Latest Barber interviews..

[casbom]

Now on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl6LvSsH9uI - part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FIOLBRYDCo - part 2

- Talks about FFP (obviously)
- e-cash
- Buses
- Budget for this season (at end of part two)
- Becoming more efficient, what else is being done to attract revenue and to improve the ticketing experience

Some highlights:

Budget is slightly enhanced from last year
Saved £2 million so far on cutting costs
Lost £250,000 on ticketing service - hence booking fees
Network rail will finish platform and signalling works by Spring next year.

 

[forumwayseagull]

Watched them earlier ( mentioned it on other thread) good to watch, now need to see enhanced budget being SPENT...

 

[Ernest]

Did he mention the chips ?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Did he mention the chips ?

He's waiting for Bloom to win some more.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Lost £250,000 on ticketing service - hence booking fees

Sounds strange this one, did they not know there was a cost involved with the ticketing service? were they expecting to make a profit?

a bit like saying they lost £10,000 on their office furniture so there is now going to be a table fee.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Sounds strange this one, did they not know there was a cost involved with the ticketing service? were they expecting to make a profit?

a bit like saying they lost £10,000 on their office furniture so there is now going to be a table fee.

I thought this comment was odd as well. I presume the club now want to pass on the cost of the ticketing to the fans....and this was how he spun it.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Sounds strange this one, did they not know there was a cost involved with the ticketing service? were they expecting to make a profit?

a bit like saying they lost £10,000 on their office furniture so there is now going to be a table fee.

I thought this comment was odd as well. I presume the club now want to pass on the cost of the ticketing to the fans....and this was how he spun it.

Spin being the operative word.

Still don't see how the software charges are any different to staff salaries, electricity bills in the office, furniture costs, computer hardware, consumables etc. they are all costs and expenses that should be covered in the price of the ticket.

 

[yxee]

How do you lose 250k on a ticketing website that charges people £2 per transaction?

 

[Brovion]

Sounds strange this one, did they not know there was a cost involved with the ticketing service? were they expecting to make a profit?

a bit like saying they lost £10,000 on their office furniture so there is now going to be a table fee.

Exactly. Or they made a loss on the electricity used or the wages spent so now there will be a 'shop useage' fee added onto every off-line sale. He must think we're daft, but the spin will fool some though, there will be posts saying "See?"

 

[Brovion]

I also note from the other thread (the one marked 'Do Not Open') the reasons for closing the Queens Road ticket office. I can see the current logic in that seeing as so few ticket sales happen off-line and for individual matches (what with most tickets already having been sold as STs). Interesting that they want to close the actual shop though due to poor overall sales.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Can you still use smart card on local bus routes? He didn't say
Also if direct debit season tickets are such a pain what about an incentive for paying the lot in advance?

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Can you still use smart card on local bus routes? He didn't say
Also if direct debit season tickets are such a pain what about an incentive for paying the lot in advance?

I think it's inevitable that there will be a small monthly fee for paying by dd at some point in the future.

 

[Bwian]

How do you lose 250k on a ticketing website that charges people £2 per transaction?

Because they also charged the club?

 

[amexee]

£250,000 annual loss for a ticketing system is absurd. i have no idea how many tickets are bought through it, but allowing for a couple of cup games and 4/5 thousand for every home game and that has to be at least 125,000. so the fees from that and another £250,000 on top is the cost to the club.

How about someone renegotiating that contract, because hosting the site should surely be in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I think it's inevitable that there will be a small monthly fee for paying by dd at some point in the future.

Definitely, the 450 whose DD's didn't come out, the admin involved in chasing missed DD's, and fans being vigilant in checking their details or changes to accounts is all softening up for next season to say 'because of the costs involved in administering the DD scheme etc.'

This will be the last season of free DD's for your season ticket. That is what he was basically saying in a roundabout way.

 

[Rookie]

£250,000 annual loss for a ticketing system is absurd. i have no idea how many tickets are bought through it, but allowing for a couple of cup games and 4/5 thousand for every home game and that has to be at least 125,000. so the fees from that and another £250,000 on top is the cost to the club.

How about someone renegotiating that contract, because hosting the site should surely be in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands.

Charge for season tickets as well. Barber said the club take that cost on the head but I would imagine its part of the 250k

 

[Beach Hut]

£250,000 annual loss for a ticketing system is absurd. i have no idea how many tickets are bought through it, but allowing for a couple of cup games and 4/5 thousand for every home game and that has to be at least 125,000. so the fees from that and another £250,000 on top is the cost to the club.

How about someone renegotiating that contract, because hosting the site should surely be in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands.

Absolute poor business by the club who clearly are shit at contract negotiation so best thing to do is pass on that loss to its customers.

 

[Rookie]

Definitely, the 450 whose DD's didn't come out, the admin involved in chasing missed DD's, and fans being vigilant in checking their details or changes to accounts is all softening up for next season to say 'because of the costs involved in administering the DD scheme etc.'

This will be the last season of free DD's for your season ticket. That is what he was basically saying in a roundabout way.

Wouldn't be so sure the club know its a fine line to tread to keep all the season ticket holders and how the DD is a very good deal. Get rid of it and the risk some not renewing which will obviously cost a lot more in the long run. A charge for missed DD is far more likely

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Wouldn't be so sure the club know its a fine line to tread to keep all the season ticket holders and how the DD is a very good deal. Get rid of it and the risk some not renewing which will obviously cost a lot more in the long run. A charge for missed DD is far more likely

If this does come in then I presume it's a two way road. I have spend considerable time a year ago proving to the club that a kit sponsorship payment was indeed made. The club were adamant it was not paid and I ended up having to trace the payment via my bank and present the club with the evidence. Only when I provided the details of the account into which I paid the money and the exact date and reference on headed note paper from my bank did they "find" the payment (although I suspect they didn't find it they just accepted my evidence.). And guess what, exactly the same thing happened this year. If they want to charge for DDs they need to sort their own house out first.

 

[The Legend that IS Lawro]

I do enjoy these interviews, we ARE all in this together, for the long haul not the short, efficiency is king....I could go on.