miserableoldgit

They could have :- 1) Kept exsisting ST holders as is and introduced the 65+ to new purchases 2) Moved the age limit gradually, much like retirement age itself. For example, making the limit 63 this year and 65 next year 3) Do what they have done As for making commercial sense - what other business would think that ****ing off their longest serving customers would make commercial sense??

And I am not arguing or moaning about this. Purely the heavy handed way that they have implemented it.

And when it is offered I am entitled to claim for it. If I was 59 I would not be entitled to claim for it.

I used the word entitled because you used it in the post I was replying to. It is quite simple. In most places the concession rate starts at 60. I am over 60 and am therefore entitled to claim it. How is this difficult to understand? Are students entitled to it? Are the unemployed entitled to it?

Oh dear God! How many more times?? I am not complaing that the club has raised its age for concessions. I am not happy about it but I accept it. My grouse is that for one section of the fan-base, the club has instantly raised prices by 72% without any warning to that section of the fan-base. They could have done this differently by bringing the rise to parity in gradually. As someone else said, even the government is raisng retirement age gradually.

Rightly or wrongly, throughout the country at most venues, on buses, in societies or clubs there and have been for many years concession rates for people over 60. This is not new or limited to Saints. It has been a general policy throughout the country. We are entitled to it because we have been offered it in the same way that students and the out of work have been offered it. Undoubtedly as the retirement age gradually rises, this concession will rise with it. Don`t make it sound like we are MP`s fiddling our expenses.

Are you saying that if you suddenly found out that your ticket had gone up by 72% without warning that you would meekly accept it without a "moan"? They have not fallen in line. As I keep saying, in most places where there are concessions they still start at 6o. Saints are in a minority. Whether this is right or wrong is dependant on your view point.

Short but very sensible post.

In all of my posts about this I have basically had one moan. The club has handled the situaton regarding the change badly by making the change in one go and not warning the people that it affects. That is it. Do agree with this or not?

The problem is though that from my point of view I am NOT complaining about the fact that they have changed the concession from 60 to 65. My problem is with the way in which they have done it. To increase the price of my ticket by 72% without any warning, or notification other than in the press or on the website is heavy- handed and insensitive. The loud-mouthed numpties on here who have taken great childish delight in "wrinkly-baiting" (I now know what it`s like to be a Poopey fan!) have ingnored this point. They are, apparently, all saintly people who would accept it without a murmer if it happened to them.

Sorry. I forgot to add the word "childish".

With all due respect Trousers, the situation that we find ourselves in isn`t as simple as that is it? If I went out today a looked at something and decided that I couldn`t afford it, that`s fair enough, but when the club does what it has done, and how it has done it to long-standing customers who have bought their product for over 50 years that`s a different kettle of fish.

I rest my case.

There really are some nasty, arrogant, selfish and ignorant bastards on this forum.

Just crazy people, so carry on.

Yes. I have both series on DVD. They are both superb example of documentary story telling. Didn`t he also do the "Story of Jazz" series?

Have I slipped into some parallel universe??

Pulling power?? Possibly, but how much money do these clubs have to spend? I think that West Ham may struggle financially even with their parachute payments. I think that as a well run club with top training facilities etc, we are becoming a more attractive propositition for players as time goes by.

So you are after cheap tickets as well. Look. as I keep saying, my moan isn`t that the club has decided to raise the age for concessions from 60 to 65. It is that they have done it without warning and in one go i.e. a 72% rise. Why is this so difficult to understand? Would you complain if it was you? Honestly?

The point is that WHERE there are concessions they generally start (at the top end) at 60. This is stardard. I have recently renewed my membership to a national association, bought tickets for The Mayflower and went to the local cinema and at all of those the concessions start at 60. Any way why are you talking about BA? "this is about saints"

The 60 thing is not just at Saints. It general across the country whether it`s bus passes (I am entitled to one but don`t have one), cinemas, theatres etc in fact in most places concessions start at 60. Not forgetting concessions for students etc.

Sorry but you are beeating your head against a brick wall. Nobody has actually addressed the "women" situation despite both you and I mentioning it. They all ignore the bits of the argument that they don`t like to give you/us a bashing. All Saints together eh??

I must admit to a degree it didn`t appeal to me but a few years ago my daughter was in the theatre company on Oriana as a singer/dancer and we took her and her luggage on board a couple of times and I thought having seen the ship from the inside that I would like to give it a go. Looking forward to it and the excursions.

We`re doing our first on this year. 7 days up the Norwegian Fjords on Aurora. Really looking forward to it.