That was absolutely f***ing disgusting

Best get my rant out the way quick, haven't read the rest of the posts so apologies for any repetition.

I've been stood in the £45 queue since 6.45am, and just got back with 4 tickets. it looks to me like this is the longest queue, either that or the one one with the least efficient turnstyle operators. Im freezing, and I'm livid.

Leaving aside the fact that the scenes at Oakwell today are completely unnecessary and completely avoidable (with telephone/internet bookings), the organisation just to sell UNSPECIFIED tickets on the turnstyles was even beyond BFC. I estimated the queue at 8.00am to be approx 2.5 hours, how wrong could I be? Turnstyles shut for 10-15 mins at a time, and the queue barely seemed to move.

As I got to the front I realised why - for each batch (and presumably each row) the supporters club stewards were looking down the queue to find someone who wanted the exact number remaining (e.g. 7) and plucking them from whereever they were. At 8.30, someone 30 yards behind me jumped the whole queue to fill a spare 2 seats.

WHY?? If they have odd ones spare at the end of the batch - isn't this what general sale is for? I thought the seats were unspecified?? Why should anyone be allowed to jump the queue?

So as luck would have it, as I reached the front of the queue, Gordon Shepherd came down to have a word with the stewards - I think he was requesting more turnstyles be opened (but don't quote me). As he walked past, me and another fella asked if we could have a word and began to explain the problems being caused by this system (the stewards took up 2-3 mins per time just trying to locate the right person, including holding up the turnstyle operators!). Mr Shepherd listened intently for all of 10 seconds, before saying '"excuse me a moment" and walking off!

Now incompetence I can forgive, but ignorance is far harder. I am livid.

Hope everyone else fared better!!!

 

That is stupid....surely if they have 2 left or 4 left etc.....then put them to one side until someone wants that number and then you sell them those......can't be that difficult!

 

edwin chadwick would have sorted all this nonsense out: inefficiency, pah!

 

Isn't it...?

Not only that, but I also argued the toss with the steward when he took someone from behind me wanting 7... so I said well give me 4 of them. He too was somewhat rude, but I guess I wasn't too polite to him either. Shep on the other hand has no excuse

 

Shep did the same when i was waiting for Huddersfiled play off tickets

 

I noticed this happen many times on the £45 queue whilst I was in the £55.

Seems tickets are brought out in batches of 100 and they ain't allowed to get the next batch until they've all sold. The till (drawer) also seems to be emptied after each batch. £5.5K (£55 tickets) £4.5K (£45 tickets) etc..

The £45 queue snaked round at least 3 times and when it got to the end of the batch and the people at the front of the queue wanted more than available a steward shouted out to the front of the queue stuff like "Anyone need just 3" or "2" etc.. If folk in front of queue didn't answer, he seemed to shout it out louder. Only the folk on the 3rd lap of the queue who were near the back could hear better than the folk at the back of the 1st row. Hence they shouted out "ME" and they effectively jumped 3 rows of queuing.

This happened at least 4 times whilst I was near the front of the £55 queue and at one stage he shouted out "Anyone need just 9". Then in comes someone from row/lap 3 to get their tickets.

Stinks really, what he should have done is gone down the line in order asking, not just shouting out.

Also heard that the way in which the tickets are sold ie. Batches of 100 was down to the FA's instructions and there were suppose to be FA officials there monitoring the sales.

 

So what if (on the example of 9) there were 2 people further to front of queue, one who wanted 5 and another wanting 4?!

And as to the emptying of the till....well ok I understand that, but it ain't necessarily going to be an exact amount of £5.5k, £4.5k etc because of concessions.

 

Many say Mr Shepherd is a thoroughly decent bloke

and they may well be right, but if you meet someone once you have to judge them on that one meeting. As one of his customers that had been stood there for 8 hours, I feel that to walk off in such a manner (while I was pointing out problems with staff appointed by him) makes him an absolute tw@t.

 

Hang on, am I reading this right?

You're telling me that people behind you in the queue were getting served before you because they wanted the specific number of tickets at the end of the batch? If I've read that right then I think that's disgusting.

 

yep

I agree, hence the thread title!!

 

Your reading that right - And in some cases it wasn't just behind you - It was a good 4-6 hours back in the queue where they were jumping from.

 

RE: yep

I left that queue at about 1.30 and got the 25 quid ones. Load of sh*te.

Why can't they learn to use modern technology.. internet and telephones.

 

I think it's to do with cost.

I guess they don't see the expenditure required to get something like that set up as being a top priority (chinny)

 

I know someone who faired better......

anyone want 7 tickets?
Yep.
All done and dusted at 08:45

 

That is FA rules, don't blame BFC

They cannot break into a new block until they have sold the old block, for segregation reasons.

As I say, don't blame BFC

 

no but you dont shout loudly and allow the back to the front.

 

same happened to me, stood freezing my ****** off for 9 hours and people who had been there less time than me getting served before me. I dont think it's the clubs fault it's F.A rules or summert

what happened to that bloke who collapsed?

 

Ignorance???

I've been stood in the same queue from 7.15am, what a joke. Surely they'd be a better way of selling tickets but what do i know?? anyhow...

Shephards ignorance??? Did you see that old bloke faint in the £55 queue??? At the time Shephard was at the front trying to sort things out with the queue, the old bloke was out of it and he dropped everything to get to this bloke... He handed over his coat and disappeared quickly to get help from the club medical staff, came back with help closely followed by an ambulance.... Soon as the old bloke was away in the ambulance Shephard returned to sort things out in the queue. Minutes later the £45 queue has changed from 3 turnstilles to 6.... Work it out ???

Your pissed off! I am !!! So is everyone else. As for Shephards ignorance? Your having a foooooooooooking laugh.

 

KFC I Feel Your Pain

I joined said queue at same time as you. Were you the guy in the cowboy style hat or the one in the orange waterproof coat that made him stand out I take it you saw the guy at 8:10 am who was allowed to push in for seven tickets?

 

my dad went, was there from 9.30 till 3 when his mate had to come and take his turn in the queue...</p>

alledgedly, when he commented to someone in the box office about how busy it was he was told that if all the fans didn't choose to come and queue on day one, then it wouldn't bea problem...... wtf?</p>

if the club only put them on sale for 3 days and 2 of those days are bank holidays when everyone is off work, then when's the best time to go and get them??</p>

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