VIP supporters club...sorry, I mean 'Club Red' !!

[digby]

This Club Red thing has pissed me off all along, but must admit the e-mail received from STFC recently was the last straw !!  

Entry to the Samsung 'win a contract' game at the CG is unrestricted for Club Red members, but subject to a limit for all other 'pleb' season ticket holders 

As you can see by the low number of posts I make, I can't often be arsed to write much, but must admit I was moved to send the following reply to the e-mail I received ...........

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I am very disappointed to see this as yet another example of Club Red members being given priority over the season ticket holders, who are the life blood of this club.

Guaranteed entry to this trial, exclusive invite to meet the manager evening, the priority booking for the black shirt and the following scandal of trying to charge £10 extra for it - are all ways of showing how the club views its season ticket holders as second class supporters.

Perhaps next season I won't bother paying around £250 to renew my season ticket, when all I have to do is pay £25 to become a member of the exclusive Club Red brigade. Then I can become an 'important supporter' who can sit at home every saturday and listen to the match on the radio, and most importantly, I can 'cream off' all the benefits of shop discounts, meet Danny etc. and generally lord it over the plebs who are merely season ticket holders.

Yours dejectedly

[Digby]

PS - Please forward this to whoever is responsible for setting up and marketing this scheme
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I know I'll probably get slated by some on here (summer of 69 ?) but just thought there must be quite a few others out there who share my feelings ! 

 [Rant over !!]   

[STFC_Gazza]

You should join red club 7 or whatever it is to get the benefits! Joking aside the Club Red and One Red schemes ARE GOOD IDEAS.

Basically The board from what I can see have stripped the season tickets to your basic "seat" for all matches and removed the perks like money off the club shop. To get those perks back, you pay a premium.

If the season ticket was say 30 quid dearer at the start of the season (with the perks I may add), less people would have bought them and winged that the price was too hight for L1 football even with the benefits included.

But YES the way it has been advertised is pretty poor and does look like it pisses over season ticket holders.

If I worked at the club and the marketing side next season I would try to get the club  to be clear and have a different season ticket structure and scrap the club red thing.

FOR EXAMPLE THE CLUB COULD OFFER........

SEASON TICKET - £199.00 TOWN END, FOR ALL LEAGUE MATCHES, FREE RESERVE HOME GAMES
SEASON TICKET PLUS - £229.00 TOWN END, FOR ALL LEAGUE MATCHES, MONEY OFF CLUB SHOP, FREE RESERVE HOME GAMES etc etc.

That way its clear precise and fans cant complain if they dont get the perks. The club then also gets that extra £30.00 which you would get for club red.

[Crispy]

I've got club red and a season ticket, whens this samsung job? Is it all in the email?

[deltaincline]

Good post, Diggers. I might even join your protest by sending a letter to the club as well. I get the impression that the club have become quite arrogant in recent times though. Almost untouchable, even, so It may well fall on deaf ears. We'll see.

Gazza, thanks for a half-heared attempt to explain the actions of the club over the club red fuck up, but it wont fucking wash.

It's about time that pompous fucking CEO of ours pulled his finger out of his arse and explained exactly why season ticket holders - let alone all the other pay on the day fans - are now regarded as wankers who are good enough to pay for the season in advance, but dont deserve the simple courtesy of an explanation as to why previously enjoyed consessions have been withdrawn, apparently without notice.

I've read some very elequent theories about stripping bare the perks of season tickets etc - all from fucking fans on here though! Where is the comment or explanation from the fucker in the hot seat?

As you can tell, this bollocks really winds me up. I'm fed up with saying that Fitton and the board have done so fucking much, yet they let themselves down badly by allowing shit like this to fester. The drive for new season ticket holders was brilliant, and it's genuinely ace to see all the general PR and good feeling around the place (blah, fucking blah), despite not being brilliant on the pitch yet this season, but how the fuck can they try and pull such a stunt on season ticket holders and think they could get away with it?

As it's now too late to reverse what happened, I'd advocate a fucking great big public apology, now, and the offer of free membership of Club Red to all existing season ticket holders fo the remainder of the season, Mr Watkins. Fail to either adequately explain it, or worse, do fuck all about it, will run the risk of a serious decline in season ticket sales next season - whatever we do on the field this season.

[red_army]

I have a season ticket and have had one for a number of years - I also joined the 'Club Red' - My season ticket guarantess my seat at each home game, it gives me a priority for other games should I need to purchase a ticket (play'offs etc) - I choose to purchase a season ticket as it saves me money on each home game, based on the advance & matchday prices, its also saves me going to the clubshop each time I want to purchase a ticket !!  
I'm sure that most of us have a season ticket for these reasons, because it suits us.....
£25 for club red.. Also because it suited me to buy, I got a DVD which I would have purchased anyway, leaving the club red costing me £12.....  

[Rich Pullen]

So basically all is rosey until it affects you?

The perks of 'Club Red' initiative was explained in full from the start wasn't it? If you wanted the perks for this particular service then pay the £20 and you're in.

Of course the club values the season ticket holders... This was a different incentive for people who can't get a season ticket, I see nothing wrong with it.

[thedarkprince]

Fail to either adequately explain it, or worse, do fuck all about it, will run the risk of a serious decline in season ticket sales next season - whatever we do on the field this season.

Get a fucking grip.  If you seriously think that people won't renew their season tickets because the Club Red benefits aren't available to ST holders then you're fucking delusional.

[Nemo]

How many people have Club Red that aren't Season Ticket holders? I'm genuinely interested, because I'd always presumed it'd be 90%+ and this was essentially just an additional benefits card for Season Ticket holders, not for occasional fans as you're making it out here.

[Panda Paws]

How many people have Club Red that aren't Season Ticket holders? I'm genuinely interested, because I'd always presumed it'd be 90%+ and this was essentially just an additional benefits card for Season Ticket holders, not for occasional fans as you're making it out here.

I'm a club red member but not a ST holder, purely because paying each week suits me because I never know who I'm going with and I get in for almost free anyway.

As much as the OP fancies a rant, Pullen summed up my opinion on it.

[Power to people]

As has been said the perks seem to be being offered to 'Club' members rather than ST holders, I see the point of the club it is another way of expanding the database and making a few extra quid etc, but the club need to remember that ST holders are the lifeblood of a football club and when they become P'd off and don't bother renewing key income goes down.

This season ST prices were pegged back and they removed the perk of club shop discount, fair enough but to then remove all other perks and only offer them to what seems an elite group is unfair, there are quite a few ST holders that got a ST expecting a good season, on the back of an poor - average season so far and coupling with the feeling of not being valued they may decide next season not to bother renewing.

Hopefully Fitton & Co will see sense and sort this out. 

[Stegenfreud]

when all I have to do is pay £25 to become a member of the exclusive Club Red brigade. Then I can become an 'important supporter' who can sit at home every saturday and listen to the match on the radio, and most importantly, I can 'cream off' all the benefits of shop discounts, meet Danny etc. and generally lord it over the plebs who are merely season ticket holders.

Then buy one then!! If you want all the benefits on offer become a club red member. If you don't then don't buy it!!!!!

Look at it from the other side, you're a season ticket holder but all you want is a seat, a discounted guarenteed seat week in week out, you pay your money and then realise that part of your ST price covers lots of benefits, discounts and events that you don't want.....wait a minute, why is that fair? WHAT AN OUTRAGE!! I don't want discount in the shop or priority at events... blah blah i just want a seat! The club should refund the difference surely? Why should i pay for benefits i won't use and don't want? Blah blah blah.... to my mind there would be more in this camp than the other.

The bottom line is we are lucky to be fans of a club with cheap season tickets (comparitively). They are cheap and will stay cheap because of initiatives like this. If the club wanted to screw fans over they would have left it to go bust a few years ago not sink 10 million into it an service its 2 million a year operating losses.... If you think that they sit in their office thinking 'now how can we screw over our faithful fans?' then you are deluded...

[leefer]

Then buy one then!! If you want all the benefits on offer become a club red member. If you don't then don't buy it!!!!!

Look at it from the other side, you're a season ticket holder but all you want is a seat, a discounted guarenteed seat week in week out, you pay your money and then realise that part of your ST price covers lots of benefits, discounts and events that you don't want.....wait a minute, why is that fair? WHAT AN OUTRAGE!! I don't want discount in the shop or priority at events... blah blah i just want a seat! The club should refund the difference surely? Why should i pay for benefits i won't use and don't want? Blah blah blah.... to my mind there would be more in this camp than the other.

The bottom line is we are lucky to be fans of a club with cheap season tickets (comparitively). They are cheap and will stay cheap because of initiatives like this. If the club wanted to screw fans over they would have left it to go bust a few years ago not sink 10 million into it an service its 2 million a year operating losses.... If you think that they sit in their office thinking 'now how can we screw over our faithful fans?' then you are deluded...

He didn,t say that...he raised a very valid point....i am a season ticket holder...on a more general issue i notice the catering/drinks etc in the Town End are going backwards again....little things i know but things like no hot food left at half time...no sugar etc.
Dont keep coming out with this chestnut of the clubs been saved so fuck it....when you pay good money you have a right to voice your opinions....you are the deluded one if you think fans will renew season tickets if standards start slipping back to old times.....as Digby said he isn't a constant whinger....he feels pissed off so good on him for letting off steam if he feels miffed.

[jonny72]

I don't think anyone is complaining about having cheap season tickets and the option of paying extra for additional benefits.

The problem is that if this is what the club are planning they should have made it clear before they started selling season tickets towards the end of last season. Though I think part of the problem is the club are just making it up as they go along.

It is a fuck up and whilst it's unlikely to lose any season ticket holders it has pissed quite a lot of people of. Pissing off your most loyal customers is never a good idea for any business. I expected a lot better of Fitton and the other owners.

[Arriba]

if you want the benefits then join the fucking club.

[leefer]

if you want the benefits then join the fucking club.

Not worth joining to be honest....but i can see why people are a little miffed.