Ticket Lottery Draws Phone Calls From 25 Million, and an Apology
The phone company is apologizing to customers for a weekend logjam of circuits, created by Cub fans trying to get postseason tickets. They placed more than 25 million calls, trying to buy some of the 84,000 tickets available for postseason play at Wrigley Field.
The ticket lottery ended at midnight Sunday, but only after the zealous ticket seekers overloaded a number of Illinois Bell switching centers in northern Illinois, leaving thousands temporarily without phone service. The jamming reached its peak Friday evening, when scores of Illinois Bell customers couldn’t even get the dial tone.
The tickets are for playoff and World Series games the Cubs might play at Wrigley Field.
TicketMaster put 84,000 tickets up for sale Friday by telephone. Callers wee trying to get through to one of 100 operators answering a single telephone line.
Alderman Bernard F. Hansen, who represents the area around Wrigley Field, said Monday that he would file a class-action suit against Illinois Bell.
“Not only did businesses suffer, the health and safety of many people were in danger,” he said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
