TEETHING PROBLEMS
United pledge day one queues will ease
Ayr United have pledged to thrash out “teething problems” which hit their new ticketing system on Saturday.
Officials had to delay kick off against Falkirk as hundreds queued outside Somerset to buy briefs.
It followed the move to ditch cash turnstiles in favour of online technology.
But those behind the new system this week insisted it DOES work – and urged fans to show patience.
Adam Durham, of Total Tickets, told the Post: “We are already working on solutions to Saturday’s problems.
“A number of people complained about not receiving email confirmation of tickets, which seemed to have caused a lot of confusion.
“But we now know why this happened and are working on a fix.
“We’re also looking to quickly improve the point of sale experience for those buying on the day of the game.
“This will ease the pressure which arose at the shop before kick off on Saturday.”
Tech experts believe Ayr’s internet domain – ayrunitedfc. co. uk – has appeared on some ‘ blacklists’ meaning emails with ticket attachments are not reaching fans.
And that sparked mass confusion and queues on Saturday.
Adam revealed: “This became clear on Saturday and is something we’re working to rectify.
“But it’s also about education because anyone buying a ticket online does not actually need email confirmation.
“They can simply log into their account where they will find their purchase and they bring that to the ground with them.
“Ultimately, we know the system works as we’ve sold over two million tickets for a range of events.
“Hopefully with Ayr we will start to see people up to speed with the changes very quickly.”
Meanwhile, club bosses hit back at claims from some quarters that the move was making access to Somerset “more difficult”.
Director Mark Pettigrew said: “Several people on Saturday asked why we were going down this route and there are a number of reasons .
“Our current software package for monitoring entry to the game is antiquated and needs to be replaced so we needed to spend money anyway.
“The new system is part of a Customer Relationship Management system which will make a lot of the back office work simpler and more efficient, allowing us to process financial information, invoicing, events and ticketing much more effectively.
“The new system lets us know who our customers are and to keep in touch with them, with their consent, which has always been
difficult for us in the past.
“It also reduces the amount cash we have to move around the stadium on match days.”
He added: “We spoke to several other clubs who have gone down this route and they warned us that there would be some issues as both the club and supporters get used to the new systems.
“Our staff, supported by our supplier Total Tickets, worked very hard and we will be having a full de- brief during the week to take on board the lessons from Saturday.” • United fans can buy online in advance of this Saturday’s game with Stranraer by visiting www. ayrunitedfc. co. uk or from the club shop this week.