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Custard Cream · by **Custard Cream** » 20 Sep 2006 09:01

My sister is ambulant disabled and she and her helper went to the game last night. Her helper's season ticket did not work for some reason (she had already gone through turnstile) so he was told he had to go queue for a ticket to get access. So, despite arriving at the Mad Stad 25 minutes before the match, with what should have been a valid season ticket, he still had to abandon my sister and he missed the first 10 minutes of the match because of the length of the queue (many in same position).

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TFF · by **TFF** » 20 Sep 2006 11:51

Custard Cream My sister is ambiant disabled and she and her helper went to the game last night. Her helper's season ticket did not work for some reason (she had already gone through turnstile) so he was told he had to go queue for a ticket to get access. So, despite arriving at the Mad Stad 25 minutes before the match, with what should have been a valid season ticket, he still had to abandon my sister and he missed the first 10 minutes of the match because of the length of the queue (many in same position).

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[Spacey]

ambulant

[/Spacey]

Custard Cream · by **Custard Cream** » 20 Sep 2006 12:00

oops

mind you ambient suits her too !

Volvicanus · by **Volvicanus** » 20 Sep 2006 13:35

Don't know if this is relevant to you or not - (refer to Home Cup STs thread) but when I called the ticket office thinking that I hadn't bought my ticket for the game yet, they told me that I had in fact, signed up for the Home Cup tickets automatically. So all I had to do was turn up and my ST would have been upgraded to work. But while I was on the phone, he said, 'Just let me check your helper' and when he did - his ST was only held in reserve and had not actually been confirmed as bought.

The linking between the diabled ST holder and their helper is not consistent at all it seems. It didn't occur to me to ask at the time, but now I'm wondering if, everytime we have a home cup game - am I going to have to call up and make sure that my helpers ST is confirmed.

But really - all this is quite pointless in your sister's situation anyway as the helper is free. So why in the world would they make him go and get a ticket? He really should have stood his ground completely and told them that he was not going to go and queue for a ticket when it would make no difference even if they did let him in without one as he's the helper. THere is no way he could have been 'faking' being a helper as his ST would have corresponded with your sister's.

The other strange thing about this is that for the last few games - my helper's ST hasn't even been scanned as I use mine to go in the disabled door - and he naturally then just comes in with me. Last season there was often a man at the side taking tickets for the other turnstile and he'd just turn around and manually scan my helper's ticket himself. But we only did that just in case he had to present to get his points and such. But we just don't bother most of the time now - esp. as there often isn't a man there anymore. So why didn't you sister's helper just go in the door with her?

Barry the bird boggler · by **Barry the bird boggler** » 20 Sep 2006 13:58

Ambulant disabled are not necessarily wheelchair bound therefore I presume in this case the lady can use the turnstile rather than waiting for someone to open the door.

Still daft why they made the helper go and queue for a ticket to get in when they're 'free'. Why didn't a steward just open the door for the chap or was it a case of not being able to identify him as a helper and therefore not want to take a chance its someone chancing it? One would think the ST would be marked to show a disabled helper in someway.

Dirk Gently · by **Dirk Gently** » 20 Sep 2006 13:59

Because stewards are given no authority or autonomy - they have no option other than to follow the rules they're given.

Even if they can see a common sense way around the situation, they're not allowed to act on their own initiative.

Barry the bird boggler · by **Barry the bird boggler** » 20 Sep 2006 14:03

Suggest its yet another thing for STAR to take up with the club when they can then....

Forbury Lion · by **Forbury Lion** » 20 Sep 2006 14:18

Presumably if a disabled person is required to take a helper along it's not a sensible idea for the stewards to force the helper to abandon the disabled person?

Custard Cream · by **Custard Cream** » 20 Sep 2006 14:51

My sister is able to use the turnstile and she had already gone through when the situation arose. Although he wasn't happy, I suspect he didn't insist too much as he thought it was a case of just going round the corner and quickly getting a ticket - then he found the queue!!

As poster above said, kind of makes a bit of a mockery of the term 'helper' !

Custard Cream · by **Custard Cream** » 20 Sep 2006 15:58

Definitely got a love/hate relationship with ticket office right now.

Sister decides she wants to go to Portsmouth away so, as she has over the required amount of royalty points, she calls ticket office to buy hers and helper's tickets. She is told that because the season ticket for her helper is new this year it doesn't have the required amount of royalty points, so she is now at a disadvantage when ordering her away tickets since registering disabled

.... unless she goes on her own of course!

As it is her name on the helper's season ticket, and the helper goes free - surely the royalty points should be matched in some way?

Volvicanus · by **Volvicanus** » 20 Sep 2006 16:15

Custard Cream Definitely got a love/hate relationship with ticket office right now.

Sister decides she wants to go to Portsmouth away so, as she has over the required amount of royalty points, she calls ticket office to buy hers and helper's tickets. She is told that because the season ticket for her helper is new this year it doesn't have the required amount of royalty points, so she is now at a disadvantage when ordering her away tickets since registering disabled .... unless she goes on her own of course!

As it is her name on the helper's season ticket, and the helper goes free - surely the royalty points should be matched in some way?

OMG- that is seriously stupid. I think she needs to take that matter up with Jackie Evans as that is just insane. She's usually quite helpful in such matters.
jevans@readingfc.co.uk

You do have to assert yourself in these matters though. As someone pointe dout - people inthe ticket office and stewards are really only capable of following the rules. You have to push to either talk to someone with more seniority or make them see sense. Because they won't do it on their own, that's for sure.

Skin · by **Skin** » 21 Sep 2006 10:11

The Ticket Office yesterday:

Custard Cream · by **Custard Cream** » 21 Sep 2006 12:26

Well she tried - but regardless of the royalty point situation the disabled allocation (of 5 I think?) have all sold out

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