Coach Issues :(

[jakenicolaides]

I bought tickets for me and my brother in the resale, to go from Leeds to the festival site at 8:00 am on the Wednesday. My brother is a medic and has recently found out he is on call on the Wednesday and therefore cannot get the coach. We didn't know this at the time of buying the tickets and is obviously a bit of a nightmare.

The plan we came up with to resolve this issue involves me getting the coach alone, then leaving the fest to give him his tickets on Thursday when he arrives. Unfortunately, I have noticed that Glastonbury has officially stated that 'all the people you book for must be on the coach in order for them to collect their tickets.'

I know this has come up a couple times in the forums in one way or a another and the majority of you generally say that it is not realistic to presume the coach driver will give out the tickets. However, this is our only option and I feel like it would be very unfair and cruel of Glastonbury to not allow me my brothers tickets.

I am the ticket buyer and I can have both of our coach tickets on hand. I also emailed glasto about this and am awaiting response.

So my question is: Do you think Glastonbury will take an exception to our circumstance and if not, do you think the bus driver will? Also, have any of you ever come across this scenario before or been on a coach where this was allowed?

Many thanks for your time in advance

x

[pie_and_a_pint]

Unfortunately rules is rules, and you knew this when you booked, so complaining it's unfair and cruel is not, really, fair on Glasto!

There have, ancecdotally, been situations where coach drivers have been 'persuaded' to hand over tickets, but I would not in any way rely on this being the case. Your brother needs to be on that coach or he may not get his Glastonbury ticket.

[jakenicolaides]

I see. I understand why the rules are there, and why also, people must stick to them. You are 100% correct in saying I was aware of what i was booking and what it meant to have a coach ticket. I really hate to be in this situation. However it seems i am, and I just cant imagine that after 5 hours on a coach with the driver, he would refuse to give my brothers ticket that i have paid for and is under my name and would just bin the ticket. My Brother really cannot make that coach because he is at work and the annual leave for that Wednesday is already booked.There is no way around this.

I really don't want to waste the £260 i spent on his ticket and even more importantly, i don't want to go to this festival alone

[Neville Street]

if he is "on call" does that mean available or at work? He could get on the coach with you and if he gets a call get off and track back. Does his "on call" last all day?

Get on the coach, then say he has received a call and has to get off before you are half an hour into the journey, but "please can I have my ticket before I get off, I will now have to make my own way there".

All a bit rubbish, hope you sort something.

[pie_and_a_pint]

I see. I understand why the rules are there, and why also, people must stick to them. You are 100% correct in saying I was aware of what i was booking and what it meant to have a coach ticket. I really hate to be in this situation. However it seems i am, and I just cant imagine that after 5 hours on a coach with the driver, he would refuse to give my brothers ticket that i have paid for and is under my name and would just bin the ticket. My Brother really cannot make that coach because he is at work and the annual leave for that Wednesday is already booked.There is no way around this.

I really don't want to waste the £260 i spent on his ticket and even more importantly, i don't want to go to this festival alone

[jakenicolaides]

He has to be close to work if he's on call, he could never get on the coach down to Summerset when on call because of his profession he needs to be able to get to the hospital very quickly. He really wont be able to make the coach at all. Thank you for your help though x

[jakenicolaides]

Okay

Edited April 23, 2013 by jakenicolaides

[jakenicolaides]

Well then you risk it, or you cancel the tickets. Or your brother does what thousands of people do, and calls in sick.

[The Naughty One]

I think what has been suggested is that he gets on the coach and then fakes the fact he has been called upon.

Thus giving him the opportunity to get off the coach and making his own way there the next day.

[pie_and_a_pint]

He cant call in sick. He is a doctor. He is not going to compromise patient care so that we can go to a festival...

Edited April 23, 2013 by pie_and_a_pint

[jakenicolaides]

Then I think you have your answer, don't you? If he 'really can't make the coach at all' then he has no guaranteed way of getting his ticket. You can't ask for special treatment (pardon the pun) just because your brother is a doctor, so you have to decide if you're willing to risk that you lose the ticket cost and have to go to the festival yourself.

[Ben Ahmed]

Hi Jake. You could have a chat with the coach driver and ask for the tickets? There are rumours that the drivers are understanding. Last Glasto a number of people on my coach, got on, then got off with tickets in hand. Some on a mates coach got off a a service station and back tracked!

Or, you get the tickets and leave your brothers at the festival ticket office, why not email them and ask.

Good luck!

[Jules007]

Crikey, friendly advice here. :-/

I see both points but the lack of flex with the system is a load of crap. Crap because its bad for people with genuine reasons for not being on the coach and crap because of the lying people who could abuse it (a fleet of empty coaches wouldnt be environmentally friendly)

I understand and empathise with the OP in when circumstances changes the system cant. another option is to see if there are any seats on the thurs coach? I bought one today from sheffield for my daughter. It cant be that difficult for see tickets to sort if there is a spare space. But act quickly.

Hope this is helpful

[jakenicolaides]

Hi Jake. You could have a chat with the coach driver and ask for the tickets? There are rumours that the drivers are understanding. Last Glasto a number of people on my coach, got on, then got off with tickets in hand. Some on a mates coach got off a a service station and back tracked!

Or, you get the tickets and leave your brothers at the festival ticket office, why not email them and ask.

Good luck!

[jakenicolaides]

Crikey, friendly advice here. :-/

I see both points but the lack of flex with the system is a load of crap. Crap because its bad for people with genuine reasons for not being on the coach and crap because of the lying people who could abuse it (a fleet of empty coaches wouldnt be environmentally friendly)

I understand and empathise with the OP in when circumstances changes the system cant. another option is to see if there are any seats on the thurs coach? I bought one today from sheffield for my daughter. It cant be that difficult for see tickets to sort if there is a spare space. But act quickly.

Hope this is helpful

[Jules007]

Yeah, and if there is just one seat see if it can have your Bro's name on it. Worth a try. Email or call (or both!) asap. Good luck x

[glasto-worker]

See that's what me and my brother presumed we could do. I could take the bus, grab both our tickets and then give them to him. I really do hope that the bus drivers are flexible! Thanks for you well wishes, its nice to have a polite response!

Cheers x

[pie_and_a_pint]

I know you're right, you're just saying what i don't want to hear. Oh well, i will just have to count on getting them from the bus driver and risking it. What do you reckon the bus driver would do with my brothers ticket if he wouldn't let me have it? Like i said, i really cannot imagine him just throwing it away. At the end of the day, it is just a festival and whilst rules are rules, it would be slightly excessive for the driver to just chuck away my £260 ticket.

Edited April 23, 2013 by pie_and_a_pint

[Ben Ahmed]

"Your Festival tickets will be handed out to the lead booker only and at a random point during the journey. The lead booker will need to provide on request both coach tickets and proof of identification.

Once delivered please keep your coach ticket(s) in a safe place, each passenger will need their coach ticket for both inbound and outbound journeys. All coach tickets are checked and only one seat per ticket is permitted. The responsibility for the safekeeping of the coach ticket is with the ticketholder."

The above is from my booking says the lead traveller will get the tickets. So you may be lucky.

Just be really nice, stay focused, you'll be fine. I'd plan to get them and get off, so at least you can enter the festival together.

It will all work out, just try not to worry too much. Calling and swapping is also a grand idea, why not do that as plan a?!

[jakenicolaides]

in previous years there was reports that some Coach drivers were sacked for not following the rules so you cant blame the driver for not being flexible.

your best to call them and see what they can do as its very unfair to shift the responsibly on the driver who is only following GFL rules.

[jakenicolaides]

"Your Festival tickets will be handed out to the lead booker only and at a random point during the journey. The lead booker will need to provide on request both coach tickets and proof of identification.

Once delivered please keep your coach ticket(s) in a safe place, each passenger will need their coach ticket for both inbound and outbound journeys. All coach tickets are checked and only one seat per ticket is permitted. The responsibility for the safekeeping of the coach ticket is with the ticketholder."

The above is from my booking says the lead traveller will get the tickets. So you may be lucky.

Just be really nice, stay focused, you'll be fine. I'd plan to get them and get off, so at least you can enter the festival together.

It will all work out, just try not to worry too much. Calling and swapping is also a grand idea, why not do that as plan a?!

[Jules007]

in previous years there was reports that some Coach drivers were sacked for not following the rules so you cant blame the driver for not being flexible.

your best to call them and see what they can do as its very unfair to shift the responsibly on the driver who is only following GFL rules.

I saw this the other day and thought it was sad they lost their job's but then I wondered if it was just the ones who received bribes that did. The driver's that handed the tickets to the sob stories without the bribe surely couldn't have? Bit unfair that. Bribes is def a fair reason

[jakenicolaides]

I expect he (and other coach drivers) will do whatever SEE and the festival instruct them to do with uncollected tickets. I don't know what that is, but I would imagine there will be some kinds of checks in place to prevent abuse of the system by dodgy drivers or persuasive passengers...

I'm sorry you've implied to others that my replies are 'impolite', however I am only telling you what you know already. Your brother needs to be on the coach to collect his ticket. That's just the way it is, and you knew that when you booked.

[glasto-worker]

Yes I saw you said this on a previous post. However, like the people who say that the drivers are flexible, this is all heresay to me. Unless, do you have the reports to hand? Also I believe you are something of an expert when it comes to Glastonbury so your opinion is very valuable - Do you reckon that the suggested solution mentioned previously of contacting SEE tickets to change my brothers coach ticket to a Thursday is viable? Many thanks for your help x

[Ben Ahmed]

Hi mate. Give calling them a go. Then let us know how you get on. Best of luck!