Our research reveals the extent that punters will go to in order to get their hands on Olympic tickets, from buying from overseas vendors to paying over the odds. Are these crazy methods or just a means to an end?
Not long ago, I posted a Conversation bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t won any Olympic tickets.
But, while I was disappointed to be empty-handed, I got over it quite quickly. So much so that I couldn’t muster the energy to bother reapplying in the second round.
But I’ve lived in London for 16 years and would love to be part of the event and the excitement, so why did I become despondent so quickly? To be honest, I just found the ticketing system too long, complicated and confusing.
Few understand the ticketing process
Others, however, aren’t as easily defeated as me – even if they share my confusion. A recent Which? survey of over 1,200 people revealed that one in five would be interested in still buying tickets, and some would consider paying more than face value, buying abroad or buying from vendors who aren’t authorised.
But one thing worries me when I delve deeper into our research – the widespread misunderstanding of the Olympic ticketing process. Nearly six in ten say they don’t understand the remaining stages of official ticket sales.
Over a third of people interested in buying tickets are likely to buy from a vendor other than the official site or an authorised site in another country. But when around two thirds don’t understand which ticket vendors are authorised to sell tickets in the UK or the rules for buying from vendors in other countries, there could be a lot of disappointed punters come 2012.
How far should you go?
A quick look at the official Olympic tickets website shows that the ticketing process is pretty strict. A distinct lack of tickets coupled with desperation to get hold of them is a bad combination, which could lead people to fall for scams, fakes and rip-offs.
Are you still ticketless and considering different ways to buy them? How far would you go to get your hands on some tickets? For my part, I’ll be sticking to despondency and TV coverage. Sigh.
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