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Iron Filings 9:05 Fri Sep 11
There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Right I'll start this off by admitting I'm far more pissed off about this than I should be. it must be the Victor Meldrew coming out in me. I got confirmation of my 4 Sunderland away tickets today. Given these times of austerity and the fact there are three aways in October to pay for I thought I'd take up the club's offer of free coach travel. When I got my confirmation through they'd charged two lots of booking fee for each ticket, one for the ticket one for the free coach.

Yes I know it's only £6 but surely someone at the club must have had the common sense to think you can't charge a booking fee on something you are giving way for nothing?

Angry of suburbia......

Piss Flaps 8:37 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

If you can't afford it don't go

If you can afford it pipe down.

whufcroe 6:42 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

There's nothing to stop them giving away the coach travel for free but I'm not really sure you can complain at paying a £1.50 booking fee for them to process it for you.

On The Ball 6:30 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Thanks OM. True, too.

I have no reason to defend them. I don't agree with how they use the fund. I'm sure they could charge a penny rather than a Pound. You don't need to believe me, but you'll be wrong.

whufcroe 1:37 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

I believe the standard reduced away ticket cost is due to be discussed at the next board meeting.

Hardly going to dent a clubs profits with the massive new TV deals if they charge 2000/3000 punters a score for every game.

One Flew 1:18 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

If it were me, Id be targetting the reductions on games where we are unlikely to sell out as a matter of course, so Sunderland and mid week oop North would fit the bill. Ive read the view of FSF which advocating cheap tickets for all games which I would support and would suit everyone on a consistent basis, but they arent there to make money but the Premier league and clubs are and they know their client base pretty well and if were the club and looking at the way to improve margins then I'd take the more targetted approach.

One McAvennieeeeee 12:41 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

"There's some technicality (that I don't get as I'm sure I've had 100% free stuff from the Club before) that means they can't charge £0. I don't remember what it is and I'm well aware I sound like I'm bullshitting, but there is something that means it can't be free. Not a legal thing I'm sure, presumably to do with payment systems"

Hahahahahaha

Even for you, that's world class, OTB son.

whufcroe 12:29 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

One Flew 9:57 Sat Sep 12

The best way to encourage more fans to travel is by reducing the ticket price not offering free coach travel one or two times a season.

wrighty 12:12 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

I also think the free coach should be free and shouldn't cost £6.

wrighty 12:11 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

OTB

I understand the point of doing it for Sunderland, I'm in Budapest on a stag do anyway but I think it should be a reduction on ticket price. Loads don't like using club coaches and prefer to get a train.

B6NY B 12:06 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Don't know why they can't chater a cheap train like Chelsea and CHARLTON ATHLETIC do for certain games,

On The Ball 12:05 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

wrighty - why? The coaches wouldn't benefit me, but they serve the purpose of making it easier to go to away games.

Terrywait 11:11 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

I see the logic to that wrighty, but a game like Sunderland can be expensive to get to, and for some the free travel is a good incentive to go, increasing the turnout

wrighty 11:09 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

If the club pay terry then it's fine but the fund should be used on tickets

Terrywait 11:07 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Providing free coach travel to a game is bang out of order? Blimey the things you read on here

cygnet 10:36 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach
There is if you live in Gillingham and go to Charlton home games.

DANNY66 10:35 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

It will be interesting to see if we have a higher turn out than usual then

Mr Polite 10:02 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

Ha you gotta love a roe being a condescending cock thread


Bizarre as they are

One Flew 9:57 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

If you read the reason this fund was set up, it was to counter falling away attendances in the premier league, and most clubs are using free or subsidised coach travel as a way of deploying this money. As far as the conspiracy theory on muddying the water, don't you think that there will be a reconciliation by each club of £200,000 received against how it's spent.

The way that croe would have it allocated would see him getting about £80 off his tickets and he was going to go to the game anyway, so how does he boost attendances.

20,000 tickets at £10, average away allocation say 2,500 , so eight games x £10 = £80. I'd call that a loyalty bonus scheme approach rather than how to tip the decision of the maybes.

Big Dave 9:46 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

I think the coach offers the best value to get there. I can't get out to zone 4 for that...

They should have offered the coach "at cost" or something. Booking fee just covers admin etc

SnarestoneIron 9:32 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

If they knocked x off of the ticket price, the beneficiaries could choose whether to use the saving to go on the club coach or make their own way there...that way everybody wins!

One Flew 1:36 Sat Sep 12
Re: There's No Such Thing As A Free Coach

£1.50 per seat = admin fee. I hope that's solved that one.

I'm catching the bus to Sunderland and back for £1.50, I decided to take advantage of this offer, because although it's not party time on the club bus it's saving me £80, and I for one see that as better than £20 off the match ticket and I think the reason they've done this is to get a few more up there on the day than would have otherwise gone.

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