Last dash for tickets becomes marathon task for Games fans

FRUSTRATED sports fans were left waiting hours for Commonwealth Games tickets yesterday. Amid ‘unprecedented demand’ for 100,000 Glasgow 2014 tickets, the Games website crashed and i ts telephone hotline went down.

Some waited up to nine hours to get t hr o ugh, i ncl udi ng relatives of competitors.

Organisers then infuriated fans by suggesting ‘a cup of tea might help’.

With tickets advertised as still available for all 17 sports and the opening and closing ceremonies, organisers were forced to apologise to those unable to buy them. Gordon Arthur, chief communications officer for Glasgow 2014, said last night: ‘We appreciate this is an unsatisfactory experience and apologise f or t he inconvenience caused.’

Earlier, organisers blamed the high level of demand and said they were also dealing with reports from some customers of ‘errors within the ticket selection and purchase process’.

The Glasgow 2014 website featured a timer giving the length of the queue, but many told it was 30 to 60 minutes were left waiting for hours.

When they did get through to the booking system, i t crashed, sending them back to the start.

Others entered payment details before receiving an error message or were told to wait for an emailed reference number which failed to arrive.

Those calling the ticket hotline were met with a recorded message saying the network was busy, or were cut off. One man reported trying 85 times before managing to book his tickets.

Organisers said they could not explain the glitches, which fans branded a ‘shambles’.

One of those trying to book tickets was Terry O’Hare, father of runner Chris O’Hare, who will be competing in the 1,500 metres. The 52-year- old, from West Linton, in Peebleshire, was trying to get an extra ticket after being awarded four by organisers for himself and his wife and only two of the athlete’s three siblings.

Mr O’Hare said: ‘The demand was obviously going to be huge and I would have thought the system might have been a little better prepared.

‘The most frustrating thing was not knowing if the site was even working.’

One fan, Michelle Beswick, wrote on Twitter: ‘There is a very high probability I may die from acute boredom waiting in the Glasgow 2014 tickets queue’, to which Glasgow 2014 replied: ‘Cup of tea might help, Michelle?’

Another complainer, Phil Walker, was also told: ‘Cup of tea?’

BBC Scotland sports presenter Rhona McLeod wrote on Twitter: ‘Ticket phone line “dead” tone. Huge waits for site, then “unexpected error” bumps you out.

‘Advice/info@Glasgow2014? We are all busy people!’

By the afternoon, many had given up, while Glasgow 2014 organisers encouraged those remaining to ‘stick with us’.

Last night, those still trying to buy tickets were again told they faced a waiting time of more than 60 minutes.

This summer’s Commonwealth Games have proved to be one of the most popular events in Scotl and’s history, with 2.3million requests received for a million tickets in last year’s balloted sale.

The extra 100,000 tickets went on sale at 10am yesterday. Prices started at £15 for adults and £7.50 for concessions.

In a tweet, organisers said they ‘fully expected’ long queues, while people were encouraged to take the ‘last big chance’ to get tickets for the Games, which start on July 23.