion]

Maybe leaving the buying of the extra tickets until the Monday before the match, especially the Monday following a big away win is a of a shambles, especially seeing as you would have had several weeks beforehand to have ordered extra tickets before today....

Fair point, but some people have ..... what's that term I'm looking for ....... oh yes: 'a life'. From my own perspective we're trying to organise a lunch outing for my Mum's birthday at the weekend, and with everybody's plans etc we've now just fixed it for Sunday, but even as late as yesterday evening I wasn't sure if I was going to be free Saturday afternoon and thus could not book Albion tickets.

Hopefully you can see the dilemma for busy people with lots of committments and lots going on. It's not always possible to book tickets the moment they come out.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

Read the thread Hercules.....Mr Burn's projected the waiting time on the phone to be this given the speed he moved up the queue.....

I read it, it's balls, queue's move at randowm times, not any set time, it depends ont he type of call. if he'd had the patience I reckon he'd have been done within 10-15 minutes. Still a bit of a wait, but you'd think think he was on hold for an amubulance for a dying relative the way he has been bleating about it on here. It's only football tickets and I guarantee he will have them by this weekend. Everyone these days wants everything now, well life don't work like that. The bloke is a putz.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

Fair point, but some people have ..... what's that term I'm looking for ....... oh yes: 'a life'. From my own perspective we're trying to organise a lunch outing for my Mum's birthday at the weekend, and with everybody's plans etc we've now just fixed it for Sunday, but even as late as yesterday evening I wasn't sure if I was going to be free Saturday afternoon and thus could not book Albion tickets.

Hopefully you can see the dilemma for busy people with lots of committments and lots going on. It's not always possible to book tickets the moment they come out.

So, you get your friends/family to register with the in-line system and Bob's your aunties live in lover, you get tickets without having to phone for them. The club made a big song and dance about this months ago. If people were too lazy to do this maybe they need to be looking int he mirror, not blaming the hardworking ticket office staff.

 

[Brovion]

So, you get your friends/family to register with the in-line system and Bob's your aunties live in lover, you get tickets without having to phone for them. The club made a big song and dance about this months ago. If people were too lazy to do this maybe they need to be looking int he mirror, not blaming the hardworking ticket office staff.

Eh? What ARE you on about? I said in my earlier post that this is NOT the fault of the staff. I'll say that again slowly: The. Fault. Does. Not. Lie. With. The. Hardworking. Staff. There, I hope that's cleared that up.

Secondly it didn't matter HOW many of my friends and family had registered as up until yesterday evening I wasn't sure if I was going to be free or not on Saturday afternoon. If my mum's birthday lunch had clashed with the Albion I wouldn't have been able to go - well not without being rude. Do you understand that?

Thirdly why on earth should I get friends and family to register to get MY tickets? That is frankly a ridiculous suggestion and unnecessarily complicates what should be quite a simple task. Most of them don't give a toss about football, certainly not to the extent of jumping through hoops to get tickets for a run-of-the-mill third division game.

Bugger me.


On reflection I'm guessing you quoted my post by mistake as it's hard to believe anyone could miss the point so much.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

Eh? What ARE you on about? I said in my earlier post that this is NOT the fault of the staff. I'll say that again slowly: The. Fault. Does. Not. Lie. With. The. Hardworking. Staff. There, I hope that's cleared that up.

Secondly it didn't matter HOW many of my friends and family had registered as up until yesterday evening I wasn't sure if I was going to be free or not on Saturday afternoon. If my mum's birthday lunch had clashed with the Albion I wouldn't have been able to go - well not without being rude. Do you understand that?

Thirdly why on earth should I get friends and family to register to get MY tickets? That is frankly a ridiculous suggestion and unnecessarily complicates what should be quite a simple task. Most of them don't give a toss about football, certainly not to the extent of jumping through hoops to get tickets for a run-of-the-mill third division game.

Bugger me.


On reflection I'm guessing you quoted my post by mistake as it's hard to believe anyone could miss the point so much.

I was mostly having a pop at Mr Burns. He seems to be a bit of a tool. I have no beef with you, I apologise of that seemed to be the case.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Fair point, but some people have ..... what's that term I'm looking for ....... oh yes: 'a life'. From my own perspective we're trying to organise a lunch outing for my Mum's birthday at the weekend, and with everybody's plans etc we've now just fixed it for Sunday, but even as late as yesterday evening I wasn't sure if I was going to be free Saturday afternoon and thus could not book Albion tickets.

Hopefully you can see the dilemma for busy people with lots of committments and lots going on. It's not always possible to book tickets the moment they come out.

So then i would assume you would therefore be willing to accept that you may have to wait a while to be able to order your tickets by phone, givien that it was going to be a late order

I wouldn't expect you to then go onto a forum and attention seek about being made to wait to book your tickets despite being a season ticket holder.

The OP seems more interested in sounding off on here because he didn't get what he wanted straight away, which was more my point, they should accept that, by leaving it until a time thast there was likely to be a lot of other callers that they were likely to face a long wait.

How many of the other people waiting have found the need to start a thread about it?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Thats what I love about this site.

Twats like you come in late, read the first and last post, haven't grasped the discussion and talk down to you. Either read the thread as if you clearly haven't, or just f*** off back to your crayons and colouring book.

Earlier in the thread you said the extra tickets were for people abraod - here's a useful tip, the internet works from abroad to, it's not just a UK thing - so again, why couldn't they buy it themselves?

The thread you are going on about having to wait to book tickets by phone because you are unable to book extra tickets online - has this recently changed to prevent you as a STH from buying extra tickets? - No, the current system has been in place a while, and it definitely hasn't changed just because you sudenly require a couple of tickets and therefore to spite you.

So as the system for ordering has been in place so long, why only complain about it when you needed it to do something for you? Why not try and get something done about it long before a situation like this arose?

Your just attention seeking, just because you think everything in the world should be achieved instantly, and are unprepared to show any patience from time to time. If you wanted it to work differently, you would have raised this a long time ago, rather than last minute. (see a recurring theme here?)

You should accept that if you choose to phone in the morning following a big win, and at a time when it is highly likely a lot of others will be trying, that you will have to wait. Especially when there are quicker alternatives (online booking) available to anyone booking, why should the club increase their overheads for someone who may not be needed, especially when running at a loss?

Anyway, back to my colouring in. Wow - it's an aeroplane!! Cool

 

[Mr Burns]

So, you get your friends/family to register with the in-line system and Bob's your aunties live in lover, you get tickets without having to phone for them. The club made a big song and dance about this months ago. If people were too lazy to do this maybe they need to be looking int he mirror, not blaming the hardworking ticket office staff.

But as someone says, people have a life.

So I get friends who are in teh UK for a few weeks, to take the time and hassle to register to get tickets? Maybe when they go to attractions in London they should register to go to the LOndon Dungeon? Maybe they should register and pre-book their cabs abd train before they come here.

Don' talk bollocks. The bottom line is, anyone whose brought a ticket in teh last 13 years, can walk into the shop and buy any tickets they want. It should be the same online.

 

[Mr Burns]

I read it, it's balls, queue's move at randowm times, not any set time, it depends ont he type of call. if he'd had the patience I reckon he'd have been done within 10-15 minutes. Still a bit of a wait, but you'd think think he was on hold for an amubulance for a dying relative the way he has been bleating about it on here. It's only football tickets and I guarantee he will have them by this weekend. Everyone these days wants everything now, well life don't work like that. The bloke is a putz.

2 calls in 15 minutes leaving you 8th in queue. And you reackon it'll take 10 minutes to go through the other 8? What do you base this on, or are you totally guessing.

And you call me a putz. What a ****

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

But as someone says, people have a life.

So I get friends who are in teh UK for a few weeks, to take the time and hassle to register to get tickets? Maybe when they go to attractions in London they should register to go to the LOndon Dungeon? Maybe they should register and pre-book their cabs abd train before they come here.

Don' talk bollocks. The bottom line is, anyone whose brought a ticket in teh last 13 years, can walk into the shop and buy any tickets they want. It should be the same online.

I have a life, I also live in London, along way from the ticket office and I also have lots of friends, some of them live far away too, so I got any of them I expect to maybe come along to a game to register. Do you know what? When it comes to buying tickets I have no problems. I usually have people who aren't coming who's numbers are spare, so that sorts out the randoms.

This "having a life" excuse just doesn't wash, it's a smokescreen. What you mean is, you can't be bothered to do what everyone else does because, for some reason, you think you're special. But, as I think you may have pointed out in one or two of your posts, you are a season ticket holder!