Rescheduled Football Matches

[Weath]

I'm getting right royally fed-up of Sky.

As a long-term season ticket holder at Forest we have now seen 14 of our matches rescheduled (so far) this season for the benefit of the TV cameras. Our fixture list now resembles something totally different to what it did when it was released back in the summer.

A good few of these have obviously been 'home' fixtures and as such have had to alter existing plans to attend.

However, twice now (Newcastle last Friday and Villa to come in Feb) I have specifically planned one-off, expensive and now unavoidable social events with the view that I would still be attending these games only to find the games then moved to days/times that clash anyway and I was/am unable to make them.

There is no mechanism in place to refund non-attendance when the games are moved by the club further than letting someone you know have access to your ST - this in my experience has not been the case in the event of gigs, theatre, or other 'organised' events.

Nobody can be expected to have 9 months of their life put on hold just to pander to the whims of Sky and with the number of altered fixtures I would say it is unreasonable/excessive and 'not the product I purchased' when I bought this season's ticket, especially when forking out £££'s in 'support' of the club.

Is there anything in consumer law with regards to the not offering a monetary refund that I can include in my letter to the club expressing my exasperation in the situation?

Weath

[didds]

I would imagine its within the T&Cs of your season ticket purchase.

I suspect your only course of action is to vote with your feet ... or at least threaten to do so without compensation but be prepared to call their bluff when they say no.



didds

[quelquod]

I would imagine its within the T&Cs of your season ticket purchase.

Nevertheless it's a reasonable question as to whether this constitutes an unfair contract term and with what remedy. Sorry I don't know the answer.

[didds]

agreed with that ... but I'd be amazed if something as "major" as this isn't covered otherwise every football - and rugby etc - club would be open to having to refund constantly. Whilst they still benefit from the £££ of course, nonetheless they are also presumably at the mercy of the whims of the TV stations - who who pays the piper calls the tune etc.

This is not an endorsement of this scenario.

didds

[pompeygazza]

a lot of clubs enable you to get a refund and then resell your seat. my club portsmouth do this, seems to work o.k.

[quelquod]

who who pays the piper calls the tune etc.

Not in the OP's case apparently.

[didds]

the payer being Sky, the piper effectively being the football clubs.

season ticket holders perhaps being the equivalent of rats or children to stretch the analogy!

didds

[Leither]

Many years ago I occasionally took my son to Tottenham Hotspur games. One Saturday we turned up only to find the date had been changed, we were unable to attend the revised game, it might even have already taken place, can't remember.

My entreaties for a refund were refused so I eventually took them to the Small Claims Court. TH wine the case.

From memory, the judge said that we should have been aware of the change as thousands of others clearly were. I think TH changed the wording on their tickets shortly after to exclude any liability.

Regards,

Leither

[Weath]

There's some interesting points in there that give me something to ponder - thanks.

I am especially liking the unfair contract terms, which from a quick bit of Googling could probably include a business allowing the retention of prepayments when the customer is not at fault.

It is also of interest to hear that Portsmouth have an existing model in place to offer refunds. This was something that I had considered to be commercially advantageous to the club in that they could refund at the lower ST price and then re-market the available seat at the standard, higher, match day price. Although to be fair, our current attendance levels are not causing a rush for tickets.

I accept that games will be moved for TV, that's the nature of the modern game. The issue I have is that any rescheduled fixture can effectively move away from 3pm on a Saturday to a 'random' day or time merely to slot-in somewhere with Sky's weekly scheduling hierarchy. We are seeing games moved to Thurs, Fri, later/earlier KO's on Sat, Sun (am & pm) - there's no consistent 'rule' by which a TV game is likely to follow (which I could live with) and that surely cannot be fair from a consumers point of view without recompense.

Weath.