Stadium Tour cock-up

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nickyb1982

nickyb1982

From: Nick Bone
Sent: 06 August 2013 09:56
To: Customer Care
Subject: Legend's Stadium Tour (Buyagift ref: 11821630-BUY2506792)

Dear Sir/Madam

My Step-Mum bought my Dad a legend’s tour of WHL for 2 people for his birthday. He asked me to book it so I phoned up and after being given the incorrect phone number on 2 occasions eventually got through to book the tour.

I said I had rung up to book a WHL tour and was asked to provide the reference number above. The girl who I spoke to took the booking reference and asked when we would like to go – I said Saturday 3rd August and she asked what time – I said 12:00 and she said that 12:00 was fine and it was all booked, and that we just needed to be at the club shop at 12:00. Brilliant.

We turned up Saturday at 12:00 and when showed our slip with the booking reference on it, were met with ‘You do know that you have a legends tour here?’ ‘Yes’ we replied…. ‘I am afraid there are no legends here today’ was the response.

When I phoned up to book the tour, I was never asked what kind of tour it was I wanted to book. I was simply asked for the reference number and when we wanted to go. I was not aware there were different types of tours.

We were asked if we wanted to take the tour with the standard tour guides or come back another day. As we had come down from Cambridge just for the tour we obviously took the first option, as we had spent money on train tickets and would have wasted most of the day.

Although the tour guides were very good, needless to say we were very disappointed and upset as we were really looking forward to being walked around WHL by a legend and hear some great stories.

My Step-mum was also gutted when we came back and told her, as she had booked (and paid extra for let’s not forget) a legend tour especially, as she knew Dad and I would love it.

I am hoping something can be done as compensation for the disappointment and money lost.

Kind regards

Nick

Nick Bone
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From: Customer Care
Sent: 06 August 2013 10:48
To: Gary Belsham
Subject: FW: Legend's Stadium Tour (Buyagift ref: 11821630-BUY2506792)

FYI
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From: Gary Belsham [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 07 August 2013 11:08
To: Nick Bone
Subject: FW: Legend's Stadium Tour (Buyagift ref: 11821630-BUY2506792)

Hi Nick

Many thanks for your email.

Firstly, please let me apologise for the confusion, and that you were booked on to the wrong tour. I have emphasised to the people who answer the phones to check exactly which vouchers supporters have when booking a tour.

Although I will not be able to offer a refund on the vouchers, I am more than happy to accept you both onto our next legends tour on Friday 6th September, with Martin Chivers, free of charge. Although you will have seen the areas of the stadium, the Legends tour is very different as Martin will tell lots of stories from his time at the club.

If you do wish to accept this offer, please let me know, and I will send some complimentary tickets out to you.

Kind Regards

Gary Belsham
Stadium Tours & Away Travel Administrator

T: +44 (0)20 8365 5191
M: +44 (0)7747 606 720
E: [email protected]

Tottenham Hotspur Football & Athletic Co Ltd
Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Road, London, N17 0AP

Twitter / @SpursOfficial
Facebook / Tottenham Hotspur
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From: Nick Bone
Sent: 07 August 2013 11:25
To: Gary Belsham
Subject: RE: Legend's Stadium Tour (Buyagift ref: 11821630-BUY2506792)

Hi Gary

While we appreciate your offer, we do not really feel like this is adequate compensation. I am sure Martin’s stories would be great but to travel down from Cambridge again just to hear some stories is just not worth it. Had we had Martin originally and been taken around WHL for the first time at the same time (like we paid for) that would be a different story.

I am sure Tottenham can do a little better than that. We are bronze members and spent a lot of money supporting the club last year and would like to think we are valued supporters.

We would gladly accept a couple of match tickets or even a replica kit each to make amends.

Kind regards

Nick Bone

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Hi Nick

Many thanks for your email.

Again, I can only apologise.

As I said previously, the offer of joining the Martin Chivers tour is on the table, but no match tickets or replica kit will be offered to you.

Regards

Gary
 
Was I expecting too much?

Am I right to be annoyed?

You would think a multi-million pound club could spare a couple of shirts that probably only cost a couple of quid to make, to apologise to two supporters who have supported them for 85 years+ combined, for a mistake they made!
 
just out of interest what is the difference in price between the 'usual tour' and 'legends tour'?

And if they offered to pay for your rail fare would that have been sufficient?
 
Stanners said:
I think they could have offered a bit more compensation to cover the fact they'll need to spend again to travel to and from the ground to experience the tour they had originally paid for.
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I don't think it's relevant, transport costs are transport costs, nothing to do with the club, regardless if they live in Cambridge or in Tottenham itself.

I generally don't agree for asking for something specific as compensation either, especially when the club have offered something which is probably worth a lot already.

It's like when passengers demand an upgrade from economy to business on a flight for some inconvenience, you can't expect the purser to say "yes sir of course, here's a 1000 pound upgrade free of charge."

It's not how businesses work and it would open them up to getting abused because somebody else got it so why can't I?

The club did fuck up yes but I think the compensation offered is realistic.
 
Personally, asking for replica shirts and tickets, sounds like you're on the scrounge to me. Just my opinion obviously and i'm not generally a fan of THFC Customer Care.

They're offering you a full replacement (in addition to the tour you've had). Or otherwise they should definitely refund the difference in price (whatever this is). Surprised they didn't offer you that first to be honest.

You seem to emphasise that the "legend" is important (and obviously the reason for the cock-up and complaint) but then you belittle it with, "just to hear some stories is just not worth it"

:thumbup:
 
zin said:
I don't think it's relevant, transport costs are transport costs, nothing to do with the club, regardless if they live in Cambridge or in Tottenham itself.

I generally don't agree for asking for something specific as compensation either, especially when the club have offered something which is probably worth a lot already.

It's like when passengers demand an upgrade from economy to business on a flight for some inconvenience, you can't expect the purser to say "yes sir of course, here's a 1000 pound upgrade free of charge."

It's not how businesses work and it would open them up to getting abused because somebody else got it so why can't I?

The club did fuck up yes but I think the compensation offered is realistic.
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I agree with you on asking for specifics in compensation, it's never something I do when 'complaining'.

At the end of the day the club has refused to refund the tickets, so their only offer of compensation involves Nick forking out of his own pocket again. A club store voucher matching the costs of his travel would have been fair in my view.
 
The way I see it, you still got some of what you paid for by going on the tour notwithstanding. While it was right to make a complaint, I think the offer you got was more than adequate since they weren't just offering you a new date on a fixed day, but would send you complimentary tickets for a later date, which would presumably allow you to attend the tour on a day when you would otherwise be in London. I think the most extra you could've asked for would perhaps have been a contribution to the train tickets, but I feel it's difficult to argue this when you decided to go on the tour even though there was no legend. I appreciate your day may have been a total waste without doing so, but it probably would have put you in a better position to argue for a contribution to the train tickets.

I assume the request for a match ticket or replica kit was based on your estimated cost of travel. How much was that? About £40-£80?

If it were me I would not have asked for a match ticket or kit. Rather simply written back and explained that the train fare was a lot, attached receipts and make it clear to them that to attend the new offered date you'd have to incur this cost again.
 
Stanners said:
I agree with you on asking for specifics in compensation, it's never something I do when 'complaining'.

At the end of the day the club has refused to refund the tickets, so their only offer of compensation involves Nick forking out of his own pocket again. A club store voucher matching the costs of his travel would have been fair in my view.
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I agree that should Nick not want to take them up on their offer they should refund the difference if not the full amount. I don't think that has been asked though. Plus I'm sure if Nick would want to bother he could raise a complaint with his bank that he paid for something he did not receive - but that's extreme and I wouldn't go down that route personally if it's only a small amount.
 
zin said:
I don't think it's relevant, transport costs are transport costs, nothing to do with the club, regardless if they live in Cambridge or in Tottenham itself.
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Disagree. They would not have incurred those costs but for booking on the legends tour. They didn't get what they wanted and would have to spend the same again to get the legends tour on the complimentary basis. So paying the fare a second time would be a direct expense arising out of the club's error.

At least, that's the argument I would've made. :D
 
Smoked Salmon said:
Disagree. They would not have incurred those costs but for booking on the legends tour. They didn't get what they wanted and would have to spend the same again to get the legends tour on the complimentary basis. So paying the fare a second time would be a direct expense arising out of the club's error.
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Sure, but by the same measure they could then chat shit and say they bought first class tickets because it's the only way they can travel and then would have asked for a taxi to drop them right outside the ground. One man's 45 minute train trip from Cambridge could be another's 45 minute bus ride from Wood Green, it's irrelevent in my view.
 
zin said:
Sure, but by the same measure they could then chat shit and say they bought first class tickets because it's the only way they can travel and then would have asked for a taxi to drop them right outside the ground. One man's 45 minute train trip from Cambridge could be another's 45 minute bus ride from Wood Green, it's irrelevent in my view.
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No receipts, no money. Train tickets have the price stamped on them don't they?
 
Seems quite a divide. Interesting.

I am certainly not 'scrounging' for anything. We just feel a little hard done by as my step-mum bought the legends tour in particular because it sounded quite special. To turn up and be put on a regular tour just because one of the club's customer service operators did not check properly was really disappointing.

I am also certainly not belittling the legend - my point was that why would we want to go on another tour to see the same things one month later, having to pay for travel again out of our own pockets, and seemingly using a day's holiday as they offered us a tour on a Friday!

I mentioned tickets/shirts as an example and would happily have accepted a refund for the difference or a voucher for the club shop.

Cheers
 
nickyb1982 said:
Seems quite a divide. Interesting.

I am certainly not 'scrounging' for anything. We just feel a little hard done by as my step-mum bought the legends tour in particular because it sounded quite special. To turn up and be put on a regular tour just because one of the club's customer service operators did not check properly was really disappointing.

I am also certainly not belittling the legend - my point was that why would we want to go on another tour to see the same things one month later, having to pay for travel again out of our own pockets, and seemingly using a day's holiday as they offered us a tour on a Friday!

I mentioned tickets/shirts as an example and would happily have accepted a refund for the difference or a voucher for the club shop.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Push for a full refund, expect at least the difference.
 
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