Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Really annoyed My sons worked really hard at school for his mocks so, as a surprise I tried to buy tickets online for tomorrow’s game v Millwall, chose seats, assigned memberships for my son and I and proceeded to checkout. Entered card details and got an ‘Error try again’ so tried again but got another error. So tried my credit card in case was an HSBC problem but same error- so clearly it was a website problem. I called the ticket office and after 11 minutes on hold spoke to Someone who was really helpful, but wanted to charge me £2 booking fee and, even though I had no alternative as the website won’t accept payment, couldn’t waive the fee So instead I’ll save myself £48 and we’ll watch on Sky red button instead...a shame and poor customer service from the club I did call Supporter Services just to let them know, the lady who answered (after another 8 minutes on hold) was polite, said she’d look at the website problem but wasn’t able to waive the booking fee Seems a bit shortsighted to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTeamInBristol Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 £10 tickets in the Dolman I believe (not that it helps with your poor customer service experience) Also you would still have had to pay the £2 booking fee if you could have purchased online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyredredrobin Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Booking fees really annoy me, whether booking tickets for football concerts or stage shows. Cynical marketing ploy to give the impression that the tickets are cheaper than they actually are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exAtyeoMax Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 10 minutes ago, Paulton Red said: Really annoyed My sons worked really hard at school for his mocks so, as a surprise I tried to buy tickets online for tomorrow’s game v Millwall, chose seats, assigned memberships for my son and I and proceeded to checkout. Entered card details and got an ‘Error try again’ so tried again but got another error. So tried my credit card in case was an HSBC problem but same error- so clearly it was a website problem. I called the ticket office and after 11 minutes on hold spoke to Someone who was really helpful, but wanted to charge me £2 booking fee and, even though I had no alternative as the website won’t accept payment, couldn’t waive the fee So instead I’ll save myself £48 and we’ll watch on Sky red button instead...a shame and poor customer service from the club I did call Supporter Services just to let them know, the lady who answered (after another 8 minutes on hold) was polite, said she’d look at the website problem but wasn’t able to waive the booking fee Seems a bit shortsighted to me Surely cancelling the trip because of £2 is more shortsighted? Seems a shame… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian dave Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Booking fees annoy me too - especially when you book direct. However, I believe they apply whether you book online or by phone, so you'd have had to pay it either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meh Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Wow - not celebrating success over a whole £2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Hunt-Hertz Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 How the hell do a few key strokes justify a £2 charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy27 Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Paulton Red - I will happily sort you out with two pounds. I know it's more likely the principle rather than the money, but seriously - come and enjoy (hopefully) the game with your son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 We will celebrate, will go to Blackburn match instead but might have done both...the online booking didn’t show a booking fee, maybe that’s why the payment got screwed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meh Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 31 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said: How the hell do a few key strokes justify a £2 charge? Bristol Sport have to supply staff, expensive hardware and software - the booking fee is what absorbs that cost surely? At my work we pay a monthly fee for each user for hardware, software, maintenance contracts etc etc to our central IT team who are non-profit and the charge for my 1 laptop and the various software I need is shocking. Keeping systems going to provide a service is pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 You don’t pay a booking fee if you buy online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTeamInBristol Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 minute ago, Paulton Red said: You don’t pay a booking fee if you buy online Yes you do, and have done for at least the last 4/5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 36 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said: How the hell do a few key strokes justify a £2 charge? Somebody had to be there to do those key strokes and need a computer to do it on at least . I realised a while back that the price of tickets for concerts , sporting events etc are just for the promoter and logically a company who sells those tickets needs to fund itself . I understand, equally, that in the good old days we could see clearer why a booking fee was taken as tickets arrived in the post . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Journalist Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 It seems a shame for your son for the sake of £2. By all means kick off about it, write a letter of complaint etc because it sounds really daft... but if going to the game was really about treating your son and not just added to the story for dramatic effect it seems a bit like you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian dave Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Meh said: Bristol Sport have to supply staff, expensive hardware and software - the booking fee is what absorbs that cost surely? At my work we pay a monthly fee for each user for hardware, software, maintenance contracts etc etc to our central IT team who are non-profit and the charge for my 1 laptop and the various software I need is shocking. Keeping systems going to provide a service is pricey. Yes, but surely that’s part of the costs involved in providing the product, same as the players wages, matchday staff, business rates etc etc. When you buy something in a shop you don’t expect to pay for the product and then an extra £1 to cover the cost of the checkout staff and the till? I just don’t get the need to charge £29 and a £1 booking fee, rather than just £30. I get it for away game tickets where we’re just providing the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exAtyeoMax Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Paulton Red said: You don’t pay a booking fee if you buy online Just checked, it doesn't come up initially but does at the checkout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoons Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Paulton Red said: You don’t pay a booking fee if you buy online Yes you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty Swallocks Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Paulton Red said: You don’t pay a booking fee if you buy online Incorrect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Seems like Paulton Red was indeed a ‘ silly customer ‘ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, italian dave said: Yes, but surely that’s part of the costs involved in providing the product, same as the players wages, matchday staff, business rates etc etc. When you buy something in a shop you don’t expect to pay for the product and then an extra £1 to cover the cost of the checkout staff and the till? I just don’t get the need to charge £29 and a £1 booking fee, rather than just £30. I get it for away game tickets where we’re just providing the service. I am guessing there are tax reasons for this? It would certainly make it easier from a costing point of view. A similar example would be CCJ's that are taken from someone's wages, companies can charge a nominal £1 admin fee for this and will record it separately for costing purposes and to ensure it doesn't get mixed in with the payments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 3 hours ago, wendyredredrobin said: Booking fees really annoy me, whether booking tickets for football concerts or stage shows. Cynical marketing ploy to give the impression that the tickets are cheaper than they actually are. Yep. Would be like being charged £3.50 for a pint of beer, plus 30p glass charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 I did buy the tickets, I realised I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, but I was annoyed by it. Here's my email receipt...no booking fee when I buy online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 7 minutes ago, CotswoldRed said: Yep. Would be like being charged £3.50 for a pint of beer, plus 30p glass charge. If that pint of beer was being served by another company you would expect them to want a return for their service. If the pint of beer is owned and sold by the same company then the selling costs should be included in the price . Is this the case at City or are Bristol Sport handling the ticket sales ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exAtyeoMax Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 2 minutes ago, Paulton Red said: I did buy the tickets, I realised I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, but I was annoyed by it. Here's my email receipt...no booking fee when I buy online Good on yer! Hope you and you son enjoy it. That's weird, it clearly showed up this morning but I did try and buy it with logging on as a STH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East End Old Boy Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said: Good on yer! Hope you and you son enjoy it. That's weird, it clearly showed up this morning but I did try and buy it with logging on as a STH. It’s because he’s printing it at home and not having a ticket posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 I honestly don’t remember ever paying a booking fee. Looked through my email receipts back to City v Wigan in August 2016 and only time I have ever paid a booking fee was when renewing memberships, never paid a booking fee for tickets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulton Red Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 4 minutes ago, East End Old Boy said: It’s because he’s printing it at home and not having a ticket posted. There’s a separate delivery cost to booking fee...so when I renewed memberships I paid £2 booking fee and £1 postage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTeamInBristol Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Possibly to do with tickets being in the Lansdown stand - the most expensive tickets. I have always paid a 'booking fee' when buying extra tickets despite being a STH and buying for members. As well as another fee for postage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CiderCraig Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTeamInBristol Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 4 minutes ago, CiderCraig said: You must have a lot of time on your hands... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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