Stadium Tour Disappointment

[Dave4471]

Sorry, long post alert.

I wanted to get some opinions on here, just to see what people think.

I recently bought a stadium tour for my lad’s 10th birthday, which was meant to be a surprise. On the day of the tour, we arrived in good time as we wanted to take him the shop first and then surprise him with the tour of the ground afterwards.

However, just before were due to head over to the North Stand reception, my lad suddenly came down with an onset of what must have been a sickness bug picked up at school, and was violently ill in the car park, and in no fit state to go looking around the inside of Villa Park.

I did try to contact someone at the time, to see what could be done, but no one was around from the club to help. I went to the North Stand Reception where we were told the tour would start, but that was unattended, and the entrance was locked.

I tried asking at the club shop, but they told me they were unable to help, and with it being a Sunday, the ticket office phone line was closed.

There was another couple waiting for the same tour to start and they said they would let someone know if anybody from the club came along, but at that point all we could do was to get my son home. Unfortunately, the surprise had been ruined. Nobody’s fault, just awful timing and bad luck.

The next day I emailed the Villa to explain the situation and to ask if it would be possible to attend on a different day, given the situation we faced.

The response was...

"Hi,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately, stadium tours are sold as non-refundable and non-transferable under our terms & conditions.

Kind regards,

Ticket Sales"

I completely understand the Ts and C about no refunds, but I thought I'd reach out to club in the hope that they would at least have some sympathy for our situation. I also made it very clear that I was not asking for a refund, just for my son to be able to go on the tour which we'd paid for, as a present for his birthday

I've emailed them back to say how disappointed I was with their response, but they don't seem bothered. They didn’t even acknowledge my son’s sickness or offer a “we’re sorry to hear that”.

I totally understand that they don't have to do anything, under the terms and conditions. I'm just incredibly disappointed that they haven't even considered our situation.

Surely, it's no skin off their nose to book us on a different tour date?
But, as it seems to be the way at Aston Villa these days, the club have had our money, so that's all it seems to care about.

I’ve spoken to people who think the club have dealt with this badly, some have even said I should put it out there on social media, but that doesn’t sit with me doing stuff like that.

Does anyone on here think I should bother pursuing it any further? Or just write it off? I’m not sure who I’d contact if I did. I’m assuming whoever dealt with my emails was probably just reading off the standard responses.

I think what’s bothered me the most is they way they don’t seem to care about the situation, that my lad was ill and then really upset and that he never got to go on the tour.

Like most of us on here, I’ve spent a lot of years and an awful lot of money supporting this club, and I was so keen for my son to become a fan, and for him enjoy this being his club too.

Anyway, I’d be really interested to hear what people on hear think.

[aj2k77]

They don't care. They have their imaginary 25,000 waiting list ready to take everyone's places.

[Baldy]

Very shortsighted of the club, your son and his age group are our future.

[Drummond]

They don't care. They have their imaginary 25,000 waiting list ready to take everyone's places.

The first part I can perhaps agree with, the second part well, we know there's a waiting list. I'm on the bloody thing.

Anyway, in response to the first post, I'd have previously suggested Lee Preece, perhaps now you could go to the person in charge of the ticket office? Or complaints@

[cdbearsfan]

What a dreadful response by the club. Do we still have a Supporters' Trust or anything like that?

[The Charmer]

Very sorry to hear that Dave.

Have the club got shot of every employee that has a modicum of compassion or understanding for a one-off situation like this?

You were actually there, at the ground, when youre son became ill.
Not trying to mess them about and change your booking at the 11th hour!

How difficult can it be to just add him to a future tour that's a bit thin on numbers.

I really do hope that someone sees sense over this. Good luck.

[dave.woodhall]

Contact the Trust and ask them to bring it up.

[Dave4471]

Contact the Trust and ask them to bring it up.

Thanks Dave,

That's a good idea, how would I do that?

[Somniloquism]

I was going to suggest write a review on the TripAdvisor site as sometimes they get reviewed / replied to by the company, but it doesn't look like they do. Worth a try anyway as well.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186402-d3681597-Reviews-Aston_Villa_Stadium_Tour-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html

[Demitri_C]

Sorry to hear this poor experience  dave. I dod the tour last year  and they made us sogn in so in your case they would have seen you didnt come so they could at least provide a alternative  date. That level of service is so poor. I genuinely  feel its got so much worse under heck.

As others have said contact the trust they will bring it up on your behalf.

I would like to say this is a one off but the shambles of the pricing, the moving of fans  from their seats and the despicable parking fiasco for the disabled recently, it appears they dont give a fuck about the fans.

They don't  even offer free delivery if you spend £100 in the online shop. That shows you alone how money  orientated  this clubs now become.

[Percy McCarthy]

They don't care. They have their imaginary 25,000 waiting list ready to take everyone's places.

If you want to imagine it’s imaginary, at least get the figures right. Me and my kids are thirty-seven thousand and something, and there are two blokes at work numbered well over forty thousand.

Anyway - Dave: it might be an idea to tweet @villasupport (I think that’s the handle) on X. I hear they’re pretty good.

Edit: it might be @AVFCSupport.

[N'ZMAV]

that's a heck of a disappoiment

[eamonn]

Chances are that the tour-guide might have shown a human-side in response if they had been nearby at the time and dealt with it appropriately.

Sounds like a classic case of someone junior/inexperienced/not arsed, handling a sensitive customer care correspondence that could easily be rectified as you say, by a bit of understanding and the offer for you both to tag-along at a future tour.

[amfy]

That’s a rubbish response.
Have you used the complaints procedure?
Your 2nd email should have been escalated to the formal complaints procedure anyway but clearly has not been.
It’ll be interesting to see if that route goes through anyone more senior and the response changes.

[Des Little]

With each passing day, stuff like this emphasises what regular fans mean to the club. Fuck all.