The ticket office at Swindon Town FC seems to be one of the most unfair I've ever encountered. Why, as a student, should I be forced to pre-book my ticket, and, due to being exiled and having to prebook, have to pay a £1 booking fee each time? I guess this plays straight into STFC's hands and encourages me to buy a season ticket....!
Equally what pisses me off is when I've forgotten a ticket (twice) at away games the away ticket office on both occassions (Luton and Brizzle) have assured me Swindon Town ticket office will give me a full refund, and on both occasions have the ticket office fobbed me off with a story of "we've already forwarded the money on".... On the most recent instance at Bristol I've been told to write to their ticket office, which I will do shortly, but I'm not especially hopeful.
Okay I'm a dopey twat for forgetting my ticket, but the first point really bugs me. I don't see why I should have to prebook as a student. My NUS card has
never been checked on collecting my ticket, and it would be easy for me to continue buying student tickets after I'm no longer a student. Why not go down the path of Reading and offer price reductions for
all 18-21 year olds? Then merely ID anyone trying to buy a reduced ticket. We're probably losing hundreds on match days by people defrauding the system. Hell I even bought a child ticket for one game as I forgot to prebook a student ticket and I'm 19! (Okay, not my proudest moment supporting the Town, but I'm skint and it was the choice of that or not attending.)
Of course I've never had good relations with Swindon Town ticket office. It was me who was sold an away ticket for collection on the day to the Withdean for "that" playoff semi final match, and then on arrival told my ticket had sadly failed to join me. Two hours later in a wet Brighton, I was being escorted away for over-zealous celebrations of Parkin's goal after breaking in and standing alone on the bank....!
