Colchester United - Championship - Saturday 13th January 2007

[bocadillo]

edit: ALL TICKETS NOW SOLD - but see here.

Just a bit of advance news.

The ticket office are ringing round all the 'away season ticket standing order scheme' members to ask whether they would prefer to sir or to stand at Colchester. Seats are £23, standing £19.

The ticket-office already have the tickets but they won't go on sale until 1st January.

 

[Nottingham Fox]

I wouldn't mind going to this one, But i think we'l only get a very small allocation.

Looking at other clubs allocation, there will be 115 seats and 895 standing available.

 

[Jeff]

The ticket-office already have the tickets but they won't go on sale until 1st January.

I've never understood why they hold on to away tickets like this. If they can sell home tickets a couple of months in advance why not do the same for away tickets?
Under league rules the away club is supposed to supply the tickets well in advance, so they can't use lack of tickets as an excuse.

It's better for people who might be planning a weekend around the match to know in advance if they can get a ticket - particularly if people are trying to get cheap train tickets etc. I realise these days most matches don't sell out, but they did the same thing when we did sell out or allocation.

 

[Melton Fox]

I've never understood why they hold on to away tickets like this. If they can sell home tickets a couple of months in advance why not do the same for away tickets?
Under league rules the away club is supposed to supply the tickets well in advance, so they can't use lack of tickets as an excuse.

It's better for people who might be planning a weekend around the match to know in advance if they can get a ticket - particularly if people are trying to get cheap train tickets etc. I realise these days most matches don't sell out, but they did the same thing when we did sell out or allocation.

I suspect that the ticket office is run in the same shambolic way that the club is, and as a a result the staff can't possibly cope with too many events all in one go

 

[Jeff]

I suspect that the ticket office is run in the same shambolic way that the club is, and as a a result the staff can't possibly cope with too many events all in one go

They seem to arrange the selling of tickets on what suits them, rather than what suits their customers.
In any other business people would just go somewhere else, but they know we can't do that.

I had a meeting with the club a couple of years ago to discuss away ticket sales (in my role at the time with the Foxes Trust), they acted on some of the things we talked about, but they seemed to think people don't need to buy away tickets more than a week in advance, despite all the reasons I gave them why it would be a good thing.

 

[bocadillo]

I wouldn't mind going to this one, But i think we'l only get a very small allocation.

Looking at other clubs allocation, there will be 115 seats and 895 standing available.

I understand that there are over 900 season tickets with Priority 1 - if they all want to go, that leaves less than 100 tickets for Priority 2 and below.

I can't see this game going to General Sale.

 

[Real Sharapova]

Just a bit of advance news.

The ticket office are ringing round all the 'away season ticket standing order scheme' members to ask whether they would prefer to sir or to stand at Colchester. Seats are £23, standing £19.

The ticket-office already have the tickets but they won't go on sale until 1st January.

Rang me as well, very efficient - I'm going to sit down in luxury for this one.

 

[bocadillo]

They seem to arrange the selling of tickets on what suits them, rather than what suits their customers.
In any other business people would just go somewhere else, but they know we can't do that.

I had a meeting with the club a couple of years ago to discuss away ticket sales (in my role at the time with the Foxes Trust), they acted on some of the things we talked about, but they seemed to think people don't need to buy away tickets more than a week in advance, despite all the reasons I gave them why it would be a good thing.

Could you tell me what aspects they acted on - there doesn't seem to have been much change in the way the away tickets are sold for some years now.

 

[Jeff]

Could you tell me what aspects they acted on - there doesn't seem to have been much change in the way the away tickets are sold for some years now.

One of the things I asked for was for information to be provided about whether tickets would be available on the day. They started putting this on the website the following season, although I think they may have stopped doing it again now :icon_conf
Another thing was to make pre-ordering of away tickets for the season "away season tickets" more widely available, as it seems they had been only available (or only publicised to) Foxiles previously. I assume they did this as I received a form for this myself, although they don't seem to have publicised it.
They were also asked to give people a choice of where they would like to sit, rather than just using the next ticket off the pile. I think this is something they have done from time to time since then.

 

[bocadillo]

One of the things I asked for was for information to be provided about whether tickets would be available on the day. They started putting this on the website the following season, although I think they may have stopped doing it again now :icon_conf

When tickets will cost more on the day, they always announce that fact when they first announce the sale of the tickets. If there will be no tickets available on the day (as a matter of policy), that too is announced in that first instance. Otherwise it is very much a hit-and-miss affair; soemtimes being announced and sometimes not.

When I announce on this forum that tickets will be available on the day, usually a day or two before the game, it is usually as a result of me having contacted the ticket-office to find out.

Another thing was to make pre-ordering of away tickets for the season "away season tickets" more widely available, as it seems they had been only available (or only publicised to) Foxiles previously. I assume they did this as I received a form for this myself, although they don't seem to have publicised it.

I am not aware that the 'away ticket standing order scheme has ever been advertised - even to Foxiles. Now available to all season ticket holders but, as you say, not advertised. What is advertised well now is the opt-in for the automatic issuing of tickets for home cup-ties. I understand that the take-up on this is very small, amounting to less than a quarter of all season ticket holders. There is no-opt in for away cup tickets.

They were also asked to give people a choice of where they would like to sit, rather than just using the next ticket off the pile. I think this is something they have done from time to time since then.

In my experience most tickets are still sold 'off the top of the pile'. In many cases 'standing order' and Priority 1 people get the worst tickets sent to them because the ticket office is under instruction to sell the tickets furthest away from the home fans first - this is sensible when tickets might have to be returned, so that those tickets that are returned can be sold to home supporters. It has the effect though that often the most faithful of the City support is stuck in some draughty corner.

Some of the ticket office clerks are more keen than others to swap tickets when requested to do so.

 

[beaumontfox]

I agree with your last paragraph Boc.

I've always noticed that at many games those who travel the most tend to be shoved into the furthest corner or right at the very back of the stand.

Take West Brom for example....two rows from the fecking back!
Norwich........about 5 rows from the back!
Leeds....the upper tier part.


I remember having a talk with Peter jones about how they dish out the away tickets and he said they were looking at a way to see whereabouts the priority 1's preferred to sit( front, middle or back) in the away allocation, seeing as they were the most 'loyal' of away support.

Suffice to say I never heard anything else about it so that was another idea probably fallen by the wayside!

 

[MHS]

I'll be at this one as well.

 

[fitz]

I agree with your last paragraph Boc.

I've always noticed that at many games those who travel the most tend to be shoved into the furthest corner or right at the very back of the stand.

yup, i've not been given a seat in the area i've requested on occasions and generally we get the worst seats. i'll be standing at this one i think, if just to make sure i don't get a poor seat. the only chance general sale will get is if we are still playing as poorly as colchester isn't a very appealing trip, women are supposed to be ok though if people are going for that reason

 

[bocadillo]

yup, i've not been given a seat in the area i've requested on occasions and generally we get the worst seats. i'll be standing at this one i think, if just to make sure i don't get a poor seat. the only chance general sale will get is if we are still playing as poorly as colchester isn't a very appealing trip, women are supposed to be ok though if people are going for that reason

eeerrr... please keep all Essex-girl jokes away from this thread!!

 

[pds]

I have been to quite a few away games this season but MHS has gone down to get most of the tickets, therefore my priority rating won't change.
How do I go about changing this?

I'll hopefully be at this one too.

 

[MHS]

I have been to quite a few away games this season but MHS has gone down to get most of the tickets, therefore my priority rating won't change.
How do I go about changing this?

I'll hopefully be at this one too.

Have you kept your ticket stubs?

 

[bocadillo]

I have been to quite a few away games this season but MHS has gone down to get most of the tickets, therefore my priority rating won't change.
How do I go about changing this?

Take your ticket stubs into the ticket office with your prioity card and get it stamped up. Priority only changes at the end of the season, not mid-season.

 

[MHS]

I don't have a priority card Boc, how do I get one?

 

[pds]

Take your ticket stubs into the ticket office with your prioity card and get it stamped up. Priority only changes at the end of the season, not mid-season.

Cheers Boc, I knew the highlighted bit.

What if I have lost a couple of my stubs, is there a chance they will believe me?

 

[MHS]

Cheers Boc, I knew the highlighted bit.

What if I have lost a couple of my stubs, is there a chance they will believe me?

I bought at least 2 tickets for every away match, I could just tell them that I went with you to all of them.