Corporate Giants crush iconic local business

[Jeff (LouMacari)]

Press Release from Ticketek office in Central Coast Leagues Club:

[size=10pt]Corporate Giants crush iconic local business[/size]

John Singletons company Central Coast Stadium and Ticketek Pty Ltd (PBL Media), have joined forces to terminate an iconic Central Coast business, the
Ticketek Agency at Central Coast Leagues Club.

The business has been located at the Leagues Club for 30 years, and the owners, Michael & Sharon Newton are well known on the Central Coast as Ticketek agents for the last 22 years., and the original founders of Entertainment Tours. Despite having 18 months to run on a 3 year contract the family were shocked recently when they received a letter from the legal department of Ticketek Pty Ltd serving notice that their current contract was being terminated with 90 days notice.

On further investigation it was revealed that the agreement was terminated as a result of a deal put together by Monique Marks of Central Coast Stadium and Ticketek State manager Steven Bailie that will see the current agency close on May 16 and a new agency open at the stadium, a mere 40 metres away.

When the stadium was first mooted, I personally was involved on various committees, and then when it became a reality I worked as a consultant for the Northern Eagles for 3 years. In addition I personally awarded the Brookvale Oval ticketing contact to Ticketek Pty Ltd, trained the stadium staff at both Brookvale and Gosford locations, and gave up my number 1 employee to the stadium to oversee the ticketing Michael Newton said.

In recent times we have continued to support the venue by providing merchandise facilities for the Major Hirers including the Central Coast Mariners, Manly and Souths and also organized 20 supporters coaches to the A-League Grand Final.


So after 22 years as an agent, all that goodwill, everything we have done for Ticketek and the Stadium, this is how we get repaid said Mr Newton.

The callous nature of the termination has shocked the family the most. if they had said this is where we are heading, we will not be renewing in 18 months when your contract is up, then fair enough we could accept that, but this is a poor way to do business.  (The decision has placed the family under immediate financial duress.)

After 22 years we have delivered on our promise to provide first class service to the people of the Central Coast, and would like to thank those clients for their loyal support.

The agency has been located at the current site for 30 years and the Central Coast Leagues Club has been a major supporter of the stadium including an initial contribution of $700,000.

The stadium is supposed to be a community asset but this decision is not in the best interests of the community said Leagues Club director Colin Frazer

Michael is expected to continue in his position as Football Manager at Erina Leagues Club whilst Sharon will take a well earned break before weighing up any future opportunities.


End Press Release

Ouch! that's gotta hurt (not just financially)

 

[Alicia]

So does this mean Ticketek at the stadium will only be open on game days or the same as it was at the club?  People don't just buy tickets for events at the stadium.

 

[Jeff (LouMacari)]

More importantly, do you think the stadium ticketek is going to be doing things like selling marinators merchandise, organising buses etc for us like the cclc ticketek? Very sad loss I reckon, and whilst it sounds like he has a legally binding contract, I dare say the big $$'s behind the stadium could have the matter tied up in the courts for years if they chose to pursue that avenue.

 

[Bear]

More importantly, do you think the stadium ticketek is going to be doing things like selling marinators merchandise, organising buses etc for us like the cclc ticketek?

I would certainly hope so.

 

[dibo]

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission? Office of Fair Trading? It really comes down to the rights of franchisees. The franchise contract will have all appropriate terms in it. My guess is that the Stadium and Ticketek are perfectly within their rights as defined within the franchise agreement, but that doesn't mean they're doing the 'right' thing in the eyes of the community.

 

[voice of reason]

Have you ever tried to complain to Ticketek about anything?  Last season we didn't receive our e-tickets for a CCM v SFC game until 2am following the game.  When we tried to complain about it we found the avenues for complaint were few and I eventually spoke with a supervisor in their call centre who couldn't have cared less.  In fact, his attitude was shocking for a company that relies on customer goodwill.  All contact with their head office went completely unanswered.  Why should they care?  Their customers are the big venue operators.  The little guy can go to hell.

THis is the type of customer relations that Ticketek practises.  Be prepared for total stonewalling over this issue.

(During the finals series, all ticketing at the CCLC agency was super-efficient.  The ticketing at the stadium office was woeful!!!)

 

[Atomic]

I don't support the approach that the Stadium and Ticketek have taken and best wishes to the Newtons in their future endeavours.

If this is to be then so be it. I just hope they build adequate protection from the weather for the punters queuing up to buy tickets. I remember standing in the rain with an umbrella to purchase tickets at the ticket box. This must be rectified.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I'm sure that the lawyers will have checked the franchise agreement to make sure they were able to do this without any recourse.

Whether it was ethical or not is another question.

 

[brett]

I just want a third entrance to the BTS

 

[marinermick]

Have you ever tried to complain to Ticketek about anything?  Last season we didn't receive our e-tickets for a CCM v SFC game until 2am following the game.  When we tried to complain about it we found the avenues for complaint were few and I eventually spoke with a supervisor in their call centre who couldn't have cared less.  In fact, his attitude was shocking for a company that relies on customer goodwill.  All contact with their head office went completely unanswered.  Why should they care?  Their customers are the big venue operators.  The little guy can go to hell.

THis is the type of customer relations that Ticketek practises.  Be prepared for total stonewalling over this issue.

(During the finals series, all ticketing at the CCLC agency was super-efficient.  The ticketing at the stadium office was woeful!!!)

ticketek doesn't have to rely on customer goodwill (not saying it shouldn't)

it basically has a monopoly on any specfic event that it is contracted to

 

[FFC Mariner]

Become a member and avoid ticketek.

(well until the usual finals debacle obviously)

 

[dibo]

ticketek doesn't have to rely on customer goodwill (not saying it shouldn't)

it basically has a monopoly on any specfic event that it is contracted to

indeed, the competition in that market comes in providers (ticketek, ticketmaster, proticket) tendering for the rights to sell tickets at particular venues. any event at CCBTS, SFS, ANZ is ticketek, entertainment centre, suncorp or the mcg is ticketmaster, shithole is proticket.

at that point the venue managers are probably looking most of all at the quality and flexibility of ticket sales options more than they're looking at whether they keep franchisees happy.

 

[Pete]

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission? Office of Fair Trading? It really comes down to the rights of franchisees. The franchise contract will have all appropriate terms in it. My guess is that the Stadium and Ticketek are perfectly within their rights as defined within the franchise agreement, but that doesn't mean they're doing the 'right' thing in the eyes of the community.

Runs a little counter to what you were advocating in the debate recently about the Mariners and moving a possible home game and/or a pre season game into Sydney?mmmmm ???

Sad the local agents have lost their business, they did a very good job standing in as a pseudo Mariners Membership Management team when they sold the tickets to the GF and put on all those buses with CCLC.

 

[Pete]

ticketek doesn't have to rely on customer goodwill (not saying it shouldn't)

it basically has a monopoly on any specfic event that it is contracted to

indeed, the competition in that market comes in providers (ticketek, ticketmaster, proticket) tendering for the rights to sell tickets at particular venues. any event at CCBTS, SFS, ANZ is ticketek, entertainment centre, suncorp or the mcg is ticketmaster, shithole is proticket.

at that point the venue managers are probably looking most of all at the quality and flexibility of ticket sales options more than they're looking at whether they keep franchisees happy.

You mean, like, the franchisees/agents having an exclusive area to work in, like it's their area of operation? But you were previously advocating that if the franchisees couldn't market their area of operation properly they deserved to have others come in and market them out of that area, even when the franchise agreement still is current (Sydney and Mariners scenario).

Bye bye Dibo.......I'm taking a break from all this. ;D ;D

 

[dibo]

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission? Office of Fair Trading? It really comes down to the rights of franchisees. The franchise contract will have all appropriate terms in it. My guess is that the Stadium and Ticketek are perfectly within their rights as defined within the franchise agreement, but that doesn't mean they're doing the 'right' thing in the eyes of the community.

Runs a little counter to what you were advocating in the debate recently about the Mariners and moving a possible home game and/or a pre season game into Sydney?mmmmm ???

Sad the local agents have lost their business, they did a very good job standing in as a pseudo Mariners Membership Management team when they sold the tickets to the GF and put on all those buses with CCLC.

ticketek doesn't have to rely on customer goodwill (not saying it shouldn't)

it basically has a monopoly on any specfic event that it is contracted to

indeed, the competition in that market comes in providers (ticketek, ticketmaster, proticket) tendering for the rights to sell tickets at particular venues. any event at CCBTS, SFS, ANZ is ticketek, entertainment centre, suncorp or the mcg is ticketmaster, shithole is proticket.

at that point the venue managers are probably looking most of all at the quality and flexibility of ticket sales options more than they're looking at whether they keep franchisees happy.

You mean, like, the franchisees/agents having an exclusive area to work in, like it's their area of operation? But you were previously advocating that if the franchisees couldn't market their area of operation properly they deserved to have others come in and market them out of that area, even when the franchise agreement still is current (Sydney and Mariners scenario).

Bye bye Dibo.......I'm taking a break from all this. ;D ;D

not franchisees, ticketing companies. franchisees at mingara, CCLC, the state theatre and the enmore theatre can all sell me tickets to mariners games. franchisees have no exclusive right to sell the tickets, just the company from whom they purchase the franchise.

the parent company may have some internal rules about the franchises, and these rules will form part of the franchise contract.

the CCLC franchise contract would appear to be expired. they've worked very hard for a long time to build up that business, but in the end it is a franchise contract and the parent company is pretty free to do as they wish with it.

if the mariners' franchise was either expired or withdrawn by the FFA, they'd be in the same position as the good folks who ran the ticketek agency at the CCLC. there's no inconsistency there.

---

have a good break pete, see you soon.

 

[Jesus]

So the stadium will instead be hiring out the current ticketek office?

 

[dru]

I would say they would be using the ticket windows that are at the stadium. Comments by the leagues club in the article seem to suggest they aren't happy with the situation. Will be interesting to see if we have a supporters store pop up where the old ticketek was though.

 

[Jesus]

I would say they would be using the ticket windows that are at the stadium. Comments by the leagues club in the article seem to suggest they aren't happy with the situation. Will be interesting to see if we have a supporters store pop up where the old ticketek was though.

Depends who they lease it to specifically. May be ticketek

 

[Jesus]

Ah. A new agency will open at the stadium.

On further investigation it was revealed that the agreement was terminated as a result of a deal put together by Monique Marks of Central Coast Stadium and Ticketek State manager Steven Bailie that will see the current agency close on May 16 and a new agency open at the stadium, a mere 40 metres away.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

How is this going to work - are they just going to permanently open one of the ticket windows at BTS?

So what's going to happen if you want to buy tickets in inclement weather?  Surely you need to have some sort of indoors facility to meet the requirements of the public?

Also, won't this mean that, on game days, we're going to have 2 less cashiers to sell us tickets, thus making the lines even longer?