Here's another novel idea. Don't tell a season ticket holder of some 20 years in the same seat, that he can't buy that seat, or sit with his mates in the same stand any longer. As the current season ticket holders who have the seats, where you could possibly be relocated, may or may not renew! Even though that supporter has made three trips to the club, cash in hand to spend and three times come away empty handed.
I know it might be avantgarde thinking, just thought I would throw that one out there.
@blueh_w thanks for your vital constructive input. If you have the ability take time to read and possibly digest my previous posts on this. Then read your comment above and you might be able to see what an @rse of a post that is! DOFL!
@EwanHoosaami plenty of good empty seats in the FA stands where you could all sit together. All the facilities are better up there and you never know, you might even like it....
@FrjidPink As I have explained before, there are more than a few reasons I don't wish to be over there, not least because of the advanced osteoarthritis in both knees, making stair climbing and in particular descending extremely uncomfortable. On the "one off basis", for example Port Vale & Luton, I am prepared to make the sacrifice, not for the whole season though. I would dread the thought of it on very cold winter days and nights and simply would not be an option for me. Sad thing is, if I don't go that will be three kids that won't either and they are the future of the WWFC support and as we all know, it's a difficult sell getting kids through the door on a regular basis as against armchair Premiership support! Knowing quite a few fans who gave up coming 5-6-7 years ago, it is almost impossible to get them back once they have replaced the experience with something else, I really don't want to be another if I can avoid it. I suspect that if I don't take my lad, he will start playing Saturdays and if he does, that is where my loyalty will be and who could blame me? I know some on here think I'm moaning for moaning sake and not being prepared to make a sacrifice, well they are wrong. Historically, supporting WWFC has cost me far more than the price of a ticket. I have spent far more than is logical for my income. I have lost countless thousands in business as I have gone to watch the team instead of working when I should. I am at a stage in life both financially and in health where I have to make harsher decisions. Subsequently, if I can't sit with the kids, being in charge of them, without moving across to the FA stand, then I can't attend as a season ticket holder and neither can they.
All good things come to an end and maybe this is one of them. I am still waiting for Richard from the club to make a decision on an extension to the deadline to give some ticket holders on their seats. How much longer appears to be "flexible"? BTW, it's not just me, it's just I am the only one who has raised the issue on here. Others that I have spoke with from the same stand, may be taking up the issue with the club & I do know of three that have voiced to me they will not be renewing?
My issue with this was that the club made no attempt to let STH in the Beachdean know that their seats wouldn't be available for next season. When my renewal email came through I thought it was a simple omission. Like Mr Hoosaami I've sat in the same seat for 20 years, with the same set of people and moving altogether wasn't quite as simple as you might imagine since there is now only one block set aside for STH, so demand for the best seats is limited. I also don't want to sit in the Frank Adams for various reasons. I moved for the Port Vale and Luton games without complaint, but here we were all informed in plenty of time.
I wrote to the club (a polite, constructive letter) about it but have never received an acknowledgement or reply. Slightly shoddy customer service really.
I wouldn't ever not renew but no club should ever take their fans for granted.
Sounds like they should have been a little better organised in being able to offer an equivalent seat in the same stand (but a different block) at the point that they told people that they would have to move.
@EwanHoosaami
Just trying to understand this. As I understand it you were in block C but club no wishes to reserve this area for other purposes, so only D and E are available for season ticket holders. (presumably wants to hold the ones nearer the away end for any large away followings and the ones nearer home end for promotions). To be fair I understand the clubs point of view on this.
You have medical reasons why the main stand doesnt work for you.
Am I right in saying that demand is so high, that the club cannot offer you seats in D or E either, or is it just that they want to wait a couple of weeks for existing season ticket holders in those areas to renew before they know precisely which seats are available before they allocate you seats in that area?
Does all seem a little odd given that stadium is rarely more than 1/2 full and given any public organisation obligation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers (which I assume EH is registered given his posts).
If MDH is correct disappointing that letters are not replied to. Not really my experience of the club these days which seems very efficient now unlike perhaps 12 months or so ago.
Incidentally EH - if your son is of an age when he could be playing and it clashes , I wonder if you would be better off encouraging him to do that anyway. He has a lifetime in which he can watch football, just a relatively few years when he can enjoy playing.
(always think club should be doing all it can to persuade local kids and mens leagues to time their games for sat or sun am to avoid clash but that is another story).
EH I strongly agree with DevC that you should be encouraging your son son to play football rather than watching. Too many youngsters are not encouraged to be physically active nowadays.
Fair enough but I don't live in Wycombe, or even Bucks, so getting down to AP for anything other than match days is difficult. Really, I'm not having a big moan (and I've renewed my ST as I always do), but just a simple email in advance would have made a big difference in allowing us all to decide together where we wanted to move to, rather than having to try and sort it on match day when the ticket office was understandably very busy. It was news to everyone around me too. As it is, I'm no longer sitting near some of those I've sat near to for the last few years as certain seats were already taken.
I was an ST holder in the C Wing. I did not attend a meeting, but I heard about the changes. I rang to renew...we discussed it and they allocated me a seat in D and told me to bring my form to the Morecanbe game quoting that seat number. I did so. It is on the same row where I sit now and is just a bit along. I did not have to wait for existing ST holders to decide or anything. I cannot believe I got preferential treatment?
Or did I?
@DJWYC14 Yes thanks I got your email. I didn't wait for a telephone call. Instead I called into the offices. To be met by Lily, whom I had expected to be on holiday? Lily sorted out five seats together in back of block E. I was happy with that, then she told me that I would have to wait until Richard agreed it as he might have them reserved for STH's that may or may not want them? Peculiar really, as the deadline has passed according to notifications on the clubs official Twitter page. Given that the club constantly promotes the poverty status, yet doesn't take the money from a man who is standing there willing to part with money for 5 available seats that he would like to buy????
TBH I'm tired of justifying my reasons for not wanting to move over and tired of trying to buy 5 seats together in a stand I have been in for in excess of 20 years. I've never got nasty and shouty with anyone at the club, just a bloke who wants to support his local town team in a bit of comfort without hassle. Also fed up with waiting for a return call that never comes. I really can't be @rsed any longer, so just going to see which way the wind blows and might just come to the odd game throughout the season?
@mooneyman My son plays Saturday mornings for a team, plays in the school team, plays almost every day in our back garden. He also plays for two table tennis teams, is a member of a running club and is as skinny as a rake, mirroring my youth, hence my 2 dodgy knees that have run out of operating options other than replacements. Thanks for your concern over his health but I think we've got that one covered?
To be fair to @mooneyman, he was responding to my comment which in turn was responding to your comment above that appeared to say that your son would start playing football if he wasnt allowed to sit in his normal seat. No criticism was meant towards your boy.
You are obviously very upset about something. It is a little hard to understand precisely what - is it the fact of being asked to move or that the club has asked you to wait a couple of weeks before confirming precisely where they can offer you as an alternative with your needs or is it that you feel communication has been poor.
Given the leaps and bounds the club came on last season, it does seem a shame to stop attending now when I am sure a solution can be found. Obviously your call though.
@DevC Ok, I'll go through it one bit at a time.
1) I speak for a few on this point. We feel the club have made the decision to move us without consultation. The words conveyed to me were, "the club has treated us in a rough shod way", given most of us have had season tickets in that block for many years. Not my words, I would describe it as autocratic, as it's a move or move option. As a consequence on that point I would say I'm very upset.
2) The communication of this decision has been poor, on this point I'm irritated rather than upset.
3) Being told to move from Block C to say D or E not upset about the move, more irritated.
4) Being told that we can have have 5 seats together, (so I can look after my mates kids as well when he can't make it), then being told we might not be able to, depending on Richards "reserved book" status, despite it being past the deadline & Richard away/on holiday. On that point very, very upset. As it looks like this was the only option available at the time.
5) Being told that I would get a call and not getting a call on at least two occasions, possibly three. On this point I would say more peed off.
6) On a one to one basis, Lily, Dale and Mat Cecil have always been very helpful, but are always having to rely on others to follow up having made in roads. On this point I feel more sorry for them than upset as, what more can they do?
7) On the length of time it has taken to sort this. The anger has tempered to a level where I just can't be @rsed anymore. Never have I been anywhere to spend money with an organisation that is so desperate for the money but put so many obstacles in the way to prevent it.
I'm not going to deny that I won't miss it having rarely missed a home game for all these years and last season going to 12 away games with my lad plus Wembley. Maybe we will travel to a few away games as well. The atmosphere is always good!
Hope that's covered it!
If I were you I would give the club a little leeway it seems as though they are trying to accommodate you although I admit I've been skimming through your complaint as it's a bit er dry and specific
It appears to me that Richard and Lilly have been having to deal with what appears to be a very manual process and that means they have to wait to confirm prior to commitment. It certainly isn't their fault that the process is poor and we just need a little patience. I really do feel this is at the root of EH's issue. I can see it is upsetting and understand the frustration but there will always be bumps in such process.
Give Richard a call on Monday EH and don't give up.
TBH I think the club are entitled to decide what they do with the stadium for the best interests of all. I don't think they need to consult on this matter.
It does feel communication could have been better.
I can only assume that the number of STH affected is not particularly large, maybe in the high tens or low hundreds?. The way perhaps this should have been handled is for the club to write individually when the decision was made, clearly laying out rationale and options and timescales, eg
Dear Mr XXXXX
I write to advise you of changes that we intend to make next season that unfortunately will affect you. We intend to use blocks X - X for XXXXXXX and hence will not be able to offer season tickets in this area. I understand this may be inconvenient to you so wanted to advise you personally.
We very much hope you will choose to relocate to other areas of the ground. We will be able to offer you alternative seats at the same price in the main stand from date that season tickets go on sale. Alternatively we will be able to offer you seats within blocks D and E of the Beechdean, but as we need to offer their seats to existing season ticket holders in those areas first, we may not be able to confirm precisely which seats until XXX Date.
I understand this may be disappointing to you, but hope you will understand the reason for the move. If you have special requirements and would like to discuss further, please contact me .........
Shame that appears not to have been done, but you do have to understand and make some allowance for the fact that it is a very small team, exhausted after a long season and having to cope with high unexpected work volumes from the playoffs.
This is compounded by the reality that opportunity to take holiday in the job are limited by season times and shortened this year by playoffs, so there is a high possibility that many of the key players are simply not there.
Now here is an opportunity for the gasroom in house trust member to have an effect. Assuming MR EH story is broadly true, I would be taking action now to ensure the club wrote to mr EH apologising for failures in communication, offering defined seats or date when it will do so (and then ensure meet this date) and as a note of apology offer a token (free prematch meal for the party at a defined match - that sort of thing). Customer hopefully recovered, everybody wins.
That's the problem, Football Clubs know they can do as they please, as they are in a unique business. Fans will put up with almost anything thrown at them. Sad but it's true.
Comments
Here's another one - don't put up some tickets by 23%.....
you're not obliged to buy
So you would prefer to incentivise day trippers than looking after long standing, loyal fans?
I'm not offering "day trippers" any discount above that already offered to current fans.
Here's another novel idea. Don't tell a season ticket holder of some 20 years in the same seat, that he can't buy that seat, or sit with his mates in the same stand any longer. As the current season ticket holders who have the seats, where you could possibly be relocated, may or may not renew! Even though that supporter has made three trips to the club, cash in hand to spend and three times come away empty handed.
I know it might be avantgarde thinking, just thought I would throw that one out there.
stop fucking moaning and take a different seat !!!
@blueh_w thanks for your vital constructive input. If you have the ability take time to read and possibly digest my previous posts on this. Then read your comment above and you might be able to see what an @rse of a post that is! DOFL!
For once I agree with you Mr h_w, although I wouldn't have put it in quite so rude a fashion.
And another one - reduce the price of the best seats in the house by 23%. Oh, they have...
@EwanHoosaami plenty of good empty seats in the FA stands where you could all sit together. All the facilities are better up there and you never know, you might even like it....
@FrjidPink As I have explained before, there are more than a few reasons I don't wish to be over there, not least because of the advanced osteoarthritis in both knees, making stair climbing and in particular descending extremely uncomfortable. On the "one off basis", for example Port Vale & Luton, I am prepared to make the sacrifice, not for the whole season though. I would dread the thought of it on very cold winter days and nights and simply would not be an option for me. Sad thing is, if I don't go that will be three kids that won't either and they are the future of the WWFC support and as we all know, it's a difficult sell getting kids through the door on a regular basis as against armchair Premiership support! Knowing quite a few fans who gave up coming 5-6-7 years ago, it is almost impossible to get them back once they have replaced the experience with something else, I really don't want to be another if I can avoid it. I suspect that if I don't take my lad, he will start playing Saturdays and if he does, that is where my loyalty will be and who could blame me? I know some on here think I'm moaning for moaning sake and not being prepared to make a sacrifice, well they are wrong. Historically, supporting WWFC has cost me far more than the price of a ticket. I have spent far more than is logical for my income. I have lost countless thousands in business as I have gone to watch the team instead of working when I should. I am at a stage in life both financially and in health where I have to make harsher decisions. Subsequently, if I can't sit with the kids, being in charge of them, without moving across to the FA stand, then I can't attend as a season ticket holder and neither can they.
All good things come to an end and maybe this is one of them. I am still waiting for Richard from the club to make a decision on an extension to the deadline to give some ticket holders on their seats. How much longer appears to be "flexible"? BTW, it's not just me, it's just I am the only one who has raised the issue on here. Others that I have spoke with from the same stand, may be taking up the issue with the club & I do know of three that have voiced to me they will not be renewing?
What is wrong with the family stand or another section of the main stand? It sounds like a minor inconvenience to me.
@EwanHoosaami did you receive my mail? Are you any further forward?
My issue with this was that the club made no attempt to let STH in the Beachdean know that their seats wouldn't be available for next season. When my renewal email came through I thought it was a simple omission. Like Mr Hoosaami I've sat in the same seat for 20 years, with the same set of people and moving altogether wasn't quite as simple as you might imagine since there is now only one block set aside for STH, so demand for the best seats is limited. I also don't want to sit in the Frank Adams for various reasons. I moved for the Port Vale and Luton games without complaint, but here we were all informed in plenty of time.
I wrote to the club (a polite, constructive letter) about it but have never received an acknowledgement or reply. Slightly shoddy customer service really.
I wouldn't ever not renew but no club should ever take their fans for granted.
Sounds like they should have been a little better organised in being able to offer an equivalent seat in the same stand (but a different block) at the point that they told people that they would have to move.
@EwanHoosaami
Just trying to understand this. As I understand it you were in block C but club no wishes to reserve this area for other purposes, so only D and E are available for season ticket holders. (presumably wants to hold the ones nearer the away end for any large away followings and the ones nearer home end for promotions). To be fair I understand the clubs point of view on this.
You have medical reasons why the main stand doesnt work for you.
Am I right in saying that demand is so high, that the club cannot offer you seats in D or E either, or is it just that they want to wait a couple of weeks for existing season ticket holders in those areas to renew before they know precisely which seats are available before they allocate you seats in that area?
Does all seem a little odd given that stadium is rarely more than 1/2 full and given any public organisation obligation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers (which I assume EH is registered given his posts).
If MDH is correct disappointing that letters are not replied to. Not really my experience of the club these days which seems very efficient now unlike perhaps 12 months or so ago.
Incidentally EH - if your son is of an age when he could be playing and it clashes , I wonder if you would be better off encouraging him to do that anyway. He has a lifetime in which he can watch football, just a relatively few years when he can enjoy playing.
(always think club should be doing all it can to persuade local kids and mens leagues to time their games for sat or sun am to avoid clash but that is another story).
EH I strongly agree with DevC that you should be encouraging your son son to play football rather than watching. Too many youngsters are not encouraged to be physically active nowadays.
I can't understand why we didn't print details of ST on the other side of those Wembley cards
@MindlessDrugHoover there was a members meeting that was open to non-Trust members where this was explained.
Fair enough but I don't live in Wycombe, or even Bucks, so getting down to AP for anything other than match days is difficult. Really, I'm not having a big moan (and I've renewed my ST as I always do), but just a simple email in advance would have made a big difference in allowing us all to decide together where we wanted to move to, rather than having to try and sort it on match day when the ticket office was understandably very busy. It was news to everyone around me too. As it is, I'm no longer sitting near some of those I've sat near to for the last few years as certain seats were already taken.
There is a lift up to FA stand we use it regularly as one of my mates has dodgy knees.
I was an ST holder in the C Wing. I did not attend a meeting, but I heard about the changes. I rang to renew...we discussed it and they allocated me a seat in D and told me to bring my form to the Morecanbe game quoting that seat number. I did so. It is on the same row where I sit now and is just a bit along. I did not have to wait for existing ST holders to decide or anything. I cannot believe I got preferential treatment?
Or did I?
@DJWYC14 Yes thanks I got your email. I didn't wait for a telephone call. Instead I called into the offices. To be met by Lily, whom I had expected to be on holiday? Lily sorted out five seats together in back of block E. I was happy with that, then she told me that I would have to wait until Richard agreed it as he might have them reserved for STH's that may or may not want them? Peculiar really, as the deadline has passed according to notifications on the clubs official Twitter page. Given that the club constantly promotes the poverty status, yet doesn't take the money from a man who is standing there willing to part with money for 5 available seats that he would like to buy????
TBH I'm tired of justifying my reasons for not wanting to move over and tired of trying to buy 5 seats together in a stand I have been in for in excess of 20 years. I've never got nasty and shouty with anyone at the club, just a bloke who wants to support his local town team in a bit of comfort without hassle. Also fed up with waiting for a return call that never comes. I really can't be @rsed any longer, so just going to see which way the wind blows and might just come to the odd game throughout the season?
@mooneyman My son plays Saturday mornings for a team, plays in the school team, plays almost every day in our back garden. He also plays for two table tennis teams, is a member of a running club and is as skinny as a rake, mirroring my youth, hence my 2 dodgy knees that have run out of operating options other than replacements. Thanks for your concern over his health but I think we've got that one covered?
To be fair to @mooneyman, he was responding to my comment which in turn was responding to your comment above that appeared to say that your son would start playing football if he wasnt allowed to sit in his normal seat. No criticism was meant towards your boy.
You are obviously very upset about something. It is a little hard to understand precisely what - is it the fact of being asked to move or that the club has asked you to wait a couple of weeks before confirming precisely where they can offer you as an alternative with your needs or is it that you feel communication has been poor.
Given the leaps and bounds the club came on last season, it does seem a shame to stop attending now when I am sure a solution can be found. Obviously your call though.
@DevC Ok, I'll go through it one bit at a time.
1) I speak for a few on this point. We feel the club have made the decision to move us without consultation. The words conveyed to me were, "the club has treated us in a rough shod way", given most of us have had season tickets in that block for many years. Not my words, I would describe it as autocratic, as it's a move or move option. As a consequence on that point I would say I'm very upset.
2) The communication of this decision has been poor, on this point I'm irritated rather than upset.
3) Being told to move from Block C to say D or E not upset about the move, more irritated.
4) Being told that we can have have 5 seats together, (so I can look after my mates kids as well when he can't make it), then being told we might not be able to, depending on Richards "reserved book" status, despite it being past the deadline & Richard away/on holiday. On that point very, very upset. As it looks like this was the only option available at the time.
5) Being told that I would get a call and not getting a call on at least two occasions, possibly three. On this point I would say more peed off.
6) On a one to one basis, Lily, Dale and Mat Cecil have always been very helpful, but are always having to rely on others to follow up having made in roads. On this point I feel more sorry for them than upset as, what more can they do?
7) On the length of time it has taken to sort this. The anger has tempered to a level where I just can't be @rsed anymore. Never have I been anywhere to spend money with an organisation that is so desperate for the money but put so many obstacles in the way to prevent it.
I'm not going to deny that I won't miss it having rarely missed a home game for all these years and last season going to 12 away games with my lad plus Wembley. Maybe we will travel to a few away games as well. The atmosphere is always good!
Hope that's covered it!
If I were you I would give the club a little leeway it seems as though they are trying to accommodate you although I admit I've been skimming through your complaint as it's a bit er dry and specific
It appears to me that Richard and Lilly have been having to deal with what appears to be a very manual process and that means they have to wait to confirm prior to commitment. It certainly isn't their fault that the process is poor and we just need a little patience. I really do feel this is at the root of EH's issue. I can see it is upsetting and understand the frustration but there will always be bumps in such process.
Give Richard a call on Monday EH and don't give up.
@EwanHoosaami
Thank you that is much clearer.
TBH I think the club are entitled to decide what they do with the stadium for the best interests of all. I don't think they need to consult on this matter.
It does feel communication could have been better.
I can only assume that the number of STH affected is not particularly large, maybe in the high tens or low hundreds?. The way perhaps this should have been handled is for the club to write individually when the decision was made, clearly laying out rationale and options and timescales, eg
Dear Mr XXXXX
I write to advise you of changes that we intend to make next season that unfortunately will affect you. We intend to use blocks X - X for XXXXXXX and hence will not be able to offer season tickets in this area. I understand this may be inconvenient to you so wanted to advise you personally.
We very much hope you will choose to relocate to other areas of the ground. We will be able to offer you alternative seats at the same price in the main stand from date that season tickets go on sale. Alternatively we will be able to offer you seats within blocks D and E of the Beechdean, but as we need to offer their seats to existing season ticket holders in those areas first, we may not be able to confirm precisely which seats until XXX Date.
I understand this may be disappointing to you, but hope you will understand the reason for the move. If you have special requirements and would like to discuss further, please contact me .........
Shame that appears not to have been done, but you do have to understand and make some allowance for the fact that it is a very small team, exhausted after a long season and having to cope with high unexpected work volumes from the playoffs.
This is compounded by the reality that opportunity to take holiday in the job are limited by season times and shortened this year by playoffs, so there is a high possibility that many of the key players are simply not there.
Now here is an opportunity for the gasroom in house trust member to have an effect. Assuming MR EH story is broadly true, I would be taking action now to ensure the club wrote to mr EH apologising for failures in communication, offering defined seats or date when it will do so (and then ensure meet this date) and as a note of apology offer a token (free prematch meal for the party at a defined match - that sort of thing). Customer hopefully recovered, everybody wins.
That's the problem, Football Clubs know they can do as they please, as they are in a unique business. Fans will put up with almost anything thrown at them. Sad but it's true.