Sunderland address season-ticket concerns as family accept Block U1 move | OneFootball

Sunderland have acted to resolve another season-ticket renewal complaint, with a solution agreed for Karen Jacques and her family. According to Sunderland Echo, the club has been contacting supporters directly after individual cases were raised.

Concerns highlighted last month included moves between corporate and general admission seating, direct debit problems and the wider renewal process. Not every case is settled, but there has been clear movement in recent weeks.

Mrs Jacques, 62, said her mother, Sylvia Pickard, later discovered she could have been entitled to a free over-85s season ticket, having held a ticket for more than three years. Because the family were in a corporate area, no reduction could initially be applied, leaving her facing a bill of more than £2,000.

After further discussions, Mrs Pickard and another family member will move into Block U1 next season. Earlier options offered by the club, including seats in the concourse area and two near the front, were declined due to the number of stairs in one case and concerns about exposure to bad weather in the other. The family visited the Stadium of Light, viewed the seats and accepted the new offer.

Mrs Jacques said the family were eventually happy the matter was sorted, but felt it should have been addressed earlier, before tickets were released to the waiting list, which might have allowed seats together and fewer stairs for her mother. She added that, although resolved, it could have been handled better.

A similar outcome followed for long-serving supporter Steven Poppleton, who had struggled to move from a premium area back to general admission after the death of his father, George. He later received an apology call from the club and an offer of general admission tickets for next season. Sunderland had told RAWA it would review individual cases and contact fans directly, and others have since received updates.

Source: Sunderland Echo