Would all supporters with complaints re. the Rowan Suite please PM me.
We need to take numbers of complaints to ER or there is no chance of any change.
Thanks
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Edinburgh fans angry after SRU moves goalposts over 'clubhouse'
Published Date: 07 October 2010
By DAVID FERGUSON
EDINBURGH are at the centre of a storm of supporter disquiet on the eve of the new Heineken Cup campaign that has the potential to cost the club heavily in revenue and lost fans.
The team's supporters had been told that once refurbishment of the main stand's President's Suite was complete they would be allowed back in to enjoy what had become their popular matchday 'clubhouse'.
However, Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, has vetoed that plan and left the club's new chief executive Craig Docherty with no option but to offer supporters compensation and refunds on their season ticket packages as he tries to find another 'clubhouse' space in or around Murrayfield Stadium.
One supporter told The Scotsman: "There is a great deal of anger amongst many supporters not just about the moving around, but at the total disregard that the SRU have for supporters and the inability of Edinburgh Rugby Club to serve their supporters interests."
There were two packages that came with an Edinburgh season ticket for 2010-11, both featuring access along with paying supporters to the President's Suite' but the premium rate, costing £400 for adults (around £29 per game), added hospitality, with food and pre/post-match entertainment, in a private area.
Edinburgh had moved the 'clubhouse', temporarily, to the Rowan Suite in the North Stand with the premium ticket holders housed in small hospitality boxes, and despite expecting the SRU to let them back into the President's Suite now that work is complete, Edinburgh supporters have instead been told to stay where they are.
This is all because the SRU has undertaken an expensive refurbishment of the President's Suite that includes new carpets, wallcoverings and glass cases to showcase more Scottish rugby artefacts. As part of an ongoing strategic review, McKie has proposed restoring the exclusive tag to the suite, the preserve of players, officials and top-paying guests, and ensure that when it is deployed for corporate use it attracts a premium fee in order to increase revenue.
Docherty, meanwhile, is left to deal with Edinburgh's unhappy supporters and was forced yesterday to start sending out letters offering compensation and refunds. Some fans are said to have contacted Trading Standards officials to complain and others have stated that they will never watch Edinburgh again.
One furious supporter told The Scotsman: "Even though many season ticket holders requested information or simply asked for their money back, for two weeks the SRU have ignored them, not even replying to their letters/emails.
"The SRU are now refunding between £220 and £400 to Premium season ticket holders. It is believed that thousands of pounds are to be refunded.
jrp wrote:What I dont understand is the theories banded about that the SRU are not interested in growing their pro sides.
Why?
I think it's simply down to McKie being hopeless in anything other than saving ailing businesses. The end of last season was the time to invest and they did the opposite.
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