Season Ticket Seats
Rather annoyed to find that the club was selling season ticket seats on Monday and Tuesday (i.e. when STHs had priority booking) to other people. Luckily we managed to get our own seats although we were offered the seat of our neighbour which we declined as he was a STH as we asked whether it was possible to buy extra tickets for friends and told yes.
Hearing that other STHs have not been so lucky. Whether or not it was right to allow STHs to buy additional tickets (and I must admit I was surprised), how can it be right that other STH seats are available for purchase? Very wrong by the club in my opinion and I understand that it is already generating complaints from those whose seats have been sold from under them, while sales were restricted to STHs.
The club's excuse that "it was on the website" simply is not good enough. It is their responsibility to communicate such changes directly to fans, not for fans to have to find out the hard way.
Comments
Don't wish to be contentious but surely your season ticket buys you that seat for league games only.
Yes this is a cup game so all seats are fair game, STs got priority but not their seats reserved. Isn't that normal for cup games....? Stop moaning.
I can't understand why people are so attached to a specific seat for a cup game. It's not quite like someone else sitting in your comfy sofa at home.
Righty should sit next to Tory Goon, they would be best buddies on the moaning stakes!
Have you ever considered that a good part of the supporter community is chatting with the people you regularly sit with. That community is broken up by ridiculous decisions like this. I find it worrying that some supporters are prepared to allow the club to treat its regular supporters with contempt.
How else do you propose they do it @Tory_Goon?
Clearly Sth will want to buy additional tickets in seats next to their own, which might mean they displace other Sth. They can't seriously tell people 'yes, you can have ten tickets in addition to your own normal seat, but the additional tickets will be in somewhere else because someone else might insist on their regular seat for the game.'
STHs should be entitled to their own seat. Why should they be entitled to buy someone else's before that STH has a chance to buy their own.
On a related point, why should STHs be able in theory to buy up the entire allocation before the tickets even go on general sale to those who turn up week in week out and yet are not an STH for whatever reason?
As a STH I don't want to buy someone else's seat and I would be livid if someone had bought my own. I think it is an absolutely shameful way for the club to treat loyal supporters.
It's not your seat, it's the seat you have the right to sit in during league matches this season. I add my name to those who can't understand how anyone can criticise the club for this decision. If you want to chat to other season ticket holders who normally sit round you, arrange to buy their ticket for the cup match for them. If you're as close as you make out, that shouldn't be a problem. Alternatively, enjoy talking to new people and then the opportunity to reflect on the cup game with your STH acquaintances at the next home match.
When there is a drop in season ticket holders next year I hope you don't complain because frankly the club will have deserved it.
Are you for real Mr Goon?
Mr Goon is taking a pasting here, and I'm not sure why.
A season ticket holder's right to a ticket for a big game, and the right to have their usual seat are two of the "crown jewels" of having the season ticket,
What next? Just change it so you don't have any priority at all? After all, the club aren't bound to have to hold on a couple of days or so then at all, just sell them to anyone eh?
The minimal gain of letting people buy extras in the 2 day, that's TWO DAY period for season ticket holders, versus the BAD FEELING of pissing loads of season ticket holders off, isn't a smart business decision methinks.
I myself don't even hang around many Wycombe fans, but have heard at least 10 saying they lost their normal seat and would reconsider their status.
Might sound petty, but what's petty to you, is a big deal to someone else.
@Glenactico The answer to your question is that the club could have done the same as they do for league games. If a STH wants to buy 5 extra tickets and all sit together then they would simply be offered 6 tickets somewhere else. i.e. The STH would allow his/her to go on general sale so they could sit with their friends.
I agree with @Tory_Goon on this. The club had one objective, to sell all of the tickets. If the end justifies the means then they did a great job, but there will be plenty that won't see it that way.
Don't understand why anyone would be that bothered?
And we didn't know it was gonna sell out, and not allowing STHs to buy multiple tickets together could have lost ticket sales..
If you're that miserable to consider not getting a season ticket because you couldn't have the exact same seat for a cup game, then I couldn't care less if you turned up every week because you clearly just love to moan. Where do you sit? Maybe I'll look for that ticket specifically in round 4
what stops the season ticket holder waiting a full 2 days to buy more? Or just moving their own ticket to enable sitting with their new pals?
Oh that's right, people are often quite picky about their exact seat
Have heard whispers the club won't be using the same strategy for the next round. I am certain that can be filed under "admitting their mistake"
I agree with @Tory_Goon totally.
The short termism of the decision a sad look in to the future of our clubs marketing.
Not much else to say now. Still buzzing from the game today and the view from my seat was fantastic.
One thing the club needs to understand is that whatever lengths it goes to, the likes of Mr Goon, Righty and Malone will find something else about the club to moan about. They are lucky to have nothing else in their lives to worry about.
what a bizarre judgement to make, on people you know nothing about.
I think the Trust and running posse do a pretty good job in a difficult situation. The team are pretty good, most things are pretty good.
They're also pretty good at listening to feedback. For example, the bus after the Portsmouth game was a bit of a disaster, left people either seriously delayed, or completely stranded (cut the park n ride part out!)
On feedback, they put an extra bus on today, and started them from the bus stop at the other end of Hillbottom road. No delay, no traffic, perfect. Hat's off.
They won't make this season ticket priority/seat mistake again. Just hope it doesn't cost them any fans who it may be the tipping point for.
@mooneyman What exactly were the lengths the club went to?
Why couldn't they give STH's the first option on their usual seats and then allow fans with a buying history to buy tickets ahead of STH's buying them for their mates?
There should have been a 2 day period for ST holders to just reserve their usual seat only.
Everything else should then have gone 1st come 1st served on general sale.
ST holders happy
More tickets for non season ticket holders
Everyone a winner
Surely it's not that hard??
I think we all agree they could have done a better job but in fairness they've not had much practice recently. I doubt any of it was done maliciously more a case of not thinking things through properly. Do agree it wasn't clever to give away ST holders seats away to first come first served but I do think some of the "I'll think twice before buying my ST again" comments are a little bit petty.
Let's see if they get it right for the fourth or fifth round before getting too hung up
I have never come across a football club (until now) that doesn't give a priority to STHs to claim their usual seat for a cup match prior to them going on general sale. Apart from being common courtesy to those who stump up the most money it's very bad PR to piss off your most loyal supporters.
The Trust are pushing to get more share capital sold. Where will be the biggest captive audience - the STHs. In any business you have to look after your best customers if you want to grow it. Unfortunately banks etc have now broken this and are only interested in "new business" and this ethic, or lack of it, seems to now be permeating society generally.
People come to football primarily out of habit. I sit in "my seat" every game. Start breaking the bond between supporter-habit and club and you will soon start to lose people. I know many people who were diehard fans who don't come anymore. Anyway, I think the club have learned this lesson and this ticket allocation free-for-all won't be repeated again.
Do you really think they've learned the lesson, Andy? I hope you're right but I'm sceptical
I don't often agree with a Tory, but in this case Mr Goon is absolutely right, if a little polemic. It could have been handled much better, hopefully the club have learned from the error. There is no counter-argument to this.
its not a debenture. Whilst current STH should be respected lets not get ahead of ourselves, Whilst I'd like my seat, I can also live without it. 3 points vs. the PNL and Villa in Jan. Its all good chaps, it really is.
Maybe the club can also then 'live without' a few more Season Ticket Holders next season. If you will recall they lost a few last year over the debacle re Beechdean seats. More simply must be done to cosy up to existing STHs; for too long they have been a cash cow that has been taken for granted but a number are starting to ask serious questions about the benefits they now get compared to a few years back. It's basic PR but is being handled poorly.
Just because it's an issue for you, doesn't mean it isn't an issue for anyone else. That's called egocentrism. Possibly even with logical fallacy thrown in for good measure.
There really is a counter argument, which has been made by many on this thread. @drcongo you're dangerously close to one of those posters who make their point and then finish their post "end of" - and we both know you're better than that.
The fact is that STHs have been looked after - they've all been guaranteed a seat by being given priority in booking, plus the ability to buy many more seats for their friends, before any one else gets a look in. I simply don't understand why anyone would feel betrayed by having to move seats for one game. As someone who stands in the terrace, I like the opportunity to explore different perspectives game to game. STHs may also enjoy seeing the match from a slightly different angle.
I understand the Tory perspective here. Narrow-minded conservatism, always wanting to keep things the same way. @drcongo and many others, I thought you were better than that ;-)
Outrage, end of.
The usual way of selling and allocating tickets for a cup match disadvantages nobody, while providing benefits for season ticket holders. The way we did it, disadvantaged some while reducing the benefit for some season ticket holders, and excluding some others - not all season ticket holders did get a ticket because it sold out due to the earlier buyers being able to buy as many as they want.
The net effect was worse and I still haven't seen an actual counter-argument, just name calling, "didn't bother me" and straw men.
The negative could have been fewer ticket sales