Guest Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 58 minutes ago, Charliesboots said: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/can-i-avoid-hidden-ticket-charges Just a quick Google search on fees has turned up that the club could be in a bit of bother over this (legally) and should people seek redress those people would be within their rights. @29AR what's your view on this as someone who has a better insight than me? No better insight I'm afraid. If I had to guess then it would be nothing in legislation about booking fees, possibly a code of conduct regarding them though. @Chivs just quickly looking at that and VAT unlikely to be the driver: that case went to the European Court this year and HMRC won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chivs Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 49 minutes ago, 29AR said: No better insight I'm afraid. If I had to guess then it would be nothing in legislation about booking fees, possibly a code of conduct regarding them though. @Chivs just quickly looking at that and VAT unlikely to be the driver: that case went to the European Court this year and HMRC won. Well, if not VAT... I'm cynical when it comes to these "obvious" anomalies. It's clearly dishonest to claim tickets are £10 but enforce a £1 "booking fee". Money will be involved somewhere. Namely, the saving of it for the business. For the record, I don't mind paying £11 for a ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 14 hours ago, Alan Dicks said: When your asked by a female steward "home end or away end" when collecting your ticket wearing a Bristol City shirt ! Where do they get these ppl from I wonder? I was asked " Bride or Groom " ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 12 hours ago, Charliesboots said: @ChippenhamRed I see a question has been asked in Q&A, for what it's worth I'm going to bring it up when I'm down there this week in the open forum arranged. Put them on the spot and see what's the reasoning. Still at a loss to understand how turning up on the day justifies a booking fee...bonkers. The only thing that I can think of is that it is not BCFC handling and selling the tickets but another company and the extra is their in come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Got to the ground at 2:10 had two tickets by 2:25 walked around to the South Stand, had a look around the shop and the concourse and then into the ground for 2:50. What was the problem again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiale Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I'd be happy to have a fingerprint system - just put your finger on the scanner when the price pops up, and it pays and takes the money from your a/c - probably be the future... just before the gangster finger necklace endemic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliesboots Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 18 minutes ago, Major Isewater said: The only thing that I can think of is that it is not BCFC handling and selling the tickets but another company and the extra is their in come. If that's the case Major then I'm fine with that providing the club clearly advertise the fact beforehand and that if your paying cash there is always the opportunity for the booking fee not to apply. Whats happened in this instance is in my opinion underhand and against the spirit of the regulations that apply to additional fees being charged not to mention the PR disaster and alienation it causes for supporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliesboots Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 21 minutes ago, Port Said Red said: Got to the ground at 2:10 had two tickets by 2:25 walked around to the South Stand, had a look around the shop and the concourse and then into the ground for 2:50. What was the problem again? The £1 booking fee being applied to POTD customers without prior notification including applying to those who paid cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 No excuse for the booking fee, the club need to explain their selfs fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Dazzler Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 5 hours ago, Selred said: Also if the tickets were £10 wouldn't the queue be a lot quicker because you won't need to faff around giving people change? But the extra work caused by faffing around to give people their change justifies the extra quid for the booking fee..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippenhamRed Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 1 hour ago, Major Isewater said: The only thing that I can think of is that it is not BCFC handling and selling the tickets but another company and the extra is their in come. Don't get them the excuse. If that's the case then they can call the ticket £11 and sort out who gets from that themselves. Especially when a walk-up cash customer is paying the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COACH2 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I was only able to make a decision to go on Friday evening. Went on line bought and paid for tickets and opted to print at home all nice and easy. If there hadn't been an option to print at home I would not have gone, as unfortunately the clubs track record for POD is abysmal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 1 hour ago, Charliesboots said: The £1 booking fee being applied to POTD customers without prior notification including applying to those who paid cash. Well that wasn't the problem at the beginning of this thread and I couldn't be bothered reading 4 pages of moaning (again). As for the £1 the same thing happens at every gig or event I attend these days. I usually get around it by paying in advance but this was an on the day decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliesboots Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 6 minutes ago, Port Said Red said: Well that wasn't the problem at the beginning of this thread and I couldn't be bothered reading 4 pages of moaning (again). As for the £1 the same thing happens at every gig or event I attend these days. I usually get around it by paying in advance but this was an on the day decision. No worries, enjoy the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up The City! Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 15 hours ago, 29AR said: You mean like a pre-booked ticket, which you can order before you turn up at the gate, and 'print out' and hand it in? Sorry, I know I'm being a sarcy nob in this response but the point is you're talking about pre-orders rather than turn up on the gate and hand over moneys for entrance. And we have a pre-order and print ticket option in place already. I'm not sure any new, Apple scan tech would've helped today or be worth the club's outlay. I don't think it's a solution that's going to fix a problem because it still relies upon pre-orders. And we have a pre-order system in place. In these days or tablets and smartphones how many people actually own a desktop let alone a printer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 19 hours ago, Bs4Red said: Do you know what, the club has just undergone a transformation to a 27,000 all seater stadium so how about seeing as they are rushing to be ready for next week. Give the club a break. They have more important things to worry about today than people trying to get into the game. People may disagree but being ready for next week is vital. Everything else has taken a back seat, be patient and a little more understanding Irrespective of yesterday and the new ground etc etc, this has happened many times over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippenhamRed Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 45 minutes ago, Port Said Red said: Well that wasn't the problem at the beginning of this thread and I couldn't be bothered reading 4 pages of moaning (again). As for the £1 the same thing happens at every gig or event I attend these days. I usually get around it by paying in advance but this was an on the day decision. That's the point though; there is no getting around it. And "It happens everywhere" isn't an excuse for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 16 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said: That's the point though; there is no getting around it. And "It happens everywhere" isn't an excuse for anything. Of course it is. All businesses pass the costs associated with ticketing to the people who buy them, but you seem to be suggesting that the club doesn't run like a business. Isn't that part of the reason we have been where we are for so long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldlandReddies Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 3 hours ago, Port Said Red said: Got to the ground at 2:10 had two tickets by 2:25 walked around to the South Stand, had a look around the shop and the concourse and then into the ground for 2:50. What was the problem again? Others maybe had a busier morning than you then stuck in traffic and struggling to find a place to park before joining the queue. Whatever way you look at it, a club that wants to get to the Prem one day cant even manage to cater for a couple of thousand pay on the day customers for what turned out to be a very disapointing game and also charged them more than they expected. I expect quite a few of them will not come again. Poor show from the club, very poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roe Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Can't believe people are trying to defend this. Ok it's not the most shocking thing in the world but it's still wrong and needs sorting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBCFC Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 24 minutes ago, OldlandReddies said: Others maybe had a busier morning than you then stuck in traffic and struggling to find a place to park before joining the queue. Whatever way you look at it, a club that wants to get to the Prem one day cant even manage to cater for a couple of thousand pay on the day customers for what turned out to be a very disapointing game and also charged them more than they expected. I expect quite a few of them will not come again. Poor show from the club, very poor. I'm not going into the money thing, but the ticketing was clearly stated beforehand that there would only be one box open to buy tickets from. The club said that in a statement beforehand and for people to arrive with plenty of time. Right now the priority for the club is making sure that everything is sorted for Saturday and before that, OK to pass the SAG meeting on Wednesday. I'm sure some people had busy mornings, but the game wasn't until 3pm, there's plenty of time for people and I think the large queues were more down to people rocking up last minute, or sitting in the pub for a few hours first, instead of getting their ticket then going to the pub, rather than everyone being so busy that they couldn't possibly get there any earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippenhamRed Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 1 hour ago, Port Said Red said: Of course it is. All businesses pass the costs associated with ticketing to the people who buy them, but you seem to be suggesting that the club doesn't run like a business. Isn't that part of the reason we have been where we are for so long? Who said anything about not wanting the club to be run like a business? Of course I want the club to be a successful business, but that doesn't mean adding hidden and compulsory charges to the headline price. The costs themselves are not the issue, it is the lack of transparency. If tickets yesterday had been advertised at £11, this conversation would not be happening. Like any business I expect it to behave with respect and decency towards its customers, many of whom have been loyal for many, many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cider-manc Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 18 hours ago, ChippenhamRed said: The club have to pay all sorts of companies for all sorts of services, paid for (in part) by ticket sales. There is no reason to separate one particular cost as a "booking fee". We know the reason; it is cynical and deceptive marketing ploy which advertises a headline "ticket" price, but then adds a small but significant sum later in the process once people are all but committed to the purchase. I don't know what ticket company we use but if they are a member of s.t.a.r (a self regulating group within the ticketing industry) then they have to disclose what you are paying them separately to what you are paying for the actual ticket. If city have a deal that dictates that they pay the ticket company £1 per ticket, (even if purchased face to face) You may find that they have to disclose that you are paying the ticket company a booking fee. I imagine the club would probably prefer to hide that fee within the cost of the ticket. However Ignoring all the above, it was a massive error not advertising the fact a booking fee needed to be paid per ticket on POTD sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippenhamRed Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 37 minutes ago, cider-manc said: I don't know what ticket company we use but if they are a member of s.t.a.r (a self regulating group within the ticketing industry) then they have to disclose what you are paying them separately to what you are paying for the actual ticket. If city have a deal that dictates that they pay the ticket company £1 per ticket, (even if purchased face to face) You may find that they have to disclose that you are paying the ticket company a booking fee. I imagine the club would probably prefer to hide that fee within the cost of the ticket. However Ignoring all the above, it was a massive error not advertising the fact a booking fee needed to be paid per ticket on POTD sales. Interesting @cider-manc. Certainly this would seem like the most reasonable explanation for the booking fee. However.... - I presume it wouldn't stop the club advertising the true cost of £11 with a comment along the lines of "includes booking fee", rather than the misleading £10 headline. - What has changed since last season? - How does this explain the Which link posted further up the thread which states it should be possible to avoid charges by paying cash in person? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 22 hours ago, spudski said: I can't understand, why in this day and age, nobody has invented an App, where you buy your ticket via your mobile phone, and then the club automatically send you a bar code for your ticket, onto your phone screen, via a picture message, which you then scan at the turnstile like with that of a paper ticket. Simple idea...in theory I'm sure it would be possible? The same setup that Hengrove were running for the community game, I didn't go but apparently you either printed off ticket and it was scanned or some scanned the QR code direct from your mobile phone. Much more secure and peanuts to implement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoons Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I back the club on most things but when it comes to booking fees they are just plain wrong! No need for them if the club had a half a brain they would just price the ticket at £11 and not mention the words 'booking fees'! To advertise tickets at £10 when they are infact £11 is just wrong and pretty stupid. I'm sure the club have the reasons for the extra £1 being added but don't advertise it as a booking fee just put the price of the ticket up a £1! Pr disaster!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cider-manc Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 25 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said: Interesting @cider-manc. Certainly this would seem like the most reasonable explanation for the booking fee. However.... - I presume it wouldn't stop the club advertising the true cost of £11 with a comment along the lines of "includes booking fee", rather than the misleading £10 headline. - What has changed since last season? - How does this explain the Which link posted further up the thread which states it should be possible to avoid charges by paying cash in person? To be honest I'd forgotten that there were no booking fees last season.... I can only guess that perhaps the deal city had meant that it changed after the first season..... But that would be purely speculative on my part. I would assume the club could advertise it at £11 as long as at the time of transaction it was broken down. But I don't know for sure. I'm afraid I haven't read the which link. I absolutely agree that booking fees should not be charged for face to face sales. It's ridiculous. The whole reason ticket companies exist is that you are paying for the convenience of not having to go to the box office. But some ticket companies just started calling it different things so they could get away with it. Administration charge, processing fee etc. But they would agrue that they are licensing city their product and it is used for potd as well as orders in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverRed Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 What's the latest on this? I know the MKelly has put something in the Q&A section, but states that it's not his remit. I also know that Andrew Billingham was on RB this morning, but what did he say. I really think that adding a booking fee to a cash purchase is out of order, to apply it to each ticket rather than each booking is really taking the pi$$! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatcham red Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Andrew Billingham responded to my points on the radio earlier and I believe a statement will be issued. The £1 charge is driven by the supply chain, in this instance the ticketing software provider. Bristol Sport absorbs 50% and passes the rest on to us. The key issues here are communicating this, applying it to all transactions including groups, POTD and print your own. It's important not to mix this up with credit card fees, which are already not passed on to fans. This from the minutes of FAN in May: "Members fed back their own reaction and those of other fans. The officers had already criticised the extra booking and service fees especially because they had not been mentioned when FAN had discussed the matters. There was common consensus from FAN to the club that it would be better to include any fees within the price." It's not as if they didn't know it would be unpopular! The Trust has also had long running debates around premium rate phone numbers as well as fees. We thought that battle was won. Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Ian M Posted August 2, 2016 Admin Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 "The £1 charge is driven by the supply chain, in this instance the ticketing software provider. Bristol Sport absorbs 50% and passes the rest on to us" Surely this is just the cost of doing business, they take all their expenses involved in putting on a game of football and charge a ticket price based on those costings. You don't expect to go to McDonalds only to be told it will cost an extra 50p if you want your Big Mac to come in a box. I'm sure by the letter of the law they are fine but to me it is tantamount to false advertising to state tickets are a certain price but provide no method for customers to pay the price advertised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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