Season Ticket Turnstile Issues Against Preston

[royalp-we]

Did anyone else have problems?

I called the TO last week and was informed to use my card from last year, only to find when I tried to go through the turnstile it would not work. Polite Spotty teenager outside the gate took my details, took my card and told me a new one will be posted within 3 days.

He allowed me through the gate and told me it was a cock up by the club and lots had the same problem - but Did anyone else have the same issue yesterday?

[Nameless]

My card from last year worked fine yesterday and also for the friendly. Each in different stands....

[Royal Ginger]

The bloke two ahead of me had trouble. Although rather than leaving and dealing with it he insisted on trying it 4 times, then rubbing it on his jeans and trying again, then trying his son's who was already in, then his own again, then having an argument with his kid then trying to force the barrier. I joined a different queue at the point. He's probably still there.

[bobby1413]

The bloke two ahead of me had trouble. Although rather than leaving and dealing with it he insisted on trying it 4 times, then rubbing it on his jeans and trying again, then trying his son's who was already in, then his own again, then having an argument with his kid then trying to force the barrier. I joined a different queue at the point. He's probably still there.

that guy you saw was the OP

[royalp-we]

The bloke two ahead of me had trouble. Although rather than leaving and dealing with it he insisted on trying it 4 times, then rubbing it on his jeans and trying again, then trying his son's who was already in, then his own again, then having an argument with his kid then trying to force the barrier. I joined a different queue at the point. He's probably still there.

that guy you saw was the OP

I promise you it wasn't myself. I'd have clipped the little sh!t round the ear.

[tidus_mi2]

Only problem I had was using my new season ticket for the shirt discount, their machine wouldn't accept it, so the manager just ignored the machine, apparently that was having issues too.

[tmesis]

I had problems for Bournemouth and Preston.

For Bournemouth, my card didn't work and they told me that the friendly and new season ticket had been loaded onto my new card.

OK, except I'd not been sent a new card.

The took the card off me, told me one would be posted out in the week, and beeped me through with their card.

Come the day of the Preston game, I still didn't have a new card. I had to go into the ticket office, and they printed a new card for me, and said to ignore the one they were supposed to have sent in the week, if it turns up.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't even turned up now.

How difficult is is it to load stuff up to a person's latest card?

How difficult is it, if you do make the seemingly random decision to allocate someone a new card, to make sure it actually gets posted out?


At more of an IT level, wouldn't it be simpler to have the "tickets bought" information against the card holder's account, rather than each individual card?

That way, it wouldn't matter which card they used, they'd all work, but once it had registered you'd gone in, it wouldn't work again for that game.

Nothing at all is actually loaded ONTO the card after all. All the card reader does is read a unique id from the card, and checks whether that person can go in or not.

[Hendo]

Have you moved house recently or changed address?

[tmesis]

Have you moved house recently or changed address?

Nope.

The issue number on my new card printed at the ticket office is also one above the issue number of my old card, suggesting there never was a card sent out.

The were quite a few at the Bournemouth game having exactly the same issue - tickets on a new card that the club hadn't sent out.

[WAZZOCK]

I had problems for Bournemouth and Preston.

For Bournemouth, my card didn't work and they told me that the friendly and new season ticket had been loaded onto my new card.

OK, except I'd not been sent a new card.

The took the card off me, told me one would be posted out in the week, and beeped me through with their card.

Come the day of the Preston game, I still didn't have a new card. I had to go into the ticket office, and they printed a new card for me, and said to ignore the one they were supposed to have sent in the week, if it turns up.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't even turned up now.

How difficult is is it to load stuff up to a person's latest card?

How difficult is it, if you do make the seemingly random decision to allocate someone a new card, to make sure it actually gets posted out?


At more of an IT level, wouldn't it be simpler to have the "tickets bought" information against the card holder's account, rather than each individual card?

That way, it wouldn't matter which card they used, they'd all work, but once it had registered you'd gone in, it wouldn't work again for that game.

Nothing at all is actually loaded ONTO the card after all. All the card reader does is read a unique id from the card, and checks whether that person can go in or not.

Well done for saying this from such a position of authority, but this is in fact completely wrong. Each match is loaded as a product onto the card and is redeemed at the time of entering the stadium. Would I be right in saying you have either moved seat or age band over the summer? This would be the reason for you requiring a new card.

[PieEater]

That's bollocks.

Many people with STs go year to year with no product loaded onto the card. I buy a ticket onloine and nothing touches the card.

The permitted card numbers are loaded onto a computer that services each stand. that gets updated by the TO for each game.

[tmesis]

Nothing at all is actually loaded ONTO the card after all. All the card reader does is read a unique id from the card, and checks whether that person can go in or not.

Well done for saying this from such a position of authority, but this is in fact completely wrong. Each match is loaded as a product onto the card and is redeemed at the time of entering the stadium. Would I be right in saying you have either moved seat or age band over the summer? This would be the reason for you requiring a new card.

How could they load anything onto a card that's not in their possession?

The card will have a chip in it that just has an id. The reader just registers the id, and checks the database to see if that person has bought the ticket for the game or not, and if they've already gone in.

They say it's loaded to your card because that's just simpler to get your head round, even if it's completely false in reality.


And authority? Well I do work designing databases for a living. OK, I didn't do this one, but I have a fair grasp of how these things work. Or should work.


And no, I've not moved seat, changed age band, or changed anything else. As said, for the Bournemouth game there were two queues of people outside the East Stand all seeming to have the same problem. Quite a few missed kick-off as there weren't enough stewards with card readers to deal with the numbers stuck outside.

[royalp-we]

Glad I wasn't the only one then; there were others against Preston at the same gate, having the same problems as me, so I was surprised not many had said anything on here.

As I said above, my card was handed over against Preston and I was told 3 days. As yet, no new ST card has arrived. So will be giving the TO a call on Monday to have a good old oxf*rd whinge.

[tmesis]

As I said above, my card was handed over against Preston and I was told 3 days. As yet, no new ST card has arrived. So will be giving the TO a call on Monday to have a good old oxf*rd whinge.

To be fair to the ticket office, when I went in before the Preston game and explained the situation, they printed me a new one with minimal fuss.

[RoyalBlue]

I had problems for Bournemouth and Preston.

For Bournemouth, my card didn't work and they told me that the friendly and new season ticket had been loaded onto my new card.

OK, except I'd not been sent a new card.

The took the card off me, told me one would be posted out in the week, and beeped me through with their card.

Come the day of the Preston game, I still didn't have a new card. I had to go into the ticket office, and they printed a new card for me, and said to ignore the one they were supposed to have sent in the week, if it turns up.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't even turned up now.

How difficult is is it to load stuff up to a person's latest card?

How difficult is it, if you do make the seemingly random decision to allocate someone a new card, to make sure it actually gets posted out?


At more of an IT level, wouldn't it be simpler to have the "tickets bought" information against the card holder's account, rather than each individual card?

That way, it wouldn't matter which card they used, they'd all work, but once it had registered you'd gone in, it wouldn't work again for that game.

Nothing at all is actually loaded ONTO the card after all. All the card reader does is read a unique id from the card, and checks whether that person can go in or not.

Well done for saying this from such a position of authority, but this is in fact completely wrong. Each match is loaded as a product onto the card and is redeemed at the time of entering the stadium. Would I be right in saying you have either moved seat or age band over the summer? This would be the reason for you requiring a new card.

I buy a ticket for a cup game online. I go nowhere near the stadium yet when the game comes around my card admits me to the game! So just what wizardry have they used to accomplish that? And don't suggest that when I arrive at the stadium some special signal loads it onto the card only to mark it off as I go through the turnstile.

We use similar cards for two purposes at work - security and cashless vending (one card for both).

The cards can be loaded with funds at vending machines which are not networked. Therefore cashless funds are stored on the chip in the card.

In contrast the security system works by reading the ID of the card and then checking a data base to see whether the card is allowed through a particular door. The doors are grouped but individual doors can be added on a one-off or ongoing basis.

I very much suspect that Reading FC season tickets operate the same way as our security system.

[royalp-we]

As I said above, my card was handed over against Preston and I was told 3 days. As yet, no new ST card has arrived. So will be giving the TO a call on Monday to have a good old oxf*rd whinge.

To be fair to the ticket office, when I went in before the Preston game and explained the situation, they printed me a new one with minimal fuss.

Replacement ST arrived this morning. They must have seen the above

[CrowthorneRoyal]

I had problems for Bournemouth and Preston.

For Bournemouth, my card didn't work and they told me that the friendly and new season ticket had been loaded onto my new card.

OK, except I'd not been sent a new card.

The took the card off me, told me one would be posted out in the week, and beeped me through with their card.

Come the day of the Preston game, I still didn't have a new card. I had to go into the ticket office, and they printed a new card for me, and said to ignore the one they were supposed to have sent in the week, if it turns up.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't even turned up now.

How difficult is is it to load stuff up to a person's latest card?

How difficult is it, if you do make the seemingly random decision to allocate someone a new card, to make sure it actually gets posted out?


At more of an IT level, wouldn't it be simpler to have the "tickets bought" information against the card holder's account, rather than each individual card?

That way, it wouldn't matter which card they used, they'd all work, but once it had registered you'd gone in, it wouldn't work again for that game.

Nothing at all is actually loaded ONTO the card after all. All the card reader does is read a unique id from the card, and checks whether that person can go in or not.

Well done for saying this from such a position of authority, but this is in fact completely wrong. Each match is loaded as a product onto the card and is redeemed at the time of entering the stadium. Would I be right in saying you have either moved seat or age band over the summer? This would be the reason for you requiring a new card.

I buy a ticket for a cup game online. I go nowhere near the stadium yet when the game comes around my card admits me to the game! So just what wizardry have they used to accomplish that? And don't suggest that when I arrive at the stadium some special signal loads it onto the card only to mark it off as I go through the turnstile.

We use similar cards for two purposes at work - security and cashless vending (one card for both).

The cards can be loaded with funds at vending machines which are not networked. Therefore cashless funds are stored on the chip in the card.

In contrast the security system works by reading the ID of the card and then checking a data base to see whether the card is allowed through a particular door. The doors are grouped but individual doors can be added on a one-off or ongoing basis.

I very much suspect that Reading FC season tickets operate the same way as our security system.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the DB of valid ST/member card purchases gets loaded to each gate before the game and it works in a similar way to your security system. They arent connected to a central system when everyone arrives in case the central system goes down. Its also possibly why the discounted tickets are for up to 3 hours before each game.