This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-27388429
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Glasgow 2014: Games boss 'sorry' as tickets fiasco continues | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The organisers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have apologised for an ongoing fiasco with ticket sales which has now entered a second day. | |
| Chief executive David Grevemberg said they had "let a lot of people down" and were "very sorry". | |
| The apology came after the online system was unable to cope with demand for 100,000 extra tickets on Monday. | |
| Glasgow 2014 said tickets were still on sale but the website was experiencing "some recurrence of issues". | |
| The latest statement from the Games' organiser said: "As traffic has increased, we have seen some recurrence of issues people were having with the ticketing website. | |
| "We are continuing to sell tickets, but at the same time we need to investigate the cause of these issues and monitor the queue closely. | |
| "We will provide an update on this website and our social channels on a regular basis." | |
| The tickets, for all 17 sports and the opening and closing ceremonies, went on sale on a first some, first served basis at 10:00 on Monday. | |
| It quickly became apparent from comments posted on social media sites that the online site could not cope with demand. | |
| Some people said they been trying to get tickets for up to 24 hours. People also reported problems with the phone booking system. | |
| Others told of successfully getting through online, only to be returned to the queue while attempting to pay. | |
| Glasgow 2014 was forced to close the site at midnight to investigate the problem. It re-opened again in the early hours of the morning but is not glitch free. | |
| 'Incredibly frustrating' | |
| Chief executive David Grevemberg told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme the situation was "totally unacceptable". | |
| "We let a lot of people down which we are very sorry for," he said. | |
| "It was an incredibly frustrating and disappointing day yesterday. | |
| "It's just not in keeping with the experience we are trying to create with Glasgow 2014. To put it simply, the system just did not cope. | "It's just not in keeping with the experience we are trying to create with Glasgow 2014. To put it simply, the system just did not cope. |
| "Despite being fully tested, it just did not cope with the churn." | "Despite being fully tested, it just did not cope with the churn." |
| Disappointed sports fan Peter Charlton told BBC Scotland: "People do want to buy the tickets but at the same time, they do have a life to lead. There I am sitting there seven hours later and still waiting. | |
| "Quite bluntly, it is a farce." | "Quite bluntly, it is a farce." |
| After waiting six and a half hours, Jane Waller managed to get two tickets for the gymnastics and one for the Velodrome. | After waiting six and a half hours, Jane Waller managed to get two tickets for the gymnastics and one for the Velodrome. |
| But as she was about to pay, she was put back into the queuing system. | But as she was about to pay, she was put back into the queuing system. |
| "I wasn't sure if I'd been charged or not so I ended up having to phone my credit card company," she said. | "I wasn't sure if I'd been charged or not so I ended up having to phone my credit card company," she said. |
| 'Not acceptable' | |
| "It's just a fiasco. I was really looking forward to telling my daughter I had tickets for the gymnastics but unfortunately I haven't now." | "It's just a fiasco. I was really looking forward to telling my daughter I had tickets for the gymnastics but unfortunately I haven't now." |
| Mr Grevemberg said: "People waiting seven hours is just not acceptable, or that people were not able to complete transactions. | Mr Grevemberg said: "People waiting seven hours is just not acceptable, or that people were not able to complete transactions. |
| "We are taking this very seriously and are continuing to deal with it." | "We are taking this very seriously and are continuing to deal with it." |
| He said that after closing down the site at midnight, selling began again at about 01:00. | He said that after closing down the site at midnight, selling began again at about 01:00. |
| "Obviously demand was lower because it was the middle of the night but we have had positive indications this morning, but it is not problem free," he said. | "Obviously demand was lower because it was the middle of the night but we have had positive indications this morning, but it is not problem free," he said. |
| "Ultimately, we have tickets to sell and want those tickets to be sold." | "Ultimately, we have tickets to sell and want those tickets to be sold." |
| Mr Grevemberg said tens of thousands of tickets had been successfully sold. | Mr Grevemberg said tens of thousands of tickets had been successfully sold. |
| "We are asking people to be patient and bear with us," he added. | "We are asking people to be patient and bear with us," he added. |
| Have you tried to buy tickets? Do you have tickets? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Commonwealth tickets' in the subject heading and including your contact details. | Have you tried to buy tickets? Do you have tickets? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Commonwealth tickets' in the subject heading and including your contact details. |