Cheeky Gits

[Stranded]

Just a quick warning particularly for people who were STs but aren't this year.

When booking my Forest ticket this week I was charged £24.50 rather than £22.50 for it. When I rang to query this it was apparently because I'm not classed as a member because I didn't renew by ST, despite using my member number online to book my ticket.

They eventually refunded the money but best to check what you've paid.

[Rawlie19]

Just a quick warning particularly for people who were STs but aren't this year.

When booking my Forest ticket this week I was charged £24.50 rather than £22.50 for it. When I rang to query this it was apparently because I'm not classed as a member because I didn't renew by ST, despite using my member number online to book my ticket.

They eventually refunded the money but best to check what you've paid.

So to sum up, you're plastic?

[Terminal Boardom]

They will claim that it is to cover the cost of issuing a new membership card. I did not renew last season but still got a free card. I renewed this season and did not have to pay a surcharge - apart from the first time buy stuff.

[Deathy]

Not on at all. My old season ticket reverted to a member card for no fee. Fair enough if they actually have to send you a new card, and you are aware of that. But that's pretty disgusting to be honest.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Not on at all. My old season ticket reverted to a member card for no fee. Fair enough if they actually have to send you a new card, and you are aware of that. But that's pretty disgusting to be honest.

agreed

But, forcing the players to wear the new shirts with the jester collars is more of a travesty .

Its 2 funkin £ deathy....sort it out and report back to us

[Deathy]

Not on at all. My old season ticket reverted to a member card for no fee. Fair enough if they actually have to send you a new card, and you are aware of that. But that's pretty disgusting to be honest.

agreed

But, forcing the players to wear the new shirts with the jester collars is more of a travesty .

Its 2 funkin £ deathy....sort it out and report back to us

? If anyone has to pay the £2, so be it, but it's the way in which they charged him without anyone being any the wiser.

[AthleticoSpizz]

has the penny dropped?

The jesters collars are just the start of it

[CMRoyal]

It's only £2 but on principle we are boycotting one match this season as a protest against this unnessary surcharge. Especially as the issuing of the member card is a considerable saving for the club because the alternative is to have to print and issue tickets for every match.

[Dirk Gently]

It's only £2 but on principle we are boycotting one match this season as a protest against this unnessary surcharge.

That'll teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget!

Have you actually tried to get them to waive this fee - or even told them that you're boycotting because of this?

[Readingfanman]

Going to ring them up about this charge, I got charged £18.50 online, with no explination as to why my ticket was £2 extra. Also annoyed they didn't tell me I would be sent a new member card. Had my old season ticket taken off me now after 5 years. Bit gutted.

[CMRoyal]

It's only £2 but on principle we are boycotting one match this season as a protest against this unnessary surcharge.

That'll teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget!

Have you actually tried to get them to waive this fee - or even told them that you're boycotting because of this?

Yep. Wouldn't post it here without telling them first. Seems to have done the trick as well. Luckily I spoke to someone in Customer Services who weren't quite as dismissive as you - if they didn't learn that arbitrarily surcharging long-term fans without notice is ultimately going to cost them, then they wouldn't be in the job I guess.

[Dirk Gently]

It's only £2 but on principle we are boycotting one match this season as a protest against this unnessary surcharge.

That'll teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget!

Have you actually tried to get them to waive this fee - or even told them that you're boycotting because of this?

Yep. Wouldn't post it here without telling them first. Seems to have done the trick as well. Luckily I spoke to someone in Customer Services who weren't quite as dismissive as you - if they didn't learn that arbitrarily surcharging long-term fans without notice is ultimately going to cost them, then they wouldn't be in the job I guess.

Good - that's the point I was trying to make. Boycotting them would be a futile gesture and not hurt them in the slightest - these things usually are easily sorted out with a single phone call to the club.

But too many people seem to think that post someong on Hobnob is enough.

[CMRoyal]

That'll teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget!

Have you actually tried to get them to waive this fee - or even told them that you're boycotting because of this?

Yep. Wouldn't post it here without telling them first. Seems to have done the trick as well. Luckily I spoke to someone in Customer Services who weren't quite as dismissive as you - if they didn't learn that arbitrarily surcharging long-term fans without notice is ultimately going to cost them, then they wouldn't be in the job I guess.

Good - that's the point I was trying to make. Boycotting them would be a futile gesture and not hurt them in the slightest - these things usually are easily sorted out with a single phone call to the club.

But too many people seem to think that post someong on Hobnob is enough.

Certainly not me, but I am learning the power of the 'net. There were two people I spoke to today who read about the surcharge here having not noticed it when they booked their tickets online. So individual people might get their single issue sorted with a single call, but the ramifications of an individual person backing up their action with a single comment here can be far from futile.

[RoyalBlue]

Yep. Wouldn't post it here without telling them first. Seems to have done the trick as well. Luckily I spoke to someone in Customer Services who weren't quite as dismissive as you - if they didn't learn that arbitrarily surcharging long-term fans without notice is ultimately going to cost them, then they wouldn't be in the job I guess.

Good - that's the point I was trying to make. Boycotting them would be a futile gesture and not hurt them in the slightest - these things usually are easily sorted out with a single phone call to the club.

But too many people seem to think that post someong on Hobnob is enough.

The club do seem pretty good at being customer focussed after the event. Perhaps now they ought to turn their attentions to making sure these sort of things don't happen in the first place. Charging people for a new member card when they don't renew their season ticket but still want to buy tickets to games really is taking the pee, not to mention extremely poor customer relationship management. To add the charge to a purchase without explanation probably borders on the unlawful.

[Dirk Gently]

The problem, IMHO, is that a lot of what they do isn't particularly "joined up." There are often times when someone relatively junior in the Sales Centre makes a decision on the interpretation of a policy which those who work in Customer Service would be horrified to hear about - and immediately would reverse as soon as they could.

Just to make it worse, these interpretations are often different between individuals in the Sales Centre, and the same usually applies with the on-line system - a policy or interpretation of one may not always be properly applied on this.

I suppose what I'm saying is that these things are almost always simple cock-ups or misunderstandings rather than any premeditated attempt to "fleece the supporters" - and in my experience are almost always sorted to everyone's satisfaction with a single phone call. That's why talk of a "boycott" is a bit OTT, if you don't mind me saying.

In an ideal world no-one would make such cock-ups, but we don't live in an ideal world, sadly, and I think the number of cock-ups these days is far fewer these days than it was 3 or 4 years ago. And every customer-service organisation makes cock-ups - the key is just how they handle them when happen, and in this I think RFC has improved immeasurably.

[Ian Royal]

Big businesses have piss poor communication. Especially when the main aim of the senior people in that business is running a football club, not a sales service.

Piss poor communication = poor implementation of policy

so basically what Dirkers said.

[Royal Lady]

Their main aim might be running a football club, but without us, the fans, season ticket holders or not, there wouldn't be a club to run. Perhaps the more "senior" staff of which you speak, should remember that!

[Ian Royal]

Their main aim might be running a football club, but without us, the fans, season ticket holders or not, there wouldn't be a club to run. Perhaps the more "senior" staff of which you speak, should remember that!

You clearly didn't really understand my post. Generally senior staff are very well aware of the need for good customer service. It's how that translates down the levels which can be a problem. As well as knowing enough about what actually happens at the ground level and how staff operate.

And directors of customer service / chief executives spend little enough time on the shop floor in businesses that are all about the customer buying, it must be much worse for a football club where the chief exec will be more concerned with things other than ticket sales.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

it is all about not giving a toss really, and the people at the top not truely caring, they should try to route their customers use, then perhaps they might understand a bit, tho it is unlikely.

JM should try getting a single match day ticket under a false name, then try parking and accessing the Jazz cafe, then he should go sit in the east, Y24/5/6, and try buying adrink or having a piss at h/t, at the FT whislte, after he has missed the last gasp goal due top cnuts standing in the access stairs pretending to leave he should walk around the Stadium, due to the safety gate, down the hill and queue for the bus to foster Wheeler.

A sfor DG reply the policyt is made from the top, the easy answer is to make a a policy that is not easy to misinterpret, eg a meber card to repalce a ST is free, no need for all this shite at all, if only someone cared.

As for me i have probably saved over £1000 on football in the last 3 seasons, almost enough to pay for hunty for about 2 hours at his current salary

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

ps I am a tad pizzed, but my point remains