Did cot rip us off?

[Baboo]

Another thought - there has been a huge amount of goodwill built up between the club and the supporters since Kelvin sorted things out but it doesn't take too long to start pissing people off again.

[Myles Francis]

Another thought - there has been a huge amount of goodwill built up between the club and the supporters since Kelvin sorted things out but it doesn't take too long to start pissing people off again.

You're not wrong. I'm increasingly getting the feeling that the fans are now getting milked for every possible penny - it's almost as if OUFC are morphing into a football equivalent of Ryanair.

[Sackcloth Ox]

The booking fees and postage fees for our own home games should be of more concern - particularly for exiles unable to call in at the ticket office, and our 2 home friendlies are hardly cheap either as the Tuesday night may make it difficult for people to commit to both.

Several other first round Carling Cup games are being priced at a tenner or so - I doubt ours will be.

And another rip off I've justed noticed on ther Dear Season Ticket Holder letter - &quotShould you wish to exchange your usual seat for another area for a game during the season please contact the ticket office. To simplify the process this season all seat exchanges will cost £2 with the exception of up-grades to the lounges or under 16 tickets in the family area.

So much for getting family and friends along on an occasional basis and all sitting together. And how stupid do they think we are - Charging £2 simplifying the process. Have I missed something?

Not really answering your question but last night we found out:

Club slated to make £9k profit this financial year. || £700K exceptiopnal item re Whitehead sell on clause.

And it was also noted that last year:

1 club in League 2 made a profit.

1 club in league 1 made a profit.

No clubs in championship made a profit.

Hmm.

[recordmeister]

Someone else complaining about OUFC &quotFleecing&quot fans over kits on another thread. My thoughts here:

http://www.rageonline.co.uk/phpBB2/view ... 4067#44067

[recordmeister]

This morning I booked tickets for the home pre-season friendlies over the phone. 75p per ticket booking fee. 50p postage.

Also the official Play-off dvd. £4P&ampP. Franked postmark on the padded bubble wrap bag £1.49. Jiffy bag price max £1.

(I accept there may be higher bank charges for &quotcardholder not present&quot card transactions, but this seems to be profiteering to me)

re: P&ampP payments. Do you think that a DVD packages itself, franks itself and put itself in a post bag and waits all on it's own for the Royal Mail to turn up? No, it doesn't. This takes a member of staff who needs to be paid. P&ampP does not just cover the &quotPostage&quot and &quotPackaging&quot but should also cover the time it takes the staff to do that job and a % profit. This is the way business works.

If you don't like it, drive to the club and buy a copy from the shop yourself. What's that you say &quotDon't have the time&quot? &quotThe petrol would cost me more&quot? Well, in which case £4 seems a bargain, then doesn't it.

Some people...

[A-Ro]

This morning I booked tickets for the home pre-season friendlies over the phone. 75p per ticket booking fee. 50p postage.

Also the official Play-off dvd. £4P&ampP. Franked postmark on the padded bubble wrap bag £1.49. Jiffy bag price max £1.

(I accept there may be higher bank charges for &quotcardholder not present&quot card transactions, but this seems to be profiteering to me)

re: P&ampP payments. Do you think that a DVD packages itself, franks itself and put itself in a post bag and waits all on it's own for the Royal Mail to turn up? No, it doesn't. This takes a member of staff who needs to be paid. P&ampP does not just cover the &quotPostage&quot and &quotPackaging&quot but should also cover the time it takes the staff to do that job and a % profit. This is the way business works.

If you don't like it, drive to the club and buy a copy from the shop yourself. What's that you say &quotDon't have the time&quot? &quotThe petrol would cost me more&quot? Well, in which case £4 seems a bargain, then doesn't it.

Some people...

Blimey Joel who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?

[recordmeister]

This morning I booked tickets for the home pre-season friendlies over the phone. 75p per ticket booking fee. 50p postage.

Also the official Play-off dvd. £4P&ampP. Franked postmark on the padded bubble wrap bag £1.49. Jiffy bag price max £1.

(I accept there may be higher bank charges for &quotcardholder not present&quot card transactions, but this seems to be profiteering to me)

re: P&ampP payments. Do you think that a DVD packages itself, franks itself and put itself in a post bag and waits all on it's own for the Royal Mail to turn up? No, it doesn't. This takes a member of staff who needs to be paid. P&ampP does not just cover the &quotPostage&quot and &quotPackaging&quot but should also cover the time it takes the staff to do that job and a % profit. This is the way business works.

If you don't like it, drive to the club and buy a copy from the shop yourself. What's that you say &quotDon't have the time&quot? &quotThe petrol would cost me more&quot? Well, in which case £4 seems a bargain, then doesn't it.

Some people...

Blimey Joel who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?

I just get annoyed when people have a go at the club for trying to make money, like any business would.

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

If the club don't try and make money, the figures are criticised and we live under &quotMerry's profligacy&quot and time of mis-direction and bad business sense.

I just want people to understand that the club is out to make money. Yes, it has to keep a good relationship with it's supporters (customers) but just don't shocked when you get charged £4 P&ampP...

[tomoufc]

re: P&ampP payments. Do you think that a DVD packages itself, franks itself and put itself in a post bag and waits all on it's own for the Royal Mail to turn up? No, it doesn't. This takes a member of staff who needs to be paid. P&ampP does not just cover the &quotPostage&quot and &quotPackaging&quot but should also cover the time it takes the staff to do that job and a % profit. This is the way business works.

If you don't like it, drive to the club and buy a copy from the shop yourself. What's that you say &quotDon't have the time&quot? &quotThe petrol would cost me more&quot? Well, in which case £4 seems a bargain, then doesn't it.

Some people...

Blimey Joel who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?

I just get annoyed when people have a go at the club for trying to make money, like any business would.

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

If the club don't try and make money, the figures are criticised and we live under &quotMerry's profligacy&quot and time of mis-direction and bad business sense.

I just want people to understand that the club is out to make money. Yes, it has to keep a good relationship with it's supporters (customers) but just don't shocked when you get charged £4 P&ampP...

It does descriminate against those that don't live in Oxfordshire though, dosn't it?

[slappy]

1200 people took up the early bird season ticket offer, which I presume was the one where you could renew in April 2010 at the price you paid last season, and which didn't include the £5 booking charge. Must have lost a bit of revenue doing that compared to the usual pre July season ticket price.

I don't mind paying a booking fee or a postage fee if it actually relates to the cost of providing that service, but my season ticket arrived today in a brown envelope with a 50p postage stamped on it.

If there are higher card charges, tell us so we can understand that. But stuff like &quotit is to cover the cost of the new booking system&quot don't wash when you don't have to pay it if you turn up in person at the ticket office.

[Matthewjbutler]

Blimey Joel who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?

I just get annoyed when people have a go at the club for trying to make money, like any business would.

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

If the club don't try and make money, the figures are criticised and we live under &quotMerry's profligacy&quot and time of mis-direction and bad business sense.

I just want people to understand that the club is out to make money. Yes, it has to keep a good relationship with it's supporters (customers) but just don't shocked when you get charged £4 P&ampP...

It does descriminate against those that don't live in Oxfordshire though, dosn't it?

As someone outside of the county I have to say I'm not concerned. Call me naive but I have faith in the (current) owners to the extent that if I put money into the club, I imagine it is being used productively. Even booking fees for tickets don't alarm me greatly as I am happy to put in a little extra for the club I love. They've given me countless happy memories over the years despite the lows we have experienced over the past decade or so and I never begrudge sinking a little of my wages into supporting it.

Just my opinion, but an honest one.

[tomoufc]

I just get annoyed when people have a go at the club for trying to make money, like any business would.

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

If the club don't try and make money, the figures are criticised and we live under &quotMerry's profligacy&quot and time of mis-direction and bad business sense.

I just want people to understand that the club is out to make money. Yes, it has to keep a good relationship with it's supporters (customers) but just don't shocked when you get charged £4 P&ampP...

It does descriminate against those that don't live in Oxfordshire though, dosn't it?

As someone outside of the county I have to say I'm not concerned. Call me naive but I have faith in the (current) owners to the extent that if I put money into the club, I imagine it is being used productively. Even booking fees for tickets don't alarm me greatly as I am happy to put in a little extra for the club I love. They've given me countless happy memories over the years despite the lows we have experienced over the past decade or so and I never begrudge sinking a little of my wages into supporting it.

Just my opinion, but an honest one.

I guess it's a kind of forced donation.

[Myles Francis]

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

Of course the club is about making money, and it would be remiss of them not to maximise income where they can. But you don't make money by alienating your customers and making them feel like they are being fleeced - and people are starting to feel that way.

I have a real issue with the way booking fees have been introduced this season. One of the ways a company ensures increased profitability is to reduce costs, and the introduction of a decent online booking system would seem to be a sensible way of doing that. So why then does it cost £1 more to book online? Then add on the extra 50p for postage and people may as well just turn up on the day.

And why did it cost me an extra £5.50 to renew my season ticket? I've effectively been penalised for living 80 miles away from the ground - going there in person and paying with the same debit card would have incurred no additional cost. And EVERYONE gets their season ticket posted out to them, so their is no additional cost to the club. Like Slappy, I don't mind paying a reasonable amount to cover postage etc, but £5.50? As Tom says, this is more like a forced donation.

[recordmeister]

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

Of course the club is about making money, and it would be remiss of them not to maximise income where they can. But you don't make money by alienating your customers and making them feel like they are being fleeced - and people are starting to feel that way.

I have a real issue with the way booking fees have been introduced this season. One of the ways a company ensures increased profitability is to reduce costs, and the introduction of a decent online booking system would seem to be a sensible way of doing that. So why then does it cost £1 more to book online? Then add on the extra 50p for postage and people may as well just turn up on the day.

And why did it cost me an extra £5.50 to renew my season ticket? I've effectively been penalised for living 80 miles away from the ground - going there in person and paying with the same debit card would have incurred no additional cost. And EVERYONE gets their season ticket posted out to them, so their is no additional cost to the club. Like Slappy, I don't mind paying a reasonable amount to cover postage etc, but £5.50? As Tom says, this is more like a forced donation.

Don't renew your season ticket then. Oh, you have done despite the charge therefore market forces say that they CAN charge an additional £5.50 because people will pay it. It's simple business, isn't it? If it put people off buying a season ticket, then the club would be foolish to do it. But it doesn't, so they can.

[tomoufc]

If the club try and make money, they get criticised for &quotfleecing&quot fans, when they're just doing what every other business in the land does (and not enough if you look at my comment on another thread about 08 numbers for ticket offices at other clubs).

Of course the club is about making money, and it would be remiss of them not to maximise income where they can. But you don't make money by alienating your customers and making them feel like they are being fleeced - and people are starting to feel that way.

I have a real issue with the way booking fees have been introduced this season. One of the ways a company ensures increased profitability is to reduce costs, and the introduction of a decent online booking system would seem to be a sensible way of doing that. So why then does it cost £1 more to book online? Then add on the extra 50p for postage and people may as well just turn up on the day.

And why did it cost me an extra £5.50 to renew my season ticket? I've effectively been penalised for living 80 miles away from the ground - going there in person and paying with the same debit card would have incurred no additional cost. And EVERYONE gets their season ticket posted out to them, so their is no additional cost to the club. Like Slappy, I don't mind paying a reasonable amount to cover postage etc, but £5.50? As Tom says, this is more like a forced donation.

Don't renew your season ticket then. Oh, you have done despite the charge therefore market forces say that they CAN charge an additional £5.50 because people will pay it. It's simple business, isn't it? If it put people off buying a season ticket, then the club would be foolish to do it. But it doesn't, so they can.

I think people would be less perturbed if they just put the price up by £5.50 and had no booking fee. It's the Ryanair/See Tickets model. But why not go the whole way with it and sell the unoccupied seats at the Kas Stad for, say, £1? You would have a full gate for every game!

There's one thing missing from the Market Forces analysis, however. With pretty much every other product on the market you have a choice between one product and another. The buyer has to go through the process of weighing up the price/use value variables and then make their choice. The point is (and this point has been made before) that football fans do not make a choice based on quality like other products. If that was the case I would have started supporting Reading years ago. No, we're stuck with our clubs for better or worse and therefore we have no 'choice.'

[slappy]

Anyway, Didcot did rip me off. Game supposed to kick off at 7.30, didn't start til at least 7:45. Had to leave before the game finished to make my train home and missed 2 goals. Where do I apply for my three pound refund?