I have supported Charlton since 1982 and attended matches regularly. Until 2006 I was a season-ticket holder, with my wife, but as we moved out of the area we did not renew, preferring to turn up and pay on the day for games (not too hard, especially of late!). More than a week ago I emailed the club as I had heard proof of support was needed to attend the Burnley game. It is lucky I did otherwise my day - and that of my wife and two daughters who I persuaded to come after the last three times they watched being utterly dire - would have been wasted, alongside a 200-mile round trip. I finally got a reply this morning.
We are only selling tickets to people who have previous purchase history with us for this game as the Burney away end is sold out. We have looked up your name on the system and we cannot seem to find you on the system which goes back as far as 10 years’ worth of purchase history. Therefore you will be unable to purchase a ticket for this game, unless we can locate your purchase history with us.
Thank you.
Best Regards
The Supporter Relations Team
So, for the first time, I am not able to attend a home game of my own club even though there will be swathes of empty seats. Aside from my own disappointment, I wonder exactly how Katrien plans on reaching her much publicised Target 20K. On, and does someone want to tell the club we are playing Burnley and not Burney?
Well done Roland. This is what you have done to our club.
22
Comments
I went to see the Hull game in august. The Hull end was pretty full- had they sold out, would I have been turned away.
Where exactly is the logical connexion between the two things? Away end full - stop selling home fans tickets.
I will say though, why don't you have a red card? They make the whole purchaseing tickets process much easier. It also keeps a record of your purchase history. There are always going to be games that are on restricted sale each year. The QPR game at the beginning of the season was, and that was long before any protests or anything. If you want to attend whichever games you want make it easy for yourself and get a membership card.
Everything has to go via KM and Tony Cahones so if they aren't around no one can make a decision.
Normally someone would look at the evidence provided, maybe ask a colleague or a supervisor and say "OK, you can have the tickets but give me your details and we'll issue you with a red card for future games. Let us have your details so you are on the system".
That way they get the sales and they get another email to market to. Good business.
But the poor management means no one can make a decision on their own. They have to wait hours or days to ask a senior manager about a £100 transaction.
They will just get blamed by Mandy Rice-Davies or Tony the bully if they are wrong so why should they take a risk.
I do have a regular purchase history though. Roughly 10 -15games between home and away each year.
In fairness to them, i don't go any more than a couple of times a season now. But my daughter has been begging me to take her for a couple of years.
Just got home to find this email. Too late now - not your fault that I was not able to use my phone but still ... Children want certain plans, wife pissed off and I am just fed up that after 35 years I cannot get to see my club. So we are going to go to watch some Premiership rugby. More local and a damned sight better quality. I'll be back (as soon as the regime go) but suspect the children won't bother.
Fail to see why anyone needed to speak to me. Was it going to be multiple choice questions to decide if I was indeed a fan? I appreciate the need, especially in this match, to make sure that away fans don't get into the home areas, but equally I would have expected some common sense to prevail, especially after I sent you the various documents. I don't think you will be putting up the ground full signs next season, will you ...
Please thank Meire and Duchatalet for turning a wonderful community club into a fortress. If they hadn't so spectacularly ruined it then perhaps it wouldn't have to resemble a ground under siege. Actually don't bother. They don't listen to anyone other than each other.