Reports this afternoon say that Arsenal are willing to offer refunds on tickets to fans who cannot attend the game against Leicester in three weeks time due to the fixture change announced yesterday.
A report in the Evening Standard quotes an Arsenal spokesperson who said, “We are sorry that our fans have been inconvenienced by the late change of this fixture.
“We should point out we have received only a handful of calls about this from supporters. Any Arsenal supporter who has purchased an individual match ticket from the club who is unable to attend is entitled to a full refund. The same applies to any fans who have purchased their ticket on our ticket exchange system.”
Which is fine, but does nothing for anybody whose travel plans are affected – be it planes, trains, automobiles or any other kind of carriage into which Steve Martin and John Candy might fit. There are hotels, guest-houses, and all the other things people have to arrange to attend a match – whether they’re travelling from abroad or inside the UK.
Those are the main costs of these late fixture changes, not the match ticket itself. And ultimately while this kind of gesture can’t really be criticised, Arsenal, Leicester and the other clubs should do more to ensure that proper rules are put in place so that games can’t be moved on the whim of broadcasters.
Hopefully this is seen as the mere sop it is, and the discussion will continue until something is put in place that is the benefit of all fans.
What about season ticket holders??? Very clever they only mention individually purchased tickets and ticketexchange.
I guess the assumption is that if you’re a season ticket holder like myself, there’s still time to post your ticket on the ticket exchange or find someone to take your ticket. I’d like to know if they’ll offer a refund if no one takes up the ticket.
I’ll take anyone’s ticket! Using the eticketing website to get a ticket via Ticket Exchange has proved very frustrating and difficult.
I have tried every day since tickets went on sale to Red Members! Coming in from Texas…
I’ll take anyone’s ticket!
I’m coming in from Texas and have been trying to purchase a ticket since they went on sale to Red Members, but the eticketing website is terrible.
If you’re selling, I’m buying!! Or if you have any website tips, I’ll take those as well!!
Lucy – you and me both! Coming from Brooklyn, though. So far I’ve spent several hundred dollars (AA membership, Red Membership) to not see this match 😉
Use arsenal tickets om twitter or arsenal tickets on facebook
I think a large proportion of the tickets which get placed on the exchange are done so pretty close to the match, when people decide/realise they won’t go. There won’t be as many for Leicester as, say, Sunderland or Villa, but you might still have a chance. We managed to get a couple of this one. Good luck.
*for this one.
Within a week of the game is usually best though!
I’ve been trying (and failing!) to get tickets via the Ticket Exchange since the match sold out last week – nothing has stayed available for longer than 30 seconds. I’d be surprised if anybody got stuck with tickets they can’t unload.
I managed to get a ticket through ticket exchange today. Had to sit constantly refreshing the screen for 5 hours but i managed to get one in the clock end. Frustrating as hell tho. Hope u all get sorted.
I really sympathize with you Blogs. But clubs will be loathe to bite the hands that feed them. This is what happens when TV money is this much, even more or as much as matchday income. It’s a pity
I’m ready for the red thumbs here, but surely there isnt much else that the club can do at this stage? as far as i understand it, they are at the mercy of sky/bt switching the fixtures.
hopefully common sense prevails, and as Blogs says, changes are made so this kinda situation is not allowed to happen again.
What the clubs can do is not sell the right to move the game on such short notice in the first place. Sky can’t buy something that’s not for sale.
Very little that can be done, as said clubs won’t bite the hand that feeds. If anything an e-petition or lots of letters to parliament might be best option, something led by fans and not the clubs
Not true at all. The PL could sell their broadcasting rights with a clear rule that says televised fixtures have to be decided 8 weeks before the respective round of fixtures. I really doubt that would significantly lower the commercial value of the deal.
I understand why not all televised fixtures are decided at the start of the season (or this top of the table clash wouldn’t have been televised at all), but in this case it’s just sky waiting as long as possible in case Leicester had their much-predicted collapse.
Keep Parliament out of football.
Fans can’t have it both ways – if they didn’t keep paying for Sky they wouldn’t be able to do it. If the demand to show live games keeps increasing then fans attending games will always be shafted. Unless fans stop paying for Sky they’ll keep doing it.
But with what you’re saying, fans can’t even have it one way. They have to stop watching their team on TV while they wait patiently without going to any matches until the network bothers to do something. So then they won’t be able to watch any matches for at least a period. What’s the point in supporting by then?
Just do what I do; watch on crappy streams online so you don’t have to pay a £40+ per month contract to watch the game. Doesn’t provide quite the same experience, but it does the job!
Classy.
Sky amd Fa > Wankers
Trashing Leicester 4-0 will covers for fees incurred for cancelling transportation and accommodations. Can say that because it does not apply to me, lol.
I don’t understand how so many people are being stung by accommodation charges this for out? Surely it’s well before cancellation charges are reasonably applicable?
Typically when you book a hotel room, you can either get a cheap non-refundable rate or a higher refundable rate. With the refundable rate, you can usually get back 100% of your charge up until 24 hours before the first night; however, you have to pay for that privilege in the form of a higher room rate. Hotels do this because of the risk to them that if you cancel your booking on short notice, they may not be able to sell the room again – and indeed, they may have turned down bookings for that night because of your… Read more »
How the knobs at Sky didn’t think this game was going to be ‘tasty’ – as Blogs put it – is beyond belief. Do the decision makers know anything about their subject?!
“The hotels or the Arsenal aren’t the problem here.”
You left out the part where Sky only has the ability to do this because the clubs gave it to them. Nobody forced them to vote yes on their TV contract. The clubs are no less to blame for this disregard for ticket holders than the TV networks are in my opinion. If avoiding this were important to the clubs, they wouldn’t have voted to let it happen.
It’s is a class move by the club to attempt to alleviate at least some of the problems that moving a fixture this late causes
We cannot expect to be repaid air tickets ,hotel reservations etc .
We are traveling fanatics, let’s face it. When we go to Manchester on 7 th May and win the thing we won’t give two hoots…….
COYG
No, it’s a legal obligation.
The sale of a ticket is a contract. You can’t change the terms of a contract after consideration.
They had no choice in the matter, it’s simple contract law.
Let those that are affected by the Sky’s decision to move this fixture ahead of schedule bear the inconveniences caused them. And make other arrangements to still watch this match at the Ems. Let’s hope Arsenal will win that Leicester game. And also win all their other 4 preceding games before the Leicester game takes place. That is important.
You know, I always felt that being a Gooner was like a big brotherhood. All of us people drawn together with common cause and respect for the team, the Club, and eachother. Can’t say I expected to find a post from a fellow Gooner of this nature. All the stuff about hoping Arsenal do well is very poor camouflage for a post that basically says “Other Gooners? Fuck ’em”.
That’s a bit heartless, don’t you think?
Just a tad
My heart genuinely goes out to those who are affected by tv rescheduling of games, we all know it’s not right and shouldn’t happen at all.
Iam a London base fan but have 2 mates coming over from Ireland ,lucky to get 3 tickets ,but now will have to leave halftime to get Stansted express train for flight home ,thank you sky for messing every thing up thought I had weekend sorted