Thank you for looking after us loyal fans.

[Quintrell Green]

...
Again i know plenty of clubs from the premier league right down to the Ryman league that offer their own in house direct debit schemes other than outsource them to a loan shark.

I'm not sure if that's really been possible until relatively recently. I think the law changed sometime last year (not sure when, exactly), but before that change in the law a company couldn't offer an in-house credit agreement involving more than 4 periodic payments to a consumer unless the company lending the money was regulated by the FCA. As a football club, Argyle are almost certainly not FCA regulated (and probably wouldn't want to be - it would likely cost a lot) - hence the use of a 3rd party credit provider for this sort of scheme.

Even some car and home insurance providers use 3rd party credit providers to collect premiums if customers choose to pay monthly, rather than up front. It's pretty common practise.

As I said, I think the law has changed recently, so maybe they will be able to offer such a scheme next year. However, if they do, it's a risk... If you're not going to carry out a credit check on your (potential) customer, you run the risk of not getting paid.

Or, if they did credit check people, the people who got rejected last year / this year will still get rejected if they fail the credit check.

My final thought on this - as a 4th tier club with fairly substantial debts, do you really think Argyle have the cash to effectively be making interest-free loans to people?

The club shouldn't be immune to criticism, but I think its a bit unfair to criticise them for not giving people an interest free loan (without doing a credit check) while they still owe hundreds of thousands of pounds to their creditors.

I fully concur with your last 2 short paragraphs. I do not agree with the increased pricing for access to the Business Lounge for the said match. The overheads have remained static bar policing of course which will come out of that share of 'profit' returned to the FL.

 

[Topboy]

Don't forget Argyle have to share the income generated from the game. 50% from all four games goes to the Football League and the other 50% is shared between the four clubs. If other clubs increase their corporate prices we would also benefit.

An interesting point. This suggests that Argyle have annoyed a ST holder (to the point where he says he won't be renewing for next season) even though our club will only see 1/8 of the increase?

How incredibly short sighted. This doesn't seem to make any sort of business sense at all!

My thoughts precisely Phil.

Argyle missed a big PR opportunity here (assuming that there are no hidden FA regulations) and could have halved the price for ST holders and corporate members. Maybe even free for the 2016/17 ST holders (inc new purchases) - thanks for your continued support!

Getting just 1/8th of the total ticket sales, it really matters not a flying one if Argyles' revenue is £20 a ticket or a tenner (or much less for the corporate) and the goodwill generated would have been huge.

Just saying.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

Don't forget Argyle have to share the income generated from the game. 50% from all four games goes to the Football League and the other 50% is shared between the four clubs. If other clubs increase their corporate prices we would also benefit.

An interesting point. This suggests that Argyle have annoyed a ST holder (to the point where he says he won't be renewing for next season) even though our club will only see 1/8 of the increase?

How incredibly short sighted. This doesn't seem to make any sort of business sense at all!

My thoughts precisely Phil.

Argyle missed a big PR opportunity here (assuming that there are no hidden FA regulations) and could have halved the price for ST holders and corporate members. Maybe even free for the 2016/17 ST holders (inc new purchases) - thanks for your continued support!

Getting just 1/8th of the total ticket sales, it really matters not a flying one if Argyles' revenue is £20 a ticket or a tenner (or much less for the corporate) and the goodwill generated would have been huge.

Just saying.

I'm sure the club would have to get permission from the Football League and the other 3 play-off clubs if they wanted to drop the prices. The play-off games come as a package and not as individual games.

 

[Stan]

Don't forget Argyle have to share the income generated from the game. 50% from all four games goes to the Football League and the other 50% is shared between the four clubs. If other clubs increase their corporate prices we would also benefit.

An interesting point. This suggests that Argyle have annoyed a ST holder (to the point where he says he won't be renewing for next season) even though our club will only see 1/8 of the increase?

How incredibly short sighted. This doesn't seem to make any sort of business sense at all!

My thoughts precisely Phil.

Argyle missed a big PR opportunity here (assuming that there are no hidden FA regulations) and could have halved the price for ST holders and corporate members. Maybe even free for the 2016/17 ST holders (inc new purchases) - thanks for your continued support!

Getting just 1/8th of the total ticket sales, it really matters not a flying one if Argyles' revenue is £20 a ticket or a tenner (or much less for the corporate) and the goodwill generated would have been huge.

Just saying.

I'm sure the club would have to get permission from the Football League and the other 3 play-off clubs if they wanted to drop the prices. The play-off games come as a package and not as individual games.

Permission to drop the prices, but not to raise them, seems fair.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Don't forget Argyle have to share the income generated from the game. 50% from all four games goes to the Football League and the other 50% is shared between the four clubs. If other clubs increase their corporate prices we would also benefit.

An interesting point. This suggests that Argyle have annoyed a ST holder (to the point where he says he won't be renewing for next season) even though our club will only see 1/8 of the increase?

How incredibly short sighted. This doesn't seem to make any sort of business sense at all!

My thoughts precisely Phil.

Argyle missed a big PR opportunity here (assuming that there are no hidden FA regulations) and could have halved the price for ST holders and corporate members. Maybe even free for the 2016/17 ST holders (inc new purchases) - thanks for your continued support!

Getting just 1/8th of the total ticket sales, it really matters not a flying one if Argyles' revenue is £20 a ticket or a tenner (or much less for the corporate) and the goodwill generated would have been huge.

Just saying.

I'm sure the club would have to get permission from the Football League and the other 3 play-off clubs if they wanted to drop the prices. The play-off games come as a package and not as individual games.

Permission to drop the prices, but not to raise them, seems fair.

The ticket for the game will not have increased, just the hospitality add ons.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

...
Again i know plenty of clubs from the premier league right down to the Ryman league that offer their own in house direct debit schemes other than outsource them to a loan shark.

I'm not sure if that's really been possible until relatively recently. I think the law changed sometime last year (not sure when, exactly), but before that change in the law a company couldn't offer an in-house credit agreement involving more than 4 periodic payments to a consumer unless the company lending the money was regulated by the FCA. As a football club, Argyle are almost certainly not FCA regulated (and probably wouldn't want to be - it would likely cost a lot) - hence the use of a 3rd party credit provider for this sort of scheme.

Even some car and home insurance providers use 3rd party credit providers to collect premiums if customers choose to pay monthly, rather than up front. It's pretty common practise.

As I said, I think the law has changed recently, so maybe they will be able to offer such a scheme next year. However, if they do, it's a risk... If you're not going to carry out a credit check on your (potential) customer, you run the risk of not getting paid.

Or, if they did credit check people, the people who got rejected last year / this year will still get rejected if they fail the credit check.

My final thought on this - as a 4th tier club with fairly substantial debts, do you really think Argyle have the cash to effectively be making interest-free loans to people?

The club shouldn't be immune to criticism, but I think its a bit unfair to criticise them for not giving people an interest free loan (without doing a credit check) while they still owe hundreds of thousands of pounds to their creditors.

Your simply buying a membership of the club and paying by DD just as you do with your Gym ect. I don't know of any Gyms or sports clubs that use a loan shark to administer the memberships. I would have thought it would be in the clubs interests to encourage as many members as possible and directing them to a back street loan shark is hardly a good incentive.

The difference is though, if the club receive your direct debit money for your membership over ten months then they get it in dribs and drabs which makes it harder to set budgets. Financial institutions will give the money to Argyle up front on behalf of the supporter and collect their debt monthly, with a bit of profitable interest for themselves. It also means that if the season goes t*ts up, the fan cannot just stop coming and stop paying.

 

[Ade the green]

Don't forget Argyle have to share the income generated from the game. 50% from all four games goes to the Football League and the other 50% is shared between the four clubs. If other clubs increase their corporate prices we would also benefit.

An interesting point. This suggests that Argyle have annoyed a ST holder (to the point where he says he won't be renewing for next season) even though our club will only see 1/8 of the increase?

How incredibly short sighted. This doesn't seem to make any sort of business sense at all!

My thoughts precisely Phil.

Argyle missed a big PR opportunity here (assuming that there are no hidden FA regulations) and could have halved the price for ST holders and corporate members. Maybe even free for the 2016/17 ST holders (inc new purchases) - thanks for your continued support!

Getting just 1/8th of the total ticket sales, it really matters not a flying one if Argyles' revenue is £20 a ticket or a tenner (or much less for the corporate) and the goodwill generated would have been huge.

Just saying.

You're not seriously saying Argyle should have given away free tickets to ST holders for what could be a money spinner at the end of the season.

It's one game FFS, buying a season ticket gives you a discount equal to 5-6 games so that's your benefit in getting one.

Maybe if we get to the final everyone that wants one should be given a free ticket/ coach travel and a pasty to mark the occasion.

I see the smiley so assume you're not serious.

 

[HC Green]

Argyle wil keep all the money from hospitality, it is only the receipts from ticket sales that is pooled.

 

[Ade the green]

Does anyone know if this is going to be the normal fare on offer or will the club be pushing the boat out for the punters?

It matters not for me but it might go some way to explaining the price hike.

 

[area51]

Can the club please explain why they have increased the match day ticket price in the business lounge for the Portsmouth game?
All other areas are the same price as per any league game (and rightly so) why the increase in the lounge?

I can only see it as making a quick buck, I have been in the lounge for the past five seasons and have paid nearly £5000 over that period with season ticket, 50/50 tickets and a few beers thrown in. I class myself as a loyal fan of fourty years, it takes some doing watching five years of basement football.

As the team have not made the automatic promotion (having been top and clear for part of the season) we now find ourselves in the playoffs, so I / we other loyal business lounge fans have to pay more as the team was not capable of automatic promotion we should never be in this position.

Yes we will sell out in the lounge (supply/demand) I get that, I have no problem increasing the prices up for the jonny come latley fans, but please look after those who have put thier money in when the club neededthe most and stayed loyal.
I am so disgusted with the clubs decision myself and a four others are thinking of not renewing our lounge tickets for next season purley on principal, so Argyle will make probabaly £3k for the Pompey game, and lose £5k on us not renewing our tickets. If we are in this god forsaken division next season I can guarantee there will be a drop in lounge/season tickets, so Argyle need to get existing supporters onboard - not the way to do it by making a quick buck.
For the record Pompey have not increased the prices for business lounge users for thier home game if they can do that whu can't we???
Perhaps Webby as president could have a word with the powers to be, as the president represents/speaks on behalf of the people!!
Just remember Argyle - us janners are not a thick as you think.

:furious:

 

[jerryatricjanner]

In your position I would feel exactly the same but shouldn't you be addressing this direct to the club?

 

[area51]

Yes

They read this site as most of them are fans like you and me.

 

[jerryatricjanner]

No need to shout. I share your disgust but it's people at or near the top that take these decisions and you need to address them directly if you are seeking an answer or an explanation.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

With Argyle only pocketing 12.5% of the gate income for their semi-final instead of the normal 100%, maybe they just can't offer the same deal they normally do in this area.

Look at it positively. What wonderful discounts the club have offered supporters in the Business Lounge all season.

 

[Ade the green]

With Argyle only pocketing 12.5% of the gate income for their semi-final instead of the normal 100%, maybe they just can't offer the same deal they normally do in this area.

Look at it positively. What wonderful discounts the club have offered supporters in the Business Lounge all season.

I guess there's two sides. Obviously there must have been discounts as with every ST which works out to 5-6 games that are free (except the beer perhaps) so the discount would again obviously not be there for additional games.

Just out of interest, what price do they set for cup games when one assumes this to be an extra game also so sets a precedent.

I really think this is a niche argument though and whilst there's some sympathy, there's probably not as much as if it were happening to the common folk.