Why did so many Ontario moose hunters hit a wall when trying to purchase a surplus tag on Monday, August 18?
The OFAH has fielded a large volume of calls and emails from OFAH members who are very upset with the process, so we contacted the MNRF to get some answers.
Note: Surplus moose tags were available in select WMUs.
1. What caused the technical difficulties experienced by the phone line system?
The Ministry did not experience technical difficulties with their call management system on Monday evening. Our phone service provider has difficulty handling the volume of calls resulting in fast busy signals, dead air, and a variety of error messages when trying to call in. This is a reoccurring issue with the phone service provider when large call volumes are attempted in a short period of time.
2. Any indication of how the issue(s) can/will be resolved in the future?
The Ministry is exploring opportunities to improve customer service, including the delivery of moose surplus tags
3. Do you have any details on the number of individuals (or number of attempts) who tried versus who were successful?
There were approximately 87,000 attempts to the toll free line and 792 calls were handled and 543 surplus tags issued in the 3.5 hours the phone lines were open.