COLUMNIST JOE JENNINGS

Absurd Ticket System

By Joe Jennings : 30/09/2007 :

Comments (20) :

I don't expect much from my matchday experience. A hot Bovril, edible wine gums and a place to go the toilet.

What I do expect is to fucking get in. My seasoncard has been faulty all season, working once or twice. On the occassions it hasn't worked I have simply been let in regardless. Today I was forced to queue up to get a replacement ticket 30 mins before kick off. I requested a head steward and explained the situation. I was brushed off as if I was in the wrong! I was basically told unless I go and queue at the Goodison Road Box Office, I wasn't getting in

Fact is, why should a season ticket holder have to queue for 20 minutes when it's the club who has cocked up. Can't they get anything right? Last season nobody had issues with the ticketing system, it was successful. Why fix it if it aint broke? These new cards don't even have a scanning point. It's trial and error. Farcial to say the least.

Which brings me on to my next point. Today it was Ladies Day and as many will be aware the club have plastered that pink shirt on the screen, website, programme etc. Many dismayed customers at the megastore were told today the shirt will not be available for purchase as they can't legally sell it. Allegedly, due to the fact the first team will not be donning the jersey, the club cannot release it.

Surely you can work around that. Release it has a 'training top' anyone? Many women and girls alike would have snapped that shirt up. Money lost. Well done, Mr Wyness

Rant over. A good solid win today. Atmosphere wasn't wonderful and the game was from spectacular but it was a comfortable performance. Let's hope we can get a few goals on Thursday and see the boys through to the group phase. Keep the faith.

Reader Comments

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Ray Robinson
1 Posted 30/09/2007 at 23:01:32

Same thing happened to me with the sesaon card but fair-do’s the club refunded my registered post cost of replacement

Paul McGinty
2 Posted 01/10/2007 at 01:21:54

Regarding the matchday experience, my 75 year old mother as a season ticket ticket was in her Lower Bullens seat. As per usual the language from the two 20 year olds behind her was really disgusting throughout the game...given it was marketed as "Ladies Day", maybe the club can enforce its own rules and do something about bad language. What are the stewards there for?

arthur jones
3 Posted 01/10/2007 at 04:28:46

I had a problem last season when i purchased a ticket by phone during the day of the evening game versus Spurs ,I was told to pick my ticket up at the park end box office , on arrival I was directed to the goodison road office , where I was told by a steward that I had to go to the Bullens road office , a bit annoying but in my circumstances a problem as I suffer from osteo arthritis in both my knees and even with my walking stick I cannot walk very far , So I phoned 330 2200 whereupon when explaining my situation to a lady in the box office , she actually came out from bullens road to find me , (brown cords , away shirt , walking stick , black jacket) , and gave me my ticket , so they can be very helpful and the lady who came out to see me was very polite and apologetic , A pity we lost !!

Greg Murphy
4 Posted 01/10/2007 at 07:48:10

Release it as a training top? Joking aren’t you Joe? Everton to employ a little "plan B" thinking to work around a technicality? No chance.
Incidentally, I also know quite a few girls who wanted to buy that top (although it was for Breast Cancer Awareness, the Amanda Holden adverts were ironically pretty good PR for us) and were met with the usual lazy and clueless responses from the unmega store. The story about your ticket doesn’t surpise me in the slightest as the service ethic of the club is non-existent.

Michael Newton
5 Posted 01/10/2007 at 08:36:03

This happened to me yesterday, I was told that my ticket was faulty but he let me in this time only and told me to go to the box office before the next game.
This is the Liverpool game I cant go during the week because I am in work, and I do not want to go match day because it will be heaving.

robert carney
6 Posted 01/10/2007 at 11:04:15

With a lttle foresight and an approach to the sponsers of the clubs shirts, Imagine the money the peoples club, Cancer research and the extra publicity this would have raised.

But once again, led by Wyness would we have expected anything different by way the this club is run.

A lot more disillusioned fans immediately comes to mind.

Chris Riley
7 Posted 01/10/2007 at 11:26:02

I have bought 2 tickets this season. the delivery of which the club has messed up twice now.

We all no what happened at the Karkov match, but then sheffield wednesday as well!

I ended up paying for another ticket on the night. I am still awaiting a response from the club as to what they are going to do about my money.

I am getting sick of the amature twats running the club, who think that the club is progressing forward off the pitch.

Peter Roberts
8 Posted 01/10/2007 at 12:38:26

What more do you expect from the worst-run club in the Premiership.

I pity all those travelling on the official club package this week, considering what happened last time we went to the backside of nowhere, I can’t see us turning out that great a support in the Ukraine.

I, like many, had to queue up for replacement tickets before the Metalist game, the excuse for which was given as problems with the mail. Now, although external problems can’t be helped, it still struck me as very strange that this could happen to so many people.

I also share the discern that the pink top wasn’t released as some sort of merchandise - surely if you’re going to go to the trouble of marketing Ladies Day - which, by the way, was our worst turnout of the season at just over 31,500 - you should be looking to extort (for want of a better phrase) the most amount of money out of the fans as much as possible? Opportunity lost.

ged matthews
9 Posted 01/10/2007 at 13:03:32

hope you get your season tickets sorted out soon joe as im after your tickets for the derby!get on the phone and demand that its sorted out before then!

shaun douthwaite
10 Posted 01/10/2007 at 12:55:22

my ticket was also one of the many that wouldn’t allow entry into the ground yesterday.surely it is the system at fault and not the cards as the queue at the goodison road ticket office held a lot of disgruntled blues as a result.can you also see the chaos if this reoccurs for the derby?heaven help us!

Michael Newton
11 Posted 01/10/2007 at 13:22:13

Why fix something that isnt broke, handing in the next voucher in your season ticket book never caused a problem, now your in the laps of the gods when you enter the ground not knowing if the fucking machine works or not.

Mark Murphy
12 Posted 01/10/2007 at 13:34:29

I had the same problem but it might be because i am gay

Paul Humphries aka BINSSYYY
13 Posted 01/10/2007 at 13:37:15

i am indeed also gay cz i gt gigs

Mark Murphy ov Manchester
14 Posted 01/10/2007 at 13:36:04

EEEENNNNNNTTTTTEEEERRRR SSSSHHHIIIKKKAAARRRIII ARE BETTER THAN EVERTON LAD I WANT THEIR BABYS, I AM ALSO LACKING IN GENITAL SIZE

Brian Waring
15 Posted 01/10/2007 at 14:05:51

Just a thought,but couldn’t the club use the pink shirt as the ladies team’s third strip,and then sell it?As my other half said,the club could donate so much of the profit on the shirt to the breast cancer charity.Imagine the great PR involved for the club(never mind also making a few quid themselves) in doing something like this.

Mark Stone
16 Posted 01/10/2007 at 14:20:09

Aren’t there premier league rules regarding how many shirts you’re allowed to release within a given timeframe - to stop the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool bringing out new home kits every year and ripping off their fans. I’ll be honest - a lot of peope would be moaning if Everton had released this top because ’their kids would want it’ and ’its not on that we’re already having to buy 3 kits’ etc. Am I right? We’ve seen it so many times.

Mark Stone
17 Posted 01/10/2007 at 14:41:01

You can get the shirt at eauction from the official site

Emma Newsham
18 Posted 01/10/2007 at 14:33:41

With regard to the pink shirt situation I have been on the megastore website today and they have changed their message about the sale of pink shirts:
"Due to unprecedented interest in the pink Everton Breast Cancer Awareness shirt we have ordered 1000 of the shirts in girls? and ladies? sizes. These are expected to become available in late January. More details will follow.

I only hope that interest hasn’t died down by then but I will definately getting one as soon as they come out.

Greg Murphy
19 Posted 01/10/2007 at 18:08:09

Yeah, Emma, on sale in late January. In other words, after the Christmas peak. If it wasn’t Everton you couldn’t make it up. I know that I’d have bought three of these for Christmas presents. So that’s £100 from me that the club has missed out on. Just so frustrating.

Brian Wolf
20 Posted 02/10/2007 at 04:57:47

Personally, I think all season ticket holders should have to queue up for tickets at some point during the season. It will show them what the ordinary plebs have to put up with every other week.

Karl Masters
21 Posted 02/10/2007 at 11:47:36

Judging by the level of interest shown already, 1000 shirts is unlikely to be enough. Tracy Weston, Head of Marketing, said on Sunday that 14% of our attendance is female. That’s an average of around 5,500 females at the game every time. Add on all the non match-goers, wives, sisters, girlfriends etc of the rest of us and who knows how many potential buyers you are talking about.

It’s good that they acknowledge a mistake and do something about it, but typical that they then go and make another mistake not ordering enough.

Mark Austin
22 Posted 02/10/2007 at 12:12:29

I am sorry to say it but our club is a k=joke and will remain in this position until some changes are made.

After the humiliation of the UEFA game I would think it would send up a little thought bubble for change. However I still haven’t heard anything after my complaint. They say they are still investigating what happened. Luckily I can help answer the question, YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF FXXKING IDIOTS!

Investigation over quit or be sacked is the solution. Jog on!!

Jack Owen
23 Posted 05/10/2007 at 12:23:06

Joe your a fucking joke! but i still love you