Season Ticket Refund?

[Old Man Andrews]

Anyone asking for a refund should be immediately banned by the club. None of this is their fault and they owe you nothing.

[Millsy]

I never actually bought a season ticket, but as a fan I shall be expecting a payment equivalent to the cost of season ticket to cover me pro rata for the stress this is all causing me.

[Forbury Lion]

Perhaps they will consider giving ST holders free access to the iFollow online service to watch the home games from home? (although if they gave everyone access, that would mean we're paying for something that is free anyway)

At the very least, they need something in place for next season as it's a financial risk for fans effectively buy 23 match day tickets in advance (admittedly at a discount) when the games may not actually take place either because the season starts behind closed doors or we face a second lockdown (particularly if this turns into a seasonal illness) whilst waiting for a cure/vaccine. I personally will not renew right now in these uncertain times.

How may ST holders do we have? - If they have to implement social distancing we may see only ST holders permitted into the ground sat 4 seats/3 rows apart of something with no spare tickets therefore available for other fans.

Obvious way to change ST is rather than take all the money upfront the money only gets taken as each game gets played, so you effectively sell 23 separate match tickets.
Not foolproof and not gre at for the club’s cash flow but might persuade more people to sign up. I agree I would be reluctant to commit to a full season currently

Some form of credit on your account to use as you wish - megastore merchandise, cup game ticket, away game ticket, payment towards next seasons Season Ticket, that sort of thing.... but not an automatic discount on next seasons renewal as I reckon they will just remove the usual renewal discount so we in effect miss out on the refund, also not everyone will be able to renew.

[Forbury Lion]

Here's an interesting question - If you purchased your ST on a credit card, would that make it easier to obtain a refund for the events that did not take place? I know people with concert tickets have got refunds.

[Forbury Lion]

Anyone asking for a refund should be immediately banned by the club. None of this is their fault and they owe you nothing.

It's not the customers fault either and legally, the seller may owe the customers a refund for something they sold but can now not provide.

I would hope the club have adequate insurance cover in place for these type of situations?

Long term, it might be in their best interests to offer something to ST holders, some of whom are now unemployed or furloughed as a result of this epidemic.

[Forbury Lion]

Premier League preparing for the 2020/21 season to be played behind closed doors
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52528124

Assuming this happens and assuming the championship follows.....I guess season tickets won't exist.

[RoyalBlue]

Anyone asking for a refund should be immediately banned by the club. None of this is their fault and they owe you nothing.

It's not the customers fault either and legally, the seller may owe the customers a refund for something they sold but can now not provide.

I would hope the club have adequate insurance cover in place for these type of situations?

Long term, it might be in their best interests to offer something to ST holders, some of whom are now unemployed or furloughed as a result of this epidemic.

Re Insurance: Have you not heard all of the reports stating that the vast majority of businesses are now finding out that their insurance policies do not cover the current circumstances i.e. enforced closure by Government due to a global pandemic?

Regardless of current circumstances our money effectively went the moment we paid for the season tickets. What we've been deprived of is the 'entertainment' not the money.

Getting a refund now at the possible cost of not having a football club to support in the future seems a pretty poor deal to me.

[Schards#2]

Anyone asking for a refund should be immediately banned by the club. None of this is their fault and they owe you nothing.

Well it's not the fault of airlines that they have to cancel flights but I don't think anyone would argue that their customers are entitled to a refund for flights they paid for but were cancelled.

As per the original post, I would be happy to waive any refund provided the players have also done their bit in some way

[Nameless]

Here's an interesting question - If you purchased your ST on a credit card, would that make it easier to obtain a refund for the events that did not take place? I know people with concert tickets have got refunds.

Would be an interesting legal arguement. I bet the clubs would argue that your season ticket is a single purchase, rather than a book of individual tickets. A bit like if you bought a bar of chocolate, ate some of it then tried to get a refund on the squares you hadn’t eaten. Obviously a single concert is very different to a series of matches. Would they have got a refund if they had seen 75% of the concert and then it had been stopped for reasons out of the artist’s control ?
I wonder whether clubs recognise the revenue when the STH is bought or as each match is played ?

[Nameless]

Anyone asking for a refund should be immediately banned by the club. None of this is their fault and they owe you nothing.

Well it's not the fault of airlines that they have to cancel flights but I don't think anyone would argue that their customers are entitled to a refund for flights they paid for but were cancelled.

As per the original post, I would be happy to waive any refund provided the players have also done their bit in some way

Would not getting the chunk of their salary based on appearances / results be enough ?
I have no idea how our player’s deals are structured. If the £10k /£20k a week figures we hear talked about represent £2k basic and the rest is based on personal and team performances would that count as players sacrificing income ?
If the wages are heavily bonus based you can understand why they might be resistant also given up a chunk (all) of their basic wage.
But it might not work like that....

[SWLR]

Hoping I can roll forward remaining "Bundle" tickets.

[Forbury Lion]

Here's an interesting question - If you purchased your ST on a credit card, would that make it easier to obtain a refund for the events that did not take place? I know people with concert tickets have got refunds.

Would be an interesting legal arguement. I bet the clubs would argue that your season ticket is a single purchase, rather than a book of individual tickets. A bit like if you bought a bar of chocolate, ate some of it then tried to get a refund on the squares you hadn’t eaten. Obviously a single concert is very different to a series of matches. Would they have got a refund if they had seen 75% of the concert and then it had been stopped for reasons out of the artist’s control ?
I wonder whether clubs recognise the revenue when the STH is bought or as each match is played ?

You could argue it's like a package holiday, You fly to Spain and find the hotel is closed.....they can't refuse compensation based on the fact you used the flights or signing up for 10 driving lessons and being refused a refund because you took one lesson and the instructor is no longer able to provide the remaining 9.

I personally will be happy with something other than a refund for the 5 remaining games, Perhaps 5 free tickets to future games?

If the club don't handle this right, they may never sell another season ticket again - imagine if all this kicked off at the start of the season, Fans paid in advance for tickets to 23 games all to be played behind close doors. They would have to give a refund or roll them forward to the following season.

[Forbury Lion]

Here's an interesting question - If you purchased your ST on a credit card, would that make it easier to obtain a refund for the events that did not take place? I know people with concert tickets have got refunds.

Would be an interesting legal arguement. I bet the clubs would argue that your season ticket is a single purchase, rather than a book of individual tickets. A bit like if you bought a bar of chocolate, ate some of it then tried to get a refund on the squares you hadn’t eaten. Obviously a single concert is very different to a series of matches. Would they have got a refund if they had seen 75% of the concert and then it had been stopped for reasons out of the artist’s control ?
I wonder whether clubs recognise the revenue when the STH is bought or as each match is played ?

If it classed as one performance, then that's like going to a cinema that only shows 75% of the film and plays the remaining 25% to empty seats.

The correct accounting treatment is to spread revenue recognition as you deliver the goods.

[Simmops]

Anybody who gets a season ticket for the dross of RFC deserves to lose out that money tbh. Surely this is a better use of the money you spend on a ST then actually going to games?

[fred sharpes nose]

Would assume my remaining bundle tickets will rollover to the net season - even thought Ts & Cs say you forfeit them. Goodwill gesture by the club will encourage positive behaviour from supporters - the "tough shit you forfeit" response would make people think twice about spending. Its not as if we don't have the space in the ground anyway so the is zero opportunity cost IMO. Also there is a mood that people may be less inclined to go back anyway, and also the cold turkey element - we have been weaned of the drug of regular footie to a degree The relative value of residual games say £20 ave ticket x 10,000 fans approx = £200k per game. How many did / do we have left 5 - so £1 million approx is what we are talking about - a tidy sum but small change given the scale of our financial situation

[One87One]

Would assume my remaining bundle tickets will rollover to the net season - even thought Ts & Cs say you forfeit them. Goodwill gesture by the club will encourage positive behaviour from supporters - the "tough shit you forfeit" response would make people think twice about spending. Its not as if we don't have the space in the ground anyway so the is zero opportunity cost IMO. Also there is a mood that people may be less inclined to go back anyway, and also the cold turkey element - we have been weaned of the drug of regular footie to a degree The relative value of residual games say £20 ave ticket x 10,000 fans approx = £200k per game. How many did / do we have left 5 - so £1 million approx is what we are talking about - a tidy sum but small change given the scale of our financial situation

Our Football Club is very fair with the fans. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and be patient.

[Elm Park Kid]

If players are expecting the club to honour their contracts 100% then why shouldn't fans expect all refunds/compensation legally entitled to them? Otherwise you have a situation where the poorest in society are subsidising the richest.

Nothing bad is going to happen to the club if fans ask for their money back. FFP is going to be abandoned for the season and the owners will either make up the difference or all clubs will run on lower budgets.

I does depress me sometimes when fans argue for their own exploitation. You have to realise that every single penny you feed into the club goes straight into paying players wages. Every penny. If fans across the board put less in then the ONLY consequence is that players wages would be lower. Football would carry on as it does today . . . .

[Green]

I does depress me sometimes when fans argue for their own exploitation.

+1, this never fails to surprise and me.

Purely as an industry football is pretty abhorrent, the people running it (from the local FA all the way up to FIFA) equally so.

[RoyalBlue]

Would assume my remaining bundle tickets will rollover to the net season - even thought Ts & Cs say you forfeit them. Goodwill gesture by the club will encourage positive behaviour from supporters - the "tough shit you forfeit" response would make people think twice about spending. Its not as if we don't have the space in the ground anyway so the is zero opportunity cost IMO. Also there is a mood that people may be less inclined to go back anyway, and also the cold turkey element - we have been weaned of the drug of regular footie to a degree The relative value of residual games say £20 ave ticket x 10,000 fans approx = £200k per game. How many did / do we have left 5 - so £1 million approx is what we are talking about - a tidy sum but small change given the scale of our financial situation

Our Football Club is very fair with the fans. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and be patient.

Totally agree. Furthermore, 'rights', 'free games next season' etc. will all mean sweet FA if the football club goes out of business. Yes, the club along with most, if not all, others will have great difficulty shifting season tickets if there can be no guarantee of football next season but I think that uncertainty will drive most people's decisions, more than whether they get anything back for this season.

[RoyalBlue]

I does depress me sometimes when fans argue for their own exploitation.

+1, this never fails to surprise and me.

Purely as an industry football is pretty abhorrent, the people running it (from the local FA all the way up to FIFA) equally so.

I've been very critical of owners and business management in the past but I really don't think that the club under the Dais has been exploiting us at all. Just look at the initiatives that they've introduced and paid for out of their own pockets.

Reduced income will lead to reduced money available for players wages and transfer fees. Football will continue, players wages may drop but I suspect our club's position in the football pyramid will drop too. And if the Dais take the view we're an ungrateful bunch of barstewards and/or get fed up of pumping so much of their money in, our club may not exist at all.