Ideas for Mr Candy

A Candy · Post by **A Candy** » 12 Jun 2013, 08:12

Good Morning
I am really disappointed to read your comments as I was assured that everyone had been contacted that had requested details. I know the person responsible has been on holiday but I was given this assurance before he went. Hopefully by the time that you are reading this you will have received details but if that is not the case then please email me your contact address and I will ensure that details go out today. My email is [email protected]
Please accept my apologies.
Regards,
Andrew

AustrianAndyGull · Post by **AustrianAndyGull** » 12 Jun 2013, 10:56

Gulliball wrote:I am in the same boat. When the Membership scheme was first announced I sent an email to the reception email address with my name and address etc as asked. That was about the time they said the club shop was closed so I gave it a while, but it must have been almost a month now and have had no reply, and had forgotten about it until this.

Guess we haven't sold too many Memberships then, based on this thread.

Emails can't reach Scotland Gulli, it's just a step to far.

brisgull · Post by **brisgull** » 12 Jun 2013, 13:44

Nothing in the post today so e mailed Andy as advised. Had a reply within about 2 minutes apologising and saying that a membership pack was in the post. AWESOME service. Thank you Andy.

Kernowgull · Post by **Kernowgull** » 12 Jun 2013, 18:52

Ye, same for me brisgull, thanks for reminding me. He also took up my suggestion to have an auto reply on the TUFC email to confirm receipt, and have a timeframe for expected reply. Top bloke (providing I now get the membership pack!!)

Post by **Gulliball** » 12 Jun 2013, 18:55

I am sorted too, within minutes of sending an email.

Post by **Louis** » 12 Jun 2013, 19:49

Happy days, good to have you on the forum Andy.

royalgull · Post by **royalgull** » 13 Jun 2013, 13:58

Andy,

This being no fault of yours but being the club representative and the easiest to contact isn't it a bit embarassing that the Herald website has broken the news that Brian Saah has left the club coupled with an interview from the manager to give it the official weight it needs before the official site that is still going on about a wedding fayre that no one other than the people attending said event gives a flying *uck about?

A Candy · Post by **A Candy** » 13 Jun 2013, 15:45

I don't think we can make an official statement as Brian's contract runs until the end of June and therefore is still technically our player and therefore has not left the Club. I appreciate the frustration caused by the lack of news but unlike media outlets we can only report news once it is confirmed rather than publish opinions and speculation.
As far as the Wedding Fare is concerned it is income generating and therefore needs to be advertised. The Club is often criticized for not having any ambitions to try new initiatives to bring in much needed revenue. Maybe not for you or me but it was a great success last night and we made two new signings....................for wedding receptions!
Regards,
Andrew

Plymouth Gull · Post by **Plymouth Gull** » 13 Jun 2013, 15:51

But surely the lads that were released had the contracts running until the end of June too? I know it's not your fault and we're not having a go but I can see what Royal is saying.

Glad last night was a success, even if it's not my cup of tea either!

cambgull · Post by **cambgull** » 13 Jun 2013, 16:14

An announcement on Brian Saah or anyone else leaving should only be made if/when a contract is signed with the new club. At that point, it is official and any break in contract between player and new club only reflects badly on them and not on Torquay as a 'selling' club.

If only a verbal agreement has been made between Brian and the new club (Cheltenham?) then there should be no official statement on the website, but if it is on a signed piece of paper, then I would consider it to be relatively set in stone and even with time to run on his current contract, there should not be a need to withhold a statement saying that he will be leaving on 1st July. Much like Moyes going to Man Utd.

PlainmoorRoar · Post by **PlainmoorRoar** » 13 Jun 2013, 16:17

A Candy wrote:I don't think we can make an official statement as Brian's contract runs until the end of June and therefore is still technically our player and therefore has not left the Club. I appreciate the frustration caused by the lack of news but unlike media outlets we can only report news once it is confirmed rather than publish opinions and speculation.
As far as the Wedding Fare is concerned it is income generating and therefore needs to be advertised. The Club is often criticized for not having any ambitions to try new initiatives to bring in much needed revenue. Maybe not for you or me but it was a great success last night and we made two new signings....................for wedding receptions!
Regards,
Andrew

Nail hit on head, he hasn't officially left so why would it be posted!

Good news that the event was a success last night, well done to the club for trying new things!!

AndyC · Post by **AndyC** » 13 Jun 2013, 16:50

Understand with regards to the OS not sending stories when there is no official news...but why hasn't the Wedding Fayre tonight story been amended when it's out of date?

That kind of thing annoys me, although it's probably because I am doing precisely that every day of the week (well, those I am in the office anyway)

Just smacks of a lack of care.

brisgull · Post by **brisgull** » 13 Jun 2013, 19:37

We are a lower league club with limited resources so I think we have to make some allowances. Mr Candy seems like a breath of fresh air and an asset that the club badly needs so we should give the poor guy a break. And as has been acknowledged he is only getting questions because he is man enough to engage with us, the fans and listen to us. When did that last happen?

AustrianAndyGull · Post by **AustrianAndyGull** » 13 Jun 2013, 21:30

brisgull wrote:We are a lower league club with limited resources so I think we have to make some allowances. Mr Candy seems like a breath of fresh air and an asset that the club badly needs so we should give the poor guy a break. And as has been acknowledged he is only getting questions because he is man enough to engage with us, the fans and listen to us. When did that last happen?

The first bit about making allowances because we are a lower league club isn't acceptable IMO. TUFC are a business and thus should conduct themselves accordingly with due consideration for it's customer base the fans). So although it may appear harsh, if the club are really trying to implement initiatives like the membership scheme for example then they should also be able to deal with and process enquiries about such initiatives. We've already read of fans experiences on this thread about lack of contact or responses to enquiries and this is a problem that I know has been endemic within the club for a good few years.

It is a lack of care and many people who have unhappy experiences at the club generally tell of a feeling of being ignored, not valued as a customer and generally mugged off. So long as the club know this happens and is still happening then they can take steps to improve in these areas which i'm sure they are striving to do as I type, especially Mr Candy but at the end of the day the club must get customer focussed and a lot more professional. I appreciate that there is a lack of staff but I have worked with volunteers who are the epitomy of professionalism and each employee is a representative of the club at all times no matter how much the workload and should give each customer an attentive and quality service.

Perhaps to solve staffing levels the club could advertise for some voluntary help from people in the area willing to work in the shop for a few hours on matchdays or to do administrative tasks etc. I'm sure if they put the word out there then people would respond. I'd certainly help out for a few hours or so on a voluntary basis if I lived in the area.

Anyway, on to the last point of brisgulls post. It is totally spot on. Andrew Candy is now providing a link between us fans and the club and it is so refreshing. If we have a problem and we get a bit narky then we can post on here or email him direct and he will always endeavour to sort out the issue however minor. That is an invaluable resource for fans at ANY club and i also thank Andy for not shirking anything and trying to put the clubs side of things across to us. Most reasonable people will try to understand the clubs side of things ( yes, even me!

).

Keep up the good work Andrew.

A Candy · Post by **A Candy** » 14 Jun 2013, 06:54

Thanks everyone for all your comments which I will try to take on board. The OS will be updated but does require skills that I don't possess and with Tim away on holiday updates have been limited ( although Tim has done some sitting on a beach in a foreign land).Normal service will be resumed next week. We do have some volunteers who are invaluable to us and there is always room for more depending on the skills and experience of the volunteers. Get in touch if you are interested.
Thank you for your comments and support.
Regards,
Andrew

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