Season Tick Renewal - What's Going On!

[Svlad Cjelli]

Sure. I think that the perception from a significant number of fans and of actual and potential STAR members is that the balance is tilted too much in favour of the softly, softly approach.

Agreed, but if the reality of the political situation is that the softly, softly approach is far more effective than the kicking and screaming approach then that is a cross that STAR will have to bear.

[Bandini]

I think that my point of view can be summed up by simply saying that it's not an either/or approach.

[PieEater]

But if that fails it would be good if STAR came out (or at least threatened the club) to back a protest campaign to boycott ST renewals unless they reconsider.

This is one battle STAR can win as they are the public face of the supporters to the club, and as poorly as they have been treated in the past, the question of ST renewals should be one STAR has some influence in.

As you say DIrk, the club is losing goodwill, and in my case have lost it. I'm prepared to give up the seat I've had for over 10 years simply because they've pissed me off with their pathetic responses and they assume I'm stupid enough to accept them. Had they taken the time to respond to my complaints specifically I'd probably still be on side and renew. A double cock up from the TO.

[Svlad Cjelli]

My experience is that it often is exactly that.

Work in public and risk achieving nothing OR work in private and don't get visibility for your achievements.

The two states are mutually exclusive, because once you go into the public domain with some things then all quiet diplomacy fails.

[Disclaimer - I have no involvement with this current issue so have no idea how/if the above applies to this.]

[Svlad Cjelli]

But if that fails it would be good if STAR came out (or at least threatened the club) to back a protest campaign to boycott ST renewals unless they reconsider.

This is one battle STAR can win as they are the public face of the supporters to the club, and as poorly as they have been treated in the past, the question of ST renewals should be one STAR has some influence in.

Really? Do you really think Reading supporters, amongst the meekest and mildest of all football supporters, would support a protest about this issue? It's an inconvenience for most, but it's hardly that serious an issue. It's the sort of stuff that people on the internet can whinge about to their hearts' content, but in the grand scheme of things it's hardly that much of an issue.

Commercial enterprise changes terms and conditions of sale - customers decide whether to accept those terms and conditions of sale or not.

Can you really see massed ranks of Reading supporters walking down the A33 chanting ""What do we want?" "To not have to renew our season tickets 2 months early!" "When do we want it?" "After the end of April, please?"

[FiNeRaIn]

As you say DIrk, the club is losing goodwill, and in my case have lost it. I'm prepared to give up the seat I've had for over 10 years simply because they've pissed me off with their pathetic responses and they assume I'm stupid enough to accept them. Had they taken the time to respond to my complaints specifically I'd probably still be on side and renew. A double cock up from the TO.

They've been using these types of responses regarding our transfers for the last few years too, people are dumb enough to accept those, just read the team board. We have a spoon fed set of supporters, the club knows this and so do many of the more wiser fans. Fair play to the club for taking advantage of it.

[Bandini]

My experience is that it often is exactly that.

Work in public and risk achieving nothing OR work in private and don't get visibility for your achievements.

The two states are mutually exclusive, because once you go into the public domain with some things then all quiet diplomacy fails.

[Disclaimer - I have no involvement with this current issue so have no idea how/if the above applies to this.]

On an issue by issue basis, sure. But not over the long term.

I would be amazed if the club were so unreasonable that a supporters club going public on an issue such as this would prevent quiet diplomacy on different issues in, say, a few months time. If the club are that unreasonable then that's something which itself deserves publicity.

[Svlad Cjelli]

My experience is that it often is exactly that.

Work in public and risk achieving nothing OR work in private and don't get visibility for your achievements.

The two states are mutually exclusive, because once you go into the public domain with some things then all quiet diplomacy fails.

[Disclaimer - I have no involvement with this current issue so have no idea how/if the above applies to this.]

On an issue by issue basis, sure. But not over the long term.

I would be amazed if the club were so unreasonable that a supporters club going public on an issue such as this would prevent quiet diplomacy on different issues in, say, a few months time. If the club are that unreasonable then that's something which itself deserves publicity.

Agreed with that - but perhaps they feel that on this particular issue their best hopes are not to go public.

[Royal Lady]

Well, just from reading what Star Liaison said on here, nothing had been done by the STAR members until the Watford home game last Saturday, because they were as in the dark as we were and were waiting to meet up and also speak to other fans. Then when a few other people have the temerity to get involved, it's frowned upon!

To be perfectly honest, if the STAR members think that speaking their mind on behalf of not only themselves and their fellow members but a lot of other supporters, can lead to friction with the Club when they want to talk about things - then STAR need to make the club perfectly aware that they are not lap dogs and will not just roll over when the Club wants them to. STAR exist for supporters, not the RFC board and members of staff.

[Schards#2]

But if that fails it would be good if STAR came out (or at least threatened the club) to back a protest campaign to boycott ST renewals unless they reconsider.

This is one battle STAR can win as they are the public face of the supporters to the club, and as poorly as they have been treated in the past, the question of ST renewals should be one STAR has some influence in.

Really? Do you really think Reading supporters, amongst the meekest and mildest of all football supporters, would support a protest about this issue? It's an inconvenience for most, but it's hardly that serious an issue. It's the sort of stuff that people on the internet can whinge about to their hearts' content, but in the grand scheme of things it's hardly that much of an issue.

Commercial enterprise changes terms and conditions of sale - customers decide whether to accept those terms and conditions of sale or not.

Can you really see massed ranks of Reading supporters walking down the A33 chanting ""What do we want?" "To not have to renew our season tickets 2 months early!" "When do we want it?" "After the end of April, please?"

I would disagree with this, I think if there was a concerted campaign encouraging people not to renew I think a lot of people would go along with. Largely because there is no possibility of them not being able to get a season ticket at the time of their choosing subsequently, unlike places such as Arsenal and Man Utd.

Certainly, if it wasn't for the fact that I sit with my dad and brother, I would not renew before the April deadline on principle and I've been an uninterrupted season ticket from the latter days of Elm Park. Indeed if there were a campaign, I'd speak to my family about it as i'm sure we could get 4 together elsewhere and the people behind us are pains in the neck I'd be happy to get away from.

Having not renewed by the deadline, I'd probably then wonder about renewing at all. I'm sure i'm not alone in thinking this way and think the club would do well to reconsider and fast as I think they may be hugely disappointed by the renewal figures. The product is not great at the moment and is unlikely to be for the forseeable future, it's not a clever time to be taking your bedrock support for granted.

As for STAR, clearly the club are happy to use them as apologists when it suits and that's about it, if they are happy with this role than good luck to them but they really aren't speaking for the fans, if not they need to speak out and soon.

[Yellowcoat]

Yet again the Lower Earley tag team wish to portray themselves as representative of ALL supporters. Believe it or not there is bigger and brighter world outside HNA.

[STAR Liaison]

Sure. I think that the perception from a significant number of fans and of actual and potential STAR members is that the balance is tilted too much in favour of the softly, softly approach.

You may well be right but, speaking as one who has to take these challenges on, I can only to do these things the way I am comfortable with. I know my way is not confrontational and also that I prefer to take time and see if I can understand why things are done because as Svlad says the people running the club are genuine people who really want the club to succeed.

Blue Heart has it right in that STAR is democratic so is open to any member standing for election to the Board and so influence the way things are done if you think we are not doing it right now.

[STAR Liaison]

As for STAR, clearly the club are happy to use them as apologists when it suits and that's about it, if they are happy with this role than good luck to them but they really aren't speaking for the fans, if not they need to speak out and soon.

You may be right but I suspect that there is not a uniform opinion by all fans, whatever the problem. We all tend to talk just to people who are like us - I know I did until I did I became involved. I find now a lot more people come up at games and give me their opinion as well as the more formal ways approaching STAR by writing or emailing. It may be self delusion but I think that just by taking the role I do hear a greater variety of opinions now than I did before I became involved in supporter representation. I would also never claim we speak for all fans though. For instance I have had several people tell me this week that they can't understand what the fuss is about with Season Tickets and that we should not be taking it up with the club - it is true they are a minority but they do exist and they are fans too.

[Royal Lady]

Yet again the Lower Earley tag team wish to portray themselves as representative of ALL supporters. Believe it or not there is bigger and brighter world outside HNA.

I don't know who you are and I don't wish to, personally, but when have we EVER said we are representative of ALL supporters? And we are perfectly aware of what happens outside of HNA thank you very much.

Clearly, we are not the ONLY two people on here or amongst fans in general who are unhappy with the ST renewal date - so I'm not really sure what your point is. As always.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Not exclusive to Reading, but.......

The tail has wagged the dog for too long


It will hurt, but the fans need to take control of the game once again

Its all wrong that:

Team Managers are getting outwaged/outshouted and ignored by their players
Fans are being railroaded into inconvenient kick-off times by TV companies....ST holders being the biggest victims
Annual Kit changes (despite the two year "gentlemens agreement" being blown out of the water in recent greedfests)are tugging at the heartstrings.


Do what you've got to do/turn up whenever you can/renew your ST, but....................


Choose carefully, maybe any kind of decision you make will will help feed the fire of our games ongoing demise

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Svlad Cjelli wrote:

do you really think Reading supporters, amongst the meekest and mildest of all football supporters, would support a protest about this issue? It's an inconvenience for most, but it's hardly that serious an issue. It's the sort of stuff that people on the internet can whinge about to their hearts' content, but in the grand scheme of things it's hardly that much of an issue.

Football is about opinions....In this case some of the fans including myself have raised their opinion about the season ticket renewal period to maintain there current seat with the club only to receive bog standard responses that do not cover the the questions raised nor the "TRUE" reasoning behind this early renewal date. If RFC had been open and honest and even discussed the situation with STAR in advance this probably would not have happened.

To be told by the muppet in Customer Services "I have 11 weeks to renew as this covers 4 pays days to pay" still riles me now.

[Royal Lady]

And still no response to my letter - which, I think, tells me everything I need to know about what the club thinks about its fans. And after 30 years of supporting RFC both home and away, the majority of those years having paid in advance for a season ticket, it really does stick in the throat.

As of this morning, 43% of those who answered the poll said they would not renew. 34% said they were and 13% said they were undecided. You can't transpose this across the whole fan base, but even if only 20% of fans do not renew by 28 April, with us currently having 11,000 st holder (I think that's the number anyway), the club would need to find over 2,200 more people deciding to get a ST before deciding that this early renewal scheme has brought them "success". Even if that does happen, the club will have alienated those fans who have expressed an opinion and been dismissed by a bog standard response or ignored altogether, all for the sake of, at most, a couple of hundred new renewals.

[TFF]

Maybe your letter got lost in the post.

[Row Z Royal]

And still no response to my letter

There are three possible reasons for this:

a)

Madejski is too tight to buy stamps and envelopes

b)

Why would they bother writing back to you when you're just wrong?

c)

I don't think your chairman would write a letter to an old hag like you.

[West Stand Man]

And still no response to my letter - which, I think, tells me everything I need to know about what the club thinks about its fans. And after 30 years of supporting RFC both home and away, the majority of those years having paid in advance for a season ticket, it really does stick in the throat.

As of this morning, 43% of those who answered the poll said they would not renew. 34% said they were and 13% said they were undecided. You can't transpose this across the whole fan base, but even if only 20% of fans do not renew by 28 April, with us currently having 11,000 st holder (I think that's the number anyway), the club would need to find over 2,200 more people deciding to get a ST before deciding that this early renewal scheme has brought them "success". Even if that does happen, the club will have alienated those fans who have expressed an opinion and been dismissed by a bog standard response or ignored altogether, all for the sake of, at most, a couple of hundred new renewals.

I can't believe that this thread has gone on for so long.

Of the 43% who say they won't renew I would bet that a fair proportion will. Maybe they will wait until after this deadline, for whatever reason, but I'll bet most do come back to the fold. This isn't a 'you must buy before this date or you can't have a ticket. It is a pretty simple marketing plan to get some early sales in. If you don't want to buy now (and I think those who genuinely can't afford to are in a minority of the complainants) then that's fine, just pay the premium for delaying.