no smart phone? then you'll not get in to Leeds v Man Utd

[Never to the dark side]

From Sunday, when Leeds host Manchester United at Elland Road, the club will remove the option for fans to print their tickets at home - and nobody will be able to access the stadium without a digital ticket.

[City oz]

Digital tickets have been around unfortunately for a few years now and stored in a data base where you would normally print out at home and then use the print out manually at the venue of where ever you booked. It is a sign of the times unfortunately. Every one now must have a basic smart phone and therefore should not be a problem and simply just show your QR barcode on your phone. This will speed up the process and it also helps speed up the entry to any event.

[JackiDziekanowski]

Another step towards chipping us all...

[City oz]

2 minutes ago, JackiDziekanowski said:

Another step towards chipping us all...

How many times have you misplaced a ticket or a piece of paper in your pocket. I know I have many times but thank god I have not misplaced my mobile phone.

[Peter1450]

What happens if your battery dies?

[Baba Yaga]

9 minutes ago, Peter1450 said:

What happens if your battery dies?

You will not be able to gain entry if your phone is not charged. On match day, please ensure that your mobile phone is fully charged.

https://www.leedsunited.com/tickets/mobile-tickets#/qq

Poor move from Leeds, hope they overturn this otherwise would be nice to see them relegated.

 

[City oz]

17 minutes ago, Peter1450 said:

What happens if your battery dies?

Or your printer runs out of ink at home. 

[Sir Geoff]

26 minutes ago, Baba Yaga said:

You will not be able to gain entry if your phone is not charged. On match day, please ensure that your mobile phone is fully charged.

https://www.leedsunited.com/tickets/mobile-tickets#/qq

Poor move from Leeds, hope they overturn this otherwise would be nice to see them relegated.

 

Why ? It' s the way all tickets will be in the future. One of the drivers behind it is to stop ticket touting. Most concert tickets have been digital only for a couple of years now.

[City oz]

4 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Why ? It' s the way all tickets will be in the future. One of the drivers behind it is to stop ticket touting. Most concert tickets have been digital only for a couple of years now.

Last week booked a train ticket locally in OZ. Our tickets were sent to our mobile phones and we scan the bar code for access to the train. Looking at flights now for a visit back later this year to the UK. Have been advised my airplane ticket, car hire at heathrow will be by bar code. This is now accepted world wide im afraid.

[Red DNA]

35 minutes ago, City oz said:

Or your printer runs out of ink at home. 

Even worse, the tree you planted in your garden to use for paper to print the ticket on, didn’t grow due to climate change so you don’t have any paper available .
Major anxieties ahead . 

[exAtyeoMax]

1 hour ago, City oz said:

Digital tickets have been around unfortunately for a few years now and stored in a data base where you would normally print out at home and then use the print out manually at the venue of where ever you booked. It is a sign of the times unfortunately. Every one now must have a basic smart phone and therefore should not be a problem and simply just show your QR barcode on your phone. This will speed up the process and it also helps speed up the entry to any event.

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

[ralphindevon]

2 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

None of the 3 guys I work with have smart phones.

I must admit I have absolutely everything on mine. Trains tickets, plane tickets, credit cards, store cards, concert tickets, the list goes on. Everything except my season card.

Bit frightening really

[City oz]

3 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

Totally agree with you but unfortunately the way we always did and do things are changing dramatically. There is a massive cost saving for ticket booking companies world wide by going totally electronic and digital. 

Even booking flight tickets I request soft copies (print outs) but was told they would not be accepted at check in at the airport for security reasons. We have to show the bar codes of our flight tickets at the airport and when we check in we get another notification sent to us with our digital boarding passes.

[Sir Geoff]

10 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

Why should there be an alternative? What was the alternative to paper tickets ?

Print at home tickets became a thing but not everyone has a printer, thus entailing a trip to the local library every week just to print a ticket.

[exAtyeoMax]

4 minutes ago, City oz said:

Totally agree with you but unfortunately the way we always did and do things are changing dramatically. There is a massive cost saving for ticket booking companies world wide by going totally electronic and digital. 

Even booking flight tickets I request soft copies (print outs) but was told they would not be accepted at check in at the airport for security reasons. We have to show the bar codes of our flight tickets at the airport and when we check in we get another notification sent to us with our digital boarding passes.

Yes everything was digital when I went abroad in the summer. I was absolutely terrified that something would happen to my phone, stolen, damaged, lost etc. I did print things out and shared all the passwords/info with my friend just in case 

[ralphindevon]

1 minute ago, Sir Geoff said:

Why should there be an alternative? What was the alternative to paper tickets ?

Print at home tickets became a thing but not everyone has a printer, thus entailing a trip to the local library every week just to print a ticket.

So what do you do if you don’t have a smartphone?

The alternative to a paper ticket was a reprint.

Don’t get me wrong as I said above I’ve been onside with it for years but there’ll be some that just don’t have smartphones.

[City oz]

1 minute ago, ralphindevon said:

So what do you do if you don’t have a smartphone?

The alternative to a paper ticket was a reprint.

Don’t get me wrong as I said above I’ve been onside with it for years but there’ll be some that just don’t have smartphones.

Asda probably has a basic smart phone cheaper than a printer that comes with ink and a pack of A4 paper

[Sir Geoff]

6 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

So what do you do if you don’t have a smartphone?

The alternative to a paper ticket was a reprint.

Don’t get me wrong as I said above I’ve been onside with it for years but there’ll be some that just don’t have smartphones.

You could always buy a smartphone. I thought I was one of the last if the dinosaurs to buy one 5 years or so ago. My latest one cost £75 it's not exactly a life changing decision.

[View from the Dolman]

27 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

The Leeds FAQs suggest there is indeed an alternative available if you contact them. 

[ralphindevon]

5 minutes ago, City oz said:

Asda probably has a basic smart phone cheaper than a printer that comes with ink and a pack of A4 paper

 

1 minute ago, Sir Geoff said:

You could always buy a smartphone. I thought I was one of the last if the dinosaurs to buy one 5 years or so ago. My latest one cost £75 it's not exactly a life changing decision.

As I say I agree but there are people out there that don’t want a smartphone for whatever reason and the reasons are never to do with cost.

I guess the answer I was looking for is they can’t go to watch Leeds play and soon many other things. 

[City oz]

2 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

You could always buy a smartphone. I thought I was one of the last if the dinosaurs to buy one 5 years or so ago. My latest one cost £75 it's not exactly a life changing decision.

So true Sir Geoff, I had to get my grand daughter 7 years old to set up my smart phone with the apps and stuff. My grand daughter even has a smart watch she calls me on. Technology seems so easy for kids.

[Sir Geoff]

Just now, ralphindevon said:

 

As I say I agree but there are people out there that don’t want a smartphone for whatever reason and the reasons are never to do with cost.

I guess the answer I was looking for is they can’t go to watch Leeds play and soon many other things. 

Yes that's their prerogative. Also my reasoning on finally getting one as I still wanted to go to the odd concert as all Ticketmaster major tickets are now digital. Keep up or be left behind.

[Baba Yaga]

47 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Why ? It' s the way all tickets will be in the future. One of the drivers behind it is to stop ticket touting. Most concert tickets have been digital only for a couple of years now.

I have used digital tickets before at a couple of grounds where I went as a neutral but saying people whose phones run out of battery can't attend is completely unreasonable I think. Needs to be alternatives as already stated.

[Eddie Hitler]

Cue massive queues.

As you see at Lidl when someone unused to smart phones has been persuauded to get the App but can't get it to work like it did at home because they don't understand mobile data.

Yet another reason to go non-league on top of being able to stand rather than being crushed into a small plastic seat designed for a primary school and which is freezing cold in winter and meltingly hot in the summer, to park at the ground, to be able to drive away without a massive jam, and to have a beer.

[Open End Numb Legs]

There are many schools and advice groups which recommend that children should be given basic 2G phones for calls and SMS only as this prevents online bullying issues and unsupervised access to bad material on the web. My own teenage son has such a phone, the charge lasts for days, no one wants to steal it, it is tiny enough for any pocket and if it gets broken it only costs £20 to replace. There are similar advantages of simplicity for the aged.

Back to the match ticket issue, I assume that you can have a parent with multiple tickets on one smartphone.

[Sir Geoff]

1 minute ago, Baba Yaga said:

I have used digital tickets before at a couple of grounds where I went as a neutral but saying people whose phones run out of battery can't attend is completely unreasonable I think. Needs to be alternatives as already stated.

Legally that can't be correct as the purchase of a ticket forms a contract between the two parties. I am sure anyone that has genuinely bought a ticket and can't access it in their phone would be able to sort the matter out with the club on the day. The wording by Leeds is to stop hundreds of people turning up without tickets claiming their phone has died or out of battery.

[City oz]

5 minutes ago, Baba Yaga said:

I have used digital tickets before at a couple of grounds where I went as a neutral but saying people whose phones run out of battery can't attend is completely unreasonable I think. Needs to be alternatives as already stated.

Your car, or taking a bus, coach and trains all have charging points.

[Pezo]

16 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

You could always buy a smartphone. I thought I was one of the last if the dinosaurs to buy one 5 years or so ago. My latest one cost £75 it's not exactly a life changing decision.

What happens to the people that can't afford £75?

Now they have to buy a £75 phone, a membership and then they can buy a ticket. Barriers to entry seem to be growing.

[CodeRed]

Oh for the days when we used to roll up from The Cooper's and slip the turnstile man the price of a pint - two bob! - and he'd let you hop over the stile.  So much simpler then! 

[Sir Geoff]

6 minutes ago, Pezo said:

What happens to the people that can't afford £75?

Now they have to buy a £75 phone, a membership and then they can buy a ticket. Barriers to entry seem to be growing.

As pointed out earlier much cheaper than buying a printer, ink and a wad of A4 paper.

[View from the Dolman]

7 minutes ago, Pezo said:

What happens to the people that can't afford £75?

Now they have to buy a £75 phone, a membership and then they can buy a ticket. Barriers to entry seem to be growing.

The Leeds FAQs make it clear that alternative ticketing options are available if you do not have a smartphone. 

[italian dave]

21 minutes ago, Baba Yaga said:

I have used digital tickets before at a couple of grounds where I went as a neutral but saying people whose phones run out of battery can't attend is completely unreasonable I think. Needs to be alternatives as already stated.

Not sure that is the most unreasonable bit. You remember to charge your phone before setting off. A bit like you remember to pick up your paper/card ticket before you set off now. 

[italian dave]

25 minutes ago, Pezo said:

What happens to the people that can't afford £75?

Now they have to buy a £75 phone, a membership and then they can buy a ticket. Barriers to entry seem to be growing.

If you can afford Premier League football then you can probably afford a £75 phone. And if you’re on a low income you’re likely claiming Universal Credit which you’d be expected to do digitally. They’re by no means a luxury nowadays. 

[wayne allisons tongues]

Think depends if you need a screenshot or the ticket open when you get there. Been to concerts that need ticket open when you get there so the line is visible up and down the ticket and due to amount of people there, some people can’t open there ticket for the signal is poor too many using it. 

[italian dave]

43 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

Cue massive queues.

As you see at Lidl when someone unused to smart phones has been persuauded to get the App but can't get it to work like it did at home because they don't understand mobile data.

Yet another reason to go non-league on top of being able to stand rather than being crushed into a small plastic seat designed for a primary school and which is freezing cold in winter and meltingly hot in the summer, to park at the ground, to be able to drive away without a massive jam, and to have a beer.

I’m pretty sure they’ll have made this decision after looking at the data they have for entry times. And they’ll be confident that at worst it won’t affect queue times.

To be honest, my experience at supermarkets is that it’s people paying with their phones who are quickest. The slowest are those paying with good old fashioned cash. Who wait until everything is packed and then seem surprised to remember that they have to pay, rummage around in a bag trying to find a purse, then count out every last coin to see if they have the right money! 

[Super]

3 hours ago, City oz said:

How many times have you misplaced a ticket or a piece of paper in your pocket. I know I have many times but thank god I have not misplaced my mobile phone.

You've never been on a good night out then!

[slartibartfast]

1 hour ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I know people who don’t have a smartphone. 
I get that it’s simpler but there should be an alternative available 

You must know me, then !      I don't have a smartphone, I just have  (wait for it) ....a PHONE ! so won't be going to Elland Rd anytime soon .

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

10 minutes ago, wayne allisons tongues said:

Think depends if you need a screenshot or the ticket open when you get there. Been to concerts that need ticket open when you get there so the line is visible up and down the ticket and due to amount of people there, some people can’t open there ticket for the signal is poor too many using it. 

Very true. Happens frequently when I go to Bristol O2 Academy and I end up in the queue at the window for them to print off my ticket so I can gain entry. 

As for the point made about a £75 phone us not a major expense, I agree but that's not the end cost. You still need to run the phone and I can understand someone's annoyance about having to consistently pay for a service that they don't want or feel they should need. 

[Baba Yaga]

Just now, italian dave said:

Not sure that is the most unreasonable bit. You remember to charge your phone before setting off. A bit like you remember to pick up your paper/card ticket before you set off now. 

It's unreasonable to assume that all people's phones chargers/charging ports work correctly at all time on matchday and then put on their website that they aren't offering an alternative if things go wrong (whether exaggerated or not). Hypothetically if I lost my bcfc match ticket that I bought online would I not be able to go to the ticket office and give them a few details about myself and possibly get my ticket reprinted anyway?

[eardun]

13 minutes ago, wayne allisons tongues said:

Think depends if you need a screenshot or the ticket open when you get there. Been to concerts that need ticket open when you get there so the line is visible up and down the ticket and due to amount of people there, some people can’t open there ticket for the signal is poor too many using it. 

Reading the Leeds Q&A linked above, it looks like you have to download the ticket to your Apple wallet on your phone (or Google equivalent) and scan from there. As for train, plane tickets etc, you don’t need a phone signal to access.

The Q&As also refer to mobile season tickets. Wonder if this will end the annual fretting about whether the postman will deliver the season cards before the first match! 

[pongo88]

I can’t see why Leeds are making things difficult. With any purchase you make online you get an automated email confirming the purchase. When purchasing a ticket from City it’s the same and the email contains the barcode. If Leeds’ scanners can recognise a barcode on a phone they should be able to recognise a barcode on a printed paper ticket. Unfortunately, this still leaves one excluded group - those  who don’t have a smart phone or a PC with a printer at home.  I guess this would be a fairly small group so posting tickets, at an additional cost (nothing is free with football clubs) would not be that difficult 

[exAtyeoMax]

14 minutes ago, eardun said:

Reading the Leeds Q&A linked above, it looks like you have to download the ticket to your Apple wallet on your phone (or Google equivalent) and scan from there. As for train, plane tickets etc, you don’t need a phone signal to access.

The Q&As also refer to mobile season tickets. Wonder if this will end the annual fretting about whether the postman will deliver the season cards before the first match! 

I guess there must be a way to send the ticket by text and then download it? One wouldn’t need a smartphone then. Still a problem if your phone is stolen, damaged or lost

[LondonRobin]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64497260 this article says Leeds have done it primarily to stop ticket touts, '

"You can track from its sale right through to the person that presents it for entry at the gate. You can monitor how many tickets an account is transferring every year.' 

My question is can they still track it if a tout simply screenshotted the barcode and sent that photo to someone?

 

 

[MarcusX]

4 hours ago, City oz said:

Digital tickets have been around unfortunately for a few years now and stored in a data base where you would normally print out at home and then use the print out manually at the venue of where ever you booked. It is a sign of the times unfortunately. Every one now must have a basic smart phone and therefore should not be a problem and simply just show your QR barcode on your phone. This will speed up the process and it also helps speed up the entry to any event.

Unfortunately many older and disabled people do not have smart phones, my FIL has Parkinson’s he simply can’t use a smart phone (barely use a phone with buttons tbh) there still needs to be other options 

 

3 hours ago, Sir Geoff said:

Why ? It' s the way all tickets will be in the future. One of the drivers behind it is to stop ticket touting. Most concert tickets have been digital only for a couple of years now.

BecUse as above, its not inclusive

edit: just to add, I fully get the reasons and as it turns out there is an alternative option so not a big deal. I just don’t like the attitude of “get with the times” some people can’t, there’s no reason they should be excluded from events

Edited February 11, 2023 by MarcusX

[Mr Popodopolous]

£0.60 to print a ticket in colour at the library.

You can get a smart phone for a relatively cheap amount in the grand scheme but it doesn't sit well.

I have a smart phone , sure we all do on here- fully cognisant with how it all works but why take away the option. Doesn't sit well.

Edited February 11, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Pezo]

2 hours ago, italian dave said:

If you can afford Premier League football then you can probably afford a £75 phone. And if you’re on a low income you’re likely claiming Universal Credit which you’d be expected to do digitally. They’re by no means a luxury nowadays. 

Welcome to elitist Britain in 2023.

[TheReds]

4 hours ago, Sir Geoff said:

Why ? It' s the way all tickets will be in the future. One of the drivers behind it is to stop ticket touting. Most concert tickets have been digital only for a couple of years now.

How is this stopping touts? With Ticketmaster you can transfer your digital ticket to someone else who has a Ticketmaster account (assuming this is with all gigs through them). If they wanted to stop touting they would stop it, or at least make it a lot more difficult with IDs involved.

As for people saying everyone should have a smartphone, everyone doesn't have one, and plenty of elderly people simply don't want one as they don't like change.

[italian dave]

33 minutes ago, Pezo said:

Welcome to elitist Britain in 2023.

On the first point…..yep, sadly so……although it’s part of a much bigger issue about wealth and inequality in Britain.

On the second, not sure that’s an issue of elitism…the opposite. Internet and something to connect to it are as a ‘utility’ nowadays - which is what the price increases they’re allowed to get away with are outrageous. But that’s probably for another thread! 

[eardun]

2 hours ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I guess there must be a way to send the ticket by text and then download it? One wouldn’t need a smartphone then. Still a problem if your phone is stolen, damaged or lost

Think you’d need a smart phone for Apple wallet/Google equivalent 

[Pezo]

36 minutes ago, italian dave said:

On the first point…..yep, sadly so……although it’s part of a much bigger issue about wealth and inequality in Britain.

On the second, not sure that’s an issue of elitism…the opposite. Internet and something to connect to it are as a ‘utility’ nowadays - which is what the price increases they’re allowed to get away with are outrageous. But that’s probably for another thread! 

I hope people that go to football realise when they protests against the rich that they are the rich.

[Alan Dicks]

Great news for OAPs

[Bedred31]

Most digital tickets need to be validated / activated when you arrive at the stadium ( otherwise people just take screenshots of their mates ticket). This usually requires Bluetooth and, more importantly, a system that can stand up to 40000 people arriving in one place and trying to log in at the same time. For the World Cup in Qatar- perhaps one of the most digital countries in the world- it was an absolute shambles for some fans.

[Eddie Hitler]

6 hours ago, italian dave said:

I’m pretty sure they’ll have made this decision after looking at the data they have for entry times. And they’ll be confident that at worst it won’t affect queue times.

To be honest, my experience at supermarkets is that it’s people paying with their phones who are quickest. The slowest are those paying with good old fashioned cash. Who wait until everything is packed and then seem surprised to remember that they have to pay, rummage around in a bag trying to find a purse, then count out every last coin to see if they have the right money! 

 

When the phones work!

I have been behind people having to run out to their car to find a card to pay.