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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 18:45:32 GMT 1
PR can be improved no doubt but I don't see the value in RW being at the meetings - the key thing is that someone with enough sway at the club is and who can take any ideas in a positive manner. The chairman has done a bloody brilliant job with the finances of the club and securing our long term future but I'd leave the working with the SP to the new chief exec and relevant others. Matt W has shown that combo can work. It would provide some transparency and also would be an easy PR win if RW was to turn up and listen to supporters. Doesn't have to turn up to every meeting just occasionally - surely its smart for the owner of any business of our size to meet with customers occasionally. I would shut alot of people up.....including me ;) Wowsers if it would make you say something positive maybe he should go to the next one!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 19:21:59 GMT 1
I've done a few projects with the club over recent years and while the Chairman wasn't invoked it was clear his shadow loomed large over staff Very few decisions could be made at meetings without going back and asking the chairman. On occasions things got agreed then pulled at the last minute with no explanation It's little wonder we have such a high turnover of staff if people have to work like that. Why have a chief exec if he has to go to the chairman to spend even a tiny bit of money It clearly can change I just don't see it with the current structure Odd that a small L1 club needs a CEO with a full time chairman..... Something that MW pointed out.... Which you probably knew already.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 20:22:27 GMT 1
It would provide some transparency and also would be an easy PR win if RW was to turn up and listen to supporters. Doesn't have to turn up to every meeting just occasionally - surely its smart for the owner of any business of our size to meet with customers occasionally. I would shut alot of people up.....including me Wowsers if it would make you say something positive maybe he should go to the next one! I was bellowing VERY positive stuff around the 97th minute on Saturday
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Post by champagneprince on Feb 3, 2016 20:48:41 GMT 1
This is the last post I am going to make about this, but thanks for your support everyone and I hope Salop don’t disappoint you all too much more going forward. Floreat Salopia.
I hope this isn't your last post on it, I hope it's one of your first. This is truly diabolical and a sign of recent times I'm afraid. Unfortunately the club will not get out of this mess unless it's brought to account for these issues. The memorial garden and now this are things that should be put right before even thinking of the team. This is about the type of club that we want to be and as far as I can see, the majority of us seem to want us to be something different to what the club want at present.
Please don't make this the last your last post on the issue. It needs making a big deal of so that it doesn't happen to somebody else. The club MUST learn that this is not acceptable.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 21:33:49 GMT 1
The funny thing is, the Chairman is a despot, lets get that clear, yes he has brought financial stability to the club, but there is a cost to that. I have no doubt that his best interests are the well being of the club, OR THATS WHAT HE SAYS, I am not a Roland Fan, that is clear, i still believe that he should have gone on our first promotion to L1.
Now here is the downside, he hates answering to people, he hates people questioning his decisions, and what he says go's, no matter who advises him, you could get the best PR Guru in the world, and they would find it hard to find a positive sometimes.
No hear is the funny bit to this (if there is a funny bit) I used to supply stewards to the club for 0% profit, if my wage bill was £900..... that was what the invoice was that was sent to the club, but because it is me the Chairman has instructed the safety team to "Not put his money n my pocket" i could understand this if i was making a profit....
Last weeks FA Cup game, you will have noticed extra stewards supplied by a company called SHOWSEC, whom i have a great working relationship with, but they supplied 30 or so extra steward for the FA Cup match, the invoice for my company would have been about £1000 for that...... but, and i cannot be sure, but i know roughly what they charge, there invoice would have been in excess of £1800.... that saving alone would have made the difference in that half ST seem insignificant. The same will happen at the Man Utd game.
It does not bother me 1 jot either way, but see stories like the above and i smile..... wryly. I see no business sense in what goes on.....
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Post by champagneprince on Feb 3, 2016 22:57:43 GMT 1
I see no business sense in what goes on.....
Good to see views from people who know the main man well. Personally, I'm a 'no smoke without fire' man, but it doesn't come without a good deal of thought. There are just too many stories of this guys extreme autocratic management for it not to based on truth.
Ultimately, a football club is about the fans. In the past, football used to be about its effect on the community from the aspect of a leisure and entertainment activity. Nowadays, it's about business. Fans don't matter as much, it's a sport ruled by businessmen rather than genuine lovers of sport and what it means to communities. Quite simply the sport has lost its soul and our club is in danger of losing its soul.
Memorial gardens don't get forgotten, disabled supporters like the OP's good father don't get treated this way, in a club that hasn't forgotten its soul.
I say that the fans need to put pressure on the club to re-identify with itself and stop the rot now, before football in our town becomes as soulless as high street shopping and chain restaurants. A mission for the SP perhaps? The main man needs to hear it loud and clear and he needs to bloody do something about it, otherwise (and as loyal as we all have been) people are just going to find something better to do.
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Post by mikeinsheff on Feb 4, 2016 10:35:03 GMT 1
Any update from Evo?
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Post by SouthStandShrew on Feb 4, 2016 12:54:47 GMT 1
Yes update please as I'm disgusted by this.
****ing jobsworths in the ticket office.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 14:05:43 GMT 1
Hi all,
Ian Whitfield emailed me yesterday, and after a lot of consideration last night I emailed back despite saying I wasn't interested in any official correspondence from the club.
The emails will stay private for the time being as I want them to run the course and see where we are at the end of the dialogue. I have raised all the issues I feel needed to raise, the club have raised some of their own mainly about my dad's use of some bad language as he became more and more frustrated with the situation, I have also made some suggestions about how I felt the situation could have been handled a little better from the clubs side.
There has been no apology as yet from the club and maybe there will not be one, I don't know, that is up to them. I have also made one suggestion to how they maybe able to smooth the situation a little after they made an offer of going into meet with the Chairman and discussing our concerns, which we politely had to decline for the time being.
Thanks for all your support on this I have to say my dad was quite emotional when he saw some of the messages, Jamo yours particularly struck a cord with him, so thanks very much, as I said to my mate Dale aka 'Schizo' last night, the reaction I have had shows to me that the fans of our club are a class act and it is a shame that the club don't recognise it most of the time.
I have also had some messages in my inbox from media, national and local wanting to cover the story, but for some reason and I think it must be the fact that I a lifelong Salop fan, which keeps us dreaming that the right thing will happen in the end, I am finding it a push to publicise the issue any more for the sake of the club, which is a major head scratcher considering how 'peeved' I am by it all!
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Feb 4, 2016 15:07:17 GMT 1
I have also had some messages in my inbox from media, national and local wanting to cover the story, but for some reason and I think it must be the fact that I a lifelong Salop fan, which keeps us dreaming that the right thing will happen in the end, I am finding it a push to publicise the issue any more for the sake of the club, which is a major head scratcher considering how 'peeved' I am by it all! Well played. My suggestion would be to keep it out of the local press / national press. It is our club and we don't need other people trashing it too. And if you did go that route the club's suggestion of your father's language etc would be in the public domain and I am certain he would not want that. It is out of your control then. I think you have done the right thing so far, but the national media is an untamed beast and could whip up all sorts on twitter or whatever which we do not want.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 15:13:56 GMT 1
The use of foul language is a symptom of poor customer service, lets not get distracted, it is when the emotional side takes over from the rational side, which is a result of about 157 chemical changes in the body in a short space of time, which is an escalation from calm to anger. the root cause is lack of common sense.
Ask the question, was the actions reasonable in the circumstances, what could have been done differently, The Disability form runs out at the end of April, we have 1 home game in May.... 1 bloody home game FFS, where is the common sense in all of this in the first instance.....
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Post by ssshrew on Feb 4, 2016 17:07:35 GMT 1
I have also had some messages in my inbox from media, national and local wanting to cover the story, but for some reason and I think it must be the fact that I a lifelong Salop fan, which keeps us dreaming that the right thing will happen in the end, I am finding it a push to publicise the issue any more for the sake of the club, which is a major head scratcher considering how 'peeved' I am by it all! Well played. My suggestion would be to keep it out of the local press / national press. It is our club and we don't need other people trashing it too. And if you did go that route the club's suggestion of your father's language etc would be in the public domain and I am certain he would not want that. It is out of your control then. I think you have done the right thing so far, but the national media is an untamed beast and could whip up all sorts on twitter or whatever which we do not want. Totally agree with TBH. Some very good advice was once given to me along the lines of 'it's fine to lose your temper but never lose your dignity'. Going too public might lead to the slanging match that you and your family do not want. My big positive is that perhaps customer relations will be improved in future. Oh and yes we are a great bunch. When I bring visitors to games they are always amazed at how many people I know and how friendly we all are. Onwards and upwards for your Dad and all of you.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 17:26:44 GMT 1
The question about whether to go national is an interesting one. Of course it's totally up to Evo and his family, but this idea that it's our Club and we don't need other people trashing it is frankly bizarre. If they deserve it, fire away in my opinion.
Disabled people, particularly those with 'invisible' disabilities are stigmatised and degraded enough as it is. I speak of someone who has to prove my son's disability and let me tell you how humiliating and degrading that can be.
If I turned up at an entertainment venue as a long standing customer and therefore with a known disability and was unable to get the correct rate due to an administrative error, or delay, I'd swear.
And there's thing the swearing is now the issue isn't it? Not the inflexible attitude, lack of common sense and decency, or ignorance.
Still, as long as we don't air our dirty washing eh?
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Post by champagneprince on Feb 4, 2016 20:01:57 GMT 1
I'd also add that being a lifelong fan doesn't mean the same as it once did. The club is not the same and needs to reidentify with itself, find its soul. These are fundamentals that will continue to spiral downwards unless addressed.
It's a difficult one for you and your dad Evo because I am sure you don't want to be the centre of attention, but this simply can't happen again as it's beyond incompetence. Like the memorial garden there is absolutely no excuse, and losing lifelong fans is unforgivable.
At least Whitters has been in touch, which is a start. But it's only a start.
I am really starting to not give a flying fig about what happens on the pitch. I want to watch football and support a club that I can identify with, not this current mess which is quite frankly embarrassing.
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Shrewsfan1985
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Post by Shrewsfan1985 on Feb 4, 2016 22:35:48 GMT 1
That also made me feel sick when i read it. A poor showing from the club.
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Post by callum on Feb 5, 2016 0:12:46 GMT 1
Surely that Williams chap should bear some responsibility in all this, after all until last Saturday they were his staff acting in this atrocious way,he must have been aware of their terrible attitude.
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Post by R6ix on Feb 5, 2016 0:27:04 GMT 1
i was buying a ticket few weeks ago, a chap was at the window trying to explain something seemingly obvious to a lady ayt the window,he was getting very irate trying to make her understand, she was having non of it, and the chap went mental and said ok then just give me my dam money back and go to hell, im never coming back here again, dont know the issue but he was mad
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Post by callum on Feb 5, 2016 0:35:29 GMT 1
For years now I've felt like a nuisance the club could do without when buying tickets, that's probably the only reason I bought a season ticket to save having dialogue with the ticket office.
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Post by ferkle94 on Feb 5, 2016 1:52:34 GMT 1
i was buying a ticket few weeks ago, a chap was at the window trying to explain something seemingly obvious to a lady ayt the window,he was getting very irate trying to make her understand, she was having non of it, and the chap went mental and said ok then just give me my dam money back and go to hell, im never coming back here again, dont know the issue but he was mad I saw something similar, I hope it was the same issue rather than it happening more than once! He stormed off saying that it's no wonder this club is going to the dogs. Worrying times.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 8:38:33 GMT 1
i was buying a ticket few weeks ago, a chap was at the window trying to explain something seemingly obvious to a lady ayt the window,he was getting very irate trying to make her understand, she was having non of it, and the chap went mental and said ok then just give me my dam money back and go to hell, im never coming back here again, dont know the issue but he was mad I saw something similar, I hope it was the same issue rather than it happening more than once! He stormed off saying that it's no wonder this club is going to the dogs. Worrying times. I also witnessed a similar instance. A middle aged person f..ing and blinding at a woman in the ticket office (not the miserable one) which certainly doesn't help any situation.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2016 18:38:05 GMT 1
Any news on this? has it moved forward to an apology as yet?
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Post by salopiankiwi on Feb 10, 2016 1:34:46 GMT 1
So Sorry Evo that such a traumatic experience has been put on you and your family. It seems incredible that the sight of your father's letter so close to the seasons end could not be construed to mean that it would be continued beyond that date. It only really needed someone with the slightest bit of intelligence to make that assumption and the whole situation could have been avoided. I can only hope that at sometime in the near future that the situation has successfully been addressed and that you and yours can return to the GM. All the Very Best to you from New Zealand.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 8:24:29 GMT 1
I saw something similar, I hope it was the same issue rather than it happening more than once! He stormed off saying that it's no wonder this club is going to the dogs. Worrying times. I also witnessed a similar instance. A middle aged person f..ing and blinding at a woman in the ticket office (not the miserable one) which certainly doesn't help any situation. With all due respect - the customer handling skills/PR at the club seem very poor. As said elsewhere we often feel like a burden. Plus most people only get in a state like that when frustrated. Christ sakes - were trying to give a struggling football club money!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 9:06:04 GMT 1
I also witnessed a similar instance. A middle aged person f..ing and blinding at a woman in the ticket office (not the miserable one) which certainly doesn't help any situation. With all due respect - the customer handling skiss/PR at the club seem very poor. As said elsewhere we often feel like a burden. Plus most people only get in a state like that when frustrated. Christ sakes - were trying to give a struggling football club money!!!! I agree but there is no point in stooping to their level. You have the high ground don't lose it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 11:05:14 GMT 1
With all due respect - the customer handling skiss/PR at the club seem very poor. As said elsewhere we often feel like a burden. Plus most people only get in a state like that when frustrated. Christ sakes - were trying to give a struggling football club money!!!! I agree but there is no point in stooping to their level. You have the high ground don't lose it. Again, with all due respect, you shouldn't have to have the high ground.
You are there to try and spend your wages on a struggling lower club...the last thing you should get is attitude off a club employee.
The PR at the club is shocking, from rude ticket staff to club employees using facebook to tell fans "They are incorrect" and having a dig at paying supporters and dismiss queries, concerns and questions.
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Post by wiseone on Feb 10, 2016 11:41:58 GMT 1
Wowsers if it would make you say something positive maybe he should go to the next one! I was bellowing VERY positive stuff around the 97th minute on Saturday Taffy, out of interest what have your experiences of being in contact with the club? You seem to be outraged by everything. I also disagree that being obnoxious to the staff is ever acceptable. The non smiling lady is slatted on here all the time - how do you think that helps, will she want to go into work? If you aggressively tell someone who is customer facing to xxxxx off do you not think that it may make them more likely to help or be scared of the customer? I am sure it will increase the chances of the later as well as them being scared of making a mistake, etc etc. Having been on the receiving end of unhappy customers where they have been right and wrong - it can be soul destroying. This is especially the case if the tools and procedures are not in place to help you, you are under staffed, or are trying to please everyone all of the time while the working conditions are not conducive to using common sense or being flexible. You may say that the current staff need to get another job or training but as mentioned above it may be deeper than that - and don't forget that when staff leave they will take alit of knowledge and lessons learned with them. As you say communications can be improved - in many cases simply by using the think first before speaking / posting a reply to an enquiry. But an environment / culture has to be put in place to make that possible - a challenge that the new CEO faces The other option is keeping it private to ensure a quality solution rather than providing an instant comment which the hoards can latch onto without knowing the full facts. The problem with this is that people who are not in the loop complain about the club doing diddley squat........
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 12:21:53 GMT 1
I was bellowing VERY positive stuff around the 97th minute on Saturday Taffy, out of interest what have your experiences of being in contact with the club? You seem to be outraged by everything. I also disagree that being obnoxious to the staff is ever acceptable. The non smiling lady is slatted on here all the time - how do you think that helps, will she want to go into work? If you aggressively tell someone who is customer facing to xxxxx off do you not think that it may make them more likely to help or be scared of the customer? I am sure it will increase the chances of the later as well as them being scared of making a mistake, etc etc. Having been on the receiving end of unhappy customers where they have been right and wrong - it can be soul destroying. This is especially the case if the tools and procedures are not in place to help you, you are under staffed, or are trying to please everyone all of the time while the working conditions are not conducive to using common sense or being flexible. You may say that the current staff need to get another job or training but as mentioned above it may be deeper than that - and don't forget that when staff leave they will take alit of knowledge and lessons learned with them. As you say communications can be improved - in many cases simply by using the think first before speaking / posting a reply to an enquiry. But an environment / culture has to be put in place to make that possible - a challenge that the new CEO faces The other option is keeping it private to ensure a quality solution rather than providing an instant comment which the hoards can latch onto without knowing the full facts. The problem with this is that people who are not in the loop complain about the club doing diddley squat........ My point is its very disappointing to come up against a wall when trying to assist the club we all support.
On the facebook group the other day, several people made suggestions about what could be done to improve supporter facilities or improve takings from supporters on a match day - the results were dismissed out of hand.
The general consensus is that we are not valued - that is certainly the way I've felt when trying to buy tickets, raising queries or concerns and just the general feel that the club doesn't care when we attend every week.
Wouldn't say im outraged - just very let down that we are not seen as important and at times taken for granted by a football I deeply care about. You yourself agree that communication is lacking - I would also hope that the new CEO could assist with improving with this (would not advocate anyone leaving just need suitable training which they may never have been offered). The club need to improve on reaching out to fans (as said above they seem to blurt out replies as they did in their response to this issue) and making the NM a better place to visit every other weekend. As an exile I rely upon the internet for news about the club and think the whole PR/communications aspect of the club needs revising as a priority. In the last six years gates have fallen by about 10% that's quite scary.
I agree that being abusive is bang out of order (I work in the NHS so have been on the end of abuse myself) but would argue that in our case people are getting frustrated at trying to give money to the club for tickets either in person or by trying to use the disappointing ticket master system. Also, if the club DOES get stuff right I wish they would tell us instead we just hear about the negatives!
Would love to see the club accept more fan involvement - many people (myself included) would happily volunteer our spare time to help with any projects. The club has hit a dead end with attracting fresh investment so maybe it would be more beneficial for the club to look at what Swansea have done where the supporters own 21% of the club and a fan sits on the board....maybe wishful thinking but would be an excellent option for a club in our location.
Am not picking a fight with anyone as I really care about STFC (otherwise I would not run around the country supporting them and renew my season ticket without a second thought) but I'm negative about STFC at present because I feel were not in good condition off the field....and a not much better on it! Though am living in hope on the latter and looking forward to attending at Bloomfield Rd on Sat (suitably warmed up with a few ales before the game).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 13:00:20 GMT 1
I have said this before on B & A that, even when dealing with the "unsmiling one", a pleasnt please, smile and thank you brings forth invariably a similar response
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Post by ssshrew on Feb 10, 2016 13:45:16 GMT 1
I have said this before on B & A that, even when dealing with the "unsmiling one", a pleasnt please, smile and thank you brings forth invariably a similar response Totally agree. I have never had any problem with anyone at the club. I always arrive with a smile - if I smile first they always smile back. All ticket office staff I have ever dealt with have been great.
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trevh
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Post by trevh on Feb 10, 2016 15:52:21 GMT 1
The funny thing is, the Chairman is a despot, Downward, Its the RSM speaking.......The CO's not happy with the use of the word " despot". He wants to see you in his office 0900 tomorrow morning for a heels together interview with no coffee........ Hope you can remember how to take a bollocking......
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