In the end… Bad news

Yep, this one didn’t go quite as well.

I was on the phone with the hosting company a few times. I was hoping it wasn’t the same snafu as before and wanted to help. I started to tell them what I was experiencing and they suddenly got excited. I guess they weren’t sure where the hangup was. So I told them. I even sent them information on where the system was hanging up after they asked for my help. And it got something moving because they said it was what they needed and I got the following email back after sending the error info when I asked if my email made it to her or if it disappeared.

From: “Cheryl XXXX”
Date: October 23, 2007 12:59:23 PM MDT
Subject: RE: stop page

No, it didn’t disappear! I’m thinking you may be the “man of the hour”.

I said that was great and all, but wanted to be was the “man at the game”. I was baiting for tickets but they couldn’t do it. I understand, even if I lend a helping hand they were selling the tickets as a company and they (I found out) were not even allowed to buy tickets as individuals. But they told me some things that might block someone or mess with they system. Old cookies might need to be cleared out from when the settings were different at the beginning. Those of you with cookies from the start when the server settings were off might have had a handicap and someone who entered the rounds later might have been better off. They also mentioned something about screening IP’s to block the ticket scalpers. This worries me too since who knows how they decide what requests or IP’s to block.

For all I know, the fact that the whole office, heck the whole network of offices were trying to get tickets might have made us look like an IP to block. My guess is that there were so many mistakes made that who knows what might have thrown a request out. I heard sad stories about my friends mom making it to the booking screen only to have the system time out and bomb in processing (no happy ending, the tickets weren’t purchased) and many others of the same.

But the saddest was the stories I heard about folks who have NO PLAN TO GO TO THE GAME. Scalpers, profiteers, bad guys who were grabbing tickets only to resell them. No Rockies fans, no loyalty. Bleah! And my worry is that all the safeguards that were put into place to block these guys also slowed the system down and it was the regular folks, on their slow connections, with slow computers and no knowledge of how to “clear cookies” or the like who ultimately got denied. It sucks.

And yes, I am bitter. I just jumped on stubhub.com and bought two tickets to game 4 at an exponentially inflated price. Why? It might be a once in a lifetime experience. And because I believe. I got all my other seats at face value, maybe I’ll just rationalize out that this puts me at a slightly higher average.

For the record. I bought 4 seats to all the other national and division games and went to each and every one. I took people I know, and anyone who joined me just paid the face cost. That is how it should be.

I am always looking for a new business idea and I think I just found it. I don’t know what I’ll call it, maybe www.loyaltytickets.com, but perhaps my own ticket system that helps the loyal fans get their tickets first.

Ho Hum, drat and Pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbtttt to the whole system. Maybe next time use Ticketmaster, as the Rockies are the only professional team here in Denver I heard who doesn’t use them. Now maybe they’ll know why.

Share your experience here and let me know if you gave up to watch at home or if you bought in the secondary market and for how much (and what section). This photo does not represent the section I bought in, I was more around the $900 a ticket range (OUCH). I had some $499 per tickets in the Rockpile but they were gone by the time I clicked through. Already the section I bought in (Pavilion) is jumping above this but who knows.

Go Rockies!!

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