Saints given 'reminder' about charter from FSF (From Daily Echo)
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Football Supporters Federation reminds Saints about customer charter
10:03am Thursday 27th September 2012 in Sport
SAINTS are joint bottom of a Premier League table organised by the Football Supporters Federation with regards to customer service guidelines.
The FSF could not give any points to Saints – or Reading, Stoke City and Swansea City – because they could not find a club charter on the club’s official website.
Liverpool and Crystal Palace might not be where fans would like them to be in their respective league tables, but both clubs have got things right when it comes to customer service guidelines.
Every club charter was rated 0-5 across a range of categories encompassing accessibility, timeliness, quality, clarity of complaints procedure, appeals process, and contacts for the relevant league and Independent Football Ombudsman.
Club charters provide consumer information and protection with guidelines on club policy relating to ticketing issues, complaints procedures, community work, merchandise and more.
It is now 13 years since the government- appointed Football Task Force Report said that all clubs should adopt a “customer charter”.
Research carried out by the FSF found that one in four clubs in the top two divisions had no charter or a charter that was not linked to via the club’s official website.
Only one in three clubs included contact details for the Independent Football Ombudsman.
The IFO rules on disputes between clubs and fans which cannot be resolved in-house.
While Liverpool topped the Premier League table, it was a close run thing as Wigan Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal pushed them close with well-crafted club charters.
A statement said: “Southampton is a club whose charter has impressed the FSF in past seasons, but the Saints seem to have forgotten to upload it to their website for 2012-13 – hopefully this acts as a reminder.”
In the Championship , Crystal Palace scored a perfect round to top the table at a canter.
Ipswich Town propped up the table with the Tractor Boys failing to provide fans with a club charter at all.
Martin O’Hara, deputy chair of the FSF, said: “Football fans love their club but that passion doesn’t mean we always see eye-to-eye.
“Sometimes things do go wrong and the FSF believes that club charters can play a vital role, particularly when it comes to effective complaints resolution.
“But they’re of no use to anyone if they’re impossible to find or tucked away at the bottom of someone’s draw.
“Too many club charters are incomplete, out-of-date or don’t even appear on official websites.
“This is despite guidance from the Football League which has worked with the FSF to remind clubs of their obligation to good customer care and club charters.
“The Premier League also takes this seriously although too few of its clubs seem to share that view.”
- The FSF is the national supporters’ organisation for all football fans from England and Wales, comprising more than 200,000 individual fans and members of local supporters’ organisations from every club in the professional structure and beyond.
Comments(56)
sarfhamton
says...
10:40am Thu 27 Sep 12
Surely its more about how teams deliver it?
OSPREYSAINT
says...
11:02am Thu 27 Sep 12
stmalcolm
says...
11:09am Thu 27 Sep 12
info@denisbundy.co.uk
says...
11:23am Thu 27 Sep 12
MccSaint
says...
11:24am Thu 27 Sep 12
I tried 6 phone calls to both numbers, sometime to go through all the options to get to the end and it says there busy and hangs up on you. Three emails with no response at all from them.
Real shame....
seventh-junction
says...
11:48am Thu 27 Sep 12
MccSaint wrote:I've been having the same problems it's a complete cluster f@ck.
Not only the web site is awful, but so is Saints customer service in general. I bought Man Utd tickets online, but the sale never went through so be warned.
I tried 6 phone calls to both numbers, sometime to go through all the options to get to the end and it says there busy and hangs up on you. Three emails with no response at all from them.
Real shame....
I've got 3 Everton away tickets or sale if anyone is interested at face value of course
Jesus_02
says...
11:52am Thu 27 Sep 12
But it’s not a restaurant there are no alternatives and really how much does it effect “customer experience” if we win?
4-1, that’s what makes the majority of fans happy. Very little else
TEBOURBA
says...
12:05pm Thu 27 Sep 12
St.Yorkie
says...
12:11pm Thu 27 Sep 12
seventh-junction wrote:I think you can take them back and get a refund...not like home tickets?
MccSaint wrote: Not only the web site is awful, but so is Saints customer service in general. I bought Man Utd tickets online, but the sale never went through so be warned. I tried 6 phone calls to both numbers, sometime to go through all the options to get to the end and it says there busy and hangs up on you. Three emails with no response at all from them. Real shame....I've been having the same problems it's a complete cluster f@ck. I've got 3 Everton away tickets or sale if anyone is interested at face value of course
Or is it the other way around?
Well done for buying 3-spares - must be a loyal fan!
Southampton boy
says...
12:32pm Thu 27 Sep 12
NC needs to look ate treating us the Fans with some respec it's are hard earned money it my not pay for everything but it must help so come on NC give us a break
Block 34
says...
12:42pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Last time I went to the ticket office with a problrm the attendance & his colleague were laughing about it & I gave them a rollicking for it, but the attitude was apalling.
Come on NC ! sort it out!!!!!
You can start by bringing back the guys at pitchside with coffee dispensers
Landdo
says...
12:42pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Also in regards to customeran anyone that goes to the a service why do the stewards stood there next to the away fans shout at the home fans telling them to sit down whilst turning a blind eye to the standing away fans.... Could anyone with alot of experience travelling to all the away games confirm whether all the other clubs do this?
Landdo
says...
12:43pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Also in regards to customerservice why do the stewards stood there next to the away fans shout at the home fans telling them to sit down whilst turning a blind eye to the standing away fans.... Could anyone with alot of experience travelling to all the away games confirm whether all the other clubs do this?
Block 34
says...
12:45pm Thu 27 Sep 12
These people are the lifeblood of the club and pay hundreds of pounds every season - they deserve better treatment than that.
Hobson82
says...
12:56pm Thu 27 Sep 12
I can't believe they kept turnstile B closed before, during and after the game. And to think they want to host the Rugby World Cup.
seventh-junction
says...
1:12pm Thu 27 Sep 12
St.Yorkie wrote:We've bought them so we can actually break into the away ticket allocation fiasco.
seventh-junction wrote:I think you can take them back and get a refund...not like home tickets?
MccSaint wrote: Not only the web site is awful, but so is Saints customer service in general. I bought Man Utd tickets online, but the sale never went through so be warned. I tried 6 phone calls to both numbers, sometime to go through all the options to get to the end and it says there busy and hangs up on you. Three emails with no response at all from them. Real shame....I've been having the same problems it's a complete cluster f@ck. I've got 3 Everton away tickets or sale if anyone is interested at face value of course
Or is it the other way around?
Well done for buying 3-spares - must be a loyal fan!
We either sell them or bin them.
Sorry state of affairs really just because we couldn't make Man City away which meant we couldn't do Arsenal and now you have to have been to two away games to get West Ham away tickets.
It's the only way we can see of getting away tickets for the games we've all ear marked that are coming up
Having all been season ticket holders for the League 1 and Championship seasons and going to many away games it's getting very frustrating and we are now paying even more on tickets we don't need for games that we can't make for various reasons.
So does anyone want these tickets?
worried of n e hampshire
says...
1:15pm Thu 27 Sep 12
does anyone know an e mail address for the club to complain?
Dino-Saw-Us
says...
1:41pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Block 34
says...
1:46pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Think the answer is a thermos flask... but would they allow it in?
sorry, don't recall the email address
OSPREYSAINT
says...
1:54pm Thu 27 Sep 12
worried of n e hampshire wrote:Go on the Official Site there are contact facilities on there if you can find them, it's a bit of a minefield however.
In the Itchen North at the bar tues night they only had one till operating so even with a pi$$ poor crowd loads of people could still not get a half time drink, not only annoying for the fans but the club are losing loads of revenue to boot, sort it out Saints.
does anyone know an e mail address for the club to complain?
ShakeyWiffles
says...
2:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12
St.Yorkie
says...
2:16pm Thu 27 Sep 12
seventh-junction wrote:How do you I feel at the moment? Went to a lot of the away games in League 1 & Championship - giving my support - and it counts for diddly squat.
St.Yorkie wrote:We've bought them so we can actually break into the away ticket allocation fiasco. We either sell them or bin them. Sorry state of affairs really just because we couldn't make Man City away which meant we couldn't do Arsenal and now you have to have been to two away games to get West Ham away tickets. It's the only way we can see of getting away tickets for the games we've all ear marked that are coming up Having all been season ticket holders for the League 1 and Championship seasons and going to many away games it's getting very frustrating and we are now paying even more on tickets we don't need for games that we can't make for various reasons. So does anyone want these tickets?seventh-junction wrote:I think you can take them back and get a refund...not like home tickets? Or is it the other way around? Well done for buying 3-spares - must be a loyal fan!MccSaint wrote: Not only the web site is awful, but so is Saints customer service in general. I bought Man Utd tickets online, but the sale never went through so be warned. I tried 6 phone calls to both numbers, sometime to go through all the options to get to the end and it says there busy and hangs up on you. Three emails with no response at all from them. Real shame....I've been having the same problems it's a complete cluster f@ck. I've got 3 Everton away tickets or sale if anyone is interested at face value of course
Still the evenings in Oldham (6-0) and Hartlepool (3-1) cannot be replaced by a Saturday at The Emirates!
ShakeyWiffles
says...
2:16pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Dino-Saw-Us wrote:They went on sale Tuesday for those that had been to 2 away games and today for those that had been to 1. I don't have spares but keep trying. Then again, such a poor allocation at the moment you'll find it hard
Not sure if they are on sale yet, but any season ticket holders got 3 West Ham tickets for sale?
Block 34
says...
2:22pm Thu 27 Sep 12
How about a new song "Sort it out Cortese"?!!
Strasbourg Saint
says...
2:28pm Thu 27 Sep 12
TEBOURBA wrote:Nope! You can't take credit for this one.
Another black mark NC --- and this time not from me!!
Ih8sk8s
says...
2:51pm Thu 27 Sep 12
warrens 76
says...
3:21pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Buying ticket's you were made to feel by the decidedly consumer "unfriendly" staff they were doing you a favor...a smile and empathy definately were not on the agenda.
The clubs ticketing policy and still apparant distrust of anyone they do not know still exists even with a local Postcode..many of those games with empty seats are NOT for want of interest let me assure you..
Can you imagine trying to bring a flag similar to those at Anfield into the stadium! or letting us have a drink which you can do at practically any other stadium in more than 15 sodding minutes...we had a pint at Arsenal after number 4 went in..wife needed the toilet see.
Finally stand up for a minute and some overpreening health and safety **** is on your back...theycannot even respect our own players...
....can you imagine a steward at Portmouth calling one of their own if they ever scored, me thinks NOT..they would be celebrating with them...
The charter may be hot air but someone at the club needs to take these comments on board.
Block 34
says...
3:28pm Thu 27 Sep 12
maybe we will end up being able to get a drink at half time, having the milk on the counter WITH the coffee. i.e. no trips across to the back of the hall only to find no-one's bothered to replenish the empty container! And how about FOOD at LUNCHTIME games??
for Christ's sake, how hard is it????
Landdo
says...
3:39pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Strasbourg Saint
says...
3:42pm Thu 27 Sep 12
When I was a ST holder in the early '80s, I was at the ticket office queuing for cup tickets before a Saturday Div 1 match against West Brom. In the queue, I bumped into a work colleague. He had forgotten his ST and, on reaching the front, simply asked for a pass to get him to his seat. The office obliged and in he went.
Two weeks later, driving through Bitterne on the way to the Dell, I realised I had left my ST at home. No matter thought I, I can get a pass from the ticket office.
So, imagine my surprise when I was refused. I explained that I had seen the same situation easily resolved a fortnight earlier but they wouldn't help. Apparently, they had just altered the policy and wouldn't budge.
I was furious and had to get a Milton Road standing ticket from someone I knew who ran a burger van and kept a few spares (no idea where he got those from).
The match was terrible. WBA stuck 11 behind the ball, we sang 'Are you Arsenal in disguise'* and it ended 0-0.
Hate jobsworths!
* Those were the days when watching ‘boring Arsenal’ was a stoic challenge.
Strasbourg Saint
says...
3:47pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Strasbourg Saint wrote:Whoops! Sorry. I inserted 'against West Brom' in the wrong place. No idea who the earlier match was against. It was the second day, when I forgot my ST, when we played boring WBA!
We all have a story, mine goes back a bit (but I've not been that impressed since the move to SMS).
When I was a ST holder in the early '80s, I was at the ticket office queuing for cup tickets before a Saturday Div 1 match against West Brom. In the queue, I bumped into a work colleague. He had forgotten his ST and, on reaching the front, simply asked for a pass to get him to his seat. The office obliged and in he went.
Two weeks later, driving through Bitterne on the way to the Dell, I realised I had left my ST at home. No matter thought I, I can get a pass from the ticket office.
So, imagine my surprise when I was refused. I explained that I had seen the same situation easily resolved a fortnight earlier but they wouldn't help. Apparently, they had just altered the policy and wouldn't budge.
I was furious and had to get a Milton Road standing ticket from someone I knew who ran a burger van and kept a few spares (no idea where he got those from).
The match was terrible. WBA stuck 11 behind the ball, we sang 'Are you Arsenal in disguise'* and it ended 0-0.
Hate jobsworths!
* Those were the days when watching ‘boring Arsenal’ was a stoic challenge.
Block 34
says...
3:47pm Thu 27 Sep 12
maybe we will end up being able to get a drink at half time, having the milk on the counter WITH the coffee. i.e. no trips across to the back of the hall only to find no-one's bothered to replenish the empty container! And how about FOOD at LUNCHTIME games??
for Christ's sake, how hard is it????
Block 34
says...
3:53pm Thu 27 Sep 12
I complained to the wembley official controlling the queue & he said it was up to the clubs how many people they put on as it was the club staffing the booths. Apparently some Saints tickets got lost so they canncelled them & re-issued. My re-issued ticket arrived by post 2 days after the game.
My thoughts on SFC ticket office are not printable!
Block 34
says...
3:53pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Folkestone Saint
says...
3:53pm Thu 27 Sep 12
worried of n e hampshire wrote:I wrote to the club via e-mail about a week ago and still no reply, however when I have phoned the ticket office (in the good old days of not being in the prem) I have always had a good and freindly service, unlike yesterday when I felt I was just an annoyance to the person on the phone
In the Itchen North at the bar tues night they only had one till operating so even with a pi$$ poor crowd loads of people could still not get a half time drink, not only annoying for the fans but the club are losing loads of revenue to boot, sort it out Saints.
does anyone know an e mail address for the club to complain?
Tye-Dye pt2
says...
4:06pm Thu 27 Sep 12
UTS!!
Tye-Dye pt2
says...
4:06pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Tye-Dye pt2 wrote:*pampered....'kin laptop ;)
Can any else hark back to the halcyon days of the Dell? Standing in the Archers the best you could hope for at half time was a copper smacking you round the head for standing too close to the partition fence, well at least it warmed you up? Its the modern pamered way though (sigh), I love going to SMS with any of its perceived faults, and have never had a problem with the ticket office, but thats just satisfied me.
UTS!!
TEBOURBA
says...
4:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Treat customers well and they will tell their friends and promote more business, treat them badly and the reverse applies.
Seems from the comments of the majority of posters, there are a lot of unhappy customers who appear to have been taken for granted --- a cardinal sin when running any business.
NC would do well to heed this message.
Strasbourg Saint
says...
4:17pm Thu 27 Sep 12
TEBOURBA wrote:You tell 'in, Tebby baby!
For once, setting aside performance on the pitch, satisfied customers are the life blood of any Company.
Treat customers well and they will tell their friends and promote more business, treat them badly and the reverse applies.
Seems from the comments of the majority of posters, there are a lot of unhappy customers who appear to have been taken for granted --- a cardinal sin when running any business.
NC would do well to heed this message.
seventh-junction
says...
4:18pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Landdo wrote:The main problems appear to be caused by the meagre allocations we seem to be getting from clubs with decent sized capacities of say over 30,000.
I personally think N/C has got it right! the regular away supporters are being shown loyalty by the club by getting first chance to buy future away tickets in the same way should we have been matched up against man u in the next round of the league cup you can bet those 9000 that saw us play the owls would probably get priority On those tickets.... In my opinion there's nothing wrong with that
We give most sides 10% of ours (3000 plus) and we don't seem to be getting the same from the other clubs.
Given the fact that we were one of the best supported away teams for the last 3 seasons surely we should be able to get more than we are getting as the demand is clearly there for most of the games.
saintshorse101
says...
4:45pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Strasbourg Saint wrote:no he cant, but he cant help but have a dig at NC can he!
TEBOURBA wrote: Another black mark NC --- and this time not from me!!Nope! You can't take credit for this one.
SouthamptonLegend
says...
4:58pm Thu 27 Sep 12
wtf!
Alicesdad
says...
5:30pm Thu 27 Sep 12
The cost of catering at football matches means I never usually eat or drink there. So as long as the toilet is within easy reach I'm OK.
I did however see the Palace game last season at Palace's ground and I was impressed with their set up.
There is nothing that we shouldn't be able to equal or surpass.
On the ticket front I cannot honestly think of any scheme that is grumble proof though!! I remember the old days whe a voucher was handed out at some obscure home game and used to get cup tickets. Its how I got my '76 cup final ticket. That caused no end of grumbles from people back then. Nothing was ever perfect.
The systems should be more sophisticated now with all the technology available but I doubt we will ever please everyone. There will always be people who couldn't get a ticket for some reason or other.
I would like to think that this would be a timely thorn in the corporate paw and lead to a review of the matchday services package. They would ythen take feedback from mathcday attendees to monitor progress.
It's not rocket science.
(Good to see that a certain boring poster wrote a short post for a change. Even then he had a jab at NC but missed the point completely).
Try to be even shorter next time. If you leave out the bragging about your vast intellect, knowledge and experience there really isn't much left is there?
Norwegian Saint
says...
5:36pm Thu 27 Sep 12
I went to get a beer and had just enough time to down it... problem was the serving numpties behind the bar we're opening bottles and pouring for us fans... just give us the darn bottle!
Also I agree with earlier post regarding the £1.50 per ticket fee... terrible!
Crossley Place Saint
says...
6:00pm Thu 27 Sep 12
A charge to park a car at the ground for a few minutes to pick up tickets!!
At least the ticket hotline is an ordinary 02381 phone line, not a premium rate 0870 number. This seems to be the only trick that Mr Cortese has missed to gouge the supporters for yet more relatively small, but intensely annoying, amounts of money. (I hope he doesn't read this!!)
ottostrasser
says...
7:31pm Thu 27 Sep 12
The club should be run by a commitee of fans then everything would alright.
Lets burn our season tickets we might even get our photo in the echo,
ottostrasser
says...
7:40pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Just a collection of the worst bed wetting moaners from clubs around the country.
Tirau Dan
says...
2:21am Fri 28 Sep 12
Nicola Cortese though preferring not to be in the limelight has a lot of fans who would dearly like him to say a few words now and then. Not for the impatient, incessant negative dissenters but for himself and for those who truly appreciate and support his hard work and dedication.
As for the website: It's style like a gaming site targetted at young people. It lacks the font and background colours of a communications site and it's menus are a tangled mess. I doesn't even advertise it's sponsors well.
Staff wise; I believe they are fine. At least I've had timely helpful replies re on-line services. Including personal emails from hods on match days. They were most helpful.
Would supporters want a help desk with a free call number if it ate into the budget for airfares for the first team or for sound systems or stadium improvements?
Keep up the great work Saints... I really don't care about supporters foundations or charters - they don't represent the majority of Saints Fans
ButtyIoWSaint
says...
6:57am Fri 28 Sep 12
Problems accessing this website or our subscription video service, Saints Player including problems with passwords, subscription payment issues and technical issues should be sent to customerservices@per
formgroup.com.
Form an orderly queue, Dont crash the server folks :)
ButtyIoWSaint
says...
7:08am Fri 28 Sep 12
http://www.performgr
oup.co.uk/FootballCa
seStudies
puppy saint
says...
8:25am Fri 28 Sep 12
k
Might be worthwhile some of you looking at this before making comments.
The customer service was poor in L1 so it's beyond poor in the Premier as nothing has changed for the concourse dwellers. I've emailed the club on several issues and they have failed to reply apart from once. I'm starting to view NC in a different light.
seventh-junction
says...
10:00am Fri 28 Sep 12
We are prepared to let them go cheap.
So if any Saints fans out their want to make me an offer then please do.
I'd rather they got used and saved someone else a bit of cash than bin them.
I am prepared to drop them off or meet someone within a 5 mile radius of Woolston if it helps.
Gentlemen ( or Ladies) start your bidding!!!”
once a saint
says...
10:48am Fri 28 Sep 12
City Saint
says...
5:22pm Fri 28 Sep 12
Ih8sk8s wrote:spot on.
Never mind all that sort out the service so we can actually get a pint before the second half kicks off
my biggest complaint is that you can't see the first 45 minutes, and then queue up and get a drink before the second half kicks off. The number of times this season that we've still been queueing when the whistle blows to start the second half is depressing.
The staff behind the counter don't seem to care much either, they shuffle around like sleepy zombies.
"Saaaaaiiintssss Aaaaaale you saaaaaay? ooooohhhhh kaaaayyyyy"
not premier league standard!
CB FRY LIVES
says...
2:39pm Mon 1 Oct 12
OSPREYSAINT says...
10:37am Thu 27 Sep 12