Last a level exam on the day my coach leaves!

[hhannigan14]

I've just found out that the day my coach leaves for Glastonbury (I got a coach-ticket package) is the day of my last a level exam, I've tried emailing see tickets and they were useless, is there anything I can do? I could go to the coach and ask the driver to give me my ticket before the coach leaves and then go to my exam and then travel down by myself but would that work? it's my first Glastonbury I've been so excited for it there has to be a way round it? is there no way I can swap my coach with someone for a Thursday one?

thank you!! any help is greatly appreciated

[Penrhos]

They don't give you the ticket until you're nearly at Glastonbury - to stop people getting off at the services and meeting up with friends to drive down.

 

You'll need to contact Seetickets/National Express to see if the dates can be swapped (you'll need your booking reference). make sure you get an email confirming it if they do...

[incident]

Emailing them won't do any good - the tickets are sold on a particular T+C as part of the licence and so they have to be fairly strict on it.

Personally, I'd do nothing for the moment. You've got nearly 6 months before any action is really needed or makes any difference.. At that point pay your balance in April as this gives you 3 good options.

Option 1 - Wait to find out what time the exam is, and find out what time the coach leaves. There's still a chance you can make both with no stress.

Option 2 - Register again, and try to buy a non-coach ticket in the resale. At that point you can give up the Coach ticket.

Option 3 - If you do end up with a Coach Ticket and unable to make the departure, it's not a disaster. Although the T+C say you must travel on the booked coach, the policy the last few years has been that once they've completed their unloading, paperwork, etc, the coach driver has handed any unissued tickets to the enquiries cabin at Pedestrian Gate A.

So basically, if you can't get the coach, make your own way to the Festival, making sure to arrive at Gate A - it's extremely likely that your ticket will be waiting for you. Unfortunately the Festival won't officially confirm this as to do so would further undermine the "coach only" policy, but it's definitely been how things have worked so far.

[Bisque]

I got my ticket before the coach left, but you'd have to be at the coach pick up & be lucky & still miss your exam.

 

A-levels are more important for the rest of your life (especially if you're planning on uni) than a jolly at Glasto unfortunately.

 

Some of us on here may be willing to help in the resale or feign a family emergency a few days before, try blagging it, but highly, highly, not recommended.

[hhannigan14]

My plan at the moment is to try and talk them into giving me my ticket beore the coach leaves-I'm a 5"1 little girl I was gonna go for the sweet innocent act, maybe cry a little, or as you said try family emergency as a means to getting my ticket. If that fails I was going to go to Glastonbury and surely if I've paid for my ticket and there isnt a big group of us (it'll just be me) then surely they have to let me in? I don't know how strict they are but it's worth a shot I suppose. The only thing is that if its unlikely that this will work there's no point in me paying the rest of my ticket, what are my chances?

[Pbird81]

My plan at the moment is to try and talk them into giving me my ticket beore the coach leaves-I'm a 5"1 little girl I was gonna go for the sweet innocent act, maybe cry a little, or as you said try family emergency as a means to getting my ticket. If that fails I was going to go to Glastonbury and surely if I've paid for my ticket and there isnt a big group of us (it'll just be me) then surely they have to let me in? I don't know how strict they are but it's worth a shot I suppose. The only thing is that if its unlikely that this will work there's no point in me paying the rest of my ticket, what are my chances?

 

If it doesn't work, you're not going to be in a good frame of mind for the exam.... I'd follow incident's advice - if you can register again, then get a ticket in the resale, you can cancel the ticket you already have, and you'll just lose £15 (don't know about the coach fare)...

 

If all fails, you should be able to plead at the gate - people miss buses, stuff happens, they should be understanding. The aim of the policy is to make people travel on public transport - so maybe make sure you go down by coach/train and use that.

 

Think you'll be fine - don't mess up your A-levels for it.

[optimiste]

Hi guys,

I have read your discussion and advice above with great interest as I have just yesterday been thrust into the same situation. 

As Incident notes, I have had no joy going through SeeTickets, either over the phone and by email. However, I simply cannot believe they would bin the uncollected tickets or turn away somebody who turns up to the festival by alternative means (especially if by public transport). It would just go completely against the Glastonbury spirit we all know and love

It is obviously still a gamble to an extent though. So, for peace of mind, do we think it is effectively a guarantee that they would allow someone in under such circumstances (with of course being nice and polite and explaining your case, etc.)?

Thanks!

[incident]

51 minutes ago, optimiste said:

However, I simply cannot believe they would bin the uncollected tickets or turn away somebody who turns up to the festival by alternative means (especially if by public transport). It would just go completely against the Glastonbury spirit we all know and love

It is obviously still a gamble to an extent though. So, for peace of mind, do we think it is effectively a guarantee that they would allow someone in under such circumstances (with of course being nice and polite and explaining your case, etc.)?

There isn't and probably won't be any guarantee or official statement about it - but there has been a very large number of posts on the subject on this forum over the years.

It's basically been the same result each time - once the coach has arrived at the Festival and unloaded, as part of the driver debrief any unissued tickets are handed over to the enquiries cabin at PGA. The enquiries cabin then hold the tickets for collection in case the person turns up later. This could change for 2016, but I doubt it.

So missing the coach doesn't have to be a disaster. The most important thing to note is that it'll slow you down a bit - the tickets won't be available to collect until probably at least an hour after the coach has arrived, and you might need to queue a bit and prove your ID to them. I've never heard of the Festival binning valid unissued tickets - as you say it'd be against the ethos.

[optimiste]

Thanks for the speedy and helpful reply Incident. As you say, precedent would suggest that it is highly likely to be as you describe. It is simply the logical and fair thing to do. 

So I'm now convinced it's worth the gamble. Although I am an eternal optimist!

[balti-pie]

If it was me driving the coach and someone tried to play the innocent loveable girlie at me, I'd laugh uproariously and refuse to let you have the ticket til we pull in at the festival.

But then I am particularly miserable