Photo: Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

The always terrible Ticketmaster managed to be even worse than normal with its allotment of tickets for President Obama’s inaugural ball and parade, selling out of both entirely the day before they were scheduled to go on sale. Because of a glitch, those signed up for the event’s e-mail list received an early message on Sunday evening allowing them to purchase tickets. And even that didn’t go smoothly: As usual, “the Ticketmaster site was overwhelmed, slowing the purchasing process,” a spokesperson for the inaugural committee told the New York Times. “Ticketmaster has taken responsibility for this mistake.”

Typically, the company also defended itself and the fairness of its unavoidable system in careful language. “While an e-mail indicating that inaugural event tickets were available was sent earlier than planned, tickets to inaugural events were sold per usual Ticketmaster process on a first come first serve basis,” a spokesperson said. “Everyone who purchased tickets for the inaugural ball and the inaugural parade will receive their tickets.” To everyone else, a patented Ticketmaster “tough luck”!