real experiences of the gates please?

[sunshine please!]

if the gate staff believe the face doesn't match the ticket, they'll take the ticket from that person.

Edited June 16, 2011 by sunshine please!

[pie_and_a_pint]

You turn up. You show your ticket. If the ticket has your face printed on it, the Oxfam steward will let you in. If the ticket doesn't have your face printed on it, they won't, or shouldn't, let you in, as per their training.

[ukslim]

I've always had a real ticket.

They look at the ticket. They put it under a UV light. They look at the photo.

How *carefully* they look at the photo, I couldn't tell you for sure. I suspect it depends on how dense the queue is at that moment.

[posthuman]

You're the first person to have ever asked this on the forum. Ever.

Try looking /index.php?showtopic=162933&st=20&p=3624088">here or /index.php?showtopic=160485&st=40&p=3578849">here.

FYI, the search tool is /index.php?app=core&module=search">here.

[autoinflate]

just wondered if you could give me your "real" experiences of how stringent ticket checks are at the gates?

peace people x

[Torcs4]

I got given a pretty close look last year. Ticket photo had me with long-ish hair, clean shaved face. I turned up with a shaved head, and about ten days of beard growth.

[eFestivals]

if the gate staff believe the face doesn't match the ticket, they'll take the ticket from that person.

[Yorkshire Chomper]

in all the years they've had this system, the examination of the ticket has been such that i would never be confident of a "false" ticket.

but good luck to those who try.

[King Kong]

In the queue last year a bloke in front of me was questioned on his likeness, a supervisor was called and he was led off into a nearby portacabin. What happened then is anyones guess - more ID checks or maybe they can access the ticket database from the cabin to double check, either way once you've handed your ticket over to the first person, they've got it until they are satisfied and if not, you won't get it back to try again on another gate.

As said it all depends on the person checking - early Wednesday they are going to be super keen checking tickets. The local council and security are also sending 'secret shoppers' to test the stewards too so they keep on the ball. Then once you have got past the first check of the ticket, the person issuing the wristbands did another check on the ticket so thats 2 separate people you have got to convince - good luck !

Edited June 16, 2011 by King Kong

[ml1984]

theyve never given my ticket much of a look when ive been goin through before and last year a friend of mine got through with no qualms on someone elses.

that said,ive read virtually every thread so far this year on this topis as im going in on someone elses ticket so cannot afford to be turned away and want to know as much as possible. its 50/50 in people's opinions on whether they'll let you in or not.

if you look remotely like the photo, same hair colour at least,stay chatty and friendly to them then there is hopefully a chance they will pass you through.

if you look blatantly nothing like the photo or its not even the same race/sex as you then your're effectively asking them to bend the rules of their job (which they will have been briefed on to enforce) which some of them may take exception to.

its luck to whether you get laid back person or a jobsworth.

dont have any Id on you just in case they ask to see your wallet and find something that proves its not you!

[Late]

I know someone who tried to get in with a different ticket and by total chance the volenteer's propper job was working for HM Customs :-) Needless to say they didnt get in :-)

[PabloCoke]

I'd say every thread posted about this subject makes proper checks more likely...

[jono_01]

hmmm just thought, i used a pic froma few years ago where i had longer hair. i now have it completely shaven. dont anticipate a problem though - anyone can see its me. i will have my drivers licence with my name and another pic of me with not much hair so should be sound. anyone with vision should be able to see that the person on the ticket is the person presenting it (if it is of course the same person!). Unless of course they have been in a pretty nasty car crash....

[Pinhead]

I'm stewarding this year, and I have to tell you they have made a special point in training this time about how important it is to check the photos (cos that's really the only bona fide authentication mechanism available on the gate). They will have MDC checking that we are doing the job properly, and we have been told that we'll be in the sh*t if we let people through without a proper check . . .

[Tuska]

I was told that if the ticket checker had doubt then he is able to access the registration database and pull up a larger photo onto a computer screen. However, at busy times, they cant possibly spend all the time they need to analyse everybody. So i reckon your best chance is at a peak entry period.

I've always gone on a genuine ticket and always had it checked reasonably carefully. Further i've found the gate staff to be quite fastidious when it comes to ticket checks for pass outs.

The bottom line is that i WOULD give it a go if i didn't have a genuine ticket but i would make considerable effort in looking something like the photo. Further, i would make sure i had everything i needed with me so there was no chance of needing a pass out. Once in, i wouldn't go near the gate staff again!

Good luck..!

[PabloCoke]

I'm stewarding this year, and I have to tell you they have made a special point in training this time about how important it is to check the photos (cos that's really the only bona fide authentication mechanism available on the gate). They will have MDC checking that we are doing the job properly, and we have been told that we'll be in the sh*t if we let people through without a proper check . . .

[mr flow]

Last year they asked me to remove my hat and sunglasses to check I was who was on the ticket but my photo is now over 4 years old so they were probably just checking.

I think the key thing here is if your using someone elses ticket then you have to be prepared to be turned away.

[Pinhead]

I hope you'll turn a blind eye to any you see, bit of the old glasto spirit!

[r0cky]

Until last year, they've never checked my ticket other than under a UV light. Last year though an older person on the Oxfam steward's team tried to accuse me that the photo of me wasn't me! I already had my wristband, and it clearly was me in the photo. I just stood there and stared at her, eventually she let me in. Pain was that I was outside the fence, so had to show the ticket numerous times each day.

[posthuman]

I hope you'll turn a blind eye to any you see, bit of the old glasto spirit!

[PabloCoke]

Ahh, the old glasto spirit.

The one that nearly led to the festival losing its license for overcrowding, yeah?

Think I'd prefer the festival to have a future, thanks.

[PabloCoke]

Not if it means me getting thrown out myself for letting too many people through. Its totally up to you whether you want to blag it in with someone else's picture or not - you know the score - you know the risk. If you look like the pciture, there's a chance you'll get in. If not, and it looks nothing like you, then no steward is going to risk their own position by giving you a wink and a nod and waving you through, only to have someone further down the line do a re-check and reveal that you've done so.

[Colin Zeal]

Last year the guy on the door inspected my ticket closely. A smile slowly spread across his face as he looked up at me, his eyes full of happiness and wonder.

He then grabbed my face with both hands, kissed me full on the lips, slapped me boisterously on the arse and sent me on my way.

I never saw him again.

[castmana1]

In 2008 one of our party was taken pretty seriously ill a week or so before the festival. Another of our friends decided to try and get in on his ticket. They didn't look much alike (they both were fairly slight with brown hair, but the similarities stopped there!). When we got to the gates, the steward said 'You've changed a bit since your photo was taken', and let him through anyway. We thought that if they did question him hard about it, then he should've gone down the 'I paid £200 for my ticket and now you're not letting me go in?' route, but thankfully it never came to that. Good luck!

[posthuman]

If every person on the site has a ticket then the licence is in no way effected, your confusing the brilliant anti touting efforts with the equal brilliant super fence. both do there jobs well, but both have very different effects.

So shut it sherlock , thanks