Duracell Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 There was a petition going round my part of the East Stand, protesting against moving fans from their usual seats in the East Stand to make way for United tickets. I've heard a lot of disgruntled fans sitting around me who were annoyed with the prospect of moving, and the two fellas in front refuse to go to Cup games as a result. I didn't sign the petition, because I like the chance to watch the game from somewhere else and understand why it needs to be done. And speaking to people around me, the move itself isn't really the issue, because we all enjoy the atmosphere the South Stand brings and we get why Cup rules are different - it's the attitude, communication and further arrangements of the club that's got people's backs up. I remember my dad ordering his tickets for the Chesterfield game last season, and said it would have been nice to have had it explained in more detail that he would have to be moved for Cup games in future when the SS was moved - and his response from the guy on the phone was "well, you're the first to complain." Not exactly great customer service is it? Not only was that a strange retort, it turned out not to be true. A number of East Standers seemed surprised by the news they had to move for big Cup games, and when they contacted the club, they got a "them's the rules I'm afraid"-type response. Then, after the attitude, there is the problem of relocating itself. The guys behind me are a group of 6, and if they want to sit together, they're almost definitely going to get a worse view and a worse atmosphere than their season tickets. Suppose this is hard to get around, but it does have the feeling that once you know you have to move, you have to sort yourself out and grab whatever's left. When you get this many unhappy people, it suggests to me that the club have missing links in the chain during this process. The only reason why I'm typing this is that it's frustatingly easy to put right if the club had just made the East Stand fans feel valued. The faces around me don't change much and a good number of them have had their seats since the stadium opened, and should expect better from the club when they're moved from their usual seat for big Cup games. The first thing the club could do differently would barely cost anything - better communication with the affected fans, maybe some sort of apology for the inconvenience when it happens, or at the very least, a proper explanation - would you have known about the move or the reasons why without following this forum or the DET? And secondly, after moving them for the sake of away fans, maybe some sort of compensation - fiver off a ticket, a free bovril, a pencil, a chicken nugget, a bag of nails - anything, just something to suggest these fans are more than just numbers to the club. But you probably don't even need to do that if you do the first thing properly. We're not talking a huge amount of people here, are we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srg Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Doesn't affect me, but I was speaking with one of the affected and the only way they found out is that happened to look on the terribly designed website a couple of days ago before they actually went on sale. Very little communication. Wouldn't be that difficult to send out an automated email to those who have season tickets in the affected areas, would it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Have to be honest and say being moved doesn't really bother me, but I can see your point Duracell, others do mind, but the club could soften the blow a bit by offering some small compensation. A free cuppa or a pie maybe, just to say sorry for the inconvenience of having to move, cos some fans do get quite attached to their seats. It'd probably keep a fair few smiles on faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Agree re the comms, no one around me had any clue they had to change seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 People were told about this when they moved the away fans to the corner from the south stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duracell Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 57 minutes ago, ossieram said: People were told about this when they moved the away fans to the corner from the south stand. Told how? I knew but a lot of people don't seem to have got the message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duracell Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 1 hour ago, ladyram said: Have to be honest and say being moved doesn't really bother me, but I can see your point Duracell, others do mind, but the club could soften the blow a bit by offering some small compensation. A free cuppa or a pie maybe, just to say sorry for the inconvenience of having to move, cos some fans do get quite attached to their seats. It'd probably keep a fair few smiles on faces. Doesn't bother me either, to be honest I would rather be in the South Stand anyway for this one so I'm more than happy to move. And I'd happily give up my seat for the big ones even if I couldn't get a ticket there. Just think this is easily corrected for those that are a bit pieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 33 minutes ago, Duracell said: Told how? I knew but a lot of people don't seem to have got the message. When they first gave us the chance to move from the South East corner into the South stand it was on the website about how they wouldn't be moving the fans from the South stand and that it would be the East stand that would be used for cup games. Plenty of fans were asking the question when the move first happened and the club confirmed the South stand would not be used for away fans and they put something in place so they would have segregation in the East stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 3 hours ago, ladyram said: Have to be honest and say being moved doesn't really bother me, but I can see your point Duracell, others do mind, but the club could soften the blow a bit by offering some small compensation. A free cuppa or a pie maybe, just to say sorry for the inconvenience of having to move, cos some fans do get quite attached to their seats. It'd probably keep a fair few smiles on faces. Doesn't effect you either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 3 minutes ago, Boycie said: Doesn't effect you either! Bin shifted afore actually Ralph, always thought it was good watching from a different pog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Ram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I have to move because my seat is under the segregation netting. This I only found out when I tried to buy my seat. It said 'unavailable'. When I queried with the ticket office I was told that the info was on the website. Well, you try and find anything amongst that load of cobblers that is the Dcfc site! Wouldnt it have been better to email everyone? What would it cost? Paying someone some overtime to gather email addresses probably. I am moving to the south but I'm not that thrilled with it. But truthfully I'm more hacked off with the lack of info and the rubbish customer service. Loads of great things coming out of the club but in this occasion a big fat fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 9 minutes ago, Ewe Ram said: I have to move because my seat is under the segregation netting. This I only found out when I tried to buy my seat. It said 'unavailable'. When I queried with the ticket office I was told that the info was on the website. Well, you try and find anything amongst that load of cobblers that is the Dcfc site! Here you go, it wasn't hard to find. http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/manchester-united-ticket-details-confirmed-2900687.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Ram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 1 minute ago, ossieram said: Here you go, it wasn't hard to find. http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/manchester-united-ticket-details-confirmed-2900687.aspx Not from a link it not but even then 'ticket details confirmed' does not shout 'details here of east stand seats affected' does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 1 minute ago, Ewe Ram said: Not from a link it not but even then 'ticket details confirmed' does not shout 'details here of east stand seats affected' does it? I didn't find it from a link! Go onto the official site and click where it says news and it's on page 3. And if you are not in any of the blocks mentioned below and have to move, then it is bad communication. Due to different away allocation regulations for the Emirates FA Cup, Manchester United have been allocated 5,500 seats in the East and South East sections of the iPro Stadium (The blocks are East Lower I, H, G and half of F & East Upper J, I, H and half of G are the affected areas in the East Stand). Some Season Ticket Holders seated in the Marathonbet East Stand for league matches will not be able to purchase their regular match seat(s) and instead those supporters will be able to purchase a seat that is not currently held by a 2015/16 Season Ticket Holder in a different area of the iPro Stadium. Read more at http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/manchester-united-ticket-details-confirmed-2900687.aspx#KCvivrmSmuqBGu8A.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Like Ossie, I knew us in the South Stand would not be moved, the club made that commitment at the time of the move. Like Duracell says though, it was not easily obvious if you didn't already know that. Lads on our minibus thought the SS would be given over to Man U. Its only because i'm mates with Mel and a member of the forum elite that I could enlighten em with my superior itk mine of information. If you have to resort to the official website for info i suggest you open the site then walk the dog for 45 minutes. By the time you get back its just about loaded..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicME85 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Still dont get this attitude of a god given right to having your ST seat for cup games. Cup games are not included in STs, you are only buying the seat for league games, the club give you the opportunity to buy the same seat for cup matches they dont have to. Now if we had the same policy that clubs like Man United have where ST holders are required to purchase a cup/European ticket regardless of their desire to attend then I would understand the feelings of resentment at having to move as in that circumstance the seat is yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duracell Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 3 hours ago, ossieram said: When they first gave us the chance to move from the South East corner into the South stand it was on the website about how they wouldn't be moving the fans from the South stand and that it would be the East stand that would be used for cup games. Plenty of fans were asking the question when the move first happened and the club confirmed the South stand would not be used for away fans and they put something in place so they would have segregation in the East stand. This is exactly my point - all this was done via announcements on the website. I'm not saying the club hasn't been transparent, but that the communication could be better. What percentage of the DCFC fan base reads the website on a regular basis? Clearly not many when, three years on from the announcement, it's still news to some fans. The club has the email addresses or postal addresses of every single season ticket holder. Want to tell a fan their seat isn't available? I'd have thought that's a far more effective way of getting the information across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duracell Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 10 minutes ago, RicME85 said: Still dont get this attitude of a god given right to having your ST seat for cup games. Cup games are not included in STs, you are only buying the seat for league games, the club give you the opportunity to buy the same seat for cup matches they dont have to. Now if we had the same policy that clubs like Man United have where ST holders are required to purchase a cup/European ticket regardless of their desire to attend then I would understand the feelings of resentment at having to move as in that circumstance the seat is yours. I would encourage you to read my post again. I've said this isn't about East Stand fans losing their usual seat to segregation itself; rather the attitude the club has to the fans having to make way. Fans are made to feel stupid by the ticket office for not knowing. It was normal, for the past 17 years (or longer if you've been a ST holder since the BBG days) to expect that your ST seat is reserved for Cup games - when that no longer becomes normal, fair enough. But at least let the fans properly know that isn't the norm anymore first. This isn't about seats. It's about how an organisation communicates with its customers and supporters. Change affects people - let them know it's coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicME85 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Well your first paragraph suggests that people wont go because of this so.... Anyway. I sit lower west and knew all about the need for east standers to move a) because they had to last season for the Chesterfield and b) because there was plenty of info kicking around on the official site (which I have zero issues navigating, not sure what people complain about...the comment about walking the dog as it takes so long is odd as pages load within a second or so) and also on DET, Twitter and Facebook. Organisations are moving away from paper based communications, unfortunately some people will get left behind if they wont (or cant) go electronic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 The Derby website is atrociously bad. I can't scroll down on it for some reason but I don't go on it enough to figure out why. I have to search for words in order to read articles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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