'14 hours wait time' - Fans slam BCCI, BookMyShow as World Cup tickets sale begin
In a potentially significant setback for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, BookMyShow - BCCI's official ticketing partner for the event faced a wave of negative attention on Tuesday (August 29). This surge in attention unfolded across X (formerly known as Twitter) and other social media platforms, all due to its mishandling of a limited ticket sale for India's matches in the tournament.
At 6 pm IST, Mastercard users, who are also sponsors of the tournament, were granted exclusive early access to a selection of tickets. However, the sale did not commence immediately. Initially, the screen displayed all the matches except the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan encounter, which was scheduled for later.
Despite this, certain users encountered a "You are in the queue" notification while others were abruptly redirected to the homepage as the website's functionality faltered. Some fortunate users were able to pick their preferred seating sections and update payment information, only to find themselves placed back into digital queues. These queues subjected users to waiting times ranging from 20 minutes to an astonishing 10 hours, with the durations consistently extending over time.
Already burdened by previous delays during the sales launch (in the 2011 World Cup, the ticketing process had commenced nearly a year in advance) and grappling with multiple alterations to the schedule, devoted fans were understandably irate. While some critics pointed fingers at BookMyShow for their perceived incompetence, others directed their frustration towards the BCCI, alleging corruption. Apprehensions arose that enthusiasts might be driven towards illicit means to secure tickets at exorbitant prices.
The users took to social media to vent their frustrations. Let's take a look at some of the reactions below.
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Tickets for India vs South Africa match at Eden Gardens on November 5 get sold out in less than 60 seconds. It’s just not possible! While some of them see the site crashed, others have been added to some queue where the wait time is more than an hour. @bookmyshow @ICC
— Srinjoy Sanyal (@srinjoysanyal07) August 29, 2023
🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/kwpxZJWXUC
— TUSHAR 🏏 (@mainlycricket) August 29, 2023
Beyond pathetic management @BCCI and @JayShah
— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) August 29, 2023
Genuine fans of the game lie on the mercy of these power hungry monsters.its beyond depressing and saddening..This is a scam and fiasco of highest order and like always accountability can freakin cry in the corners.#ICCWorldCup2023
Waited in the queue, picked my seats and whenever I tried to pay @bookmyshow kicked me out saying Network Error! After trying it multiple times I got banned from their site!
— Karman Juneja (@JunejaKarman) August 29, 2023
You guys clearly can't handle the traffic on your site! What a waste!#BookMyShow #ICCWorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/jPiqTkjsQL
BMS should really consider removing the "M" from their name and just call themselves BS, because that's what it feels like.#ICCWorldCup2023#BookMyShow#Fail pic.twitter.com/wZs63LEL9Q
— Rohit Daga (@r_daga7) August 29, 2023
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