Online ticketing system

[smudge]

Always going to be many disappointed fans with such as small allocation of tickets,especially the Huddersfield game.
Which ever way they were sold the ticket office would be unfairly criticized.
They obviously tried to do it fairly by selling some online and some in person at the ticket office.
What other way would you suggest.

[MACCA]

Maybe to make it easier for people who wanted tickets for both games. If they'd sold them on separate days then people would be complaining that they had to go twice to the Ticket Office! The Ticket Office are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Yep we had that other season...

"I had to come over on successive days from Leeds to get 2 lots off tickets, which meant 2 mornings off work, 2 lots of petrol and time, why can't they sell them at the same time, so people who happen to have a job or don't live on Brunshaw road can go"

So many ways to get tickets it's untrue.

They do a great job, leave them alone!

[MACCA]

Always going to be many disappointed fans with such as small allocation of tickets,especially the Huddersfield game.
Which ever way they were sold the ticket office would be unfairly criticized.
They obviously tried to do it fairly by selling some online and some in person at the ticket office.
What other way would you suggest.

Every 48 box of weetabix has a 1 in 5 chance of a ticket maybe fairer...

Oh wait nope, not fair on the people who are wheat intolerant.

[1HappyClaret]

Firstly not every able bodied fan can get down to the ticket office at 09:00 , due to school, work or distance, so they either ask a friend, join a supporters group or miss out.
You don't miss out because you're disabled, you miss out because of the same reasons any other fan does... It's not possible for you or another person to get a ticket for you.

There's several ways to obtain a ticket, if you're caught on your heels, you generally miss out.
Fail to plan and plan to fail.

30 of us are going, luckily 1 of our ticket group was off today due to going Bournemouth. He went, queued up, got cold, got tickets then started the 5 hour drive to Bournemouth. Imagine he'd have gone Bournemouth yesterday, he'd have been penalised on the biggest away game for going to the least appealing.

6 weeks ago we started planning for Boxing day, and it paid off.

I follow most of what you’re saying but how can it be fair that abled bodied people can buy tickets before disabled people? Disabled supporters are denied one of the options of buying tickets.

[quoonbeatz]

It is, but you won't please everyone, it's impossible.

They sell online, over the phone and in person.

Sadly homeless Pete from Plymouth can't get one as the don't accept payment in pebbles and he's busy Mon-Fri to travel up in person by foot.

Join a FB ticket group, or a supporters club. If you don't want too, then you're stuck with the aforementioned options, or expect to wait in line, in the cold, like everyone else.

be less spiky macca, i'm not complaining, i get tickets fine. just find it interesting that the argument has swung the other way now. i think the points thresholds are fair, they shouldn't change.

what i would say is that the system needs a bit of an overhaul to be more robust - again there are stories of people getting tickets without the required points.

its also time to get rid of allocations for supporters clubs and the foundation (which doesn't seem to work anyway).

keep it simple;
keep the points thresholds and enforce them;
make between 2/3 - 3/4s of the tickets available online, the rest at the ticket office (maybe sack the phones off);
stick to releasing them at the same time each time - none of this 5pm on a tuesday then next time at 9am on saturday ********
above all - COMMUNICATE properly with the fans

ticketing is easy enough; the club seem to make it difficult for themselves though.

that said, there were always going to be a lot of disappointed fans for these 2 games.

[thatdberight]

What about disabled fans. They can’t buy on line because the system doesn’t allow you to purchase career tickets and because of your disability you cannot get to the ticket office to purchase in person and your career is busy working to earn the money to spend on the football. You ring all morning but always engaged and when you get through you are told all sold out.

HOW IS THIS FAIR FOR THE DISABLED SUPPORTER.

I take your word that you can't buy the carer tickets on-line. Given that, It's not fair, it's possibly not legal either.

As I understand it from various press and fan reports, BFC is right at the tail-end of the top 2 divsions in tems of looking after disabled fans within the ground as well, so maybe no surprise.

[MACCA]

I follow most of what you’re saying but how can it be fair that abled bodied people can buy tickets before disabled people? Disabled supporters are denied one of the options of buying tickets.

How?
Just so I'm aware, I'll ask the question.

[bodge]

smudge - i would hope that the time they were released could be looked at, not sure why it was 5 pm.

I'm sure like me there were a lot of people leaving work and not getting home until 6.45 to find a sold out notice when i eventually got on line.

I would also think it would be helpful if the ticket office could give an indication of the split between on line and walk ons i.e 50/50, 60/40 etc, those of us doing on line could have got our skates on depending on the information.

Nirvana would be for the club to indicate how many people qualify for the over 5000 points stipulation.

I certainly know for future similar away allocations but its too late for Huddersfield.

[quoonbeatz]

Nirvana would be for the club to indicate how many people qualify for the over 5000 points stipulation.

don't quote me but pretty sure its more than most of our allocations.

[thatdberight]

Always going to be many disappointed fans with such as small allocation of tickets,especially the Huddersfield game.
Which ever way they were sold the ticket office would be unfairly criticized.
They obviously tried to do it fairly by selling some online and some in person at the ticket office.
What other way would you suggest.

Personally, I see no reason to sell any in person. Just put them on-line with an advertised "on sale" time and sell them subject to the points threshold until they're gone. I'm willing to accept there might just be a couple of dozen out of the 15,000 season ticket holders who cannot access the internet or have no non-physical means of payment. For them, I'm sorry but if 99.9% of the fans have equal access, that would be a good first step.

After that, if you forget the time, can't do it because of work and forget to get someone else to do it, your internet goes down, then that's just hard luck.

[MACCA]

be less spiky macca, i'm not complaining, i get tickets fine. just find it interesting that the argument has swung the other way now. i think the points thresholds are fair, they shouldn't change.

what i would say is that the system needs a bit of an overhaul to be more robust - again there are stories of people getting tickets without the required points.

its also time to get rid of allocations for supporters clubs and the foundation (which doesn't seem to work anyway).

keep it simple;
keep the points thresholds and enforce them;
make between 2/3 - 3/4s of the tickets available online, the rest at the ticket office (maybe sack the phones off);
stick to releasing them at the same time each time - none of this 5pm on a tuesday then next time at 9am on saturday ********
above all - COMMUNICATE properly with the fans

ticketing is easy enough; the club seem to make it difficult for themselves though.

that said, there were always going to be a lot of disappointed fans for these 2 games.

I'm not being spikey purposely just playing devils advocate. The same argument occurs 2 Maybe 3 times a season.

About the internet, why should 3/4's go online for sales?
What about kids who may not have online banking?
What about elder fans who may not have internet?
What about the workers who have all phones or internet banned at work?
What if people want to pay in cash?

I think there's enough options and information to get tickets if they really want them.

I'm aware of a United and Liverpool fan who got a ticket, they have zero points and didn't queue up. They might not even go on if the weather's naff and the pub seems a better idea on the day.

Edit - for the suggesting all tickets online at 19:00 for people who finish at 17:00/18:00 . What about those who finish at 20:00 or are on 18:00-06:00 12 hour nights??

Keeping a variety of purchasing options makes it easier for people to do 1 or the other.

Missed out online? Queue up the next day if you're desperate to go.

[1HappyClaret]

How?
Just so I'm aware, I'll ask the question.

Disabled supporters, who need a career ticket, can’t use the on line system because it does not allow that facility so they have to wait for sales at the ticket office. I accept that there is no guarantee that even if they could be got on line that you may not be successful. All we need is a level playing field. That is not the case at the moment.

[thatdberight]

What about those who ... are on 28:00-06:00 ...??

That's a hell of a shift...

[ClaretAL]

How?
Just so I'm aware, I'll ask the question.

Also had the same issue. See link...

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... 77#p573977

[quoonbeatz]

I'm not being spikey purposely just playing devils advocate. The same argument occurs 2 Maybe 3 times a season.

About the internet, why should 3/4's go online for sales?
What about kids who may not have online banking?
What about elder fans who may not have internet?
What about the workers who have all phones 3rd banned at work?
What if people want to pay in cash?

our allocations are generally about 3000. most are sold online, the club will tell you that and its the way most modern ticketing operations are done.
even if you put 3/4s online, thats still 750 at the ticket office which i would think plenty covers those groups you mention. (i'd guess the club currently put more than 3/4s online anyway)
you don't need online banking, just a card. how many elder fans without the internet want go to away games? workers with phones banned probably can't keep taking days off to queue for tickets either.

there's an argument for everything but the point should be to make tickets as widely available and for the system to be as inclusive as possible.

[MACCA]

That's a hell of a shift...

sorry fat finger syndrome.

My point is, surely the more options to purchase the better.
If you can't do 1 way, try the other, if not try the other. If then you still can't, then unless exceptional circumstances then the problem lies with you, not the system.

If People aren't willing to queue in the cold, book a morning of work, go online, ring up, finish an hour earlier, ask a friend, drive x miles etc to obtain a ticket, then if you miss out, then it's their fault.

[MACCA]

our allocations are generally about 3000. most are sold online, the club will tell you that and its the way most modern ticketing operations are done.
even if you put 3/4s online, thats still 750 at the ticket office which i would think plenty covers those groups you mention. (i'd guess the club currently put more than 3/4s online anyway)
you don't need online banking, just a card. how many elder fans without the internet want go to away games? workers with phones banned probably can't keep taking days off to queue for tickets either.

there's an argument for everything but the point should be to make tickets as widely available and for the system to be as inclusive as possible.

I agree, which I think the 3 or 4 options we have now does.

[smudge]

smudge - i would hope that the time they were released could be looked at, not sure why it was 5 pm.

I'm sure like me there were a lot of people leaving work and not getting home until 6.45 to find a sold out notice when i eventually got on line.

I would also think it would be helpful if the ticket office could give an indication of the split between on line and walk ons i.e 50/50, 60/40 etc, those of us doing on line could have got our skates on depending on the information.

Nirvana would be for the club to indicate how many people qualify for the over 5000 points stipulation.

I certainly know for future similar away allocations but its too late for Huddersfield.

I must admit 5pm on a weekday seems a bit strange,and obviously for anyone working and unable to buy online at that time it was unfair.
Perhaps more information on allocation of tickets,and time of sale ,could have been done better.

[Rileybobs]

Disabled supporters, who need a career ticket, can’t use the on line system because it does not allow that facility so they have to wait for sales at the ticket office. I accept that there is no guarantee that even if they could be got on line that you may not be successful. All we need is a level playing field. That is not the case at the moment.

There should be a better system in place for disabled supporters of course, but would you not have been better off ordering 2 adult tickets and then calling the ticket office the following day to exchange the tickets for disabled and carer and get the appropriate refund?

[thatdberight]

sorry fat finger syndrome.

My point is, surely the more options to purchase the better.
If you can't do 1 way, try the other, if not try the other. If then you still can't, then unless exceptional circumstances then the problem lies with you, not the system.

If People aren't willing to queue in the cold, book a morning of work, go online, ring up, finish an hour earlier, ask a friend, drive x miles etc to obtain a ticket, then if you miss out, then it's their fault.

I disagree. Let's not have multiple ways (particularly when how those multiple ways work isn't even clear in advance). Let's just get with the 21st century and sell them on-line. Easy. Then we can move on to why we have a ticketless entry system that still requires an attendant on each turnstile...

[dsr]

Basically the ticket office are being asked to find a way in which 4,800 people who want tickets can all be kept happy when there are only 2,400 tickets. I think they've been given an impossible task.

[thatdberight]

There should be a better system in place for disabled supporters of course, but would you not have been better off ordering 2 adult tickets and then calling the ticket office the following day to exchange the tickets for disabled and carer and get the appropriate refund?

It is a legal obligation for the business to accommodate the disabled consumer - not the other way round.

[Rileybobs]

It is a legal obligation for the business to accommodate the disabled consumer - not the other way round.

Indeed, which is why I said there should be a better system in place.

Have disabled and carer tickets sold out?

[MACCA]

[/list]

It is a legal obligation for the business to accommodate the disabled consumer - not the other way round.

Absoluty, and i bet my mortgage on there being some, if not the maximum amount of disabled Burnley possible in attendance. So the option is there, just like the able bodied fans, some will miss out due to not preparing correctly or well enough.

[1HappyClaret]

No problem having the difficulty of getting tickets for these games but should have the same chance as everyone else and not waiting until 3/4 have been sold.

[MACCA]

I disagree. Let's not have multiple ways (particularly when how those multiple ways work isn't even clear in advance). Let's just get with the 21st century and sell them on-line. Easy. Then we can move on to why we have a ticketless entry system that still requires an attendant on each turnstile...

Why discriminate people under 16 that may not have access to internet, banking, bank account.

Why discriminate those who don't have internet?

Why discriminate those who want to pay in cash?

Why discriminate those who work nights or shifts

Why discriminate those who work away, and get friends or family to pick their tickets up.

Keep a variety of options and please more people.

[claretdj]

The only way to solve this ticket problem is to go back to the championship..

[2 Bee Holed]

Has anyone got a ticket that has not got 5,000 points?

[pureclaret]

What about people who have enough points, have internet access but due to the system not being able to differentiate between ambulant supporters and there helpers, but do allow in person at the ticket office to sort out.
I feel that the club could be breaking the Ambulant/ disabled supporters rules on selling to able bodied supporters only !!!!
I queued this morning from 8:30 and was only 6 people from office when told sold out.

[thatdberight]

Has anyone got a ticket that has not got 5,000 points?

Someone said so and I've had a similar experience myself before. http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... 76#p574474" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dsr]

What about people who have enough points, have internet access but due to the system not being able to differentiate between ambulant supporters and there helpers, but do allow in person at the ticket office to sort out.
I feel that the club could be breaking the Ambulant/ disabled supporters rules on selling to able bodied supporters only !!!!
I queued this morning from 8:30 and was only 6 people from office when told sold out.

If the disabled tickets are being sold online to non-disabled fans then you would have a point. But if there is a fixed number of disabled tickets which are reserved for disabled supporters, as I assume there is, then I don't think there's any issue - all disabled supporters are buying under the same conditions as each other, even if the means of purchase aren't identical.

Assuming it's true that these tickets have to be bought from the ticket office, the only way to even it out would be to close online sales for everyone. Is that a desirable option?

[thatdberight]

If the disabled tickets are being sold online to non-disabled fans then you would have a point. But if there is a fixed number of disabled tickets which are reserved for disabled supporters, as I assume there is, then I don't think there's any issue - all disabled supporters are buying under the same conditions as each other, even if the means of purchase aren't identical.

Assuming it's true that these tickets have to be bought from the ticket office, the only way to even it out would be to close online sales for everyone. Is that a desirable option?

Or you could just have a system sophisticated enough to deal with this category of tickets. Honestly, some computer systems are quite clever these days.

[dsr]

Or you could just have a system sophisticated enough to deal with this category of tickets. Honestly, some computer systems are quite clever these days.

Possibly. I have no idea of what's involved in linking our computer ticket arrangements with the opposition's ticket arrangements, so I can't comment on the practicality. Only that legally, I don't think they're in trouble.

[thatdberight]

Possibly. I have no idea of what's involved in linking our computer ticket arrangements with the opposition's ticket arrangements, so I can't comment on the practicality. Only that legally, I don't think they're in trouble.

The club already do that linkage. They get tickets from the other club and load the availability into the system that BFC use.

Yours is not my understanding of the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and, even if there's a loophole there, you do wonder how many times our club will be named amongst the worst for disabled provision before it does things pro-actively?

[UpTheBeehole]

Wow, another example of dsr's ambivalence towards the interests of disabled Burnley fans.

[dsr]

Wow, another example of dsr's ambivalence towards the interests of disabled Burnley fans.

You don't think these things should even be discussed, do you.

[UpTheBeehole]

You don't think these things should even be discussed, do you.

I think the current methods are entirely unsuitable. You think they're fine, and it's just tough luck if you're disabled, join the queue with everyone else.

[dsr]

I think the current methods are entirely unsuitable. You think they're fine, and it's just tough luck if you're disabled, join the queue with everyone else.

I have no idea if they are fine or not, just that I don't think they're illegal.

[UpTheBeehole]

I have no idea if they are fine or not, just that I don't think they're illegal.

Who said they were illegal?

[NL Claret]

At least all the Foundation members and supporters club lot all got theirs

All the Foundation Members? After 135 phone calls I was informed they had none left.

[dsr]

Who said they were illegal?

Read post 129.

[Roansdad]

Did you want coach seats for Utd and/or Huddersfield?

I do for Utd Pete. Are you doing a separate thread. I couldn’t see one
Cheers

[Leisure]

I do for Utd Pete. Are you doing a separate thread. I couldn’t see one
Cheers

There is a thread.

[ClaretAL]

It really is a simple solution for the disabled fans. As all disabled fans will know, before the club accept you as ambulant/disabled you have to provide a medical statement to prove it. This is then linked to you season ticket/claret number, so when you purchase a ticket at the ticket office it automatically recognises your status. So why they can't adopt the same approach with the online system to the point of you can only buy abulant/disabled tickets if you Clarets number matche's the criteria, as they do at the ticket office, I really dont unederstand.

[beddie]

Are there no Man United tickets available? The on-line system doesn't show anything apart from Huddersfield sold out. Thanks.

[Leisure]

Utd is also sold out.