Olympic tickets - who knows ?

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by pete m

Again Ian meoldmate, cant agree with you , at all

Quelle surprise!

Originally Posted by pete m

Is it really the case that every hockey ticket has been sold, even though no-one knows which teams are playing who, when etc...

Yes, did you really completely miss all the publicity surrounding the first round of ticket sales and the very highly publicised last application date? Do you actually live down a deep hole with no communication to the outside world?

Originally Posted by pete m

If that is the case, then NO-ONE knows what matches they are going to be attending, so people come from India, Pakistan, Land of Bruce ( Aus) , and have to hope they get the right match ?

As with every other games you don't get to chose which match/game etc, just the sport and the round. The tickets are and must be sold a while before the first rounds so it's impossible to know who will be playing the further matches/games.

Originally Posted by pete m

And youre telling me its well run ?

If you can envisage a better way I imagine that the people who are, even as speak, arranging the 2016 games in Brazil will really really want to talk to you.

Originally Posted by pete m

Not Currently Available isnt really helping anyone , is it ?

Having considered the above, what would you suggest - Sebastian Coe will have a kept a bunch of tickets aside, you know - just in case Pete calls?

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

For once? I'm hurt. .

Only kidding Sid

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Err... Dave, why are you here if you don't care?

That wasn't the question, so, why are you here?

OP. I don't think it's been badly run - there were apparently 21 million applications for the 3 million tickets available*, whatever scheme is used many people won't get tickets. Including me - but I don't suffer from the selfish entitlement failing that makes me think that as I didn't get a ticket there must be something wrong with how it was done.

I thought the websites were and are pretty simple. Not currently available means 'not currently available', as in 'not currently available', dependant on returns there may still be some to buy, but not now, (see 'not currently available').

*Figures as I understand it, but don't argue - if you think different numbers the principle is the same - there were lots, lots more applications than tickets.

I actually love this whole post,

As for the ticketing system, we all moan all the time about all of the big events like this. There are always problems and there always will be because no matter how well thought out, humans are still at the centre and what starts out simple can quickly become extremely complicated and difficult when dealing with such large numbers.

I can't find complaint about the way they are selling the tickets as it was very well publicised that it would be done this way, so moaning about it now is futile.

What I do take exception to however is that you can only use Visa. Even directing you to learn how to obtain a credit/debit or pre-paid visa card in order to be able to purchase tickets is, IMHO appalling. You are basically removing someones financial choices should they wish to buy a ticket. It should be my decision whether or not to get a Visa/Mastercard/Amex etc...I should not have that decision put upon me by anybody else and I certainly shouldn't be excluded from anything purely because I do not wish to make that financial decision.

I will be watching on TV, mainly because I absolutely hate crowds, but had I wanted to go in person, I would have been annoyed at the Visa thing and everything else I would honestly just expect...as we were told beforehand.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Only kidding Sid

Originally Posted by gruntygiggles

I actually love this whole post,

I'm overwhelmed, I'm filling up - an appreciative audience at last!

I'd like to thank my mum, my dad, Nanny Nora, Miss Potter from my primary school...

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, we have to remember that a lot of those 'freebie' tickets go to sponsors, lets face facts without big sponsorships like (oh I hate them so much I cannot believe I am going to defend them) McDonalds and Coke things like the Olympics would never happen. Now the IOC that is a totally different matter, the corruption there goes so deep I would not know where to start my rant.

[Littlepeahead]

People always say 'the corporates get all the tickets'. But how many brands are currently running competitions to win tickets. That's where the bulk of them go. It's the same in all sponsorship. I work with Adidas and it won't be their staff going, it'll be winners and quite often charities and community partners just the same as it is for the big cricket matches.

[Messie]

They do cricket matches for insects??

[Littlepeahead]

Originally Posted by Messie

They do cricket matches for insects??

Ha, silly phone keyboard.

If a ticket website says 'tickets not surrently available' it means one of several things.

• All of the allocation of tickets already out on sale are sold but there may be more going on sale at a later date.

• The seller is waiting for sponsors and agents to decide if they will be using their full allocation. They have to inform the seller by a certain date and at that ponit the unused tickets will go back on sale.

• The seller is waiting to see how many returns they get from the public is they offer a returns service and on a given date these tickets will be put back on sale.

However, if there is a ballot or a waiting list then any availlable tickets will first be allocated to the people on this list. If after this there are still tickets available then these will go on sale.

As an example, we sell tickets for the Test match at Lord's via a ballot. If everyone in the ballot gets a ticket the rest go on general sale. Once all of those are sold we say 'tickets currently unavailable'.

A couple of weeks before the match Brit Insurance, adidas, Investec, etc. who all have sponsorship allocations of tickets may say they only need 70% of their allocation and so we then sell the rest via our website.

Then a few days before the game we will put on sale any returns from the public. They only get a refund if we actually manage to sell their tickets for them, but many venues don't even offer this service. MCC do as it cuts down on touting. This is why we always advise people to buy tickets only from us and not via ebay, as if it rains the person who bought the ticket from us gets the refund not the buyer who uses the 'secondary ticket market' as touts are quaintly called these days.

So LPH - I do still have a chance and the tickets arent necessarily all sold ...why cant uit say something like that ? The whole org is so stubbornly opaque it infuriates many of us...anyone see Lady Ladeeda giving Sir Lord Seb a good bollocking at the town hall last week...."WHY CANT YOU JUST TELL US HOW MANY TICKETS FOR THE ATHLETICS EVENTS ARE GOING TO THE FEE PAYING PUBLIC????"
"eRR, Umm, well, err, gulp, whisper - i cant admit it cos there will be a riot, err we have to take into account....bla blah dee blah "....

[Littlepeahead]

It is a ridiculous system I agree. I got around it by not trying to buy tickets for anything, and I'm stuck at an Olympic venue anyway so I can't avoid it if I try.

You may be interested in this though if you like hockey...

http://www.londonandpartners.com/eve...WT.mc_ev=click