A new system required for ticket arrangements - discuss

[Thames Valley Red]

Firstly, this is not a negative thread. I want people to go back to the Russell and Lewis years, back to the middle of the 1990's and consider how far we have now come. A club that saw many people volunteer/ continue to volunteer, give loads of money across, make a pledge etc. But time has come for people to take stock to allow the club to grow and move forward.

Sooooooooooo......................a hypothetical situation for you, we beat Liverpool on penalties and draw Arsenal at home. What ticket system should the club introduce until the expanded ground is in place. Or what arrangements should come into play when they start the renovations. Some scenarios to discuss:

1) Keep the same systems and struggle on.
2) Revamp the priority system on the basis of one person one ticket irrelevant of the number options. After all its 10 years on since the Trust started in 2001 and it was some years ago when people stumped up loads.
3) My favourite option and controversial a two tier system based on a scoring criteria including;

- Number of memberships and historic efforts.
- Volunteering on a skills base as of now.
- Season ticket
- Premium Trust membership status based on level of contribution. (TBD eg people paying £4 plus per month)
- 1931
- Foundation?
- Supporters Club
- ROD

Now we have many people joining the Trust at £24 a pop that only injects say £105600 into the Trust but people paying say more than £4 per month injects £211,200. That is quite a difference. If many people upped it to £5 per month plus we would be able to inject £250k plus every year. This allows the club to really motor on in its development.

We are a different club and we have to be tough on ourselves. Now this needs some discussion and some work to get it right. We don't want to impact people with tight incomes. But we need to recognise people that contribute heavily. I believe some people invest more than £50 per month by DD. WE could start funding the new stadium with some of the extra revenue. Or its two/three decent players!

UTC

TVR
(Hard hat on!)

 

[Bittners a Legend]

I do not believe that those who contribute heavily to the Trust do it so that they can receive extra tickets for games against steeped-in-history/stuck in the past clubs like Liverpool.

Any system that starts to value some supporters over others is not only terrible business practice but going down a very difficult path.

The ticketing arrangements for this game has served to further cheapen the Trust but has at least brought back in plenty who probably genuinely want to be part of the Trust.

Those who have volunteered and given greatly both time and money deserve our respect and gratitude. They should of course be able to give a ticket for themselves. Rewarding them with 4 or 6 tickets for a game against Liverpool (or Arsenal) is not the answer. The arguments that would ensue when trying to value contribution would just serve to cause division too.

Just my opinion, sorry.

 

[LOG]

There will never be a perfect system, we have to accept that. Even if there were no priority groups, there would still be exiles who couldn't get there to queue, people on holiday, and so on.

It should be kept as simple as possible and one person one ticket would be a start. I also think that what's deemed a priority group should be reviewed as well as the games which they apply for. Last season, ST holders were given priority status for the Argyle league game. Why? They already had a ticket.

From the experiences of people who have posted on here, it sounds as if the databases of the club/Trust/Ticketzone need to be reconciled again.

Also, if you don't know your priority number, then tough. I dread to think how many queries there have been over the last week from people who had to make contact to find out.

 

[EX4 6PX]

Don't like the two tier idea.

The thing that gets me is that if you are a season ticket holder (well done!) and a Trust member (well done!) that you get two tickets. What happens to the other one? Friends/ family/or at worst a Liverpool supporting mate gets it, in place of irregular City supporters, the type of people who allow us to fill the ground for the games towards the end of a promotion season.

Of course it may be them who get the extra tickets off Trust members, but I expect there will be quite a few mock scousers in the home areas on Wednesday and that seems to me to be a waste of good will.

Sorry its not a solution, just a gripe. I'm not sure that having a thousand tickets on general sale to 'people known by the club' would sort it, but it might help.

 

[mammooman]

Are many of the problems down to people unable to get a ticket? Everyone I know who wanted to go and is a fan of city managed it easily as they are either members of priority groups themselves or have friends/family that are.

I think the problem arises with the inability to buy Flybe/Grandstand tickets online then the fight with the phone line. Most of the complaints on here have been down to people unable to get through on the phones, being put on hold for 892 hours then having some grumpy bloke on the end. How do you eliminate this and improve the experience?

IMPROVE THE BLOODY TICKETZONE WEBSITE and integrate systems to allow Season Ticket holders to purchase tickets to the seating stands. The arguement is that we don't have paid workers to man phones, manage the bulk, let the friggin computer do it instead then. We have a resource here in the internet, lets use the bu66er.

 

[Antony Moxey]

1) Keep the same systems and struggle on.

Struggle? What struggle? So it takes a little while to get through - it's no biggie, just keep trying. All the priority qualifiers will get their tickets so what's the problem - certainly for the one or two times it's needed every couple of seasons why change it?

 

[Bittners a Legend]

Struggle? What struggle? So it takes a little while to get through - it's no biggie, just keep trying. All the priority qualifiers will get their tickets so what's the problem - certainly for the one or two times it's needed every couple of seasons why change it?

I tend to agree with this point. One thing though - from what I understand fans were told to ring a premium rate number to buy tickets. I think that is a pretty poor show. Equally people having to pay postage twice for Liverpool and Plymouth tickets is not particularly clever. I appreciate there are limitations, and of course that TZ want to make money, but given ECFC likes to boast about being different it doesn't sit totally comfortably with me.

 

[LOG]

I tend to agree with this point. One thing though - from what I understand fans were told to ring a premium rate number to buy tickets. I think that is a pretty poor show. Equally people having to pay postage twice for Liverpool and Plymouth tickets is not particularly clever. I appreciate there are limitations, and of course that TZ want to make money, but given ECFC likes to boast about being different it doesn't sit totally comfortably with me.

I think it was an 0844 number which isn't premium rate. I believe that the 'owner' of the number also gets a kick back from the revenue, so they're getting pretty popular with businesses.

 

[Hants_red]

A decent FAQ would be useful. Perhaps on here and stickied.

Recent all ticket games have been Leeds, Argyle and now Liverpool. Surely the fans have now got the system sussed?

Was one of the problems, in allowing new Trust members, that the Argyle game didn't sell out and there was a worry that this one wouldn't sell out either?

 

[Kirtonville Grecian]

While people are discussing this. Do you guys reckon this is clever or stops other people getting tickets......?

I was queueing for my Argyle ticket last season and heard that someone puts £10.00 into the trust every month. Fine no problem you think. However, he pays £2.50 from him, £2.50 from his Mrs, £2.50 from his Mum & £2.50 from his Dad. Therefore, he could get 4 x tickets. His Mrs, Mum & Dad couldn't care less about City.

About 10% of me thinks this is really clever. The other 90% of me thinks this selfish. I have no idea who this, but I expect there are quite a few others who do this.