Scrapping of the PTS Scheme

[RPAS]

I understand the money side but I thought as a Club that maybe just maybe we'd hold onto some form of loyalty to fans. How can there be a 12th man with this kind of "progress"? a handing down of the tradition of supporting and attending games week in week out if there's a different fan in the seat every week? If they wanted to increase the number of PTS to say 20,000 and cap attendance at a max of say 8 games per year per ticket that wouldn't be great but it would be in some way understandable - this is just bollox.

[RoadEnd]

There was some right bollox in the letter that was sent.

"This review and consultation has involved talking to supporters and understanding the issues that fans face when trying to apply for tickets"

I'd like to challenge them to "be a supporter for a day" and get on the phone and website and see how ****e the process actually is for anyone, let alone the PTS members. It got to the stage where after listening to a 10 second recorded message informing that you were being charged for this call, you had to dial 1 for tickets then 4 for a specific match. If you're lucky you then get told that lines are busy and "please call again". 30 seconds of a charged call to find out that lines are busy. THEN - they were asking you to input your fancard number, before kindly informing you that the lines were busy. THEN when you do get through, you find out that your 77th in the queue, and 30 minutes later you might just get connected to find out they only have restricted view in the main stand. This is all assuming that you are a student, work from home or can phone from work without getting sacked.

Another bit of the letter:

"..over the past couple of seasons, we have seen a significant drop in the number of PTS members applying for tickets." More bollox - based on the fact that the PTS tickets always sell out.

Looks like Solihull Moors or Redditch United for me next season.

[Catrin]

Thinking back to when I was a child, the best games of musical chairs were always the ones where I was allowed to make a payment so that I would have greater priority over the kids that didn't have the same means. Yup, I agree that the scrapping of the PTS is scheme is terrible. If those with more money can't get an advantage over those with less money where is the fairness in that?

[lackyboy]

Thinking back to when I was a child, the best games of musical chairs were always the ones where I was allowed to make a payment so that I would have greater priority over the kids that didn't have the same means. Yup, I agree that the scrapping of the PTS is scheme is terrible. If those with more money can't get an advantage over those with less money where is the fairness in that?

Nothing to do with money. Your theory include season ticket holders too does it?

[RoadEnd]

Thinking back to when I was a child, the best games of musical chairs were always the ones where I was allowed to make a payment so that I would have greater priority over the kids that didn't have the same means. Yup, I agree that the scrapping of the PTS is scheme is terrible. If those with more money can't get an advantage over those with less money where is the fairness in that?

An extra £26 each year. Yeah, the PTS membership was only open to millionaires.



There were 5 tiers to ticket membership - Former shareholders, season tickets, PTS, Official membership, general public.

Now there are 4 with PTS scrapped.

What you fail to realise is that if you are a member of the Official Membership scheme (fancard) you still have to pay £29 to have a chance of getting a ticket before they go on sale to the general public.

[Catrin]

Nothing to do with money. Your theory include season ticket holders too does it?

With a season ticket you pretty much get a "bulk buy" discount. You get an advantage in being abe to afford the lump sum but you also pay less per ticket. The PTS is completely different. With the PTS the club is saying "give us £55 and you can have first dabs when the tickets go on sale." How is that not about money? What makes it unfairer still is that last time I looked it was closed to new members. We've got thousands on the waiting list for season tickets, so we've got thousands who want to be able to go to every game. There isn't room for all of them so only some of them can come to each game. There has to be a fair and equitable way of determining who can come to each game. The PTS can't be part of that.

[RoadEnd]

With a season ticket you pretty much get a "bulk buy" discount. You get an advantage in being abe to afford the lump sum but you also pay less per ticket. The PTS is completely different. With the PTS the club is saying "give us £55 and you can have first dabs when the tickets go on sale." How is that not about money? What makes it unfairer still is that last time I looked it was closed to new members. We've got thousands on the waiting list for season tickets, so we've got thousands who want to be able to go to every game. There isn't room for all of them so only some of them can come to each game. There has to be a fair and equitable way of determining who can come to each game. The PTS can't be part of that.

I think that you need to read this before you claim a bulk buy discount exists on a season ticket.

http://www.est1892.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61370

[Neil Young]

I think that you need to read this before you claim a bulk buy discount exists on a season ticket.

http://www.est1892.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61370

Kind of a 'buy 18, get one free' deal.

It looks like a bulk buy discount to me.

[RoadEnd]

Pedant

Let's hope Sainsburys don't crack onto "buy 18 get one free."

[Neil Young]

No. I object to that.

If you're going to make a point about season tickets (or me) then make an accurate one.

There is a discount per match for a season ticket so it's not pedantic to point out you're wrong to suggest there isn't one.

[lackyboy]

Forget the money side of things. I have been part of the PTS since the start and have been loyal throughout. I was lucky and perhaps perceptive enough to see the possible advantages of it. The scheme has been running for 10 years or so and has worked well for those who used it correctly

Now it looks to me like there were plenty of touts who saw the advantage too, and ended up with multiple memberships and abused the system. Now, we have to have the fancard and letter to gain entrance, the paper tickets are no more, hence making it extremely difficult for touts to benefit from this as they cannot sell on. I believe these are the kind of people who went to 3 or less games last season.

To have the scheme closed with no notice or replacement is purely financiallly driven by the club.

Personally, I think the current season ticket holders need a bloody good screening to find out all the people who have multiple season tickets / not the named person on the season ticket etc. But I wouldn't advocate that the club disbands all current ST's because a % of them are in the wrong hands - would that be fair? Is it any different to doing that to the PTS?

[Catrin]

Forget the money side of things. I have been part of the PTS since the start and have been loyal throughout. I was lucky and perhaps perceptive enough to see the possible advantages of it. The scheme has been running for 10 years or so and has worked well for those who used it correctly

To have the scheme closed with no notice or replacement is purely financiallly driven by the club.

I can understand your point of view. You have been paying the club for membership of the scheme and it return you get to buy tickets fore the likes of me. If works well for those who use it but it has been closed to new members for years. It doesn't work too well for the rest of us who are excluded from it. I'm sure I would think the scheme was great as well if I was actually allowed to join it.

The decision to close the scheme will no doubt have a financial element to it but it is also about removing inequality.

[Leyton388]

So let me guess now any glory hunter can get a ticket where as before the loyal pts supporters got first dibs. Shouldn't SOS have known about this and let the fans know?

[Shanks]

glory hunter, loyal pts supporters, the fans

Can you give me the lowdown on how you define each of these please.



So somebody that's never been to a game, might actually have a chance now?

[Vermilion]

Found this while reading an article about Shanks Granddaughter and SOS.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2009/06/06/karen-gill-s-tribute-to-liverpool-fc-fans-union-spirit-of-shankly-100252-23801018/2/

Fans fume over new ticket plan

SUPPORTERS have been left fuming by Liverpool’s decision to shelve the Priority Ticket Scheme.

The 10,000 fans concerned received a letter from commercial director Ian Ayre this week explaining the reasons for disbanding it.

Those fans have been paying £55 each per year to have access to 5,000 tickets for each game at Anfield.

Ayre insisted the scheme was underused with 25% of the PTS membership not purchasing a single ticket last season, while 50% bought for three games or less.

However, not surprisingly that cut no ice with the other 50% who have been buying tickets week in week out through the PTS scheme.

In order to try to get their hands on tickets those fans will now have to join the club’s membership scheme which was introduced at the start of this season, allowing supporters access to season ticket returns.

But it already has 50,000 members and is open to anyone who pays the £29 yearly subscription fee.