There has to be a better way to buy tickets

[purell]

The bun-fight for tickets either in October or in April is crazy. Surely there's a better way. First come, first served seems fine, but refreshing and timeouts just lead to frustration and anxiety.

Here's my system:

They 'open the doors' at 9am on a date in October. Instead of the full ordering process you just give it your registration number and it gives you a queueing ticket, just like at the deli counter at the supermarket. When it's your time, you receive an e-mail telling you have an hour to place your order. I guess it would have to be just one ticket each. It would spread the ticket ordering process over the course of the day.

It would put an end to F5 and timeouts, just as the deli counter ensures first-come, first-served without overworking the people slicing the ham.

[The Naughty One]

The bun-fight for tickets either in October or in April is crazy. Surely there's a better way. First come, first served seems fine, but refreshing and timeouts just lead to frustration and anxiety.

Here's my system:

They 'open the doors' at 9am on a date in October. Instead of the full ordering process you just give it your registration number and it gives you a queueing ticket, just like at the deli counter at the supermarket. When it's your time, you receive an e-mail telling you have an hour to place your order. I guess it would have to be just one ticket each. It would spread the ticket ordering process over the course of the day.

It would put an end to F5 and timeouts, just as the deli counter ensures first-come, first-served without overworking the people slicing the ham.

Edited April 21, 2013 by The Naughty One

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

So its a lottery again, but even less fair one?

[dan05delaney]

The bun-fight for tickets either in October or in April is crazy. Surely there's a better way. First come, first served seems fine, but refreshing and timeouts just lead to frustration and anxiety.

Here's my system:

They 'open the doors' at 9am on a date in October. Instead of the full ordering process you just give it your registration number and it gives you a queueing ticket, just like at the deli counter at the supermarket. When it's your time, you receive an e-mail telling you have an hour to place your order. I guess it would have to be just one ticket each. It would spread the ticket ordering process over the course of the day.

It would put an end to F5 and timeouts, just as the deli counter ensures first-come, first-served without overworking the people slicing the ham.

[storm]

Yes but surely the first page will just crash etc like any other page so it'll still be a lottery if you are lucky enough to get into the registration queue in the first place.

Also generally a deli counter has enough ham to meet demand so everyone with a ticket will eventually get served. Demand for tickets far out ways demand so conceivably someone could find out at 9am that they have number 300,000 and they will have no chance.

At least this way the hope and chance is still therefor everyone until they are sold out.

oh and I didn't get a ticket, I was 2 pages in at 8.50am and couldn't go beyond the buy button but that's the way it goes.

Edited April 21, 2013 by storm

[drewsstrat]

Its part of the fun I think... Today seemed to be sucsessful for 'real' glastonbury fans.. trouble is make it too easy and you stoke up interest amongst the casuals who don't really want to be there but there friends going so its ok to say 'ive done it'

Second to the current method I favour a ballot but see above why I think its nots so good (ryder cup golf did this)

[themuel]

Demand exceeds supply, there will always be people who think it is unfair. Those people are the ones who didn't get tickets. Simple as that.

[efcfanwirral]

And one each? You'd have families where only the kids get tickets. Couples where only one goes, groups of friends where only one gets a ticket. How fair is that?

[Memory Man]

both sales in Oct and April allowed all available tickets to be sold in under three hours. On a Sunday.

There is only so fast tickets can sell and three hours on the one day off just about everyone has in common isnt an inconvenience for anyone.

Essentially the system now is as good as it can realistically be, when demand outstrips supply in such a way. Everyone has a fair chance, no one is seriously put out, there are no touting possibilities and there is always the opportunity to get your money back if you cant go, either through the insurance or without, up to early May.

The system is sound.

[chief_scrutter]

Same problem would still exist, just moved to the 'open the doors' point.

I may get flamed for this - but 2013 will be my 7th in a row. I have managed this by being organised, nothing more than that. 8 tickets per transaction? Organise friends into groups of 8. Each of those trying as many methods (laptops, phones, iPads etc) at once. Try from 8.30am onwards. Proven that once 'in' you can get in again - so become friends with other groups organised into 8s. Coordinate efforts through msn messenger, ghat, and now Facebook. Back door links on efests forums, keep that open in another window. I usually go into work on the October sale day as the connection is so much larger.

This is more effort than I feel the average punter goes to, which is why I have been 'lucky' so regularly.

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

I think its organisation that is the key.

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

Same problem would still exist, just moved to the 'open the doors' point.

I may get flamed for this - but 2013 will be my 7th in a row. I have managed this by being organised, nothing more than that. 8 tickets per transaction? Organise friends into groups of 8. Each of those trying as many methods (laptops, phones, iPads etc) at once. Try from 8.30am onwards. Proven that once 'in' you can get in again - so become friends with other groups organised into 8s. Coordinate efforts through msn messenger, ghat, and now Facebook. Back door links on efests forums, keep that open in another window. I usually go into work on the October sale day as the connection is so much larger.

This is more effort than I feel the average punter goes to, which is why I have been 'lucky' so regularly.

[mcmenace]

The thing is that people only want the system changed when they don't get a ticket. The people who get tickets think its fine.

Sorry if my assumption that you didn't get a ticket is wrong.

[dan05delaney]

both sales in Oct and April allowed all available tickets to be sold in under three hours. On a Sunday.

There is only so fast tickets can sell and three hours on the one day off just about everyone has in common isnt an inconvenience for anyone.

Essentially the system now is as good as it can realistically be, when demand outstrips supply in such a way. Everyone has a fair chance, no one is seriously put out, there are no touting possibilities and there is always the opportunity to get your money back if you cant go, either through the insurance or without, up to early May.

The system is sound.

[chief_scrutter]

There is no other event like Glastonbury sold anywhere in the world in either numbers of tickets available, or numbers of people trying to get them. I reckon the queuing system you state for ticketmaster etc. may not work for Glasto due to volume.

[storm]

I got through to the details page and clicked 'back' and 'proceed' about a thousand times. It's stupid and it gives people false hope.

[drewsstrat]

Yes, your number 1,002,289,027 in the queue ... estimated wait 2 days 23hrs 59 minues...

[mcmenace]

Maybe not, but surely it's worth investigating. I remember initially following the introduction of the registration process it was relatively simple. You entered your registration details, clicked proceed, entered payment details and wham bam you've got your tickets. When did they start shoving you back in to endless queues?

[Taikonaut]

Whether people got tickets or not is irrelevant, the point is that the system is not at all good. Once people have queued to enter their registration details they shouldn't then get returned to another queue. If for example I used Ticket Master or Ticket Line to buy tickets I have to queue for the tickets but once I'm through then I have 10 minutes or whatever to complete the transaction. I got so fed up of pressing 'F5' and the 'back' button this morning, and I just don't think it should be like that. I agree that the registration process etc is completely fair, but I got through to the details page and clicked 'back' and 'proceed' about a thousand times. It's stupid and it gives people false hope.

[wilson123]

At the end of the day there's 62million people in the UK - let's say just a 1/100 of them want to go to Glastonbury, that's still 620,000 people trying to buy just 200,000 tickets.

Demand is greater than supply. There are far worse systems being used in other events - such as, apt for today I guess, the London Marathon which uses a ballot entry. Imagine that, it would be awful.

I read on Twitter of people moaning about it etc but you just have to persevere and, ultimately, be lucky. There's no point complaining it isn't far as no one ever comes up with a fairer system? You're idea doesn't resolve the crush.

As said above the best thing about the system is there is no touting; those that buy tickets want them. You just have to be lucky to get them, nothing more to it.

[mcmenace]

Same for me but it's not false hope every time you clicked the proceed button you had the same chance as anyone else.

I'd rather that than finding out from one click at 9am I was holding a number that meant I had no chance

[Funkyfairy!]

Its part of the fun I think... Today seemed to be sucsessful for 'real' glastonbury fans.. trouble is make it too easy and you stoke up interest amongst the casuals who don't really want to be there but there friends going so its ok to say 'ive done it'

Second to the current method I favour a ballot but see above why I think its nots so good (ryder cup golf did this)

[purell]

This is the only major problem that needs fixing in my opinion. Once you're "in", you should be in and have a little server space allocated to you to do your thing and get the tickets without fear of timing outs, queues etc. Not sure how possible that is but that's what pissed me off mostly.

Was copying/pasting info into several tabs at once and gettting finger cramp.

[storm]

At the end of the day there's 62million people in the UK - let's say just a 1/100 of them want to go to Glastonbury, that's still 620,000 people trying to buy just 200,000 tickets.

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

75% of tickets should be hidden around the site for the following year...