johnnytheboy
Well-Known Member
Well that saved me a fortune, must be a better place to do that for the retailers who are struggling with digital pay in there!
The Stalking Show - no phone signal!
- Thread starter johnnytheboy
- Start date
It was appalling on Saturday. All who had pre-booked tickets had long queues to get in whilst those who paid cash, walked straight to the front.
Once inside, having made the decision to buy a substantial amount of half-price or less Harkila samples (thanks Hogan & Son AND the UK Harkila salesman) they couldn't take payment until about 3 hours later and even then, it was not 100% reliable. For those trading, it was an extreme PITA and something that must get sorted for next year's show as for many of the traders, this was their biggest sales opportunity of the year.
Once inside, having made the decision to buy a substantial amount of half-price or less Harkila samples (thanks Hogan & Son AND the UK Harkila salesman) they couldn't take payment until about 3 hours later and even then, it was not 100% reliable. For those trading, it was an extreme PITA and something that must get sorted for next year's show as for many of the traders, this was their biggest sales opportunity of the year.
johnnytheboy
Well-Known Member
I tired to buy a knife and the chap just gave up!
Have to admit I didn’t have a ticket and being disorganised for the first time in my life paid off
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Oh, this has made my day... who would have thought that all the tech struggled and good old cash was King for a day... wait until CBDC is rolled out in a decade or so...
Sorry to hear some of you struggled. I hope it never spoilt your day out
Sorry to hear some of you struggled. I hope it never spoilt your day out
As an aside, and to illustrate how bad it mobile signal was (as well as the organisers Internet-based WiFi for traders), I run 2 SIMs in my phone to maximise connectivity. My Primary carrier is EE which normally fares very well but I also have an Honest Mobile data-only SIM to add connectivity on the go and that covers EE, O2 and 3. Whilst I could get some limited data in the halls (improved outside in the food link area) it was candidly CR@P and NOT fit for purchase 
The organisers need to do something about this - don't farmers use mobiles too?
The organisers need to do something about this - don't farmers use mobiles too?
johnnytheboy
Well-Known Member
It was fine is Stafford just half a mile away, I sold my mate a gun and had to pop down there to get signal to do the transaction!As an aside, and to illustrate how bad it mobile signal was (as well as the organisers Internet-based WiFi for traders), I run 2 SIMs in my phone to maximise connectivity. My Primary carrier is EE which normally fares very well but I also have an Honest Mobile data-only SIM to add connectivity on the go and that covers EE, O2 and 3. Whilst I could get some limited data in the halls (improved outside in the food link area) it was candidly CR@P and NOT fit for purchase
Similar I have a personal and works phone, when I got to reception they lit up with texts from friends that were at the show I missed catching up with!
It's always been the same every year
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
Broken Britain? Cannot still be acceptable in todays world.
It’s bound to be down to Covid or Brexit, everything else is
Also the structure of the building acts like a Faraday cage
A temp installed Starlink coupled to a few routers internally would sort be issue for less than £300 to buy the kit and very little in line rental for just the weekend.
Honestly, there were high dollar and high volume sales to be made at the Stalking Show. The absence of resilient and appropriately scaled internet is an unacceptable own-goal and it will be both hard and painful to calculate the sales losses.
With regard to the ridiculous queue to get in the utter absurdity is this:
- If you had printed your pre-booked form [with a QR code on it] you had to queue 50 minutes to get in but...
- ...if you turned up with cash, you were sold a bracelet and entered immediately
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
If you live outside the island looking in at it you do develop a different perspective. Hope you are not hurt.
Scotty99
Well-Known Member
You are absolutely right. I remember the last time I went to India in 2011. I was being driven down a country road in the middle of the countryside and we came up behind a lorry with a flatbed at the rear full of agricultural workers going home from the fields at the end of the day. Several were sitting on the back edge of the flatbed all talking away happily on their mobile phones. This was 14 years ago in the middle of know where in India!
No offence taken, we do have two fall back excuses for most things that are a problem, Covid or Brexit. I went to the Gamfair at Blenheim Palace and there were similar connectivity issues there. Everyone says the Stalking Show is a great show and it’s grown every year but you would think some of these “ basic things” would be sorted or aor least mitigated
Pre-printed email receipts were accepted as proof of payment & swapped for the entry bracelet (by 10:00 am on Saturday at least) in an attempt to reduce the queue.
As a similar issue occurred last year causing delays in entry I was surprised it happened again though.
That aside it was a great show with a huge amount of relevant stuff to see.
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