Celtic have told the Celtic Trust they won’t change the way they are offering refunds for the back end of last season being curtailed due to the shutdown.
Celtic had to offer a refund to every single supporter and it was up to the individuals themselves if they wanted it or not. Like most fans when we first heard about this, we were happy with our money staying in the club.
However, since then, the club have quietly gone about offering refunds and not making it clear to all season ticket holders. As a season ticket holder, I haven’t received an email offering me the chance to receive a refund. While at the same time, emailing me to renew my season ticket and purchase the latest merchandise.
When I finally managed to find how to get a refund, it became clear the club were going to make you work for it. In this day and age, where I can go pour money into Celtic as much as I like through merchandise and season ticket sales, I can’t get a measly refund online.
The club specified you had to print out a document, fill it in and send it over to them by post – a primitive way to do things. The trust approached the club on supporters behalf on this matter. Their response to the Trust is explained in an online article on their website, with the supporter’s group asking if people could email in their forms.
‘Unfortunately, the club has informed us that they have a system which is ‘working well’ and won’t accept emailed forms. However, in order to support those who wish to obtain a refund we are providing the link here [http://www.celticfc.net/refunds].’
This prompted some fans who wouldn’t have taken the refund to think twice while others. To deliberately put up obstacles for the minority who wanted a refund is bad form.
We then see today that there will be NO sort of loyalty discount, bonus, or even a promise of something down the line when it comes to season tickets. You pay what you would normally and if you don’t like it, don’t renew. That’s the bottom line.
Knowing full well there’s not one season ticket holder who wants to potentially miss out on ten in a row. Not giving us a bit of come and go or even a gesture for our loyalty. Pay the money and like it!
People are expected to fork out lots of hard-earned cash to watch games online for the foreseeable. Something which is, of course, better than nothing, however, it throws up some ludicrous situations. A family of four will all get their individual codes to log into the virtual season ticket while spending thousands on season tickets. No group discount offered, no budging, no nothing.
It’s disappointing. We know Celtic are a business but it’s galling to see the way the club are going about this crisis.
Emotionally it’s hard to see past our club sometimes and we’ll continue to put our money in, even when instances like this show we’re all just a number.
