Maybe not vindictive but certainly the statement is both patronising and authoritarian
We all know when the 'early bird' discount is up and we all know the technicalities of not renewing,
furthermore, we (as in supporters and the club) know the reality, that the take up will be so low that no-one will miss out, regardless of when they renew.
I absolutely hate RD & KM, but I don't agree with all this nonsense about the club being vindictive.
Everyone has had weeks to renew if they want to, reluctantly or not.
If you want/have to renew, then do so. If you don't want to now / want to later / or not at all, then do that.
It's not really any different to any season.
Possibly not different to last season (other than the fact that this is a relegation season), but I'm certain that it was the case in the past that seats weren't released on general sale until long after the deadline for the early-renewal discount.
There seems to have been a shift in tone in recent years, from incentivising fans to renew early, to trying to worry fans into renewing early with the threat of losing their seats.
I absolutely hate RD & KM, but I don't agree with all this nonsense about the club being vindictive.
Everyone has had weeks to renew if they want to, reluctantly or not.
If you want/have to renew, then do so. If you don't want to now / want to later / or not at all, then do that.
It's not really any different to any season.
Possibly not different to last season (other than the fact that this is a relegation season), but I'm certain that it was the case in the past that seats weren't released on general sale until long after the deadline for the early-renewal discount.
There seems to have been a shift in tone in recent years, from incentivising fans to renew early, to trying to worry fans into renewing early with the threat of losing their seats.
I agree it is all stick and no carrot but that reflects their lack of respect and understanding their "customers".
I suspect Tony Cahones is panicking and ordering more and more desperate threats.
I absolutely hate RD & KM, but I don't agree with all this nonsense about the club being vindictive.
Everyone has had weeks to renew if they want to, reluctantly or not.
If you want/have to renew, then do so. If you don't want to now / want to later / or not at all, then do that.
It's not really any different to any season.
Possibly not different to last season (other than the fact that this is a relegation season), but I'm certain that it was the case in the past that seats weren't released on general sale until long after the deadline for the early-renewal discount.
There seems to have been a shift in tone in recent years, from incentivising fans to renew early, to trying to worry fans into renewing early with the threat of losing their seats.
I agree it is all stick and no carrot but that reflects their lack of respect and understanding their "customers".
I suspect Tony Cahones is panicking and ordering more and more desperate threats.
I absolutely hate RD & KM, but I don't agree with all this nonsense about the club being vindictive.
Everyone has had weeks to renew if they want to, reluctantly or not.
If you want/have to renew, then do so. If you don't want to now / want to later / or not at all, then do that.
It's not really any different to any season.
Possibly not different to last season (other than the fact that this is a relegation season), but I'm certain that it was the case in the past that seats weren't released on general sale until long after the deadline for the early-renewal discount.
There seems to have been a shift in tone in recent years, from incentivising fans to renew early, to trying to worry fans into renewing early with the threat of losing their seats.
I have been in correspondence with Ms Anderson-Myers (after being ignored for two weeks by the fans@cafc.co. uk email) about this. I asked her to explain the club's justification for removing the longstanding provision to hold existing season ticket seats until mid-summer.
She basically avoided the question, stating that clubs often vary the deadline date. The closest she got to an explanation was, she admitted an assumption on her part, that it was something to do with cashflow.
She seemed rather keen to deflect the responsibility for any of the points I raised to either senior management or her predecessor in post. At what point in time she will assume responsibility for anything happening in her department I have no idea.
Bit of a waste of time all round really.
Unfortunately, a lot of clubs (Palace included) have this early deadline situation now. Charlton seem to have been an old fashioned throwback to the days when season ticket holders were treated with respect and trusted to renew their seats. Now we just get our arms twisted like everybody else.
Even if there's no vindictive reasoning or whatever and it is just a genuine decision, I'm still bemused as to how it can make business sense to have chosen a Saturday at 5.15 after a home game. Surely you would at least leave it 'til the Sunday in the hope that a few undecided people attend the game, see a decent game and have a few beers and just decide to renew when they get home whilst under the influence?
I think we need to retain the moral high ground and the terms of renewal have been known for long enough.
There is no way Mandy, the ticket office manager is making policy decisions.
We quite rightly criticise the club for not running it properly and I have been outspoken more than many, regarding Katrien's incompetence and was one of the first to say so.
But it makes no business sense, when fans have decided not to purchase their seat, to then hold it for a longer period.
It is quite likely that 50% will not renew at all, that's 5000 fans. So why would the club not sell that seat if someone does want to buy it. It would be foolish in the extreme not to.
I can't think of any business that would not sell vacant seats and refuse sales on the basis that last year's holder may possibly renew at sometime up to 4 months down the line.
If affordability is the issue finance is available.
I go to a lot of gigs and there are often priority sales. If I rang up after the priority period to buy a ticket for an August gig and the ticket office refused, because priority holders were being given another couple of months after the deadline had finished, I would be speechless.
I can't believe I'm defending the club, but like I say we have to be logical here and think clearly or we lose the moral high ground.
Even if there's no vindictive reasoning or whatever and it is just a genuine decision, I'm still bemused as to how it can make business sense to have chosen a Saturday at 5.15 after a home game. Surely you would at least leave it 'til the Sunday in the hope that a few undecided people attend the game, see a decent game and have a few beers and just decide to renew when they get home whilst under the influence?
Exactly
Without repeating myself from earlier, the game tomorrow is the obvious occasion to promote season ticket sales.
As it is, there will be no point promoting them tomorrow in the programme or on the big screen, as there won't be time afterwards for anyone to make a purchase!
All of those who decide not to renew but to turn up on the day will have the fun of a new match-day experience. Turn up in good time ... join queue which is not too long but is for one - two if you are lucky - open windows. Then wait. Because it seems to take several minutes to deal with each 'customer'. You also get the personal touch of being asked exactly where you would like to sit. Some people debate this before making the selection, only realising when they get into the stand that they can pretty much sit anywhere as it's two-thirds empty.
But, if even a few hundred who were ST holders become pay-on-the-day fans, expect chaos in Harvey Gardens.
To be fair, you can have a medical check up while waiting to get your ticket
Even if there's no vindictive reasoning or whatever and it is just a genuine decision, I'm still bemused as to how it can make business sense to have chosen a Saturday at 5.15 after a home game. Surely you would at least leave it 'til the Sunday in the hope that a few undecided people attend the game, see a decent game and have a few beers and just decide to renew when they get home whilst under the influence?
Probably an attempt to get people to queue to renew rather than serenade Squirrel Face behind the West Stand.
I think we need to retain the moral high ground and the terms of renewal have been known for long enough.
There is no way Mandy, the ticket office manager is making policy decisions.
We quite rightly criticise the club for not running it properly and I have been outspoken more than many, regarding Katrien's incompetence and was one of the first to say so.
But it makes no business sense, when fans have decided not to purchase their seat, to then hold it for a longer period.
It is quite likely that 50% will not renew at all, that's 5000 fans. So why would the club not sell that seat if someone does want to buy it. It would be foolish in the extreme not to.
I can't think of any business that would not sell vacant seats and refuse sales on the basis that last year's holder may possibly renew at sometime up to 4 months down the line.
If affordability is the issue finance is available.
I go to a lot of gigs and there are often priority sales. If I rang up after the priority period to buy a ticket for an August gig and the ticket office refused, because priority holders were being given another couple of months after the deadline had finished, I would be speechless.
I can't believe I'm defending the club, but like I say we have to be logical here and think clearly or we lose the moral high ground.
Do you go to many gigs where two thirds of the seats are empty? Do the venues have the kind of relationship with their customers that football clubs have (traditionally, anyway) with their fans. The point is that Charlton's best chance of selling season tickets is to existing holders and they should be bending over backwards to retain them. From recollection, I extended the seat reservations into mid-summer in 2011 for precisely that reason.
Despite that, my personal view is that people worrying about losing their seats is, in most cases, a bit ridiculous (and has been since 2009, except perhaps 2012). There may be a very few places - block K in the upper north, being one - where it makes sense. But each to their own.
As for matchday queues, there are none if you buy online and print yourself - one good thing this lot have done.
This is far from black & white and there are contradictions.
Such as, why the clamour to extend seat reservations into say mid summer, when people worrying about losing their seats is a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, I'm more than happy if we only have about 3,000 renewals. Like I say it's a quandary for most.
I can think it's a largely baseless concern and still recognise that people do worry about it!
We did a lot of remedial work in 2011, including the "Slater" letter, because the numbers were very poor off the back of the run of bad results leading up to the deadline.
If I was in any doubt about renewing early the way they have gone about this convinced me not to. The threat and tones disgust me. I paid £275 for my ticket last year, they want to now charge me £400 as they have taken away my concessionary rate. For Third tier football!!! Haha. If I move 1 block to the left it would be £500. Perhaps Daisy would understand if it was £275 for a Michelin star restaurant (in Dubai???), prices would be raised as they have recruited a Macdonalds frier!
They should have reduced season ticket prices across the range for early renewals, not kept them at the same level as last year. Relegation was still likely when the season ticket prices were released and a reduction on last year's prices might have encouraged a few more to renew early.
The threats of releasing seats if you don't renew early and the way they have gone about this, makes people less likely to renew. Very poor marketing in my view.
They did that last year with their misleading ad saying that prices had been frozen. But they had been frozen at the post-early bird price, meaning nearly everyone actually paid more.
If I was in any doubt about renewing early the way they have gone about this convinced me not to. The threat and tones disgust me. I paid £275 for my ticket last year, they want to now charge me £400 as they have taken away my concessionary rate. For Third tier football!!! Haha. If I move 1 block to the left it would be £500. Perhaps Daisy would understand if it was £275 for a Michelin star restaurant (in Dubai???), prices would be raised as they have recruited a Macdonalds frier!
Flogging the restaurant anthology to death, Charlton have been condemned as unfit for purpose by the local food hygiene inspectors, and then decided that's a good time to up the prices while lower the quality of food.
If I was in any doubt about renewing early the way they have gone about this convinced me not to. The threat and tones disgust me. I paid £275 for my ticket last year, they want to now charge me £400 as they have taken away my concessionary rate.
I face losing my concessionary rate too if I fail to renew, so it's a consideration. However I won't be renewing, at least not yet if at all.
If I was in any doubt about renewing early the way they have gone about this convinced me not to. The threat and tones disgust me. I paid £275 for my ticket last year, they want to now charge me £400 as they have taken away my concessionary rate. For Third tier football!!! Haha. If I move 1 block to the left it would be £500. Perhaps Daisy would understand if it was £275 for a Michelin star restaurant (in Dubai???), prices would be raised as they have recruited a Macdonalds frier!
If you're in the 60-65 range and had a concessionary ticket, this will continue if you renew, so I'm not sure what you are talking about.
If I was in any doubt about renewing early the way they have gone about this convinced me not to. The threat and tones disgust me. I paid £275 for my ticket last year, they want to now charge me £400 as they have taken away my concessionary rate. For Third tier football!!! Haha. If I move 1 block to the left it would be £500. Perhaps Daisy would understand if it was £275 for a Michelin star restaurant (in Dubai???), prices would be raised as they have recruited a Macdonalds frier!
If you're in the 60-65 range and had a concessionary ticket, this will continue if you renew, so I'm not sure what you are talking about.
Is it still the case if you renew after the deadline CE?
Comments
Everyone has had weeks to renew if they want to, reluctantly or not.
If you want/have to renew, then do so. If you don't want to now / want to later / or not at all, then do that.
It's not really any different to any season.
We all know when the 'early bird' discount is up and we all know the technicalities of not renewing,
furthermore, we (as in supporters and the club) know the reality, that the take up will be so low that no-one will miss out, regardless of when they renew.
There seems to have been a shift in tone in recent years, from incentivising fans to renew early, to trying to worry fans into renewing early with the threat of losing their seats.
I suspect Tony Cahones is panicking and ordering more and more desperate threats.
She basically avoided the question, stating that clubs often vary the deadline date. The closest she got to an explanation was, she admitted an assumption on her part, that it was something to do with cashflow.
She seemed rather keen to deflect the responsibility for any of the points I raised to either senior management or her predecessor in post. At what point in time she will assume responsibility for anything happening in her department I have no idea.
Bit of a waste of time all round really.
Unfortunately, a lot of clubs (Palace included) have this early deadline situation now. Charlton seem to have been an old fashioned throwback to the days when season ticket holders were treated with respect and trusted to renew their seats. Now we just get our arms twisted like everybody else.
Even if there's no vindictive reasoning or whatever and it is just a genuine decision, I'm still bemused as to how it can make business sense to have chosen a Saturday at 5.15 after a home game. Surely you would at least leave it 'til the Sunday in the hope that a few undecided people attend the game, see a decent game and have a few beers and just decide to renew when they get home whilst under the influence?
There is no way Mandy, the ticket office manager is making policy decisions.
We quite rightly criticise the club for not running it properly and I have been outspoken more than many, regarding Katrien's incompetence and was one of the first to say so.
But it makes no business sense, when fans have decided not to purchase their seat, to then hold it for a longer period.
It is quite likely that 50% will not renew at all, that's 5000 fans. So why would the club not sell that seat if someone does want to buy it. It would be foolish in the extreme not to.
I can't think of any business that would not sell vacant seats and refuse sales on the basis that last year's holder may possibly renew at sometime up to 4 months down the line.
If affordability is the issue finance is available.
I go to a lot of gigs and there are often priority sales. If I rang up after the priority period to buy a ticket for an August gig and the ticket office refused, because priority holders were being given another couple of months after the deadline had finished, I would be speechless.
I can't believe I'm defending the club, but like I say we have to be logical here and think clearly or we lose the moral high ground.
Without repeating myself from earlier, the game tomorrow is the obvious occasion to promote season ticket sales.
As it is, there will be no point promoting them tomorrow in the programme or on the big screen, as there won't be time afterwards for anyone to make a purchase!
No worries Rodney, this time next year.....
Maybe the team that dreamt up the score in the valley campaign could hire nurses to assist the ticket buyers.
Hopefully cheaper and possibly better value than the increased police presence.
It would also show in a big way our disgust in what is going on.
So much for the 2% squirrel face.
* Might have photoshopped her in though.
Despite that, my personal view is that people worrying about losing their seats is, in most cases, a bit ridiculous (and has been since 2009, except perhaps 2012). There may be a very few places - block K in the upper north, being one - where it makes sense. But each to their own.
As for matchday queues, there are none if you buy online and print yourself - one good thing this lot have done.
Such as, why the clamour to extend seat reservations into say mid summer, when people worrying about losing their seats is a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, I'm more than happy if we only have about 3,000 renewals. Like I say it's a quandary for most.
We did a lot of remedial work in 2011, including the "Slater" letter, because the numbers were very poor off the back of the run of bad results leading up to the deadline.
Perhaps Daisy would understand if it was £275 for a Michelin star restaurant (in Dubai???), prices would be raised as they have recruited a Macdonalds frier!
The threats of releasing seats if you don't renew early and the way they have gone about this, makes people less likely to renew. Very poor marketing in my view.
However I won't be renewing, at least not yet if at all.