The thing that annoys me most is the increase in the cost of the package but a reduction in what we get. The increase over last year's Celebration Suite meal is about £12 per head for silver matches and far more for gold matches, so a lot more than the inflation suggested by KHA.
I wasn't comparing the price rise to the RPI, just that all businesses are hiking prices for all services. The price of housing has risen massively over the last two years (buying and renting). The cost of food in supermarkets, which is relative, has risen significantly over the same period.
I'm not suggesting that you are ungrateful but maybe, when compared to other clubs/venues the price you were paying last season was cheaper, and maybe too cheap. As Covered End says, it's not just about the cost of the food and it's preparation, they need to pay for the cost of the venue and the facilities that are made available. The ultimate value is what someone will pay for it, and in that respect they can charge what they like because some will pay anything, especially if it is being paid for by a company and is not subject to tax (benefit in kind).
If it is the only way you can provide this kind of 'treat' for your Dad then I would suggest that it is great value for money as the alternative might be not taking him, and/or him suffering discomfort with the physical exertion he would have to go through. That reminds me of private school education or eleven plus coaching. They are both overpriced and, frankly, neither should be necessary, but if it enables you to provide something extra to a loved one, especially if it has a significant benefit, the value can't be expressed on monetary terms. It has to be viewed against what else you could do with the money itself, and I get the impression that for all of your dissatisfaction with that the club have done, the value it adds to your Dad's day is worth more than what else you could do with the money.
In that respect it becomes less about if the club are being fair or not, and more about if you want to continue doing it or not, and I suspect that, for your Dad, you want to continue. All I would say is that if you are going to keep going for the meals etc. I would try not to think about the money and the service you are getting. By all means approach the club but if you end up getting frustrated or, worse, angry you will diminish the enjoyment of the day and, ultimately, ironically, make it less value for money.
Not intended as a swipe at you KHA but these things do make you frustrated and angry and diminish the enjoyment of the day particularly if you have spent what, to you, is a large sum of money.
Yes one can say poke it if you don't like it but in my view that lets the Club off the hook for shafting people and it is ironic that on another thread we are wondering why people don't come!
The football, or lack of it, is obviously head and shoulders number one but the sort of crap ME14 Addick has had to contend with does not help and would be sufficient to put off anyone but the most committed of fans.
The Club seems to cynically and shamelessly exploit the blind loyalty that people have for their team by charging a lot for nothing much in many cases but even with the most committed there is a straw that will break the camel's back.
The thing that annoys me most is the increase in the cost of the package but a reduction in what we get. The increase over last year's Celebration Suite meal is about £12 per head for silver matches and far more for gold matches, so a lot more than the inflation suggested by KHA.
I wasn't comparing the price rise to the RPI, just that all businesses are hiking prices for all services. The price of housing has risen massively over the last two years (buying and renting). The cost of food in supermarkets, which is relative, has risen significantly over the same period.
I'm not suggesting that you are ungrateful but maybe, when compared to other clubs/venues the price you were paying last season was cheaper, and maybe too cheap. As Covered End says, it's not just about the cost of the food and it's preparation, they need to pay for the cost of the venue and the facilities that are made available. The ultimate value is what someone will pay for it, and in that respect they can charge what they like because some will pay anything, especially if it is being paid for by a company and is not subject to tax (benefit in kind).
If it is the only way you can provide this kind of 'treat' for your Dad then I would suggest that it is great value for money as the alternative might be not taking him, and/or him suffering discomfort with the physical exertion he would have to go through. That reminds me of private school education or eleven plus coaching. They are both overpriced and, frankly, neither should be necessary, but if it enables you to provide something extra to a loved one, especially if it has a significant benefit, the value can't be expressed on monetary terms. It has to be viewed against what else you could do with the money itself, and I get the impression that for all of your dissatisfaction with that the club have done, the value it adds to your Dad's day is worth more than what else you could do with the money.
In that respect it becomes less about if the club are being fair or not, and more about if you want to continue doing it or not, and I suspect that, for your Dad, you want to continue. All I would say is that if you are going to keep going for the meals etc. I would try not to think about the money and the service you are getting. By all means approach the club but if you end up getting frustrated or, worse, angry you will diminish the enjoyment of the day and, ultimately, ironically, make it less value for money.
Not intended as a swipe at you KHA but these things do make you frustrated and angry and diminish the enjoyment of the day particularly if you have spent what, to you, is a large sum of money.
Yes one can say poke it if you don't like it but in my view that lets the Club off the hook for shafting people and it is ironic that on another thread we are wondering why people don't come!
The football, or lack of it, is obviously head and shoulders number one but the sort of crap ME14 Addick has had to contend with does not help and would be sufficient to put off anyone but the most committed of fans.
The Club seems to cynically and shamelessly exploit the blind loyalty that people have for their team by charging a lot for nothing much in many cases but even with the most committed there is a straw that will break the camel's back.
I completely underhand that Len but if the decision is made to keep going in spite of the cost and the lack of 'quality', they might as well enjoy it. I think it's a tragedy when a event, that should be fun, is spoiled by spending the whole time frustrated or angry about something.
Sure the club should make customers happy but if they are not going to do that, and we are going to continue to keep going, we might as well not let it upset us..
The thing that annoys me most is the increase in the cost of the package but a reduction in what we get. The increase over last year's Celebration Suite meal is about £12 per head for silver matches and far more for gold matches, so a lot more than the inflation suggested by KHA.
I wasn't comparing the price rise to the RPI, just that all businesses are hiking prices for all services. The price of housing has risen massively over the last two years (buying and renting). The cost of food in supermarkets, which is relative, has risen significantly over the same period.
I'm not suggesting that you are ungrateful but maybe, when compared to other clubs/venues the price you were paying last season was cheaper, and maybe too cheap. As Covered End says, it's not just about the cost of the food and it's preparation, they need to pay for the cost of the venue and the facilities that are made available. The ultimate value is what someone will pay for it, and in that respect they can charge what they like because some will pay anything, especially if it is being paid for by a company and is not subject to tax (benefit in kind).
If it is the only way you can provide this kind of 'treat' for your Dad then I would suggest that it is great value for money as the alternative might be not taking him, and/or him suffering discomfort with the physical exertion he would have to go through. That reminds me of private school education or eleven plus coaching. They are both overpriced and, frankly, neither should be necessary, but if it enables you to provide something extra to a loved one, especially if it has a significant benefit, the value can't be expressed on monetary terms. It has to be viewed against what else you could do with the money itself, and I get the impression that for all of your dissatisfaction with that the club have done, the value it adds to your Dad's day is worth more than what else you could do with the money.
In that respect it becomes less about if the club are being fair or not, and more about if you want to continue doing it or not, and I suspect that, for your Dad, you want to continue. All I would say is that if you are going to keep going for the meals etc. I would try not to think about the money and the service you are getting. By all means approach the club but if you end up getting frustrated or, worse, angry you will diminish the enjoyment of the day and, ultimately, ironically, make it less value for money.
Not intended as a swipe at you KHA but these things do make you frustrated and angry and diminish the enjoyment of the day particularly if you have spent what, to you, is a large sum of money.
Yes one can say poke it if you don't like it but in my view that lets the Club off the hook for shafting people and it is ironic that on another thread we are wondering why people don't come!
The football, or lack of it, is obviously head and shoulders number one but the sort of crap ME14 Addick has had to contend with does not help and would be sufficient to put off anyone but the most committed of fans.
The Club seems to cynically and shamelessly exploit the blind loyalty that people have for their team by charging a lot for nothing much in many cases but even with the most committed there is a straw that will break the camel's back.
I completely underhand that Len but if the decision is made to keep going in spite of the cost and the lack of 'quality', they might as well enjoy it. I think it's a tragedy when a event, that should be fun, is spoiled by spending the whole time frustrated or angry about something.
Sure the club should make customers happy but if they are not going to do that, and we are going to continue to keep going, we might as well not let it upset us..
Can someone explain why the overheads and costs that some folk have suggested are reasons for the high price actually increase by 12 quid for the "gold" matches (or decrease for the silver - in case anyone wants to be a smart arse)? One assumes you pay more for the (apparent) increased quality of what is on show on the pitch, which should be covered in the season ticket cost; they are not bringing in John Burton Race to pull the pork rather than Ethel from Lee Green are they?
Can someone explain why the overheads and costs that some folk have suggested are reasons for the high price actually increase by 12 quid for the "gold" matches (or decrease for the silver - in case anyone wants to be a smart arse)? One assumes you pay more for the (apparent) increased quality of what is on show on the pitch, which should be covered in the season ticket cost; they are not bringing in John Burton Race to pull the pork rather than Ethel from Lee Green are they?
It's more to do with demand. The assumption is that the "gold" matches are more attractive so the lounges are easier to sell. This is a large assumption in the Championship - am I really more interested in watching Cardiff than Watford? Personally, no. In the case of Millwall it also begs some interesting questions about who the customers are, but they are not really for this thread.
The real question is whether the club is making more money with the new prices and offer (and will the number of non-seasonal bookings hold up over time if there are quality concerns) than it would have under the previous arrangements? I understand numbers have been down in all lounges except the Millennium, which is overcrowded. We don't know about costs.
I can fully sympathise with the person who began the thread because of their particular circumstances. However, I've always thought that such situations apart the hospitality offer finds its own level and forces the club to respond over time if it has got it wrong. There is no such thing as an appropriate price. The club will charge what people will pay. If they stop paying it then the club will have to change the offer or hope that the football helps lift demand.
I understand some people may be a bit sarky about this thread, but the hospitality thing is important as it makes money for clubs. One of the weaknesses of the Valley is that it has relatively low capacity in this area. The reason why Gullivan and Brady are salivating over the Olympic Stadium is not to 54,000 capacity, but the 5,000 capacity in exec boxes. So we have to get this right. And after all @ME14addick is a fan who is prepared to spend more than most, partly in the hope that she is supporting the club by doing so.
But just by contrast I was gobsmacked to see the array of decent food on display outside the North and then a craft ales stand inside. Bloody hell. For 20 years I've been going on about stuff like that, told it's not logistically possible or there is no demand. I guess this is Katrien inspired, since the Belgians know about their food and drink, so I believe that with the right feedback she will get the hospitality sorted too
The 'pie and salad for a fiver' tent was doing zero trade from what I could see.
Are we talking about the same stall, near the East turnstiles? Was doing ok when I came across it although certainly not a queue. The thing is that it will appeal to people like me who long since gave up on the idea that they'd get anything worth eating at Charlton, and so make sure they don't arrive hungry. So it will take time to catch on. Hope they get the chance, and also that the word is spread.
If this is the new caterers, I have already posted a complaint about the poor service at the North Upper Burger Bar. I personally would not pay those prices unless it was a very special occasion. My big problem with what you described was being asked to pay different prices for Gold and Silver games, which is a rip off. Paying more to watch a better game I can live with, but upping the food price for a better game is a diabolical liberty. I suggest you write directly to Katrien who sounds as if she will take your comments seriously.
If this is the new caterers, I have already posted a complaint about the poor service at the North Upper Burger Bar. I personally would not pay those prices unless it was a very special occasion. My big problem with what you described was being asked to pay different prices for Gold and Silver games, which is a rip off. Paying more to watch a better game I can live with, but upping the food price for a better game is a diabolical liberty. I suggest you write directly to Katrien who sounds as if she will take your comments seriously.
I posted on another thread about the Gold and silver games and do we really need them. Point is, the club seem to think so but I do know that Customers are not happy with paying extra for the food when it's a gold or silver game. The new catering company probably don't see it that way.
If I choose to eat before a game now I will go somewhere near the ground.
I like to give credit where credit is due and last night we had a very good time. A senior club official came to discuss the recent problems and we were very satisfied with his response.
The meal last night was excellent both in terms of the food served and the service we received.
Re the mention about Crossbars earlier ... we were Crossbars members up to the start of this season but didn't renew this year - however we went in there on Saturday as a one-off. Price has gone up, atmosphere has gone way down. It was always a bit of a laugh in there, but the service at the bar was dead slow and the atmosphere was non-existant - it used to be heaving from 1ish onwards but there were still empty tables but the time we departed at 2.40. One of the guys who works in there said its pretty much like that all the time now as most of the regulars have moved over to the Millennium Lounge. I thought it was advertised also that a CAFC "legend" would be in there but there was certainly noone in there before the game and we were told as we are East Stand that we couldn't come back in at half time. On the bright side the food was fantastic but I was amazed at the amount of children in there, several of whom were racing about and literally rolling about on the floor. It was more of a creche than a supporters bar. Glad we didnt renew now, and I hope Mr Kensell is pleased with the results.
Kids enjoying themselves and having a good time eh tut tut , whatever next . Part of the mascot package is tickets to crossbars so of course you're gonna get kids in there . I paid £20 for my 2 kids on saturday to race around and roll about on the floor . Well worth it
Well last night was my first game if the season for various reasons and as a regular in the hospitality areas I am pretty disappointed in the changes that have been made. I noted that the staff are a mixture of old and new presuming they swapped over to the new company well the ones they wanted anyway. The stewards inside the lounges don't have a clue all agency when last season it was charlton stewards and it does not have a friendly feel about it food wise just looks like it's been poshed up is it worth it time will tell
If this is the new caterers, I have already posted a complaint about the poor service at the North Upper Burger Bar. I personally would not pay those prices unless it was a very special occasion. My big problem with what you described was being asked to pay different prices for Gold and Silver games, which is a rip off. Paying more to watch a better game I can live with, but upping the food price for a better game is a diabolical liberty. I suggest you write directly to Katrien who sounds as if she will take your comments seriously.
I guess it depends how you look at it. One could argue that Silver matches are the proper price and Gold are a rip off or one could suggest that Gold is the proper price ans Silver is a discount so it is, actually, a saving!
If the club were to solve the problem by charging the Gold price for all games would that make you withdraw your comment above?
My point is that the quality of these ready made and frozen meals is not likely to be much worse than what is on offer. All you need is a big freezer and ovens to heat the stuff up. For £60 per head what is on offer could be or ought to be quite nice, and the club could still make a profit. I know there are overheads, and other bits and pieces like tea and coffee, but it surely must be possible to provide the vittles for £10 and you're still coining it from the customers/supporters/mug punters or however they're viewed. If going to the football and paying a premium is supposed to be a special experience, then surely there need to be a feeling that you're being treated specially and not with distain whilst the catering management snicker at you from behind their hands. soundasapound flagged up the experience away at Wycombe four years ago, and for about £40 per head you got a car parking space, programmes, tour of the ground, seats for the match, pre match 3 course meal, half time tea coffee and snack, and post match tea coffee and snack and so on in their lounge. I know that was four years ago, but inflation has not been particularly rampant in recent times. I am sorry but it feels as if not only is the Valley offer a bit of a rip off, but all the young dudes in charge of it all are basically laughing in the face of the customers/supporters. I am glad some effort was made to resolve matters yesterday, but from what I read on here about the catering for supporters I would hesitate to do it myself, which ironically I am more inclined to do as I get older and would enjoy and pay for the occasional treat.
To be fair Seth I paid £4.40 for a diet Coke and a packet of mistrals that I could have bought in Asda on Kings Hill (hardly known for being a cheap area) for less than half that. If you go to the Cinema a hot dog and a coke is £10, a Big Mac Meal is half that. This is what businesses do. They charge extra for consumption on the premises. Don't even think about pubs that charge £5 a pint when you can buy a can in the Supermarket for less than £1.
If we want to avoid paying the extra we need to stay home, or take our food with us (which I do occasionally) but if you want someone to prepare food for you and provide somewhere for you to sit and eat it, you have to expect to pay a premium for it.
I can't see there's any value in that, £60+ per head ought to buy a very decent meal indeed with a number of choices and drinks. There is some premium to be had from being indoors before and at half-time when the weather's poxy but from your description this season's package shouldn't cost more than £40 before it stops making any sense.
Comments
Yes one can say poke it if you don't like it but in my view that lets the Club off the hook for shafting people and it is ironic that on another thread we are wondering why people don't come!
The football, or lack of it, is obviously head and shoulders number one but the sort of crap ME14 Addick has had to contend with does not help and would be sufficient to put off anyone but the most committed of fans.
The Club seems to cynically and shamelessly exploit the blind loyalty that people have for their team by charging a lot for nothing much in many cases but even with the most committed there is a straw that will break the camel's back.
Sure the club should make customers happy but if they are not going to do that, and we are going to continue to keep going, we might as well not let it upset us..
The real question is whether the club is making more money with the new prices and offer (and will the number of non-seasonal bookings hold up over time if there are quality concerns) than it would have under the previous arrangements? I understand numbers have been down in all lounges except the Millennium, which is overcrowded. We don't know about costs.
I can fully sympathise with the person who began the thread because of their particular circumstances. However, I've always thought that such situations apart the hospitality offer finds its own level and forces the club to respond over time if it has got it wrong. There is no such thing as an appropriate price. The club will charge what people will pay. If they stop paying it then the club will have to change the offer or hope that the football helps lift demand.
However the point I wanted to make for ME14 Addick is that Ravi Patel is described as hospitality manager.
Ravi is a top bloke from my dealings with him in the past and gets things done so I would strongly advise contacting him.
....allegedly
If I choose to eat before a game now I will go somewhere near the ground.
The meal last night was excellent both in terms of the food served and the service we received.
Thanks to all who have helped.
If the club were to solve the problem by charging the Gold price for all games would that make you withdraw your comment above?
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/taking-care-of-mealtimes?gclid=CILCoZaZ6MACFQgYwwodlacAXw
For £4.40 you can buy in a frozen one of these delivered.
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/frozen-ready-meals/beef-ready-meals/roast-beef-and-yorkshire-pudding_506
£2.80
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/frozen-ready-meals/choices-ready-meals/shepherds-pie-with-cheddar-top_308
£3.70
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/frozen-ready-meals/choices-ready-meals/shepherds-pie-with-cheddar-top_308
My point is that the quality of these ready made and frozen meals is not likely to be much worse than what is on offer. All you need is a big freezer and ovens to heat the stuff up. For £60 per head what is on offer could be or ought to be quite nice, and the club could still make a profit. I know there are overheads, and other bits and pieces like tea and coffee, but it surely must be possible to provide the vittles for £10 and you're still coining it from the customers/supporters/mug punters or however they're viewed.
If going to the football and paying a premium is supposed to be a special experience, then surely there need to be a feeling that you're being treated specially and not with distain whilst the catering management snicker at you from behind their hands.
soundasapound flagged up the experience away at Wycombe four years ago, and for about £40 per head you got a car parking space, programmes, tour of the ground, seats for the match, pre match 3 course meal, half time tea coffee and snack, and post match tea coffee and snack and so on in their lounge. I know that was four years ago, but inflation has not been particularly rampant in recent times.
I am sorry but it feels as if not only is the Valley offer a bit of a rip off, but all the young dudes in charge of it all are basically laughing in the face of the customers/supporters.
I am glad some effort was made to resolve matters yesterday, but from what I read on here about the catering for supporters I would hesitate to do it myself, which ironically I am more inclined to do as I get older and would enjoy and pay for the occasional treat.
If we want to avoid paying the extra we need to stay home, or take our food with us (which I do occasionally) but if you want someone to prepare food for you and provide somewhere for you to sit and eat it, you have to expect to pay a premium for it.