ARTICLE: Burnley confirm ticket refunds

[Zlatan]

Is this your suggested press release or have you read it somewhere?

I think it’s his suggestion. Hope you’re OK?

[Blackrod]

It’s very poor from the club. I’d be happy to go to the bank of the queue for 2 Bee Holed to get paid first though. Fans such as this are more in need of this amount than footballer getting 30K who was paid 30k last week.

[Bordeauxclaret]

I know there is already a tremendous effort from this website in the local food banks but I’m wondering if there is anything we could do as posters for people who post on here as well who are effected by this crisis?
I’ve noted a few who have been hit hard by it.

[Awayfromburnley]

Is this your suggested press release or have you read it somewhere?

Apologies, for clarity- It was just a suggested one they could issue. It takes 2 minutes to draft and keeps all us fans informed.

Most people can accept delays as long as the are kept informed. The lack of comms can perpetuate the idea that the fans are treated with contempt.

[buzzclarets79]

Yes, I cannot feed the family. I am using food banks.

I don't have the season tickets now, I have had to cancel the DD payments for 20/21.
No, it's not new. I have had at least 2 tickets since 2008 and on and off before then.
Why?

As a family we have had a massive drop in income due to covid.

Where are you going with these questions?

I would be more than happy to get you a "Big Shop" at any supermarket you wish, you do the shop and I'll pay for it at the check out, if of course you're local to Burnley! Genuine offer.

[2 Bee Holed]

I would be more than happy to get you a "Big Shop" at any supermarket you wish, you do the shop and I'll pay for it at the check out, if of course you're local to Burnley! Genuine offer.

Thanks for your offer and to all Clarets who have offered help.
Update.
We approached my wife's sister yesterday. She has gladly lent us the £90 BFC owe us until such a time as BFC pay up.
For last 4 years I have helped out at our local food bank down here in South Manchester. So they have been incredibly helpful too.
So we will use the £90 wisely over the next couple of weeks to supplement the tins etc that the food bank have given us. So we have now got some chicken and veg etc.
Thanks all for your concerns.
UTC.

[ClaretTony]

Thanks for your offer and to all Clarets who have offered help.
Update.
We approached my wife's sister yesterday. She has gladly lent us the £90 BFC owe us until such a time as BFC pay up.
For last 4 years I have helped out at our local food bank down here in South Manchester. So they have been incredibly helpful too.
So we will use the £90 wisely over the next couple of weeks to supplement the tins etc that the food bank have given us. So we have now got some chicken and veg etc.
Thanks all for your concerns.
UTC.

I’m really pleased you have been able to get some help and I’m also so pleased that there are others on this message board who have been prepared to offer help.

I don’t know your circumstances, neither is it my concern, but I know from what I’ve learned here over the last year just how easy it is from being ok to suddenly being reliant on foodbanks.

It highlights just how important our foodbank collections are.

Take care and I just hope that life can get better for you soon.

[buzzclarets79]

Thanks for your offer and to all Clarets who have offered help.
Update.
We approached my wife's sister yesterday. She has gladly lent us the £90 BFC owe us until such a time as BFC pay up.
For last 4 years I have helped out at our local food bank down here in South Manchester. So they have been incredibly helpful too.
So we will use the £90 wisely over the next couple of weeks to supplement the tins etc that the food bank have given us. So we have now got some chicken and veg etc.
Thanks all for your concerns.
UTC.

Pleased to hear that you've managed to get it sorted. Us Clarets should stick together, on and off the field.

[Garnerssoap]

Thanks for your offer and to all Clarets who have offered help.
Update.
We approached my wife's sister yesterday. She has gladly lent us the £90 BFC owe us until such a time as BFC pay up.
For last 4 years I have helped out at our local food bank down here in South Manchester. So they have been incredibly helpful too.
So we will use the £90 wisely over the next couple of weeks to supplement the tins etc that the food bank have given us. So we have now got some chicken and veg etc.
Thanks all for your concerns.
UTC.

Hello 2beeholed . I’m currently exiled to Altrincham as my daughters shielding back home and I had to go back to work. I can drop you some stuff off if you want. Ping me your address on 07825271401if it’d help. Utc

[Eyres_11]

Still nothing...beyond a joke now. I'll be going down to the club this week and demanding it in cash in person. Not waiting anymore.

[mealdeal]

Still nothing...beyond a joke now. I'll be going down to the club this week and demanding it in cash in person. Not waiting anymore.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Still nothing...beyond a joke now. I'll be going down to the club this week and demanding it in cash in person. Not waiting anymore.

Please could you video this then upload onto here

[TVC15]

Still nothing...beyond a joke now. I'll be going down to the club this week and demanding it in cash in person. Not waiting anymore.

You could gone down to the club anyway and they will refund it - there’s no need to “demand it in cash”. I know friends who have gone in person politely and got the refund sorted quickly and without any fuss.

It’s not anybody in the ticket offices fault - just do it in a polite and respectful way and I’m sure it will be sorted.

[Eyres_11]

You could gone down to the club anyway and they will refund it - there’s no need to “demand it in cash”. I know friends who have gone in person politely and got the refund sorted quickly and without any fuss.

It’s not anybody in the ticket offices fault - just do it in a polite and respectful way and I’m sure it will be sorted.

No, it aint their fault I get that. But we are talking about a multi million pound premier league football club struggling to refund people for coming on a month now.

I went in last week and wasn't told that - was told that it was being dealt with and something that I can't post on this board.

I'll pop down this week and pick it up - have a feeling it would be weeks otherwise

[Cheshireclaret]

Thanks for your offer and to all Clarets who have offered help.
Update.
We approached my wife's sister yesterday. She has gladly lent us the £90 BFC owe us until such a time as BFC pay up.
For last 4 years I have helped out at our local food bank down here in South Manchester. So they have been incredibly helpful too.
So we will use the £90 wisely over the next couple of weeks to supplement the tins etc that the food bank have given us. So we have now got some chicken and veg etc.
Thanks all for your concerns.
UTC.

Good afternoon. Please don’t be suffering in silence and please allow me to help you if I can. I live in and around South Manchester so if you’re able to provide me with some contact details on here I will gladly assist you. Please do, I won’t have you and your family struggling.

[Leisure]

Still nothing...beyond a joke now. I'll be going down to the club this week and demanding it in cash in person. Not waiting anymore.

You'll only spend it when you get it. With the club keeping hold of it it'll last longer and give you more time to decide what to splash it on!

[Eyres_11]

You'll only spend it when you get it. With the club keeping hold of it it'll last longer and give you more time to decide what to splash it on!

Yes, you are right, they are doing me a favour

[Yearofthefox]

Have the actually set a deadline to refund everyone by?

[Sheedyclaret]

Have the actually set a deadline to refund everyone by?

No time frame has been set could be this week next week next month who knows?

[Yearofthefox]

Hopefully they'll be able to process them all soon, espeically for those who really need refunds soon than later.

[ClaretMov]

They are fast becoming the new easyjet of the football world lol

[strayclaret]

Just been invited by Yorkshire CCC, to apply for a refund for my T20 ticket for the England v Australia match which should have taken place today. Whilst it shouldn't be as complicated process as ours, lets see which comes first.
Watch this space

[claretdj]

Or months or years you missed.

[ClaretAL]

To provide a date when they have been slated for providing a date previously .....That would be the definition of insanity

[Claret Till I Die]

I've had an email from easyjet to say that I'm getting a refund for flights they cancelled so there's hope for the season ticket money yet !

[Granny WeatherWax]

can only assume the IT infrastructure is in the dark ages if they are still running with a restricted number of staff.

[claretdj]

Computer says NO!

[Blackrod]

can only assume the IT infrastructure is in the dark ages if they are still running with a restricted number of staff.

It is probably the same person dealing with it who cranks up the old fax machine on transfer deadline day. In this day and age it really isn’t difficult to refund money accurately. A child could do it.

[ksrclaret]

What an absolute farce this has turned into. I cannot believe how long this is taking.

[martin_p]

I still haven’t even been offered my money back for a couple of tickets I bought to see a comedian in April.

[TVC15]

It is probably the same person dealing with it who cranks up the old fax machine on transfer deadline day. In this day and age it really isn’t difficult to refund money accurately. A child could do it.

Out of interest what do you think the refund entails ?

Validation of sort codes and account numbers ?
Reconciliation of Burnley FC suspense bank accounts ?
Batch Faster Payment file processing ?
Where does data protection and GDPR fit into the process ?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Knowing then what we know now, pretty sure most of us wouldnt have renewed for next season.

Most wont forget it though.

[Granny WeatherWax]

Out of interest what do you think the refund entails ?

Validation of sort codes and account numbers ?
Reconciliation of Burnley FC suspense bank accounts ?
Batch Faster Payment file processing ?
Where does data protection and GDPR fit into the process ?

Regardless of what it entails, it all can be done from home in the 21st century.

[Ric_C]

It's interesting that most of these so called large organisations, who nail you to the wall if you miss a payment or who ask for 1 month payment in advance for services, are now suddenly very silent on just honouring basic refunds.

Personally still waiting for refunds from season tickets, tickets purchased for a Philadelphia NHL game in March, Holiday tickets from lastminute.com from March. All events/trips cancelled due to COVID. Total radio silence. Advice from the banks (who charge you £30 for dipping into your overdraft) is just wait it out. Thanks a lot!

Once the dust settles there are a huge amount of companies I will refuse to deal with ever again.

[ecc]

Just to second Tony's comment, if I may:

"I’m really pleased you have been able to get some help and I’m also so pleased that there are others on this message board who have been prepared to offer help. "

This board can be a nightmare at times due to a handful of individuals but the vast majority of users are good decent people who show genune care and support very often. There IS a genuine UTC community and long may it last.

[TVC15]

Regardless of what it entails, it all can be done from home in the 21st century.

No doubt - but probably more if you are a finance company, Bank or business with a good IT infrastructure. Burnley FC probably not any of these and then you see companies like Ticketmaster and others who are very heavily reliant on their online platforms and you see them every bit as slow and bad at processing refunds as Burnley.

I doubt whether many Burnley staff are set up with remote access but anybody who thinks its easy to just refund several thousand payments simply does not know what it entails. And just for example doing this from home - how do you ensure that you comply with GDPR and the issues around personal data ?

[Sean Dyche's Watch]

https://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/new ... t-refunds/

[taio]

No doubt - but probably more if you are a finance company, Bank or business with a good IT infrastructure. Burnley FC probably not any of these and then you see companies like Ticketmaster and others who are very heavily reliant on their online platforms and you see them every bit as slow and bad at processing refunds as Burnley.

I doubt whether many Burnley staff are set up with remote access but anybody who thinks its easy to just refund several thousand payments simply does not know what it entails. And just for example doing this from home - how do you ensure that you comply with GDPR and the issues around personal data ?

GDPR and access to personal data does not prevent home working.

[TVC15]

GDPR and access to personal data does not prevent home working.

I know that - I’m talking about what needs to happen to protect and dispose of personal customer financial data

[Grumps]

GDPR and access to personal data does not prevent home working.

It certainly doesn't, far more sensitive organisations than BFC work from home. Encrypted laptops or drives, securely stored. Employee working in a room where they are not overlooked... Even if it means a trip to the club every day to place laptop in secure place if their home cannot be secured.
I've renewed insurance etc in past few months with people working from home, they had same details BFC will have about me.

[TVC15]

Dealing with customer financial data is standard for an insurance company - it isn’t for Burnley. They have never had to run a process on this scale before - let alone on reduced staff numbers.

[taio]

I know that - I’m talking about what needs to happen to protect and dispose of personal customer financial data

It can be done quite easily through the right software, encryption and pseudonymisation. It happens all the time and with organisations processing information that use more sensitive data than the club.

[Sean Dyche's Watch]

Dealing with customer financial data is standard for an insurance company - it isn’t for Burnley. They have never had to run a process on this scale before - let alone on reduced staff numbers.

Yes they have - in 2009 with the season ticket refund pledge.

[Sean Dyche's Watch]

Have people/companies with corporate boxes been refunded yet? I bet the club will refund those first.

[Grumps]

Don't forget, TVC will have forgotten more than any of us know about security, encryption etc etc

[TVC15]

It can be done quite easily through the right software, encryption and pseudonymisation. It happens all the time and with organisations processing information that use more sensitive data than the club.

So why do you think Burnley have not done that then ?
Surely you have seen enough of the club to see we don’t have the best IT systems / infrastructure.
Plus it would not have been straightforward (or even possible) to get their 3rd party IT providers to do something like this given the lockdown situation

[Funkydrummer]

Referring to that press release on the club's website, why do the points on the teamcard
expire in 2021 ? That's only 6 months off !!!!

They really don't do themselves any favours sometimes. It seems that they work hard at
being as awkward/complicated as they can possibly be.

[Blackrod]

BFC have to have a GDPR process in place due to the personal and financial data they hold. This does not hold up payments. I’m only going on about this because when some fans are struggling financially it’s just not right.

[taio]

So why do you think Burnley have not done that then ?
Surely you have seen enough of the club to see we don’t have the best IT systems / infrastructure.
Plus it would not have been straightforward (or even possible) to get their 3rd party IT providers to do something like this given the lockdown situation

I appreciate the points you are making specifically about the club. I was responding about GDPR generally because I access the most sensitive personal data securely working from home.

[Rileybobs]

I don’t fault the delay - the club obviously isn’t holding onto our cash with any ulterior motive. This is a complicated process. The amounts owed to each person is different due to the different price bands for example. But as is quite often the case, the club has dropped the ball with its communication. How such a successful organisation can struggle with a simple and fundamental part of its daily operation is beyond me.