The USSF World Cup tickets email has arrived!

[tog]

I heard Ken Lay on NPR the other day telling everyone how he's getting a raw deal and he didn't cheat anyone. I bet he would've sent his application to the other fax number too.

:D
No, Ken Lay would have stolen the mailing list and mailed a false number to everyone on it, then sent his to the right number... :D

[Mick]

Again, we can all blame USSF.

In reading the ticket FAQ on the USSF website, it states that the fax number for the ticket draw would be in the application. It didn't say the "suggested" fax number. Nor did it list multiple fax lines for us to choose from. So, was our friend "resourceful" in asking USSF if he could use an alternate fax number? Sure. Should USSF have enforced its own rules and told him politely that he could not bypass the official system and instead should follow the rules like everyone else and fax it to the official number? Obviously, I think the answer is yes. By making exceptions, they screwed all of us.

To their credit, they went to much trouble to post a lengthy FAQ on their website with all of the rules that would have (in theory) guaranteed a fair allocation process. So, I don't think they meant to allocate tickets unfairly. However, rules written on the page don't mean jacks*&^ without the ability to execute them and the commitment to enforce them.

The first come, first served concept (when executed by a fax machine) was doomed from the start. If they lacked the capacity to run such a process fairly, they should have used a lottery.

All that said, its after business hours on Wednesday and I still have no email confirming receipt of my application that arrived by FedEx at 9:43AM on Tuesday. What a rip.

[MikeLastort2]

Again, we can all blame USSF.

In reading the ticket FAQ on the USSF website, it states that the fax number for the ticket draw would be in the application. It didn't say the "suggested" fax number. Nor did it list multiple fax lines for us to choose from. So, was our friend "resourceful" in asking USSF if he could use an alternate fax number? Sure. Should USSF have enforced its own rules and told him politely that he could not bypass the official system and instead should follow the rules like everyone else and fax it to the official number? Obviously, I think the answer is yes. By making excpeptions, they screwed all of us.

To their credit, they went to much trouble to post a lengthy FAQ on their website with all of the rules that would have (in theory) guaranteed a fair allocation process. So, I don't think they meant to allocate tickets unfairly. However, rules written on the page don't mean jacks*&^ without the ability to execute them and the commitment to enforce them.

The first come, first served concept (when executed by a fax machine) was doomed from the start. If they lacked the capacity to run such a process fairly, they should have used a lottery.

All that said, its after business hours on Wednesday and I still have no email confirming receipt of my application that arrived on the FedEx truck at 9:43AM on Tuesday. What a rip.

My app was on the same truck. I think we're all going to end up being ok with regard to tickets. Even the cheaters. :D

[nowherenova]

My app was on the infamous 9:43 as well. I as of yet have recieved no confirmation. I am hoping for one in the am per the other thread.


All the panicky Fedexers need to get together in Deutschland for a well deserved foamer. We'll fit right in over there with our seldom seen ability to FOLLOW THE RULES.

[Ricky_DCU]

I just got my confirmation email from the USSF. I have confirmation number 80xx. For those wondering, my FedEx package arrived with all the others Tuesday morning at 9:43am, signed for by S. Polk.

[Mick]

When this is all said and done, I hope USSF does some kind of post mortem on the process that they will share on their website.

In the interest of PR, they probably won't divulge all the ways they mismanaged things. However, it would be nice if they at least divulge how many apps they received and how many successfully received tickets.

For all we know, this may only be a crisis in our own minds because in the end so few people are really interested in buying tickets that we all wind up getting allocations.

On the other hand, our whining may be justified if the number of apps was overwhelming. I guess this would tell us a few things, like: interest in US soccer has grown, the USSF needs a better way to run a ticket draw, or that ticket brokers overwhelmed the process and are betting they can find a way to sell tix at a big mark-up.

In either case, I'd like to know what happened.

[Etienne_72772]

Well ya know, my office has a "Fax To" number on letters too.

But if someone uses one of the other 2 fax lines, we still consider those faxes.

well, this is a red herring, because I doubt you are doing any official ticket distribution that is based on first come-first serve.

It all boils down to fairness. The app gave one number to use. Most people would not have even known of the other number. How can someone who delivered his application by the back door get consideration, if this method was not generally known by everyone else? For this to be fair, everyone needs to play by the same rules. By using a number not known by everyone, the person who used it got an unfair advantage. If you are going to do first come first serve, you have to make it so that anyone anywhere has an equal chance of getting the tickets.


They were better off using random lottery--they could shroud the entire process in secrecy, and nobody would be bitching at all.
How is this hard to figure out?

[Etienne_72772]

Yeah, I was on the 7:09 truck. Still haven't received confirmation yet.

[Magpie Maniac]

My app was on the infamous 9:43 as well. I as of yet have recieved no confirmation. I am hoping for one in the am per the other thread.

Count me in as a 9:43 FedExer. I've not heard anything either.

All the panicky Fedexers need to get together in Deutschland for a well deserved foamer. We'll fit right in over there with our seldom seen ability to FOLLOW THE RULES.

Sort of puts a new twist on hooliganism. The German authorities will assume the big bust-up in Kaiserslautern's town square is between Americans and Italians. What will their reaction be when told it's between the FedExers and the Nonofficial Faxers? They'll be like "WTF?"

;)

[NAC Orlando]

I ordered one (1) ticket for a friend that is going as well, we put Cat I (but checked for any other levels if no Cat I's left) for the three first round matches. Our order was also in the 7:00 am FedEx batch and our confirm # is:

81xx

[SnakeEyes]

Just got my confirmation

1 ticket, first round, Cat III, Sam's Army

#83XX

FedEx 9:43am

[Bill63]

I'm right there with Snake Eyes. Feeling better now too!

[jacorbett70]

Got a confirmation email about an hour ago with a # in the 8200s. I was an order for two CAT-3's for the first round. I was also in that 9:43 AM Fedex pile.

[JBigjake]

Well, Bonji's the one to stand up & take the heat by admitting that he stretched/bent/broke the rules by faxing to another #. In mitigation, he also admits to only attempting to acquire tickets for USA-Ghana.

To paraphrase A Man for All Seasons: "Why Bonji, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for Cat 1 tickets for the whole World Cup. But for Ghana?"
And "But I will put you a higher case: if there were an act of the USSF that the official fax shall not be the official fax?"

[JBigjake]

I hate lawyers.
"Everybody hates lawyers until their daughter marries one!"

[mdrdsr]

Yeah, I was on the 7:09 truck. Still haven't received confirmation yet.

I too was on the 7:09 truck. I just go my confirmation email (90xx). WTF!!! How can it be a higher number when it was delivered earlier than others?

I hope that the confirmation number IS NOT a reflection on the order to recieve tickets. I hope that they are using FED EX times, FAX delivery times etc. Let's hope too that they are all using the same time zone (LOL)

[mdrdsr]

I just got my confirmation email from the USSF. I have confirmation number 80xx. For those wondering, my FedEx package arrived with all the others Tuesday morning at 9:43am, signed for by S. Polk.

I was on the 7:09 am truck and just got my confirmation number..90xx. What the heck? Mine was there before you yet my number is higher. I hope that this is strictly a confirmation number and has NO BEARING on the order of ticket allocation. Hopefully they are using FEDEX delivery time(s), FAX delivery times, etc. AND that all software/platforms are on the same time zone. LOL

[avocats]

No, I think they were eliminated by Trinidad & Tomato. :D


Props for brightening up our otherwise grim week.

[prk166]

Seriously people, what the hell do you have stuck up your asses? Are those gerbals finally rotting and the smell getting to you upset? Lines? Cheating? Following instructions? Please, you're like a bunch of 13 year olds trying to get New Kids on the Block tickets and getting upset when someone else trying getting them in a way you don't approve of. Ya, that's ncie to know you don't approve but your approval means ********-all. The fact is the USSF accepted the application. They're are the ones in charge and the only approval that counts.

[Mick]

Well... it finally arrived. My app arrived via FedEx at 9:43AM on Tuesday and my confirm number is in the low 9000's. I have no idea what that number means, and at this point I probably don't want know.

In a nation of 300 million, are there likely 9,000 other groups that would want WC tickets from USSF? It seems plausible to me... but I'll ignore this fact and keep thinking I'm in the running.