275 years as your voice
Aberdeen said a “small amount” of tickets sold for next month’s Viaplay Cup final with Rangers had been “deactivated and refunded” after Dons enthusiasts raised considerations that they would possibly have been bought through rival supporters.
The Reds began touting their percentage of tickets for the Hampden show on Tuesday and impressively sold an initial batch of 17,000 highlights (out of a total allocation of 19,500 tickets) in a matter of hours.
However, many Aberdeen and AberDNA season ticket holders remained unhappy, as the Dons’ decision to temporarily move season tickets onto general sale meant some of the club’s most committed fans were unable to make memories for their The team’s first cup final in five years.
It is understood that the number of refunds issued through the club is around 200.
Reds chief executive Alan Burrows was quick to apologise for the way ticket sales for Tuesday night’s final were handled.
Another club that posted on Friday clarifying the situation included a new apology for any “unnecessary anxiety” created among fans about their ability to attend the Dec. 17 clash at the national stadium.
Adding to the fans’ considerations were claims by Rangers fans, who won 25,000 tickets to the match, on social media that Aberdeen’s flexible sales protocols had allowed them to buy tickets in the Donations sections.
The Pittodrie box office closed on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays so that staff could not only build a waiting list of disgruntled Reds supporters, but also ensure that no Gers enthusiasts were on the Reds’ grounds in Hampden for the final. .
In Friday afternoon’s statement, Aberdeen showed that a “small number” of ticket sales had been cancelled that did not meet the club’s “normal purchase criteria, which come with a significant acquisition history”.
The statement added that when reselling those tickets, as well as the remaining secondary batch of 2,500 summaries for the final, priority will be given to Don fans based on the number of loyalty issues they have accumulated.
Friday’s Aberdeen’s said: “Following our communication on Wednesday morning, we would like to dispel any consideration Dons fans may have about the ticketing procedure for the Viaplay Cup final.
“First of all, we apologize for any frustration or exaggerated panic that the general promotion era may have caused. We understand that this is an incredibly important adjustment for all our supporters who want to see their team play in a national cup final. for the first time in five years.
“In determining the terms and conditions of this game, our experienced ticketing staff planned the procedure with the aim of allowing larger teams and families to combine in the cup final.
“In hindsight, we created more levels in the sales procedure before launching the general sale, and not doing so caused unnecessary anxiety for our unwavering fans. We are very sorry for this error.
“We have implemented popular protocols for high-demand matches to prevent non-Aberdeen enthusiasts from purchasing food in the Aberdeen fan sections. However, due to unfortunate human error in our ticketing, a detail of those protocols was omitted on this occasion. .
“As soon as we became aware of the issue, we temporarily worked to fix it, and the ticketing team investigated all transactions purchased after 5pm on Tuesday.
“We have rigorously vetted all acquisitions made in this window to ensure they are in line with our overall purchase criteria, which come with a significant acquisition history.
“The small number of price ticket purchases that did not comply with those protocols will be deactivated and refunded effective immediately.
“Beyond that, we are in discussions with the FBCL and are waiting for the final number of additional entries we will get, which will bring us to approximately 19,500 in total.
“When we obtain them, the ticketing team will indicate that everyone who has signed up for the waitlist and meets the criteria will be prioritized (based on precedence points) to acquire the small number that will be re-registered and the approximately 2,500 from the South. Tickets for the Upper Grandstand will be provided.
“Once again, we sincerely apologise to our supporters who have supported the team wonderfully this season.
“We are confident that we have resolved all prospects and look forward to seeing a colorful and noisy Red Army in Hampden. “