Empty Seats

In this era of online ticketing, e-tickets, barcodes, smartphones, apps and digital technology, there's a very strong argument that there is actually no need at all for the Ticket Office. Aside from putting printed tickets in envelopes, what do they actually do?
Answer phone calls? No
Reply to emails? No
Any idea, anyone?

I don't think your intention is to do so, but I think to say we perhaps don't need the TO for the reasons you mention above is perhaps doing them an injustice to all the good work they do do... I am sure Ticketmaster and See Tickets still have vast numbers of employees...

However, I understand the sentiment behind your post... Get it set up right, then the system should run itself with a skeleton few to deal with Admin and oversee the running of the process...

The problem is we always seem to 'buy cheap, buy twice' when it comes to ticketing... Invest in a decent system/app and the rest should take care of itself...
 
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To be fair, when it's at the level that they simply don't reply to multiple email enquiries, even after speaking to them on the phone (to someone that doesn't work in the dept and was 'just helping out' and promised they get someone to reply) then it's hard to give them the benefit of the doubt that even the basics are sorted.
 
I see much like the Peterborough away tickets, the Bristol City away tickets were put on sale initially then quickly pulled, for technical reasons.

Not sure if the cause is the same or not.

Hopefully either way it gets straightened out for that game and others.
 
These are all great ideas. Personally, I think there's an easy "tweak" which could be made in this era of e-ticketing, and it shifts the onus onto the ST holder.
Fan X buys his or her season ticket. The season ticket GUARANTEES their seat will be available for all scheduled league fixtures, BUT - a timed window opens, during which Fan X must "claim" or "activate" (if the ST is produced electronically) his/her ticket, or say "not required". If the ST holder takes no action, the seat is released for general sale. The sooner Fan X states " not required", they could be refunded a percentage of the ticket value, which decreases as time passes until the window closes. The window to make their claim could close, say 2 weeks before matchday, and the seat can then be offered in the general sale in the days remaining. I know the issue of refunds could be contentious with some, but it would incentivise the ST holder to do the decent thing and release the seat. Should be fairly simple in this day and age.
This is bollox sorry. If I buy a rail season ticket no one takes it off me if I don’t use it every day.
 
Worth adding that in current climate, those people who don’t turn up to games due to experiencing possible covid like symptoms in the morning of a game are doing people a favour! Key is ease of letting the club TO know the ticket is spare late in the day.
 
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I use a Tap and Go card for all my rail journeys, so if the railways can manage this stuff, surely a football club could.

Might sound like going back to the days of the Id card but if everyone was issued one, and all tickets loaded then as well as saving paper, it would solve a lot of issues, and save postage.

It would also mean than you couldn't just buy a ticket for the points and sell it to a mate in order to hoard points, you would have to be prepared to give them you precious card. If you bought a ticket and didn't show up the system could also deny you the point, as the reward should be for attendance not purchase, although that's possible with the barcodes today.

The idea above of asking ST to confirm attendance is not unreasonable, but would imagine you would want to let them have until 24 hours before, with a system of automated reminders.

All that said, We can't be the only sporting team with this problem, for example loads of sell outs in US sport so would imagine lots of people have already solved the issues 3 times over to maximize their crowds.
 
CG

yes. Veritable experts on everything on here. :)
Sorry Rob, take those rose tints off again. We are all the end users of this system and are the ones that have to deal with it's usability and functionality or not so are entitled to comment on it.
Remember the customer is always right.
 
Sorry Rob, take those rose tints off again. We are all the end users of this system and are the ones that have to deal with it's usability and functionality or not so are entitled to comment on it.
Remember the customer is always right.
I’m a customer too sorry to disappoint you! Does that mean I’m right?
Sure things aren’t working as well as they could but I’m no expert in ticketing solutions.
 
I use a Tap and Go card for all my rail journeys, so if the railways can manage this stuff, surely a football club could.

Might sound like going back to the days of the Id card but if everyone was issued one, and all tickets loaded then as well as saving paper, it would solve a lot of issues, and save postage.

It would also mean than you couldn't just buy a ticket for the points and sell it to a mate in order to hoard points, you would have to be prepared to give them you precious card. If you bought a ticket and didn't show up the system could also deny you the point, as the reward should be for attendance not purchase, although that's possible with the barcodes today.

The idea above of asking ST to confirm attendance is not unreasonable, but would imagine you would want to let them have until 24 hours before, with a system of automated reminders.

All that said, We can't be the only sporting team with this problem, for example loads of sell outs in US sport so would imagine lots of people have already solved the issues 3 times over to maximize their crowds.

I think something along these lines was suggested on here a while back, where you just give all non-ST holders cards (for a nominal £10 fee) so that all tickets are just loaded onto these cards with purchase, be that online, email, over the phone... doesn't matter, but it does stop the ridiculous scenario of having to queue before games and come down to DC to collect tickets...

As a ST holder all games should be visible in your portal... All you should need to do is tick a box to say you are definitely not able to attend. This should instantly inform the TO that this seat is now for sale... It wont work for everyone but should open up a few hundred seats each game that currently sit empty...
 
So genuine question. How many people are we actually talking about wanting tickets? How many empty seats on Tuesday? Around 300, 400, 500? Would the club be willing to invest/ spend money on something that would sell a ticket that they've already had revenue for? Is it a burning issue that club are desperate to resolve? There will always be a certain amount of empty seats. Going back to our previous seasons in the championship we struggled to fill the stadium. Or have our seasons in the PL produced lots of new fans? Also , and only gong by this board , how many claiming it's unfair would be in a position to come regularly as many posters here are from all corners of the country and the world? Not picking fights, just genuinely interested. I've already preached in previous threads that not investing in a new stadium during our period of extreme wealth was a major cock-up.
 
I think something along these lines was suggested on here a while back, where you just give all non-ST holders cards (for a nominal £10 fee) so that all tickets are just loaded onto these cards with purchase, be that online, email, over the phone... doesn't matter, but it does stop the ridiculous scenario of having to queue before games and come down to DC to collect tickets...

As a ST holder all games should be visible in your portal... All you should need to do is tick a box to say you are definitely not able to attend. This should instantly inform the TO that this seat is now for sale... It wont work for everyone but should open up a few hundred seats each game that currently sit empty...
Why should they though? I’ve not read a compelling argument as to why. They paid up front so they’ve paid for their seats.
And is a rose tint the opposite of a bed wetter? ;-)
 
Well, for the Blackpool game I bought a ticket online as soon as they went on general sale. It turned up on the Tuesday after the game.
Obviously when it hadn't arrived by Friday, I called and got them to re issue, which I then went and picked up. My point being, I haven't really got a point to be fair, even I won't blame the club for the post being slow.
 
Also with regards to contact/ response from the club, I have been in touch with regards to my company being a match day sponsor. I've had no response at all. It may be that all the match day sponsorships are already sold out but still a response would be nice
 
Why should they though? I’ve not read a compelling argument as to why. They paid up front so they’ve paid for their seats.
And is a rose tint the opposite of a bed wetter? ;-)

I'm unsure if you meant to quote me in this response... But I was more meaning that ST holders 'could' not 'should' inform the TO to let them know of their inability to attend... Especially if there is the smallest of incentives to do so, it just keeps the whole wheel of keeping as many bums on seats flowing nicely, IMO... :)
 
Why should they though? I’ve not read a compelling argument as to why. They paid up front so they’ve paid for their seats.
And is a rose tint the opposite of a bed wetter? ;-)

If people who are getting heavily discounted season tickets can't be bothered to show up when there are hundreds of kids locked out who would love to go then yes there should be consequences. All of the arguments I've had in here about enlarging the ground have centred around getting the next generation in and these people are selfishly taking up seats they aren't using.

Put the price up or bring in a system where these discounted tickets are taken away from people if they are taking the piss. There's no justification for heavy discounts if they aren't bothering to show up.
 
Well according to every website that I have looked at up to yesterday re Barnsley game our attendance TBA or not mentioned.

QPR attendance was given out on match report on BBC website for QPR on Tuesday evening.
 
Perhaps SDD missed my post but his claim that block 1,8,9 were empty was wrong, so blaming discounted tickets for families is flawed. Block 8 was just as full as any other block around the ground and that’s also the main family stand block. Blocks 1 and 9 were so sparse that it wasn’t a “no show” problem primarily.

The problem is a communication one (for example this), where the club announce that all tickets are allocated when in fact they’re not. All tickets which can be purchased online have been sold/allocated but to purchase tickets in blocks 1 and 9 you currently have to phone up or go down to the ground.
 

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