Season Ticket Prices

[michael]

I might go for the 3 year option.

It will be interesting to see if £280 for a main stand ST is among the cheapest in either this league or the one below.

Can we commission someone to do this research for us?

Not me though because I am just an ideas man

[Berniman]

Ive now gone from anger to considering who I could podge to get a free ticket! 

I'll ask around and see what I can sort out for you Charlotte, for a pimp fee of course! 

[Simon Pieman]

I think I'm going to have to go for renewal in May on the credit card. It's going to work out more expensive but hopefully not too bad. I'm just not willing to accept this as a true price freeze, 42 days to find that sort of money is unrealistic.

In essence, the deadlines annoy me more than the prices or APR deal - prices for early option are still around the same and people can choose if they want to use the credit option or their own credit facilities.

The one thing I can't fathom is that the full price with installments for the TE works out either roughly the same or more expensive than match day prices. Why tie yourself into a credit agreement, other than keeping the same seat, which won't be an issue in the Town End anyway? I also think that the full prices are such that people won't bother at all if they can't make the early deadlines.

It's a bit of a shame really, after the fantastic offer we were given this season most people were full of praise. By being very stingy on the deadline, simply to get people to renew before our league status is fully known means many (including me) are picking holes in the price structures. Essentially there's not too much difference in price but it almost feels like the customers are doing the business a favour rather than the customer feeling they want the product that much that they have to pay for it as soon as possible.

[chalkies_shorts]

The renewal of family ticket 2+3 is £599 as an early bird renewal. Last year I paid £550, I think. So for me its an increase of £50 if I renew early and more if I leave it. I'll go for it again while I've still got a job and the money.
I can see ST sales going down to the normal 3 - 3.5k mark.
The cut off dates don't bother me but I can see why they're a real issue for others.
The matchday pricing and TE ST are just wrong.
Its almost like the Board have accepted flat atmospheres and low gates. Whatever happenned to the Swindon Town Experience. 

[Anteater]

someone negatively mentioned this would drive season tickets down to around 3000.  Well, result, because that's what we always get.

Other than the deadline, this still looks a cracker of a season ticket offer, enough to keep me interested.  I purchased one this season for the first time ever, I never liked the idea of shelling out in advance (even though I often went to enough games to make it worthwhile) and I don't like the same seat every week.

For a main stand in the Prem DV, you'd be looking much closer to £1000, and for most you can't get matchday tickets.

Matchday tickets are a different kettle of fish.  £22 is too much.  If I waver on the season ticket, then the matchday prices are sufficient to make matchdays a "decision" as opposed to an automatic choice if I am around.  The TE may be cheaper, but the view is so poor only those who don't mind standing and not seeing much will go.  I used to watch from the Bank as a teenager and my 1 or 2 seasons in the TE was very irritating.

Um I thought we had 5.5 thousand this season which was great ! and IMO probably back down to 3 next due to a combination of a poor effort on the pitch this season as well as not an entirely riveting ST offer for the next, early bird deadline being my particular disappointment. Some tweaking I think would help, on the deadline and re think for match day prices.

Was the TE irritation purely down to the view ?

[Talk Talk]

The TE may be cheaper, but the view is so poor only those who don't mind standing and not seeing much will go.

Don't mind standing? The reason I love the TE is because you can stand!

[pauld]

To play Devils advocate, doesn't an increased matchday ticket price make the season ticket price more attractive.

Yeah, that was Diamandis' logic when he whacked matchday prices up to 23 quid - that it would "encourage" more people to get season tickets. Didn't work. I agree the ST prices are in and of themselves good value (well, it's all relative), but as I said earlier by setting matchday prices so high, you're putting a lot of eggs in that basket. "Walk-up" sales can be a key cashflow provider during the season, especially if you come in under what you budgeted for on ST sales, and with prices that high, you're creating a significant barrier to entry for casual sales - it may only be the difference of a burger/pint etc but most casual sales will look at the headline figure and be deterred. The converse also applies - with a lower headline figure, they end up buying the burger/pint/programme anyway and you make back the two/three quid difference plus some - 1500 at 19 quid plus extras is always going to be better than 8/900 at 22 quid and skipping the burger/pint.

With a tight window for most to buy STs (most will have to buy before June) you're running the risk of shutting people out two ways - you're gambling that everyone can renew by June, whereas in reality those deadlines will shut a fair few out who'll go for the "pick and choose" option. That's fine if we have a good season next year, but if we don't they'll pick and choose less and less at 22 quid a pop. And at that point, you're losing regular customers long term as people get out of the habit of going. I think our core support will remain where it's been for ages now - around 4500, but it's going to make it harder to pick fans up during the season, and make it easier to lose existing ones.

I suppose the idea is to get as many as possible of "the faithful" to buy STs in the main stands, and hope the your walk-up sales see the headline figure as 16 quid in TE rather than 22 quid in the main stands.

All in all, I think the pricing on the STs is actually really good - again. And the extension of kids o free to under 10s is great. But I hope I'm wrong that the combination of the timing on deadlines and overly high matchday prices could undermine that.

[michael]

Another piece of research that someone could carry out is this:

How many STs had we sold by 1st June 2008?

I got mine early doors I know that.

[pauld]

Another piece of research that someone could carry out is this:

How many STs had we sold by 1st June 2008?

2261 as of close of play 31st May but then we had a greatly elongated renewal period (till August) so you can't really compare year on year. I'd be disappointed if we sold less than 3500 this year (which would still be greatly up on previous years where we've generally done 2500-3000), pleasantly surprised if we sold 5000 and would expect around 4000-4200. Because I think a lot of the regulars will stay on STs because despite the early deadline, the basic ST price is still good value if you see yourself going to most matches. What I'm worried about is walk-up (ie non ST) ticket sales

[michael]

Another piece of interesting information would be as to how many people paid cash, or quasi-cash (i.e. a debit card, or cheque), and how many used a credit card.

I am sure the answers to the questions I have posed over the last 24 hours will begin to uncover some answers to the queries posed by this new ST promotion. Just like season 5 of LOST is doing with the secrets of the island.

[jonny72]

The prices, deals and terms seem like a big step backwards to me.

- The interest rate for monthly payments is taking the piss, bearing in mind you're still paying in advance and the low interest rates about at the moment. There is a strong argument that they shouldn't charge any interest, or at most say 5%-10%.
- The Town End prices should have been slashed with the aim of selling out as season tickets. Giving people the option of a really cheap ticket and meaning the end will be full at every game.
- £22 for match day tickets is a complete joke. Who in their right mind would pay that to watch Swindon? At most I'd pay that for a few games against the biggest / best teams, against the crap teams there is no chance.
- Not sure of the need for discounts for people renewing or buying early. Why not just a flat £279 for everyone?
- They still need to get more realistic with the prices. As an example, the most expensive season ticket at Sunderland (for everyone buying early) is £465. Bearing in mind that gets you games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool etc its a bargain compared to £279 at Swindon.

Personally I reckon they should be keeping ticket prices low and then looking to make extra money elsewhere - food, programmers, merchandise etc. Maybe something like a £400 ticket for adults which gets you; the tickets, a shirt, hat and scarf and a programme at every game. Basically bundle things to get people to spend more and giving more in return. Or something like that.

[pauld]

- The interest rate for monthly payments is taking the piss, bearing in mind you're still paying in advance and the low interest rates about at the moment. There is a strong argument that they shouldn't charge any interest, or at most say 5%-10%.

This has already been dealt with several times in this thread, e.g.

In fairness, as others have already pointed out, the club won't have any control over this as this is a standard credit agreement. What happens is they outsource the collection by installments to a credit company who pay the club the money up front then collect the money from the customer as per any standard hp/credit agreement. If you've got a problem with this, probably best to tackle all those who "decided not to bother renewing" last season on what was never a renewal but a staged payment agreement. It's their welshing that has forced the club to outsource it and hence the APR.

Basically, if you take out the installments option, what you're actually doing is taking out a loan/credit agreement with a 3rd party loan company

[Arriba]

3rd party, 4th party, whatever? still a shit deal.
it's almost like they dont want anyone to buy a season ticket in the townend. the packages are that poor.anyone who buys upfront in there is seriously loyal, or a nutter.

[Simon Pieman]

The finance package may be poor, so use your own credit card instead and pay it off over 10 months.

[Simon Pieman]

Here's something I've also been pondering. People have raised the point the town end should be cheaper. Is this because they want an incentive to move back to the town end, or because they simply want an even cheaper price?

I like the town end, I'd prefer it to be cheaper, but I still pay to go in there because I want to be in there more than the other stands. Also, due to everyone clearing out, I've got a fairly decent view right above the middle exit, so even better for me.

But it's more of a thing I'm interested in, not criticising.