Olympic Ticket Watch

[Conkers]

Sweet, got 2 tickets to the bronze medal mens handball match. Quite good considering it was limited availability and I didn't submit until 6:20.
Annoyed I didn't get any first time round but at least I get to see something that I wanted to.

 

[strings]

2 athletics tickets!

 

[the slow norris]

2 athletics tickets!

5 athletics tix, 2 beach volleyball, 2 hockey and 2 Womens' Football final tickets in the bag for me and my family, lovely stuff.

 

[Simster]

Despite my comparative good fortune, this thing has been a total shambles.

What MORON decided to model ticket distribution on the one used for Sydney. Sydney is a city of 3m with only two population centres of 1m+ within a day's drive. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that London would need a far more complex and perhaps lengthy method of ticket distribution to ensure a greater degree of fairness.

 

[Giraffe]

I think from a users persepective Simster you are completely right. It has been a shambles.

However from organisers point of view to have sold out virtually every event has to be considered a brilliant result. The fairness of distribution is quite rightly being questioned but in financial terms they have done very very well. They managed to create demand for events that many people wouldn't have been interested in previously. It's similar to the demand frenzy that occured with the AMEX, with people fearing they would miss out if they didn't buy a season ticket.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Lucked out with two basketball tickets and three tickets for the dressage (wife's and sister-in-law's choice) - but failed to get athletics. All of that done by about 6.10am, with multiple crashes.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Despite my comparative good fortune, this thing has been a total shambles.

What MORON decided to model ticket distribution on the one used for Sydney. Sydney is a city of 3m with only two population centres of 1m+ within a day's drive. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that London would need a far more complex and perhaps lengthy method of ticket distribution to ensure a greater degree of fairness.

My sentiments exactly, and hopefully if even people who were luckier think that (and despite not getting top five preferred choices of sport, I can't complain at the final outcome), it clearly proves it isn't just sour grapes.

You didn't need to be a rocket, or indeed any other kind of scientist to predict the demand better than they did.

Clear errors over the initial ballot, could easily have had cash or ticket limits for fairer distribution, smaller ticket limits for the events that were obviously going to be most in demand (big athletics nights, cycling, swimming etc).

However, if that figure is true about 90 per cent of those who applied getting at least something in the 2nd ballot is correct, the first-come, first-served internet free-for-all, with only three sessions max, actually looked a fairer way of doing it.

That figure is presumably skewed by not including all those who got up at 5.45am and despite going through the process for an hour didn't actually manage to register on the system, and so are not counted as applications.

 

[Gazwag]

I think from a users persepective Simster you are completely right. It has been a shambles.

However from organisers point of view to have sold out virtually every event has to be considered a brilliant result. The fairness of distribution is quite rightly being questioned but in financial terms they have done very very well. They managed to create demand for events that many people wouldn't have been interested in previously. It's similar to the demand frenzy that occured with the AMEX, with people fearing they would miss out if they didn't buy a season ticket.

Very true, would the sincronised swimming (I can't even spell it!) or Handball have sold out unless people had been desparate in the second chance sales. At the end of the day the organiser don't give a toss about the fairness of the system so long as they sell 100% of the tickets

By the way, have you seen how cheap the Paraolympic tickets are. Might be a good way to see the arenas such as the swimming, velodrome, or olympic stadium for those who didnt get tickets

 

[Simster]

I think from a users persepective Simster you are completely right. It has been a shambles.

However from organisers point of view to have sold out virtually every event has to be considered a brilliant result. The fairness of distribution is quite rightly being questioned but in financial terms they have done very very well. They managed to create demand for events that many people wouldn't have been interested in previously. It's similar to the demand frenzy that occured with the AMEX, with people fearing they would miss out if they didn't buy a season ticket.

I take your point but in my opinion, many sessions (although not all) were always going to sell out. Even if the demand wasn't there in the UK, we have wealthy neighbouring countries who would have snapped them up.

By the way, have you seen how cheap the Paraolympic tickets are. Might be a good way to see the arenas such as the swimming, velodrome, or olympic stadium for those who didnt get tickets

My prediction is that many people will stick two fingers up to this event though, and I can see why. Sure, it's a chance to see the stadia but people who feel short-changed by the way the Olympic tix were distributed will feel underwhelmed by the idea of supporting the paralympics in virtually empty Olympic stadium(s).

 

[Gazwag]

My prediction is that many people will stick two fingers up to this event though, and I can see why. Sure, it's a chance to see the stadia but people who feel short-changed by the way the Olympic tix were distributed will feel underwhelmed by the idea of supporting the paralympics in virtually empty Olympic stadium(s).

I can see your point, I feel the orgainsers have got the dates very wrong as well, with the second week being outside of school holidays.

 

[Falkor]

I finally got through to the ticket office this morning, apparently i never applied in the first ballet when i know 110% i did, i woke up on the day they went on sale registered and applied, she said there is no record of my application and that i now have to wait till next year to apply, i said are there going to be Archery tickets on sale next year, and she said probs not. I was like oh thanks for that, and said il be sending a nice email to them, im livid. I know i applied i was lying in bed next to the missus and we selected the event we wanted.

 

[Gazwag]

Did you not look into it when you didn't get an email or check to make sure there was a record of the application on your account.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I think from a users persepective Simster you are completely right. It has been a shambles.

However from organisers point of view to have sold out virtually every event has to be considered a brilliant result. The fairness of distribution is quite rightly being questioned but in financial terms they have done very very well. They managed to create demand for events that many people wouldn't have been interested in previously. It's similar to the demand frenzy that occured with the AMEX, with people fearing they would miss out if they didn't buy a season ticket.

I wouldn't mind betting on how many empty seats there will be at various non-medal qualification or heats in the main stadium as hundreds of corporate tickets are left in some executive's top drawer that he forgot about. They may have 'appeared' to have sold out to Joe Public, but we'll see how shambolic this really is as there will be an outcry if we are stuck at home watching events in front of a half empty stadium...

 

[Simster]

Did you not look into it when you didn't get an email or check to make sure there was a record of the application on your account.

Quite. Blindingly obvious really. Of all the stories of ticketing injustice, this is the one I least feel sorry for.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I finally got through to the ticket office this morning, apparently i never applied in the first ballet when i know 110% i did, i woke up on the day they went on sale registered and applied, she said there is no record of my application and that i now have to wait till next year to apply, i said are there going to be Archery tickets on sale next year, and she said probs not. I was like oh thanks for that, and said il be sending a nice email to them, im livid. I know i applied i was lying in bed next to the missus and we selected the event we wanted.

When you "know" you applied, you presumably have the email confirmation of your application.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I finally got through to the ticket office this morning, apparently i never applied in the first ballet when i know 110% i did, i woke up on the day they went on sale registered and applied, she said there is no record of my application and that i now have to wait till next year to apply, i said are there going to be Archery tickets on sale next year, and she said probs not. I was like oh thanks for that, and said il be sending a nice email to them, im livid. I know i applied i was lying in bed next to the missus and we selected the event we wanted.

You did go through the purchasing process for the tickets? You could pick and save your events on your login page, but this wasn't registered as an application until you got through with your VISA card details and completed the order? I did all that but still didn't get anything. Although with the way things have gone, you may have done all that and still got stitched up.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I wouldn't mind betting on how many empty seats there will be at various non-medal qualification or heats in the main stadium as hundreds of corporate tickets are left in some executive's top drawer that he forgot about. They may have 'appeared' to have sold out to Joe Public, but we'll see how shambolic this really is as there will be an outcry if we are stuck at home watching events in front of a half empty stadium...

I really don't think there will be many tickets that will go to top executives, unless they are paying the mega bucks hospitality tickets (which are funding the free tickets to kids/armed services. Proctor and Gamble are apparently giving away over 90% of the tickets they have been allocated in prizes etc.

 

[Frutos]

According to SSN, LOCOG are claiming that of those who applied in the second ballot 90% were successful in getting the tickets they wanted.

Bollocks.

 

[SurreySeagulls]

tis true i am part of the 10% who didn't get any bloody tockets.

 

[beorhthelm]

i dont think "fairness" came much into the design of the system. its was made to be simple and cheap to run. if it were to be fair, then competitors families, locals and atheltic clubs would have been given priority over the rest, who'd have been through to a postal first come first served process.

no one have been happy with that either.