Drop the deposit.

[jparx]

13 minutes ago, ghostdancer1 said:

I'm a coder. you're full of shit, as usual.

coding has fuck all to do with the sale. if you had said network engineer, you might be at least on the right road (but still, as usual, full of shit).

Sorry mate but that’s a bit over the line. You can poke fun at people on here, and even though we might have heated disagreements from time to time I think it’s usually good natured, but that actually reads as quite nasty.

[Flysheet]

Speaking as someone who’s been going for 30 years, your problem isn’t the deposit scheme, I think it’s a good idea. When I first started I was on maybe a 100 quid a week and a ticket was a big chunk of that. Now I’m in a position where the 250 is less of a problem and we could take the hit, but many many more can’t. Glastonbury has become a very expensive do.

The problem is demand. Demand driven by many types of media, plus a growing bucket list mentality that covers climbing mountains, sky diving, whatever takes your fancy. The demand is also driven by it being more mainstream. The line ups are less and less alternative, made for TV, which attracts a broader demographic...and more people.

Plus we’ve had two lots of great weather.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

3 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

I agree in part, but for most people things are more enjoyable with their group of friends. I don’t think it would necessarily Increase your odds of going either, you’d be competing with the same amount of people and presumably the system could handle transactions of two more quickly and smoothly. It would just decrease your chances of going with more people.

I suppose it would decrease your chances of going with a big group, like I said, just 3 friends can hoover up 18 tickets for all their friends, that's a pretty large and in those terms seems quite unfair. Those 3x people can buy tickets for 18, whilst a small group (like obv the one I had  ) can't get a single person into the queue, meaning we all miss out. 

[Hugh Jass]

5 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

So might six. You've seen Home Alone right? One of those kids would miss out. And it wouldn't be Buzz.

Buzz would just get a friend to hack the system for him.

[a6l6e6x]

Problem with deposit being removed is a group of 6 would all need to have that hefty balance in their account ready to go. This would realistically rule out a lot of the younger generation

[UEF]

Before things got bonkers we didn't worry about the amount being debited because you tended to buy your own plus one. It was a lot less stressful! 

[Tommy Dickfingers]

I know emotions run high on ticket day but I think everyone needs to chill out a bit. I’ve been lucky enough for the past 7 sales including this sale to get a ticket first time. But that’s all it was, luck. It’s absolutely fair and doesn’t require changing in my opinion.

I would argue that in the times we’re living in, gig economy, zero hour contracts, universal credit and insecure employment the deposit scheme isn’t only a good thing but a vital thing. There will be people out there who maybe only have Glastonbury on a shoe string budget to look forward to all year, for me they deserve to go far more than some “loyal” attendee. 

Glastonbury is a total escape from my day to day life for 5 days and I’m sure that’s the same for a lot of people. 

 

[FrancisH]

If anything a better scheduled payment plan system needs introducing...

I know you have time to save after deposit payment, but when £50 was first introduced it was a decent percentage of the overall ticket cost - with yearly price increases, repayment is now too heavily weighted toward the balance deadline week, and 200 odd all in one go is now pretty hefty for somebody on a low income.

[Neville Street]

Deposit was £20 first few years I think.

edit: Checked - looks like I’m wrong. I think the retention is £20 now and was a tenner to begin with.

one year you could only get 4 tickets, and there has been a 2 ticket max on resale I’m pretty sure too.

edit: Checked - 2009 was 4 tix a person on deposit day, and I think that may have been 2 each in resale, unless I’m imagining that!

Edited October 6, 2019 by Neville Street
Checked some stuff

[aj6658]

1 hour ago, theevilfridge said:

Yeah, anything like this would be fine.

Only issue I suppose is that you immediately have a few people not paying, which means less money in the bank for the festival and more tickets in the resale pot. Not sure how problematic that would be for them.

EDIT: Maybe they could bump the deposit up to £60 to cover this? The overall ticket price has gone up a lot with the deposit staying the same so far, after all.

I looked at their financial statements (Im an accountant haha), they have a very healthy cash reserves as they always plan ahead. Also the fact that the festival always sells out they should have no problem getting v good payment terms. 

 

I don't see it as an issue. 

[aj6658]

1 hour ago, Matt42 said:

It’s a bit of a silly comparison though as this is premised on the basis of making a ticket system smoother?

Really isn't. You have made the argument that if you paid upfront it would only attract people who are 100% to go and its totally reasonable for people to have that liability.

 

The counter argument is if people really did have the funds to do such a thing, contracts would not be a thing. People would buy phone outright and then get a sim. ITs cheaper that way but a contract allows you to spread the cost.

You are making a lot of claims and not backing them up

Mysterious coders who can bypass pages and a significant/ material number of tickets being purchased by people who have no intention to go. 

 

People drop out for various reasons but to say that people registering, waking up early on a sunday and waiting by their computer, have their reg numbers at the ready and pay £50 when they don't have the interest of going?? 

 

Really don't understand how you're coming to your conclusions...

 

[Spindles]

Anything that puts financial barriers in the way is an issue really.  £50 might be nothing to some people, but many don't get to the end of the month with a spare £50 so that'll be them going without just to pay the deposit.  Few have a spare few hundred quid, so for almost everyone that would certainly mean going without if it were upfront payment.  Really the only people such an idea would benefit would be exactly the kind of people whose income level means they wouldn't give a shit about losing some money on a cancellation fee and in fact reward those who book on spec.

Edited October 6, 2019 by Spindles

[aj6658]

1 hour ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

I would at least lower the amount of tickets you can buy in one go. Two or four would be enough, everyone pick a buddy. Groups of people would still be able to go together and I don't think it would hurt sales. 

120k / 6 = 20,000 transactions. That's not many (when given the amount of punters it serves).

The idea that it only needs 3 people to get through and they can hover up 18 tickets seems ridiculous to me, especially given the amount of people trying to get them. So what if it takes an extra hour on the Sunday to process everyone? At least then you'd have a fairer chance of getting through than people collecting them on the off chance they still want to go in 9 months time. 

 

I disagree with this. I think 6 is a good group size to go to a festival, any smaller and its a tad to small (Cant have odd numbers because couples)

IF you went to the extreme and said only 1 ticket per transaction what changes? Previously it would be 6 people trying to get 6 tickets. So if any of your group got tickets you're in the money. If its just 1, then does your % increase? I don't see how 

If there were a 100 tickets and 150 people wanted them and you had two scenarios: Buy 5 or 2 per transaction 

150/5=30 groups 

100/5= 20 sales

20/30=66%

If 2 per transaction

150/2=75 groups

100/2= 50 sales

50/75=66%

All things equal you have a 66% chance of getting a ticket.

(I have no idea if this is even mathematically  logically but if someone disagrees then please do educate me )

Your % increase only if less people were demanding them or more tickets were available. 

[clarkete]

How about if we kept the deposit, but asked the festival to get people to pass the simple test from earlier in the week? 

 

[SouthbanKen]

2 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

Who? Who is doing this exactly? Do you have any evidence that the above is happening?

And could you give me their number ahead of the resale. ??

[wilko8]

It’s also a nice little money spinner....£25 ‘admin’ fee for people who don’t pay the balance. 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

33 minutes ago, aj6658 said:

I disagree with this. I think 6 is a good group size to go to a festival, any smaller and its a tad to small (Cant have odd numbers because couples)

IF you went to the extreme and said only 1 ticket per transaction what changes? Previously it would be 6 people trying to get 6 tickets. So if any of your group got tickets you're in the money. If its just 1, then does your % increase? I don't see how 

If there were a 100 tickets and 150 people wanted them and you had two scenarios: Buy 5 or 2 per transaction 

150/5=30 groups 

100/5= 20 sales

20/30=66%

If 2 per transaction

150/2=75 groups

100/2= 50 sales

50/75=66%

All things equal you have a 66% chance of getting a ticket.

(I have no idea if this is even mathematically  logically but if someone disagrees then please do educate me )

Your % increase only if less people were demanding them or more tickets were available. 

6 is a good number? My first glasto, I went on my own, had an absolute blast. Perhaps if people got out of their comfort zone a bit more, they wouldn't need a spreadsheet of 72 people in the bubble and engage more with the festival. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by MEGATRONICMEATWAGON

[MadScientist]

3 hours ago, Matt42 said:

I was lucky enough to be successful this year, but I think ending the deposit system is the best way to make it easier on T Day for the loyal crowds.
 

The festival is at a point now where I feel they could comfortably do this. We are long gone from 2008 - the festival world is different now.

Make people cough up £260 in October with no lineup and I am sure things would be easier. I know too many people who drop £50 with no intention of going / conditional intent if Fleetwood Mac play!

Ah yeah price out poorer fans in the run up to Christmas - very fair! 

[aj6658]

2 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

6 is a good number? My first glasto, I went on my own, had an absolute blast. Perhaps if people got out of their comfort zone a bit more, they wouldn't need a spreadsheet of 72 people in the bubble and engage more with the festival. 

Thats fine but not everyone is extroverted like that.

I mean a spreadsheet of 6 people isn't a big deal...

[gooner1990]

2 hours ago, Flysheet said:

Speaking as someone who’s been going for 30 years, your problem isn’t the deposit scheme, I think it’s a good idea. When I first started I was on maybe a 100 quid a week and a ticket was a big chunk of that. Now I’m in a position where the 250 is less of a problem and we could take the hit, but many many more can’t. Glastonbury has become a very expensive do.

The problem is demand. Demand driven by many types of media, plus a growing bucket list mentality that covers climbing mountains, sky diving, whatever takes your fancy. The demand is also driven by it being more mainstream. The line ups are less and less alternative, made for TV, which attracts a broader demographic...and more people.

Plus we’ve had two lots of great weather.

Spot on.

[DeanoL]

Keep the deposit. Stop announcing bands and headliners before the balance window closes. Problem solved.

[Hugh Jass]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

Keep the deposit. Stop announcing bands and headliners before the balance window closes. Problem solved.

Even if they announce nothing there will be plenty of rumour and speculation to drive interest.

[Digi]

23 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

6 is a good number? My first glasto, I went on my own, had an absolute blast. Perhaps if people got out of their comfort zone a bit more, they wouldn't need a spreadsheet of 72 people in the bubble and engage more with the festival. 

Absolutely no interest in going by myself. Glastonbury is often the only time of the year I see some friends from one year to the next. 

We too have an absolute blast. The only difference being there is a group of 10 or so of us. We engage just fine. No one is more deserving because of how the choose to do their festival

[robillustrates]

The solution is 4 or even 2 tickets per transaction, that really is the only way to spread out who goes and who misses out, even though the same numbers go and miss out. You'd get less giant camps and lots more social tiny camps befriending neighbours.

As it stands you probably know lots of people with tickets or barely anyone with tickets, the spread would be a little more even.

[Johnnyseven]

3 hours ago, incident said:

and 4 isn't?

If they wanted to give everyone a fairer chance of buying tickets they should drop it to only 2 per transaction. That would immediately rule of the multiple groups of 6 syndicate method that people use every year.