I broke into Glasto....

[Doomz]

Hey guys,

Let me first start this off by saying that I think people who come down to Glasto without

a ticket and break in are terrible, if you haven’t paid then you shouldn’t get in, end of

discussion. What follows however is a story that I feel I have to share, as it shows a

breakdown in the ticket system they are using and how decent people are getting shafted.

The night before leaving, I lost my ticket. Now please feel free to call me a complete

bell-end, (which I am), but I think it went into the recycling during a cleanout by my

flatmate. I suspect it dropped off our kitchen pin board and, on the floor, looked like any

other piece of circular mail to her. Spent the entire night before the coach up searching,

then called the ticket people and explained the situation. The guy the other end couldn’t

help, but advised since I had spent so much, if I went with all my documents and details,

there was no way they could in good conscience turn me back. They’d be completely

heartless, and against the Glasto spirit if they did, right?

So, after a COMPLETELY sleepless night I get on the coach from Victoria the next day,

equipped with… my passport, three utility bills showing my address, my registration details

confirmation, my ticket purchase email confirmation, my booking reference, my bank

statement showing “Glastonbury 2009” paid out on it, and my card I used to buy the

ticket in the first place.

I turn up, go to the ticket office, who direct me to the ticketmaster people next door. There

I’m greeted by the most disinterested, smug, smirking shithead who it was clear found

the whole thing very amusing. He was practically laughing at me. This is after a 4 hour

coach journey and a sleepless night. Half the group I’m with are inside already. Before

it is asked was I antagonistic? I was in full grovel-plead-beg mode, not angry demanding

mode, so there was no justification for their attitude. They just didn’t give a f**k.

Now, it would take ONE phone call to the main office on site, to call my details up, they

made this phone call, and even though they confirmed I was who I said I was, refused

to let me in. Because I could have sold my ticket on. To my identical twin, apparently.

I tried going through the gates, the Oxfam ticket checkers supervisor was lovely, completely

understood, and walked back with me to the ticket office to argue my case, as I was

practically passed out at this point and nearly breaking down. Again, the same gurning

shrug and “we can’t do anything”. This even surprised the Oxfam supervisor, who was

amazed there was nothing in place for people like me and others like me.

5 hours later sitting in the baking sun, with a bunch of other people in the same boat (one of

which had lost his ticket on the ferry from Dublin, same smirking idiot in the ticket office

actually audibly laughed at him as he was rejected and walking off crying!), I formulated a

plan. This was definitely Not On. After paying a total of nearly 500 quid on the ticket, transport,

equipment and supplies, there was no way I was turning around. All I had talked about to my

friends and family for weeks was Glastonbury. I *was* getting into the festival I had paid for. A couple

of people sat near me had recounted stories of trying to get in and getting smacked around by

security, one guy, and remember this person has paid nearly 200 POUNDS for a ticket, was driven

out several miles into the country, and dumped by the roadside with just their tent, after demanding

to speak to a supervisor. This shit is happening to people who actually bought tickets!

Now, I got in, I’m not saying exactly how as I don’t want to give anyone clues on how to

break in, that wasn’t the intention of this post. It involved some lying, me having thin girly

wrists, and a lucky rainstorm at an opportune moment. That’s all I’m saying. I also know that

legally, they had every right to turn me back, and in the T&Cs on the ticket sale, if you lose

it you basically get told to go get shafted. This has to be changed, you can’t treat people

who have paid through the nose to attend like sh*t. You have to implement some kind of

lost ticket procedure that will allow these people to get in, without hugely increasing the risk

of ticketless people getting in. Because as I’ve proved you just get in anyway! We shouldn’t

have to break into a festival we’ve paid to attend!

Please, anyone reading this who has contact with the Glasto management, feel free to pass this

on. I feel dirty that I had to resort to nefarious actions to get into what is one of my favourite

places to be in the world, I love the festival and next year I’ll be giving my ticket to my (very very

reliable, almost obsessively so) friend to hold onto for certain! I didn’t come looking for Kudos

for getting in ticketless regardless, I just want to raise the awareness of this issue with other

Glasto attendees.

Put yourself in the lost ticketeer's shoes. How much had you spent / far had you travelled for Glasto?

What would your reaction been to have been turned back at the gate, even though you had

paid? Food for thought innit. I ran into about 15 people in the same boat as me on the Thursday, so

it isn't a one-off incident. And thats at just one pedestrian gate!

Cheers,

-D

[Bluearsedfly]

I'd have done the same.

Not getting in would just not be an option. That ticketmaster guy sounds a twat.

[shangri-la_steward]

you should email this to the Glastonbury Management and Michael and Emily Eavis - no question..get on it

[beergut100]

Hey guys,

Let me first start this off by saying that I think people who come down to Glasto without

a ticket and break in are terrible, if you haven’t paid then you shouldn’t get in, end of

discussion. What follows however is a story that I feel I have to share, as it shows a

breakdown in the ticket system they are using and how decent people are getting shafted.

The night before leaving, I lost my ticket. Now please feel free to call me a complete

bell-end, (which I am), but I think it went into the recycling during a cleanout by my

flatmate. I suspect it dropped off our kitchen pin board and, on the floor, looked like any

other piece of circular mail to her. Spent the entire night before the coach up searching,

then called the ticket people and explained the situation. The guy the other end couldn’t

help, but advised since I had spent so much, if I went with all my documents and details,

there was no way they could in good conscience turn me back. They’d be completely

heartless, and against the Glasto spirit if they did, right?

So, after a COMPLETELY sleepless night I get on the coach from Victoria the next day,

equipped with… my passport, three utility bills showing my address, my registration details

confirmation, my ticket purchase email confirmation, my booking reference, my bank

statement showing “Glastonbury 2009” paid out on it, and my card I used to buy the

ticket in the first place.

I turn up, go to the ticket office, who direct me to the ticketmaster people next door. There

I’m greeted by the most disinterested, smug, smirking shithead who it was clear found

the whole thing very amusing. He was practically laughing at me. This is after a 4 hour

coach journey and a sleepless night. Half the group I’m with are inside already. Before

it is asked was I antagonistic? I was in full grovel-plead-beg mode, not angry demanding

mode, so there was no justification for their attitude. They just didn’t give a f**k.

Now, it would take ONE phone call to the main office on site, to call my details up, they

made this phone call, and even though they confirmed I was who I said I was, refused

to let me in. Because I could have sold my ticket on. To my identical twin, apparently.

I tried going through the gates, the Oxfam ticket checkers supervisor was lovely, completely

understood, and walked back with me to the ticket office to argue my case, as I was

practically passed out at this point and nearly breaking down. Again, the same gurning

shrug and “we can’t do anything”. This even surprised the Oxfam supervisor, who was

amazed there was nothing in place for people like me and others like me.

5 hours later sitting in the baking sun, with a bunch of other people in the same boat (one of

which had lost his ticket on the ferry from Dublin, same smirking idiot in the ticket office

actually audibly laughed at him as he was rejected and walking off crying!), I formulated a

plan. This was definitely Not On. After paying a total of nearly 500 quid on the ticket, transport,

equipment and supplies, there was no way I was turning around. All I had talked about to my

friends and family for weeks was Glastonbury. I *was* getting into the festival I had paid for. A couple

of people sat near me had recounted stories of trying to get in and getting smacked around by

security, one guy, and remember this person has paid nearly 200 POUNDS for a ticket, was driven

out several miles into the country, and dumped by the roadside with just their tent, after demanding

to speak to a supervisor. This shit is happening to people who actually bought tickets!

Now, I got in, I’m not saying exactly how as I don’t want to give anyone clues on how to

break in, that wasn’t the intention of this post. It involved some lying, me having thin girly

wrists, and a lucky rainstorm at an opportune moment. That’s all I’m saying. I also know that

legally, they had every right to turn me back, and in the T&Cs on the ticket sale, if you lose

it you basically get told to go get shafted. This has to be changed, you can’t treat people

who have paid through the nose to attend like sh*t. You have to implement some kind of

lost ticket procedure that will allow these people to get in, without hugely increasing the risk

of ticketless people getting in. Because as I’ve proved you just get in anyway! We shouldn’t

have to break into a festival we’ve paid to attend!

Please, anyone reading this who has contact with the Glasto management, feel free to pass this

on. I feel dirty that I had to resort to nefarious actions to get into what is one of my favourite

places to be in the world, I love the festival and next year I’ll be giving my ticket to my (very very

reliable, almost obsessively so) friend to hold onto for certain! I didn’t come looking for Kudos

for getting in ticketless regardless, I just want to raise the awareness of this issue with other

Glasto attendees.

Put yourself in the lost ticketeer's shoes. How much had you spent / far had you travelled for Glasto?

What would your reaction been to have been turned back at the gate, even though you had

paid? Food for thought innit. I ran into about 15 people in the same boat as me on the Thursday, so

it isn't a one-off incident. And thats at just one pedestrian gate!

Cheers,

-D

[benissright]

amazed that this happened. Glastonbury do employ some cocks.

And some idiots. Someone i know got in for free, because his mate got given two sign out cards and just blagged him in on the way back.

...the responses wont be harsh, the responses will all be, good on you for breaking in.

Edited July 9, 2009 by benissright

[Guest blackcockerel]

You absolutely did the right thing, and I think management need to be contacted. I lost my ticket on the way down to Green Man and told the organisers, who were lovely and just took my credit card details, matched it to an email and that was it.

[norainplease]

I would have done the exact same thing - no question about it.

Shocking how much a d**k the ticketmasetr guy was - as other said I think that the Glasto management would probably be interested in how unhelpful he was. People may think that he is a representation of the festival as a whole and that wouldn't be fair at all.

Glad you got in though and had a fab time!

[scaryclaireyfairy]

yep, i'd have done the same and i reckon you should raise this with gfl. given the amount of detail on the ticket, it's easy to verify you are the person who paid for the ticket and there needs to be a way for people like you to get in legitimately.

losing a ticket could happen to any one of us. it's the thing nightmares are made of.

[whatmidlifecrisis?]

Excellent first post!

No-one should blame you far what you did. Accidents happen and lost tickets you would think are not-uncommon. I agree that you should mail Glasto management. I thought the whole point of registration, photos, etc was to stop touting - claiming that you could have sold you ticket on means they are not comfortable with the security on the gate (we all know the photo/address thing is not checked on the way in).

Well done for blagging your way in and I am sure you enjoyed the weekend even more! Can I meet you at Brothers next year so you can blag me an my family in to VIP ;-)

[Prest02000]

Hey guys,

Let me first start this off by saying that I think people who come down to Glasto without

a ticket and break in are terrible, if you haven’t paid then you shouldn’t get in, end of

discussion. What follows however is a story that I feel I have to share, as it shows a

breakdown in the ticket system they are using and how decent people are getting shafted.

The night before leaving, I lost my ticket. Now please feel free to call me a complete

bell-end, (which I am), but I think it went into the recycling during a cleanout by my

flatmate. I suspect it dropped off our kitchen pin board and, on the floor, looked like any

other piece of circular mail to her. Spent the entire night before the coach up searching,

then called the ticket people and explained the situation. The guy the other end couldn’t

help, but advised since I had spent so much, if I went with all my documents and details,

there was no way they could in good conscience turn me back. They’d be completely

heartless, and against the Glasto spirit if they did, right?

So, after a COMPLETELY sleepless night I get on the coach from Victoria the next day,

equipped with… my passport, three utility bills showing my address, my registration details

confirmation, my ticket purchase email confirmation, my booking reference, my bank

statement showing “Glastonbury 2009” paid out on it, and my card I used to buy the

ticket in the first place.

I turn up, go to the ticket office, who direct me to the ticketmaster people next door. There

I’m greeted by the most disinterested, smug, smirking shithead who it was clear found

the whole thing very amusing. He was practically laughing at me. This is after a 4 hour

coach journey and a sleepless night. Half the group I’m with are inside already. Before

it is asked was I antagonistic? I was in full grovel-plead-beg mode, not angry demanding

mode, so there was no justification for their attitude. They just didn’t give a f**k.

Now, it would take ONE phone call to the main office on site, to call my details up, they

made this phone call, and even though they confirmed I was who I said I was, refused

to let me in. Because I could have sold my ticket on. To my identical twin, apparently.

I tried going through the gates, the Oxfam ticket checkers supervisor was lovely, completely

understood, and walked back with me to the ticket office to argue my case, as I was

practically passed out at this point and nearly breaking down. Again, the same gurning

shrug and “we can’t do anything”. This even surprised the Oxfam supervisor, who was

amazed there was nothing in place for people like me and others like me.

5 hours later sitting in the baking sun, with a bunch of other people in the same boat (one of

which had lost his ticket on the ferry from Dublin, same smirking idiot in the ticket office

actually audibly laughed at him as he was rejected and walking off crying!), I formulated a

plan. This was definitely Not On. After paying a total of nearly 500 quid on the ticket, transport,

equipment and supplies, there was no way I was turning around. All I had talked about to my

friends and family for weeks was Glastonbury. I *was* getting into the festival I had paid for. A couple

of people sat near me had recounted stories of trying to get in and getting smacked around by

security, one guy, and remember this person has paid nearly 200 POUNDS for a ticket, was driven

out several miles into the country, and dumped by the roadside with just their tent, after demanding

to speak to a supervisor. This shit is happening to people who actually bought tickets!

Now, I got in, I’m not saying exactly how as I don’t want to give anyone clues on how to

break in, that wasn’t the intention of this post. It involved some lying, me having thin girly

wrists, and a lucky rainstorm at an opportune moment. That’s all I’m saying. I also know that

legally, they had every right to turn me back, and in the T&Cs on the ticket sale, if you lose

it you basically get told to go get shafted. This has to be changed, you can’t treat people

who have paid through the nose to attend like sh*t. You have to implement some kind of

lost ticket procedure that will allow these people to get in, without hugely increasing the risk

of ticketless people getting in. Because as I’ve proved you just get in anyway! We shouldn’t

have to break into a festival we’ve paid to attend!

Please, anyone reading this who has contact with the Glasto management, feel free to pass this

on. I feel dirty that I had to resort to nefarious actions to get into what is one of my favourite

places to be in the world, I love the festival and next year I’ll be giving my ticket to my (very very

reliable, almost obsessively so) friend to hold onto for certain! I didn’t come looking for Kudos

for getting in ticketless regardless, I just want to raise the awareness of this issue with other

Glasto attendees.

Put yourself in the lost ticketeer's shoes. How much had you spent / far had you travelled for Glasto?

What would your reaction been to have been turned back at the gate, even though you had

paid? Food for thought innit. I ran into about 15 people in the same boat as me on the Thursday, so

it isn't a one-off incident. And thats at just one pedestrian gate!

Cheers,

-D

[/quote

Let me guess it cost you roughly £90 to get in?

[eFestivals]

I also know that legally, they had every right to turn me back, and in the T&Cs on the ticket sale, if you lose it you basically get told to go get shafted. This has to be changed, you can’t treat people

who have paid through the nose to attend like sh*t. You have to implement some kind of

lost ticket procedure that will allow these people to get in .... We shouldn’t have to break into a festival we’ve paid to attend!

While I understand your frustration at having lost your ticket and still wishing to attend.....

As you point out, the T&Cs say you need your ticket to enter.

No one treated you like shit apart from yourself. You had lost the ticket that you need to have to enter. That is no one's fault but your own.

How much you've spent is an irrelevance. An equivalent of what you're saying is: You go to the bank and withdraw £1000; you lose that £1000; you go back to the bank and demand another £1000 cos you lost the first £1000; they laugh at you cos you're taking the piss and don't give you another £1000.

Would their laughter be unjustified? Or would it be what you'd rightly expect to happen due to you having lost that £1000 by your own fault? .... There is only one right answer.

They do not have to implement any lost ticket system; it is not and never should be their responsibility for what you do totally outside of their control. Or do you still expect your mother to wipe your arse for you?

If they were to implement a lost ticket system, there would be massive expenses for them to do so. It would require a site-wide computer system (not easy to keep up and running due to the weather), custom-written software; extra staff; extra delays at the gates; and probably much more.

Why should the rest of us pick up these costs just because a tiny number of people can't take responsibility for their own doings?

I sympathise with you still wanting to go. But it's still all your own fault, and you expecting others to take responsibility for your own actions is about as pathetic as things can get.

[Artie Fufkin]

what are the legalities associated with lost tickets? I know they can put what they want in T&Cs but surely there must be some customer protection in consumer laws about this ... ? Are you paying for the piece of paper, or are you paying for the gig/festival. If its the latter, then surely they need to give you what you pay for ..... ?

Any consumer lawyers out there?

[chuckley]

thats really really bad. i thought if u had ref number and passport/drivers licence u were good to go!

if the excuse of 'u could have solf the ticket on', was used then they are idiots coz its up to them to check the tickets and the person using them. if they wanted to do it properly they should ask for id with the tickets on entry. they have free lock ups so people wouldnt mind bringing such items.

u should complain.

[Bluearsedfly]

While I understand your frustration at having lost your ticket and still wishing to attend.....

As you point out, the T&Cs say you need your ticket to enter.

No one treated you like shit apart from yourself. You had lost the ticket that you need to have to enter. That is no one's fault but your own.

How much you've spent is an irrelevance. An equivalent of what you're saying is: You go to the bank and withdraw £1000; you lose that £1000; you go back to the bank and demand another £1000 cos you lost the first £1000; they laugh at you cos you're taking the piss and don't give you another £1000.

Would their laughter be unjustified? Or would it be what you'd rightly expect to happen due to you having lost that £1000 by your own fault? .... There is only one right answer.

They do not have to implement any lost ticket system; it is not and never should be their responsibility for what you do totally outside of their control. Or do you still expect your mother to wipe your arse for you?

If they were to implement a lost ticket system, there would be massive expenses for them to do so. It would require a site-wide computer system (not easy to keep up and running due to the weather), custom-written software; extra staff; extra delays at the gates; and probably much more.

Why should the rest of us pick up these costs just because a tiny number of people can't take responsibility for their own doings?

I sympathise with you still wanting to go. But it's still all your own fault, and you expecting others to take responsibility for your own actions is about as pathetic as things can get.

[grandadcollective]

While I understand your frustration at having lost your ticket and still wishing to attend.....

As you point out, the T&Cs say you need your ticket to enter.

No one treated you like shit apart from yourself. You had lost the ticket that you need to have to enter. That is no one's fault but your own.

How much you've spent is an irrelevance. An equivalent of what you're saying is: You go to the bank and withdraw £1000; you lose that £1000; you go back to the bank and demand another £1000 cos you lost the first £1000; they laugh at you cos you're taking the piss and don't give you another £1000.

Would their laughter be unjustified? Or would it be what you'd rightly expect to happen due to you having lost that £1000 by your own fault? .... There is only one right answer.

They do not have to implement any lost ticket system; it is not and never should be their responsibility for what you do totally outside of their control. Or do you still expect your mother to wipe your arse for you?

If they were to implement a lost ticket system, there would be massive expenses for them to do so. It would require a site-wide computer system (not easy to keep up and running due to the weather), custom-written software; extra staff; extra delays at the gates; and probably much more.

Why should the rest of us pick up these costs just because a tiny number of people can't take responsibility for their own doings?

I sympathise with you still wanting to go. But it's still all your own fault, and you expecting others to take responsibility for your own actions is about as pathetic as things can get.

[Doomz]

Let me guess it cost you roughly £90 to get in?

[eFestivals]

Utter bollocks.

not bollox at all.

The T&Cs say you need the ticket. He had no ticket.

End of.

If I'm talking bollox, how do you think that Glastonbury can possibly control the numbers on site as they're legally required to if they let in people without tickets?

[eFestivals]

If I'm talking bollox, how do you think that Glastonbury can possibly control the numbers on site as they're legally required to if they let in people without tickets?

in fact, why should anyone bother to buy a ticket if they let people in without tickets?

[Monkismo]

I'm furious with this - how come you only spent 4 hours on the coash when the rest of us spent about 15 hours in traffic!

Nah, seriously I would have done the same. I know they were scanning in barcodes at the gates so surely there is some way of checking that your ticket hadn't been scanned through by someone who you could have sold it to. Even if someone tried to use your ticket after they'd let you in it would surely sound alarm bells and, being that they've got your name, address and photo, there's no way you could have got away with it if you had sold it.

Well done on getting in and having a ball anyway! See, there is an upside to the rain!

[Artie Fufkin]

in fact, why should anyone bother to buy a ticket if they let people in without tickets?

[Laura_Babs]

Did they really scan the tickets? I don't recall having my scanned. I was asked to remove my sunglasses though so they could confirm it was me.

[cossie65]

Did they really scan the tickets? I don't recall having my scanned. I was asked to remove my sunglasses though so they could confirm it was me.

[Artie Fufkin]

Yeah, but they had a ticket. Just because they didn't have the piece of paper doesn't mean they didn't own a ticket. In every other respect, i.e. administration, electronically, on the system, paid for etc... they had a ticket.

Why don't glasto just shift to electronic tickets like a lot of gigs nowadays and pretty much all airlines ... problem solved?

[chuckley]

While I understand your frustration at having lost your ticket and still wishing to attend.....

As you point out, the T&Cs say you need your ticket to enter.

No one treated you like shit apart from yourself. You had lost the ticket that you need to have to enter. That is no one's fault but your own.

How much you've spent is an irrelevance. An equivalent of what you're saying is: You go to the bank and withdraw £1000; you lose that £1000; you go back to the bank and demand another £1000 cos you lost the first £1000; they laugh at you cos you're taking the piss and don't give you another £1000.

Would their laughter be unjustified? Or would it be what you'd rightly expect to happen due to you having lost that £1000 by your own fault? .... There is only one right answer.

They do not have to implement any lost ticket system; it is not and never should be their responsibility for what you do totally outside of their control. Or do you still expect your mother to wipe your arse for you?

If they were to implement a lost ticket system, there would be massive expenses for them to do so. It would require a site-wide computer system (not easy to keep up and running due to the weather), custom-written software; extra staff; extra delays at the gates; and probably much more.

Why should the rest of us pick up these costs just because a tiny number of people can't take responsibility for their own doings?

I sympathise with you still wanting to go. But it's still all your own fault, and you expecting others to take responsibility for your own actions is about as pathetic as things can get.

[Monkismo]

Actually you're right. They scanned the tickets when we went out to the car and not when we arrived. Maybe they should!