The next STAR/Club meeting

[Forbury Lion]

.... playing kit.... It did have to be changed to remove the slogan on the back....

No it didn't. Simply removing the slogan from the back would have worked and they only had to remove it from the players shirts.

Any excuse.

Ironic really as many would have bought new shirts anyway to get Premiership badges and numbers on, The club could then release a new kit next season.

What's happened has happened, Can STAR get the club to gaurantee publicly how long the current shirt design is gauranteed to stay?

[The 17 Bus]

Guaranteed shirley

[Dirk Gently]

What's happened has happened, Can STAR get the club to gaurantee publicly how long the current shirt design is gauranteed to stay?

Hardly. the last time complaints were made because the customer charter said that shirts would "endeavour to last two years" but a shirt had een changed after 1 year - the club changed the charter to match!

[RoyalBlue]

What's happened has happened, Can STAR get the club to gaurantee publicly how long the current shirt design is gauranteed to stay?

Hardly. the last time complaints were made because the customer charter said that shirts would "endeavour to last two years" but a shirt had een changed after 1 year - the club changed the charter to match!

For all the best endeavours of the folks behind STAR they have very little muscle and the club seem to care little about what they think, even though they represent a large number of supporters.

Apart from the back down on Berks FM, there is little evidence that the club have changed plans/proposals following input from STAR. The approach seems to be 'all very interesting but we've got a business to run here and our customers are hooked on the product so basically we can do what we like'.

I repeat this is not the fault of the folks at STAR but a reflection of the attitudes of most of those running the business side of the club (fans' champion Jackie Evans excepted).

[STAR Liaison]

What's happened has happened, Can STAR get the club to gaurantee publicly how long the current shirt design is gauranteed to stay?

Hardly. the last time complaints were made because the customer charter said that shirts would "endeavour to last two years" but a shirt had een changed after 1 year - the club changed the charter to match!

For all the best endeavours of the folks behind STAR they have very little muscle and the club seem to care little about what they think, even though they represent a large number of supporters.

Apart from the back down on Berks FM, there is little evidence that the club have changed plans/proposals following input from STAR. The approach seems to be 'all very interesting but we've got a business to run here and our customers are hooked on the product so basically we can do what we like'.

I repeat this is not the fault of the folks at STAR but a reflection of the attitudes of most of those running the business side of the club (fans' champion Jackie Evans excepted).

I understand why you have that attitude but from my experience it is not completely true. What is true is that often the club does not change its decisions despite our representations but that is not the case every time, and it is certainly not because they have not considered them. The BBC Berks issue was the first we publicly challenged them on as we had not had any communication about it from the club and so were not able to try to change things behind the scenes, but more often we do get our point across at the management meetings and there are several occasions when we have influenced the decisions. Not as often or as much as many fans may want but more than they believe. We made a conscious decision not to be aggressive with our opinions but to be persuasive and not to dwell publicly on triumphs. Right or wrong that is how the people involved want to play it.

The one person we have very little influence with is the one person whose word is law and whose raison d'etre (to use a favourite phrase of his) tends not to allow for any consideration of the views of supporters. Much as the Chairman has given this club, it is despite him not because of him that we have any influence and any time we do not succeed in changing things at the club it is because the management team know who holds the purse strings.

[Forbury Lion]

Do the shirts have "best before dates" on them? - If not, then can't they make it clear that the shirt is only gauranteed to remain current for one season. Unless they can absolutely gaurantee 2 seasons and offer refunds if that isn't the case.

[RoyalBlue]

Do the shirts have "best before dates" on them? - If not, then can't they make it clear that the shirt is only gauranteed to remain current for one season. Unless they can absolutely gaurantee 2 seasons and offer refunds if that isn't the case.

IIRC the first time they pulled the change after one year stunt the shirts did have the equivalent of a 'best before date' on them. That date certainly appeared on the OS and the on-line store pages - I've still got a screen print somewhere. Didn't stop them doing the dirty on the fans and of course they didn't offer a refund. Had a normal business pulled that stunt there would have been uproar and trading standards would have been taking a keen interest.

The one person we have very little influence with is the one person whose word is law and whose raison d'etre (to use a favourite phrase of his) tends not to allow for any consideration of the views of supporters. Much as the Chairman has given this club, it is despite him not because of him that we have any influence and any time we do not succeed in changing things at the club it is because the management team know who holds the purse strings.

Have often suspected that to be the case and thanks for the confirmation. However, does the Chairman get involved in the detail or just give them headline figures that they have to meet? If the latter then it is my belief that his minions could have taken on board some of the input from supporters and still hit the headline figures. Bleeding customers dry, taking them for mugs & charging the highest possible price for a product (particularly if it is of iffy/variable quality) are not always the best way to make a good profit.

[STAR Liaison]

If the latter then it is my belief that his minions could have taken on board some of the input from supporters and still hit the headline figures. Bleeding customers dry, taking them for mugs & charging the highest possible price for a product (particularly if it is of iffy/variable quality) are not always the best way to make a good profit.

But his minions have taken on board some of our input - you don't know where they start from sometimes.

[Platypuss]

Buy back policy - There was never a date given and such a scheme needs to be thought through before implementing! There are issues that the Premier League have rules on that are very limiting, but the club is trying to get it set up to be a win/win situation.

They most definitely said that details would be out in "the Summer".

By most people's understanding of the term, that gives them about 12 more days.

Are the Club going to use the argument that Summer doesn't really end until the clocks go back?

3 more days, RFC.

Is it really too much to expect the club to issue an update on the buyback system seeing as it was promised for "the summer"?

[Dirk Gently]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

[Royal Lady]

It wouldn't take much to tell supporters that if that is the case. They can always put the blame squarely on Boyd's shoulders!

[Platypuss]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

There are now getting on for 20% fewer games both home and away and we have a massive amount of ST holders. The office has also now stopped the fax ordering of tickets.

How much easier do they want it?

[weybridgewanderer]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

start of last season

9000 season ticket, 4500 (the whole of the south stand) available to the away support therefore 10 500 tickets available per match

attandances of roughly 15 000 prior to christmas so 6000 of those 11000 being sold

this season 18000 season tickets
2500 seats available to the away support

So 3500 tickets available for the home support

Thats roughly half of what they were selling game by game at the start of last season

add to that the fact there are fewer games so their workload would appear to have considerably fallen this season

[Platypuss]

Time's up RFC - the "Summer" is now officially over.

Can STAR please press the club into issuing an update on the mythical buyback scheme. Or at the very least find out why the club aren't prepared to dignify us with their position quite yet.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

start of last season

9000 season ticket, 4500 (the whole of the south stand) available to the away support therefore 10 500 tickets available per match

attandances of roughly 15 000 prior to christmas so 6000 of those 11000 being sold

this season 18000 season tickets
2500 seats available to the away support

So 3500 tickets available for the home support

Thats roughly half of what they were selling game by game at the start of last season

add to that the fact there are fewer games so their workload would appear to have considerably fallen this season

Fewer games and games are linked so far less work - at the moment, Tottenham tickets are on sale (but I doubt there's many left) and Charlton are sold out - that takes us into the start of December!!!

RFC Ticket Office is a total joke.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

start of last season

9000 season ticket, 4500 (the whole of the south stand) available to the away support therefore 10 500 tickets available per match

attandances of roughly 15 000 prior to christmas so 6000 of those 11000 being sold

this season 18000 season tickets
2500 seats available to the away support

So 3500 tickets available for the home support

Thats roughly half of what they were selling game by game at the start of last season

add to that the fact there are fewer games so their workload would appear to have considerably fallen this season

Fewer games and games are linked so far less work - at the moment, Tottenham tickets are on sale (but I doubt there's many left) and Charlton are sold out - that's one game currently on sale for November and then we're into the start of December!!!

RFC Ticket Office is a total joke.

[Warfield Royal]

I think an update is fair - but I think this may be one of the things that Boyd Butler introduced and which never really worked out - and which has been jettisoned in the new regime's "back to basics" plan (i.e. they're looking to concentrate on selling tickets and all the other clever stuff is shelved until they have mastered that).

start of last season

9000 season ticket, 4500 (the whole of the south stand) available to the away support therefore 10 500 tickets available per match

attandances of roughly 15 000 prior to christmas so 6000 of those 11000 being sold

this season 18000 season tickets
2500 seats available to the away support

So 3500 tickets available for the home support

Thats roughly half of what they were selling game by game at the start of last season

add to that the fact there are fewer games so their workload would appear to have considerably fallen this season

Fewer games and games are linked so far less work - at the moment, Tottenham tickets are on sale (but I doubt there's many left) and Charlton are sold out - that takes us into the start of December!!!

RFC Ticket Office is a total joke.

That's one game currently on sale for November!

[Forbury Lion]

Can STAR perhaps have a FAQ on their website and availble to read in the STAR shop with some of the following on:

Q. What's happened to the buy back scheme the club said they'd introduce in the summer?

A. This has not materialised as of yet. Only the club know why


Q. Why have the club changed home shirts every season since 1998?

A. Only the club know the real answer to that, Our advise is not to buy a shirt and expect it to remain current for more than one season or not bother buying a shirt.


You can unofficially call the FAQ "The board of shame".

[AJ~]

The online ticketing system now has a link on the "Check Royalty Points" section called "Returned Seats".

Presumably this is to do with the buy-back scheme...