Forum | Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise by bluejacko

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Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise 21:26 - Mar 20 with 7314 views

My letter;

FAO Mr Milne,

So this is the result of your much vaunted season ticket review. I must say that my first reaction was, what genius thought this up?, however on reflection that reaction has turned to anger.

I fail to see how you can attract ANY new customers with a price rise and at the same time driving away fans who are actually on the brink of giving up their season tickets after many years.

As for the concessions age going up, you are punishing fans who due to their age have been season ticket holders in most cases 30 years or more. Is this our reward for sticking with the club and introducing our children and grand children to this once great club?.

If you force supporters like us away, not only will you lose our custom, but also those we bring with us.

For the first time, I really don’t know whether or not I will renew my season ticket and will wait and see if common sense will prevail over this matter. You are risking losing a lot more in revenue than you will ever get by new sales if the number of current season ticket holders who I know and who are undecided on whether or not to renew for next season, decide not to renew due to the price rise and the quality of football on show.

I hope you will reply to this letter with any thing other than a standard brush off!

Yours from a VERY disgruntled fan,

The Response;

Dear Mr Jackson

Thank you for your email, we appreciate all your views and opinions. I can assure you that the views of the fans are important to the Club and are taken into account when we reach important decisions.

The Club were one of the last - if not the last - to switch to producing a new home and away shirt every year rather than every two years. Likewise, Town are also one of the few clubs that has operated a senior citizen band at 60. The decision has been taking this season to increase the concession age category to 65. The qualifying date used by the Club for price bands is August 10, 2017. So if you are aged between 23, and 64 on that date, you will pay an adult price. If you are 65 and above on August 10, you will pay the senior concession price. If you are currently paying a senior concession prices for a season ticket but will be 64 or younger on August 10th, your season ticket for 2017/18 will need to change to an adult ticket. However, the increased cost will be subsidised by 50 per cent. The supporters who fall into this bracket will be contacted directly by the Club.

There is never a good time to increase prices or make pricing adjustments. It is coincidental, that the Club continues to have a difficult time on the field at the same time as it has to consider how to fund next year’s budget.

The facts are the Club’s playing squad spend for the past 3 seasons have continued to rise — 3 seasons ago playing squad spend went up by 17% on the prior season — two seasons ago 7% - and this season it went up a further 8%. Playing squad, coaches & academy costs as a percentage of turnover is now running at 91%. I am pleased to say that all non playing squad costs remained static by saving costs and efficiencies.

To expect the owner to not raise ticket prices when he continues to support an ever increasing playing squad spend is not reasonable. He has set out a clear strategy which is to have careful management of the Club’s annual budget and where that budget is spent along with how the Club is to raise revenue to meet its investment priorities of focusing on the Academy; having a competitive wage structure and careful use of our transfer budget on developing players.

It is regrettable to have the raise prices and the Club has no desire to do so but we have to face economic reality of running a financially sustainable Club if it is going to survive. The owner is doing his bit with the increasing costs and we need the fans to help.

I respect your decision with regards to your view to cancelling your season ticket, but I hope that if you do we will do sufficient on the pitch next season to encourage you once again to commit to returning as a season ticket holder in the near future.

Everyone here at the Club wants nothing more than to see the Club success. We are confident that with continued support of our fans through this difficult period we can realise this ambition.

Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time.

Total nonsense, but what else was I to expect.

[Post edited 20 Mar 2017 22:20]

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 08:58 - Mar 21 with 699 views

itfcjoe

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 08:54 - Mar 21 by Reuser_is_God
If they have any awareness of of the current mood amongst fans then surely they'll revise prices? Although saying that, if they had any awareness they wouldn't have made the changes they did in the first place.

It's like the academy opt-in/opt out fiasco

They just keep a low profile until it goes away - nothing will change

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Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:25 - Mar 21 with 672 views

GeoffSentence

Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 22:20 - Mar 20 by Guthrum
One of the worst aspects to this is that the sums which will be raised by the increases are quite small in the grand scheme of Championship football club finances - and quite probably more than wiped out by the number of aggrieved ST holders who will not be renewing.

By my loose reckoning, if all current season ticket holders renewed with the 1.5% increase then they would make less than £100k extra.

( assuming 12k season ticket holders at an average price of £400 it would be £72k)

Losing 250 season ticket holders as a result of this would wipe it out. As they have 800 people affected by the elderly concession alone, then factor in the parents who will no longer come along with their kids after the £10-£50 increase, they must be perilously close to losing that amount of season ticket holders just because of the price changes without the poor standard of football even being a consideration.

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Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:47 - Mar 21 with 645 views

patrickswell

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 02:41 - Mar 21 by Guthrum
That's actually unfair to Milne, who is quite prepared to meet and talk to fans face-to-face, not just in a formal setting. Before the Bristol away game he was in the pub chatting with members of the South West supporters group, very approachable. He'd done the same last season, too.

Without wishing to be too much of an apologist for Milne, he said something last week along the lines that a number of ticket price ideas were put to Evans, but that ME felt that this was what had to be done. I couldn't help but subtext that as the man who does speak to fans made suggestions to the man who doesn't and got told, "Who cares what you've been told, it's my way or the high way! Those 10 grand strikers from non-league won't buy themselves...."

Reply to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:54 - Mar 21 with 635 views

BtreeBlueBlood

Reply to my email about 60-65 price rise on 22:05 - Mar 20 by BluedanW
"We were one of the last to follow suit" But you still did, much more creditable to be the club that continued to not rip off its fans with 2 new shirts a season and increasing the prices for children and the elderly.

I wonder if they sold more shirts in that yr - compared to the usual?

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 10:17 - Mar 21 with 597 views

pointofblue

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:47 - Mar 21 by patrickswell

I can't remember the exact wording but Milne's comments at the time of the price release had an air of pointing the finger as well.

Maybe I should give Milne some slack but it feels as though no one at the club is listening. If Evans actually wants to save money maybe he should let Milne go and have the balls to speak to the fans directly, as he seems to be the one creating a mess time after time.

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Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 10:32 - Mar 21 with 581 views

Scuzzer

With regard to the 60s thing, what they should have done is to raise the threshold by a year for the next 5 years. That way no one would have got burned by an increase. But, hey, they want their money now so are willing to jeopardise losing their fan base. I took early retirement and only could afford a season ticket because my wife had a well paid job. She too will now be taking early retirement so next season I will not be able to go, simply won't be able to afford it. Added to that my 6 year old grandson who had a £10 season ticket last year I now would have to pay £50, so as to stop a few fans putting their coats on a spare seat. At 6 years old midweek games are a no go, thus the appropriation per game diminishes, surely the club must be aware of this? I have had enough of the arrogant and dismissive way the club has chosen to treat its most loyal fans, 25 years a season ticket holder, and with the woeful football on show it is just not worth it.

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Reply to my email about 60-65 price rise on 10:36 - Mar 21 with 574 views

Pilgrimblue

Reply to my email about 60-65 price rise on 22:10 - Mar 20 by north_stand77
Yes I will. I thought that by sending a hand written letter, they may have to reply other than sending me a standard email. We shall see. [Post edited 20 Mar 2017 22:14]

Hi

Surely we're starting from the wrong position on increases! Has EADT carried out a survey of other Championship clubs on their ST costs/increases.
My impression has been that we're on the high side for starters so following others on the 60-65 etc will mean that this is an extra hike for us. Huddersfield has been quoted but what about the rest? Also I don't understand the other changes as I haven't seen a old/new price comparison for different categories. As for the discount on 12,750, they're having a laugh!!
Luckily I'm not concerned about 60-65 but how will I stand with my grandsons? But I guess if, like many, the football doesn't improve, I wont be attending anyway.

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 10:54 - Mar 21 with 550 views

Pilgrimblue

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:47 - Mar 21 by patrickswell

It would be interesting to know what they put forward. At least we'd understand Milne's position better and whether it had any affect on ME thinking or not!
My feeling about ME is that in his world he's used to selling seating when demand is high so not thinking about what will happen if (likely) demand declines.

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 10:58 - Mar 21 with 540 views

hype313

So, whatabouterey then.

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Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 11:10 - Mar 21 with 524 views

No9

His response isn't unexpected nor is it unreasonable, in the big picture. Had team management provided entertaining football isntead of dross & had the team managed to win the home games it should have won then perhaps people would not be so sensative to the price increases.
We do not have an open club but a business owned by a reclusive international businessman who will always consider the financial viability of his investment.

The supporters can only change things if they are able to find someone to buy out ME and then support the new owner at whatever cost he decides is necessary to make ITFC a viable & successful operation.

The current situation was always on the cards when Sheepshanks put so much ime & effort into defeating Tony Blairs plan for supporters to 'part own' football clubs & in doing so looked after himself.

We have to get used o it and be great we don't have some of the owners who are running other clubs e.g Blackpool

Here is their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 11:13 - Mar 21 with 507 views

Wonky

Once again the club have misjudged the mood the fans and compounded the mistakes with bad pr. I cannot only think that they believe the views given here are no more than social media hot air and people will mainly renew.

They are mistaken.

I hate the implication that there is no other revenue source... on 11:19 - Mar 21 with 493 views

olimar

except for the ticket sales, the "where else is it coming from?".

What about every time we sell a player and IM comes out and defends the lack of transfer spend by pointing out that its all been invested back into the first team in wages.

So, by that token, there is £8m- Mings, £4m Cresswell and £3m Murphy all ploughed back into the squad in the last 3 years. Thats £15m, which is about 1 entire years worth of playing budget.

Solidarity Payments from the PL to EPL clubs doubled for 16/17 I believe too, so theres another revenue stream.

The suggestion that the wage bill has gone up but we have no other income, therefore the fans have to pay more, is utter nonsense.

Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 11:35 - Mar 21 with 471 views

Guthrum

Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 09:25 - Mar 21 by GeoffSentence

Assume the demographics for Ipswich Town supporters are similar to that of Ipswich itself in the 2011 census (it won't be exactly, but provides a reasonable working model) and that the club's target of 12,750 represents the number of season ticket holders.

The increase to U12 tickets will bring in about an extra £43k
The 1.5% increase to adult tickets about an extra £40k
Those aged 60-64 now buying full adult tickets about an extra £85k
For a total of something like £168k

The concessionary rate offered to those aged 19-22 no longer buying full adult tickets is liable to cost the club about an extra £143k

Leaving an overall profit of around £25k.

Hardly a significant boost to the playing team's budget. And very easily wiped out by just a handful of non-renewals. In reality, everyone else are subsidising students and young adults.

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Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 11:53 - Mar 21 with 431 views

Pinewoodblue

Here is Their response to my email about 60-65 price rise on 11:35 - Mar 21 by Guthrum

To put that into perspective making the necessary effort to get to the 4th round of the FA Cup is worth over £60,000 in prize money.

All this hassle for peanuts.

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