10.10am Monday...has anyone (unable to queue up in person) actually got through to the ticket office this morning re Man City?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Answers

A Pop Idol vote was easier to cast...

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

The box office are unbelievable ! On Saturday I went up to one window with my season ticket to get a Man City ticket. I was told by the woman, I had to wait until Monday, even though I pointed out that on the website it says that season ticket holders could apply for additional tickets (this was my first ticket!)

So after feeling aggrieved for a moment I went back to another window and asked again. This time there was no problem, I even got to choose whichever seat I wanted ! If I hadn't gone back I may not have ended up with a ticket at all !!!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

90 mins and counting...it couldn't be that there's just the one phone line...and they've left it off the hook? No, surely not...

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

It took Gav and me two days to get thro' for Lockeren tickets

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

I've spent an hour and 40 minutes on our phone just pressing redial - my better half has spent the same amount of time on his sister's phone next door. Neither of us has got anywhere near. I've given up for the moment.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

...it feels like two days already...and presume they'll have sold out by the time I get through.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

...surely they could operate a computerised queueing system as used by other big venues? You might still have to press re-dial for hours on end, but it would be a bit more civilised once you made a connection to the queue.

As it is, I've got no idea if I'm trying to get through to just one person on one line - or if the line(s) for ticket bookings is simply off the hook while they deal with personal callers.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

I've heard a number of times on here that e-mailing is usually faster/more reliable than calling....give it a try....

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

thanks gav - what's the address?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

more evidence to support the claim that we're a massive club, us.........

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Don't have the addy Ian...it'll be on the .cock website...

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

...there's a "Ticket Office" option on the official site's "Feedback" form, which I duly sent off, as a very faint hope. The automatic confirmation didn't exactly inspire confidence when it dropped in my in-box:

The message that you sent was delivered to the following:

...that was it! No text after "following:"

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Finally got through at 11.35am. Lady on the other end said: "I'm sorry, it's sold out."

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Same here!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Bliddy hell ! I'm glad I didn't give up on Saturday !!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Ack bad luck :((

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Had already made all the arrangements after Christmas to come home next weekend (start of half term doon sooth) with my Newcastle mad young daughter, prayed the lads would get through to the 5th round AND be drawn at home...it was all going too well. Now faced with a 600-mile round trip to buy a programme outside the ground and then watch it on the telly. Life is cruel.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Damn! Ah well, that's saved me a trip to SJP at lunchtime. No luck on the 'phone and it's not the distance - I can see the stadium out of my office window!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Are there not even any "corporate" tickets left ?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Gav - to give them their due, the box office eventually replied to my pleading email at 2.54pm. I originally emailed them this AM in the middle of several hundred attempts to get through by phone.

Their email reply:

"Sorry this game is sold out"

Nothing I didn't know already. But it's nice they replied.

And corporate tickets? Think the posh seats were already allocated under the season ticket rules for this FA Cup match. As discussed on a previous thread, those with posher season tickets have been told to simply turn up on the night with their book to claim their usual seat. Which leaves open the possibility of a few empty seats if some fail to turn up. Very frustrating.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Like Kats i'm very suprised that they've managed to sell all the posh seat tickets...they don't usually for league games!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

Home cup tickets come to me automatically with th Direct Debit scheme. I was surprised to see me moved for this game because of the MAN CITY ticket allocation. It should be some atmosphere, I'm bound to be pissed at that time of the day.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2002

They do take the phone off the hook at busy times, in fairness, if I were in the queue & found people could had a better chance of getting a ticket by phone, I'd be peeved.

I was trying to t through on a saturday morning whilst travelling up, always engaged, finally got to ticket office in time, not a sole in the queue & plenty tickets available.

However, e-mail boxoffice@NUFC.co.uk will get a reply and they'll say, we shouldn't do this but OK card number etc...

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002

Benton - that automatic `blank` e mail reply is so infuriating, and very bad P.R. You are left wondering `who got what, if anything`!(:o|

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002

With the exception of those ten really unpopular seats right at the top of the Gallowgate corner of the Milburn (have they EVER been filled?), SJP has been looking incredibly full just lately.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002

Dave...I agree with the point re people queueing up getting priority. I've done my fair share of queuing and would also be peeved, especially if someone on a mobile behind me got through.

But the club advertised the fact that any tickets left (after the season ticket allocations) would go on general sale as from 9am on Monday - in person at the box office and to phone callers...as is also the case for Premiership games. Exiles without season tickets, who live and work hundreds of miles from Newcastle, had no chance of queuing up in person...the phone was their only option.

If they take the phone(s)? off the hook to deal with personal callers only, that's fine. But they should make it a clear and advertised policy, to save a huge number of callers wasting a whole morning trying to get through.

I made what seemed like a thousand attempts on two phones for two-and- a-half hours and wasn't surprised when I finally got through late morning to be told the tickets had sold out. But I was a little puzzled to later read the Club statement on the official site which said the tickets had sold out that "afternoon". Did they still have tickets left when I got through but were holding on to them to satisfy the queue outside? Again, fair enough - but why can't the Club be honest about their policy re phone callers?

There wouldn't have been any queue on Saturday because the "general sale" tickets weren't available until 9am on Monday. In the event, I'm told there were around 5,000 left for sale on Monday - after season ticket holders had also had the option of buying additional tickets.

Enjoy the match!

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002

Sounds like they've been studying Ticketb@stard's methods of ticket sales.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002