11762 season tickets renewed

[Maguire]

People have had plenty of time to buy STs so far so why should they be catered for now?

You still don't know what product you're buying. At the moment the product looks proper shit, but a flurry of transfer activity might tempt some of the lost punters back.

I'm not complaining as such, just didn't realise there was an ST deadline and was biding my time before making a decision.

And you say "why should they be catered for?" as if RFC are doing us a favour by letting us buy their product. They're not.

[RoyalBlue]

Here's an idea, why doesn't somebody just ask the club why they've removed them from sale rather than just adding some form of conspiracy theories...

I'm surprised that those amongst our number who claim to be/are in the know, haven't already enlightened us!

As already suggested, there's a conflict between keeping seats reserved in case they want to be sold as season tickets, and then selling them as individual seats - once a seat has gone for the Plymouth game that seat is no longer available for a ST.

As I believe has already been pointed out by someone else, the solution to that really is incredibly simple: If someone still wants a season ticket they are offered their pick from those seats not already taken for the Plymouth game!

They could even add in a little customer service by some manual effort (and I'm sure it's actually very little) to offer them an alternative seat for the Plymouth game and season ticket in the seat of their choice thereafter. Afterall, we do now have a state of the art ticketing and admission system!

I'm sure they could get round this with manual effort, but why should they at this stage? People have had plenty of time to buy STs so far so why should they be catered for now?

Because RFC are trying to sell a product and need the money?!

Because getting someone to commit to a whole season, particularly given our lack of transfer activity at present, would seem a very good thing to achieve?!

[Ian Royal]

Staffing, risk vs value assessment of how much it's likely to cost them being minimal.

Chances are most people who were going to renew will have done it by now. I doubt th eclub would get more than a couple of hundred over the next few weeks at most so it just isn't worth it.

So all the ticket office staff have gone on holiday or been laid off?

What risk? What cost? They'll have someone in the TO anyway and how long does it take to process a season ticket application?

There appear to be so many lost plots around the Mad Stad at present that hopefully someone will rediscover one!

I'd be surprised if they didn't get a few temps in to deal with ST applications. It's also the summer, time for most people to go on holiday.

They balance the possible gain against the value of diverting resources towards achieving it. That is likely to be minimal. Risk vs Value assessment is just what that sort of process is called in my industry, or at least a similar sort of thing is called that.

[Ian Royal]

Here's an idea, why doesn't somebody just ask the club why they've removed them from sale rather than just adding some form of conspiracy theories...

I'm surprised that those amongst our number who claim to be/are in the know, haven't already enlightened us!

As already suggested, there's a conflict between keeping seats reserved in case they want to be sold as season tickets, and then selling them as individual seats - once a seat has gone for the Plymouth game that seat is no longer available for a ST.

As I believe has already been pointed out by someone else, the solution to that really is incredibly simple: If someone still wants a season ticket they are offered their pick from those seats not already taken for the Plymouth game!

They could even add in a little customer service by some manual effort (and I'm sure it's actually very little) to offer them an alternative seat for the Plymouth game and season ticket in the seat of their choice thereafter. Afterall, we do now have a state of the art ticketing and admission system!

I'm sure they could get round this with manual effort, but why should they at this stage? People have had plenty of time to buy STs so far so why should they be catered for now?

Because RFC are trying to sell a product and need the money?!

Because getting someone to commit to a whole season, particularly given our lack of transfer activity at present, would seem a very good thing to achieve?!

Clearly selling a few extra Season Tickets to people with a near terminal case of apathy or indecision was considered to not be worth the effort of putting those systems in place and doing those manual work arounds.

I'll trust the people who run the place and know the system, costs and staffing arrangements to make that decision rather than some random guy with no clue who thinks he could run the place much better. Unless of course you have some sort of relevent experience?

[Southbank Old Boy]

What a load of feeble excuses.

Whatever happened to the good old mantra of "the customer is always right" then?

I really can't believe that the club are willing to turn away potential season ticket holders at any stage of the season, let alone now when, as they keep telling us, there is a long way to go until the start of the season and a lot can happen blah blah blah.

Someone said yesterday that the club was a well run business. What other business stops selling its product before they've sold out for no sensible reason at all!

[Spotters Badge]

They're not selling season tickets due to the cut off imposed on them by Zebra finance (I think). Obviously they don't want to create a 2 tier system whereby people with the means to purchase the ticket outright can do so while others who don't have the means are excluded.

[Southbank Old Boy]

They're not selling season tickets due to the cut off imposed on them by Zebra finance (I think). Obviously they don't want to create a 2 tier system whereby people with the means to purchase the ticket outright can do so while others who don't have the means are excluded.

That's still mind boggling to be fair.

So now your suggesting they're stopping selling to those that can afford a ST so as not to hurt the feelings of those that cant?

What if I neeeded to wait until my July pay packet to be able to afford to buy it with my savings? I'm now screwed.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Oddly enough, I just went to check the ST page on the OS (because I couldn't believe a finance company would put a time limit on a credit application) and there is no mention of the fact that you can't buy a season ticket anymore.

The page was updated yesterday and they still say that you can apply for a season ticket.

Does this mean they've seen sense?

[Spotters Badge]

So now your suggesting they're stopping selling to those that can afford a ST so as not to hurt the feelings of those that cant?

I'm not suggesting anything. I just think the club didn't want to disappoint and cause more reasons for people to complain by advertising that the cost of a season ticket could be spread over a number of months and then not being able to offer this by restrictions imposed upon them by a third party.

[Southbank Old Boy]

So now your suggesting they're stopping selling to those that can afford a ST so as not to hurt the feelings of those that cant?

I'm not suggesting anything. I just think the club didn't want to disappoint and cause more reasons for people to complain by advertising that the cost of a season ticket could be spread over a number of months and then not being able to offer this by restrictions imposed upon them by a third party.

Is there any restriction placed on them by the finance company though?

I can't see one.

[TheMaraudingDog]

Sounds like STAR are backing the club and not it's supporters on this one.

I agree with the sentiments that there should be no deadline. Why should the money be earning interest in RFC's account?

Why would someone want to pay to watch a team that on the whole they don't know which players they will be paying to see?

If you're going to sell out, place a deadline, if not be a bit more open.

[STAR Liaison]

Sounds like STAR are backing the club and not it's supporters on this one.

I agree with the sentiments that there should be no deadline. Why should the money be earning interest in RFC's account?

Why would someone want to pay to watch a team that on the whole they don't know which players they will be paying to see?

If you're going to sell out, place a deadline, if not be a bit more open.

An interesting point of view - where have you read that STAR supports this? I nust admit I was not aware of the deadline until I read it on here, and it certainly was not discussed at the last management meeting I attended or the last STAR meeting. I will see what I can find out however, unless you would rather tell me now what I think

[ayjaydee]

What a load of feeble excuses.

Whatever happened to the good old mantra of "the customer is always right" then?

When has that EVER been the case in football?

[Spotters Badge]

So now your suggesting they're stopping selling to those that can afford a ST so as not to hurt the feelings of those that cant?

I'm not suggesting anything. I just think the club didn't want to disappoint and cause more reasons for people to complain by advertising that the cost of a season ticket could be spread over a number of months and then not being able to offer this by restrictions imposed upon them by a third party.

Is there any restriction placed on them by the finance company though?

I can't see one.

Ring the TO and ask if it ispossible to buy an ST and if you can spread the cost using their financing arrangement.

[Ian Royal]

"The customer is always right" is the biggest load of inaccurate bollocks ever said.

The customer is usually an ignorant fool who doesn't know what they are talking about.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Is there any restriction placed on them by the finance company though?

I can't see one.

Ring the TO and ask if it ispossible to buy an ST and if you can spread the cost using their financing arrangement.

No thanks I've already got one.

I had a quick look at the application form that they're still offering on the web page that was updated yesterday and there was no mention of a deadline or not being able to apply now. You seemed to be implying that there was a deadline, I was merely asking what had made you come to that conclusion.

It seems the website might be a little confused. First they say a 18th July deadline, now they say you can still buy one. Then again they still have Dave Kitson down as Reading's number 12 so I suppose anything is possible.

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/SeasonTickets/0,,10306,00.html

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

What a load of feeble excuses.

Whatever happened to the good old mantra of "the customer is always right" then?

When has that EVER been the case in football?

When we chanted "Bullivant Out!" and he quit the following day.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

"The customer is always right" is the biggest load of inaccurate bollocks ever said.

The customer is usually an ignorant fool who doesn't know what they are talking about.

Other clubs cope. Ours can't. That to me suggests the problem is with the club, not with fans being "unreasonable" in thinking they should be able to buy a season ticket.

I do know someone who works in the ticket office (albeit not that well) and he's said on a number of occasions that he doesn't have much confidence in the management as it appears to be run to make their life easy, not to help the supporters.

[readingbedding]

If you haven't got a ST by now, it's tough titties.
You lot had plenty of time, bunch of moaning procrastinators.
Get a ticket on the day, or beforehand or watch the highlights on SKY/The Championship/Meridian etc etc etc

[LoyalRoyal22]

True fans re-newed