It's a grumble!.... - South Stand ticket move & press box

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Deadbat

Deadbat

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Before the thread police jump on this as a thread about tickets and thus may not be the right place to be; I wanted to put it here so it gets a wider audience as would welcome some advice.

There is probably very little I can do about this but wanted to see what others thought before I proceed.

Basically I have sat at the back of the South Stand for a good 10 years now and have great seats - I was lucky to get them from some other people who stopped going but told me - so moved from the Kop.

Today, I got a letter (which I will attach) from the club basically saying my (mine and my uncles) seats do not exist anymore. They have had to get rid of them to extend the press box at the back of the stand due to the demands of the premier league. I am guessing this will affect probably 100 or so seats, as there is a row behind me nearer the press box (very back row) and also maybe 50 seats on that one and 50 on ours.

They have said they have had to re-locate me. They have not rang me, asked to speak about what my options are. They have sent me a letter saying we have been moved to the Upper Tier in the Westfield Stand in the corner. They claim these are excellent seats and have moved all our section together to keep with the community spirit.

The letter then goes on to offer me recompsense in terms of the difference between the two prices and a voucher for £50 for the shop (what my 75 year old Uncle would want from the Shop I am not sure!). As an aside my uncle has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is battling that - so no idea in terms of additional steps he has to climb to get in the Westfield corner

To say I am angry is an understatment. In affect I have lost great seats I have had for a long time and will never have them again. I meet other people in that stand pre game and half time and I would not be able to do that anymore. Yes, I understand the situation but to me they have not even tried to have any dialogue with us - just sent a letter as if to say tough get on with it.

They have said I can discuss other seats available but have said there is basically nothing suitable in the stand we were in (in affect they have sold them all - the better seats) so we are left with vastly inferior seats in another stand - so no longer side on view which is what I like - it's not about the money really - although simply knocking off the small price difference - they said they will pay this back in due course - is not really enough compensation.

I am not going to go all silly and talk about trades description act etc but this is frankly appalling customer service. At best they should have contated us and asked us to go and discuss us with the ticket office manager or someone at the club and allowed us to look at other seats - they have simply bunged us somewhere else. They say we can discuss seats but there will be sod all left now.

I have attached the letter but wonder what other peoples thoughts would be a) if it happened to them b) what they would do about it

End of rant. Sorry know most people may think its a small thing and say at least you are still going but I wonder how others would feel if they were moved seats and stands. It has annoyed me - takes us all this time to get back to the top flight; I buy my seats/season tickets and then basically what I believe I have bought has now radically changed.
 

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Only thing I would suggest is that when you do contact the club highlight your uncles situation and would really hope they would do all they can to assist. Good luck with this & with your uncles health (hopefully he will enjoy many years watching us in the premier league) and look forward to reading your match reports next season
 
To be fair DB I put that before reading the full article.
I feel your pain mate.
To be pissed off at the way you've not really been considered is one thing, but dealing with being uprooted from somewhere you've called home for 10 years and all the emotions/ups and downs/familiar friendships must be gutting. A bit of a poor analogy I know, but from someone who loves the tradition of Christmas, it would be like someone saying to me, "We're sending you to Australia next Christmas to enjoy a bbq for Christmas dinner in 90 degree sunshine at someone's house who you don't know".....see, told you it was a crap analogy, but hopefully you know what I mean!
 
I guess now we know for sure !

www.s24su.com

The NEW media centre at BDTBL

Following the statement by Stephen Bettis about the work at BDTBL during the next 12 weeks, just interested as to where the new media centre might be located. Replacing floodlights is straight forward as is hard wiring the ground for SKY and even bottom up beer and contactless payments. For the...
www.s24su.com www.s24su.com

UTB
 
Original United said:
Only thing I would suggest is that when you do contact the club highlight your uncles situation and would really hope they would do all they can to assist. Good luck with this & with your uncles health (hopefully he will enjoy many years watching us in the premier league) and look forward to reading your match reports next season
Click to expand...

When I have finished ranting at the ticket office manager they may ban me yet and there wont be any reports!!
 
Got sympathy for you mate.

I suppose there's little the club can do about meeting PL regulations but I agree a bit more could have been done about your options.

I've found over many years that you often have to complain before getting decent service, particularly from the ticket office.

Obviously season tickets went on sale before promotion but I dont know how long they've known about how the regs affected the seats in the stand.

Maybe offer brand new season ticket holders the move ahead of longer term South Standers?
 
In truth not a lot the club can do mate, Sky rule the premier league so if their so called experts need more room for their hugely over inflated ego's, then the club must find room for them somewhere, if not you and your fellow south standians then Where?
Badly handled by the club considering we are a "family and community" club but from what I've read not much they can do, except kow tow to the demands inflicted on them by Sky and the premier league to conform to their standards and be allowed to play with the big boys.
I'd like to bet the club are not best pleased with having to make these changes if that makes you feel any better deadbat.
 
I agree with you it is a bit shit ,I would be gutted and theres some right bell ends sat near me ;)
Out of interest given Utds predicament ,what would have liked them to do ?
You never know they may read this and do it .
 
sitwell said:
I agree with you it is a bit shit ,I would be gutted and theres some right bell ends sat near me ;)
Out of interest given Utds predicament ,what would have liked them to do ?
You never know they may read this and do it .
Click to expand...

They should have contacted me/us by phone....invited those affected to have a chat about it....or at least allowed us to discuss it. they have not even sent my Uncle a letter - just put it on one letter to me for both seats.

I have paid £800 ish for something that through no fault of our own we will no longer get...at least in terms of what I had paid for. I understand the clubs position but they have have handled it really poorly in terms of how it has been communicated. The offer of a voucher at the shop got my uncle very annoyed. It is just derisory and quite insuling that noone is prepared to pick up the phone. If you paid that much money for most other things and the product changed or was not given as sold; you would hope you would get a different kind of way of dealing with it. It's more than the money though as it is about how to treat customers and people who may have sat there for a long time (some much longer than me probably).

What is more galling is that we will not be able to get such good seats again - unless we turn utterly crap and loads stop going as all the really good seats up there are taken. It is not a temporary move - it is forever.

As I say some will say its out of the clubs hands but I do wonder how others would have reacted if it had happened to them?
 
its a difficult one,but was expecting this tbh
One alternative is to upgrade and extend the suspended balcony underneath the south stand roof
Making it the full length of the stand would be ample to accommodate all media,the view is great as well
 

Very annoying for you - but not sure what else the club could do. They clearly have no option but to remove your seats.

For what it’s worth, I think the Bramall Lane end upper tier is the best view in the ground - although I’ve only been near the Westfield corner rather than in it. There are a number of steep steps though so you may need to look into that for your Uncle.
 
Deadbat said:
They should have contacted me/us by phone....invited those affected to have a chat about it....or at least allowed us to discuss it. they have not even sent my Uncle a letter - just put it on one letter to me for both seats.

I have paid £800 ish for something that through no fault of our own we will no longer get...at least in terms of what I had paid for. I understand the clubs position but they have have handled it really poorly in terms of how it has been communicated. The offer of a voucher at the shop got my uncle very annoyed. It is just derisory and quite insuling that noone is prepared to pick up the phone. If you paid that much money for most other things and the product changed or was not given as sold; you would hope you would get a different kind of way of dealing with it. It's more than the money though as it is about how to treat customers and people who may have sat there for a long time (some much longer than me probably).

What is more galling is that we will not be able to get such good seats again - unless we turn utterly crap and loads stop going as all the really good seats up there are taken. It is not a temporary move - it is forever.

As I say some will say its out of the clubs hands but I do wonder how others would have reacted if it had happened to them?
Click to expand...
Fair comment ,its not a lot to ask is it really.
 
I feel for you Deadbat, and I would be gutted too. But in all honesty I am not sure what else the club could have done, bar maybe a better discount or free season ticket.

I take your point that they could have contacted you to discuss, but multiply that by the hundreds of others affected, especially when you consider that most would probably not have been happy, maybe kicked off, demanding to be re-seated near to their original seats and it all gets very messy. None of the clubs admin staff/ customer service team would have been able to do much else for week or so.

Unfortunately there is probably something buried within the Ts&Cs that states they can move people if needed, without having to consult/seek agreement. As shitty as that is, I think their hands were tied here. The letter itself is also very apologetic, not that it helps of course.

As others have said though, it might be worth a letter back, especially with your uncle's condition. Simply on H&S, duty of care grounds, there may be something else they need to do.

I am sorry for you, it's shit, no doubt about it. The Westfield is a nice stand though, that's the only positive I can see here.
 
Last edited:
Following on from Original United's post the Club should be made aware of your Uncles situation. There are a number of seats allocated for those who qualify for a disabled seat. Whilst he may not satisfy that criteria his age and medical condition would I hope engender a sympathetic response from SUFC.

If you want to pursue this you could ask when the requirement for an improved media and broadcasting area was first identified. The Club have had in place a detailed plan for a return to the Premiership for some time, was this not identified and when was the actual location agreed upon. If it was before we got promoted and when you purchased your season tickets then there was a duty on the Club to have alerted you to this at the time of purchase. Unfortunately I suspect it was a last minute decision after the end of the season and you and a number of others have lost out.

Agree a letter out of the Blue telling you a decision has been made on your behalf is poor PR. A letter explaining the situation and asking if you would like to discuss options further with one option being to move to the Westfield with a timescale for a decision would have been better. Not sure the poor Ticket Office Manager is the right person if you want to vent your spleen as they will have had to implement someone elses decision.

I suspect you're not going to be the only one upset about this. With your literary talents I'm sure you could co-ordinate a response on others behalf to the likes of Dave McCarthy Operations Director.

They should at least offer you personally an opportunity to write your reports for a couple of Home matches from the comfort of the media seats as additional recompense. :)
 
Rollerball said:
In truth not a lot the club can do mate, Sky rule the premier league so if their so called experts need more room for their hugely over inflated ego's, then the club must find room for them somewhere, if not you and your fellow south standians then Where?
Badly handled by the club considering we are a "family and community" club but from what I've read not much they can do, except kow tow to the demands inflicted on them by Sky and the premier league to conform to their standards and be allowed to play with the big boys.
I'd like to bet the club are not best pleased with having to make these changes if that makes you feel any better deadbat.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's Deadbat problem I think he is upset and annoyed with the way they have dealt with the situation. I'd also be very annoyed with how it's been dealt with. It's not to do with they had no choice in the matter that's fine and people can understand that but when its forced up on you after you have already purchased your tickets that's wrong. Good luck with your complaint Deadbat and hopefully they do all they can to accommodate your needs make sure you mention about your uncle as well. And wish him good luck with his health as well pal.
 
Most importantly, how's your eyesight? I don't want to see any mistakes in your reports next season now you are sat 'in the gods'. Seriously, I think it is disgraceful treatment of a loyal fan. When it comes to football, supporters are way down the list of priorities sadly.
 
It’s poor that they didn’t contact you and the others that will be affected by this in person but like others have said I don’t know what else the club could have done regarding the loss of seats.

I guess it goes towards explaining why they haven’t re advertised any more season tickets since April as they needed the spare capacity for relocation of cases like this.
 
That is shit mate, we sit on row MM below the press box, so will probably be just ok.

The club were made aware that they had to make improvements but maybe not to the extent of shifting people from seats (perhaps they’re just shit at customer service though)

I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect a complementary ticket for this season and some sort of guarantee of first refusal on South Stand tickets for the next couple of seasons if they become available. How or if the club are capable of doing that I don’t know.
 
Deadbat said:
Before the thread police jump on this as a thread about tickets and thus may not be the right place to be; I wanted to put it here so it gets a wider audience as would welcome some advice.

There is probably very little I can do about this but wanted to see what others thought before I proceed.

Basically I have sat at the back of the South Stand for a good 10 years now and have great seats - I was lucky to get them from some other people who stopped going but told me - so moved from the Kop.

Today, I got a letter (which I will attach) from the club basically saying my (mine and my uncles) seats do not exist anymore. They have had to get rid of them to extend the press box at the back of the stand due to the demands of the premier league. I am guessing this will affect probably 100 or so seats, as there is a row behind me nearer the press box (very back row) and also maybe 50 seats on that one and 50 on ours.

They have said they have had to re-locate me. They have not rang me, asked to speak about what my options are. They have sent me a letter saying we have been moved to the Upper Tier in the Westfield Stand in the corner. They claim these are excellent seats and have moved all our section together to keep with the community spirit.

The letter then goes on to offer me recompsense in terms of the difference between the two prices and a voucher for £50 for the shop (what my 75 year old Uncle would want from the Shop I am not sure!). As an aside my uncle has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is battling that - so no idea in terms of additional steps he has to climb to get in the Westfield corner

To say I am angry is an understatment. In affect I have lost great seats I have had for a long time and will never have them again. I meet other people in that stand pre game and half time and I would not be able to do that anymore. Yes, I understand the situation but to me they have not even tried to have any dialogue with us - just sent a letter as if to say tough get on with it.

They have said I can discuss other seats available but have said there is basically nothing suitable in the stand we were in (in affect they have sold them all - the better seats) so we are left with vastly inferior seats in another stand - so no longer side on view which is what I like - it's not about the money really - although simply knocking off the small price difference - they said they will pay this back in due course - is not really enough compensation.

I am not going to go all silly and talk about trades description act etc but this is frankly appalling customer service. At best they should have contated us and asked us to go and discuss us with the ticket office manager or someone at the club and allowed us to look at other seats - they have simply bunged us somewhere else. They say we can discuss seats but there will be sod all left now.

I have attached the letter but wonder what other peoples thoughts would be a) if it happened to them b) what they would do about it

End of rant. Sorry know most people may think its a small thing and say at least you are still going but I wonder how others would feel if they were moved seats and stands. It has annoyed me - takes us all this time to get back to the top flight; I buy my seats/season tickets and then basically what I believe I have bought has now radically changed.
Click to expand...

Got total sympathy mate. I've had a season ticket 22 years, moved around loads to get a 'proper' seat and am about to embark on my 5th year in these seats which I would now hate to lose.

I can understand the reason they had to do this, but think the club could've informed you earlier and in a better way than this
 
Rob86 said:
That is shit mate, we sit on row MM below the press box, so will probably be just ok.

The club were made aware that they had to make improvements but maybe not to the extent of shifting people from seats (perhaps they’re just shit at customer service though)

I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect a complementary ticket for this season and some sort of guarantee of first refusal on South Stand tickets for the next couple of seasons if they become available. How or if the club are capable of doing that I don’t know.
Click to expand...


We are NN so you might be getting a letter as I spoke to another guy who says 3 rows have been affected he thinks.
 
That is really awful, I can see where they're coming from obviously, but there are so many issues as you say, access, social, view.

I think the best thing you can do is think about whether you would be willing to split from your row, and just sit with your uncle, and get 2 seats together on the South somewhere else, I'm sure there are some towards the Kop maybe, but where they'll be is a lottery, as is who'll you'll be sat near.
 
Obviously this is a bit of a pisser - however I'd write a reasonable and polite letter to the club explaining the circumstances of your uncles condition and the irrelevance of the club shop to him.
You've obviously been sent a standard letter and this is your chance for them to see that you and your uncle are individuals.
I wouldn't rant but try to play on their sympathy.
We do seem to be ok as a club when supporters need some help!
Best of luck and UTB!
 

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