Probs Download

[matt2007]

Hearing of lots of probs at Download with the much hyped cashless system, pray this never happens at Glastonbury..........

[Divein]

What are the problems? Going on Saturday for the day and seems a faff to load up a wristband just the the day

[matt2007]

Not wrist band, dog tags and no money accepted anywhere on site......

[neil999]

crazy idea for exactly the reason that if it goes wrong...

[fatyeti24]

i'm sure Big Mikey E talked about this a year or three ago. i dare say it'll happen one day.

[Alcatraz]

crazy idea for exactly the reason that if it goes wrong...

Yeah this is how riots start

[Spindles]

If people were relying on the system for food and have no fallback that is pretty bad. I'm sure Download goers will get by on warm carling and pringles though.

[Chimps in Balaclavas]

The real problems at Download:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

[eFestivals]

i'm sure Big Mikey E talked about this a year or three ago. i dare say it'll happen one day.

Nah, I doubt it.

I had a chat with one of the senior staff about systems like this over ten years ago, and his view was that no matter how good any electronic system is, it'll fail at some point and cause absolute chaos due to the numbers at Glastonbury.

Paper-based systems - for cash or entry - don't fail. The worst that can happen is that you lose your ticket or money, where just that individual is affected ... and the responsibility for that failure doesn't fall onto the festival.

I think, at the end of the day, they'd rather run a system that might be able to be bettered for efficiency, but which remains within their control and will work without fail.

[matt2007]

The real problems at Download:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

That's what happens when the Tories are in power..........now who voted for them that's what I won't to know

[Michaels denim shorts]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3119945/Chaos-Download-Festival-useless-new-cashless-payment-crashes-leaving-music-fans-unable-pay-food-drink.html

[tom22]

BLoody stupid to go all in on this.

Could work well as a time saver on a trial basis. Could be proper shafted if they dont get it up and running.

[blackred]

Nah, I doubt it.

I had a chat with one of the senior staff about systems like this over ten years ago, and his view was that no matter how good any electronic system is, it'll fail at some point and cause absolute chaos due to the numbers at Glastonbury.

Paper-based systems - for cash or entry - don't fail. The worst that can happen is that you lose your ticket or money, where just that individual is affected ... and the responsibility for that failure doesn't fall onto the festival.

I think, at the end of the day, they'd rather run a system that might be able to be bettered for efficiency, but which remains within their control and will work without fail.

It's not the technology thats at fault, it's the implementation. These kind of systems are used 24/7 in far more critical enviroments than a music festival, seems the companys that keep trying to push it at these kind of events are a bit shite though - exactly the same thing happened at Primavera a few years ago.

Glastonbury will go paperless for ticketing soon enough, even if its just down to the fact the industry is no longer set up for paper based systems. I hoped that after the move to phototicketing it would be the next logical step as its a similarly pro-consumer move. I guess at least now they will end up with a mature system,.

Edited June 11, 2015 by blackred

[LondonTom]

Madness to have gone completely cashless...maybe as addition but then that doesn't serve their purpose of doing it.

[blackred]

Madness to have gone completely cashless...maybe as addition but then that doesn't serve their purpose of doing it.

Cashless is old skool though - plenty of places have use 'token' systems in the past, this is just the next generation. It's a way to fleece punters out of money as you are guaranteed to buy more than you need!

[LondonTom]

Glastonnbury will go paperless for ticketing soon enough, even if its just down to the fact the industry is no longer set up for paper based systems. I hoped that after the move to phototicketing it would be the next logical step as its a similarly pro-consumer move. I guess at least now they will end up with a mature system,.

How?! Its basically so they can track you/charge the traders more for their pitches (which results in higher prices for the consumer...)

And then we have what happens when it does fail, every system in the world fails at some point. Let alone one set up in the middle of a field on a temporary basis!

[stuwilky]

Cashless - real issues with the implementation after the farce that was Galtres festival last year. Allegations of impropriety all over the shop, with the festival company going bust, not paying the traders what they had worked for all weekend, and then forming a new company with the same directors.

[blackred]

How?! Its basically so they can track you/charge the traders more for their pitches (which results in higher prices for the consumer...)

And then we have what happens when it does fail, every system in the world fails at some point. Let alone one set up in the middle of a field on a temporary basis!

The key word was ticketing.

[Northern-Monkey]

What a bloody stupid idea! Jesus, am certain Copping is trying to single handedly kill off Download.

[Matt42]

Stupid idea from the start, guess this is good riddance for trying to be greedy. Fate finds a way

[fatyeti24]

The real problems at Download:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

Bloody hell, that sounds awful.

[eFestivals]

It's not the technology thats at fault, it's the implementation.

For Download, it certainly seems that way, yep.

But the point is no matter how robust the system it will fail at some point in time, and when it does you have to have a plan for dealing with the chaos it causes. And because it causes BIG chaos, you need a major plan.

If you don't use a system that is a risk of failure you don't need any of those extra plans, and you will never ever put your customers thru that chaos

[FuzzyDunlop]

Text from my mate who is there:

2 lads in tent next to us have had problems but no issue for us. Few things on twitter, but looks blown out of proportion.

[brettredmayne]

Not wrist band, dog tags and no money accepted anywhere on site......

[Dora]

If it's not broke, don't fix it. Glastonbury works perfectly well