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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 23, 2019 14:49:39 GMT
....and the downright annoying. Lets get ATG out of the way first. Hideous. I have still not worked out how to see seat availability for different performances without going all the way back to the beginning every time. Click the wrong button and you find yourself having to search for the actual show again. Drives me mad. Why can’t they put a “choose a different date” link on the seating plan page? And don’t get me started on the upselling... ticket insurance, nibble boxes, pre-drinks in your nan nan’s front room (Ambassador Lounge), just NO. Delfont Macintosh - pretty straightforward. Tiers of the theatre down the left side of the page, click that, click the seat, go back just one page to see the date selection. Why can’t they all be like this? LW - rubbish. Loads of clicks to get to the performance you’re interested in, then you have that daft photo of the theatre where you choose the section. Then you realise there’s nothing suitable and as with ATG no way of choosing a different date without starting over. Royal Exchange Manchester. The fact that it’s in the round and on 3 tiers just makes it impossible to really know where you’re sitting. You just see three donuts all in the same orientation so apart from knowing which level your on its anyone’s guess as to where your actual seat is until you get there. Why not just show the door numbers on the plan?  Lowry. Forget it. They redesigned the website a couple of years ago and it’s incomprehensible. Search for Blood Brothers and you’ll get a page of results including Ballet Rambert and Calendar Girls. Once again no option to change the date so you click back and end up all the back at the beginning again, probably whilst being coerced into booking a table for dinner or buying a tea towel.. Im a perfectly competent computer user and a regular booker. If I find it difficult god knows what your casual ticket seeker thinks. They probably ring up instead which is presumably the very last thing the theatre wants. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2019 14:52:35 GMT
ATG's most recent redesign irks me. I have ATG vouchers to use, and there is seemingly no option for this on the new engine which is at most theatres. If I want to use my vouchers, I have to log in and select a performance on the "search" thing which doesn't specify which venue or time.
DMT is well designed, but every single time using them, without fail, my card has been declined, leading me to have to call their customer hotline to book my tickets.
I like Capital Theatres, Edinburgh. They use Enta which I find really simple to use. It's clear which pricing band is which, and it's really easy to find specific performances.
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Post by Tibidabo on Feb 23, 2019 15:29:24 GMT
The Bridge and my local theatre, who now insist I do something with cookies in order to purchase, leaving me having to request a teenager's help in order to buy tickets for Joanne Froggatt and Dame Maggie. Grrrrrrr.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2019 15:48:59 GMT
I don't mind ATG too much. From the calendar view, I right-click and open the various dates I'm interested in in new tabs so it doesn't bother me too much that it's difficult to go back 'cos that's not how I browse anyway. Delfont Mackintosh is not great for opening multiple dates in simultaneous tabs though, it gets very confused and crashes out. I don't mind the National's website too much except once I've clicked into a date and am looking at a seating plan, I resent having to click on the seating plan again to activate it. I'm sure there's a reason for it but as it's annoying as hell from a buying perspective, they should find an alternative.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2019 16:21:26 GMT
The ATG website is an absolute clusterf**k of revisions. The latest will occasionally revert back to a previous half way though, sometimes linking back in a loop. The whole thing needs destroying and re-building from scratch.
I particularly love the bit where you log in with your theatrecard number and then two pages later you're asked to log in with your email and so on.
Then sometimes you'll get a calendar layout of dates, others (for the same show) you'll just get a list. Sometimes you'll get a new window - forgetting you're logged in.
It's a sh*temare.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2019 16:22:44 GMT
Royal Exchange Manchester. The fact that it’s in the round and on 3 tiers just makes it impossible to really know where you’re sitting. You just see three donuts all in the same orientation so apart from knowing which level your on its anyone’s guess as to where your actual seat is until you get there. Why not just show the door numbers on the plan? Aye, It's in the round, 'til you try select a seat and get a rectangular representation. Who needs sacking for that one? |
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Post by n1david on Feb 23, 2019 16:31:36 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 23, 2019 16:52:55 GMT
I wonder if most ‘normal’ people buying tickets decide on a date and then choose the best option* on that date regardless, and therefore don’t really want to hop around looking at different dates. Whereas some of us here want to choose very specific seats and will flex the date to get them?
*does anyone ever let the system choose “best available” or does the idea of that bring you out in a hot sweat too? 😱😱😱
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 23, 2019 16:56:06 GMT
Yes Spektrix is always a nightmare and I have to fiddle with cookies every time I use it. DelMac is always reliable and easy to navigate, and the NT’s has with just a couple of exceptions been pretty robust. ATG I don’t find too bad, but they appear to be rolling out a new layout which is worse so I look forward to plenty of frustration in the future. Nimax’s recent update was pretty good, though - have never actually bought a ticket using it but it’s always been smooth whenever I’ve been on to have a look.
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Post by Tibidabo on Feb 23, 2019 16:57:55 GMT
I'm like you, Burly, I want specific seats and look for them on various dates. I never let the system choose for me.
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Post by ampersand on Feb 23, 2019 17:04:02 GMT
ATG are an absolute nightmare
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 23, 2019 17:05:41 GMT
Completely agree about the Lowry. What makes it even more frustrating is it also own Quay Tickets, so should be experts.
ATG seem to be in a transitional phase at the moment. Looking at tickets for Fiddler and also &Juliet in Manchester, for example, I started off with the calendar view, but was then switched to a page where the dates run across the top of the screen, along with a 'from' price. Problem is, unlike the calendar view, there are no performance times. Saturdays are relatively straightforward, but you have to work through the dates to find a mid-week matinee. The seating plan itself does, however, seem to be an improvement. For one thing, there is an actual key to the various ticket prices, again across the top of the screen.
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Post by david on Feb 23, 2019 17:52:50 GMT
Ah, the Lowry, one of of the most frustrating theatre websites to use. The previous version was fairly straightforward to use. However the current version in use really is a pain and is definitely not user friendly in my opinion. For me, if you decide to update a website, version 2 should be an improvement on what is currently on line (e.g fewer clicks to get from A to B). Whereas the web designers for the Lowry site have decided not to go this route and you really to have to hunt for what you want ultimately making it a nightmare to purchase tickets,
ATG - @tallpaul , I agree with you, the website seems to be undergoing a transition at the moment. Some theatres listed are currently on the old layout such as the Liverpool Empire, while some such as the London Savoy are using the new layout. While there are some improvements in the new layout, such as providing the info bar about the colour coding of the seat prices, again I want fewer clicks to get from A to B not having to keep going back to the start to get the info I want. Also, why do you get the message to log in twice with your theatrecard I.D / email. One login should be sufficient.
Manc Royal Exchange - A better seating plan is an definitely required. I’m surprised nobody has cottoned on to putting row lettering and door info onto the design. While they use the coloured dots to differentiate between price brackets, they are not clearly defined as to what colour each band is until you click on the dots. A side bar could be added to help here.
DMT ,NT , Donmar for me have the easiest sites to access ( if you exclude the scrum of the opening of a new booking period).
Outside of the Uk, Ticketmaster US are a complete nightmare. I’ve used them twice for trips to NY. There doesn’t seem to be any logic as to when you can purchase tickets from the UK. You get so far and then the site crashes or doesn’t allow you to complete the purchase. Try again on another day following the same steps and it’s a seamless process. Utter madness!
Ultimately websites should use the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid!
As for seat selection, it’s always pick my own rather than let the system do it for you. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 24, 2019 18:14:24 GMT
I wonder if most ‘normal’ people buying tickets decide on a date and then choose the best option* on that date regardless, and therefore don’t really want to hop around looking at different dates. Whereas some of us here want to choose very specific seats and will flex the date to get them? *does anyone ever let the system choose “best available” or does the idea of that bring you out in a hot sweat too? 😱😱😱
I don't think I'm "normal" but I often have to do that. I don't live in London so, unless it's something with only one or a handful of performances, I try to limit my trips down to Fridays or Saturdays. If I only have one available date to see a show then I have to take what's available on that date. I never book using "beat available" but do occasionally look at it out of curiosity - I never agree with it!
My main bugbear is any booking system that has the single seat rule, which is far too many of them. I hate having to phone up & ask if they can get round it, even though usually they do agree to. The one time they refused to I tried a bit of Twitter naming & shaming and got called back shortly afterwards with them saying they could do it after all! The Curve, in case anyone is wondering. Why should I have to have a worse or more expensive seat just because I'm going on my own?
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Post by missthelma on Feb 24, 2019 19:52:01 GMT
I thought 'best available' was just code for let's see if we can flog this punter the most expensive ticket we have left?
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Post by lynette on Feb 24, 2019 22:04:49 GMT
I phone. I’m the nightmare who keeps the person on the phone while I go through my dates. I do try to have list ahead of call but when what I want is taken or I’m trying to get tix at best price, then I'm probably a test call for training purposes 😂
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Post by showgirl on Feb 25, 2019 4:24:23 GMT
I cannot believe that any regular theatregoer would prefer "best available" and it really annoys me that the NT site always defaults to this, even if you change the date, so the seats appear in a tantalising flash, only to vanish again and you have to re-select "let me choose my own seats" and wait for the seats to re-appear. Furthermore, if you have used a filter (eg to search for matinees only, as I often do with the NT), changing the date removes the filter, yet surely if you wanted a matinee, you are likely to want to see other matinee dates?
The worst however, both now and always, is ATG. I won't rehearse its many ills as others have done so above but my current bugbear is that the system won't let me view calendar dates but takes me instantly to a particular performance (I don't even know which) with only a price range option. In vain have I tried going back, deleting history, etc. I can see the tab I want as the page starts to load but it whizzes away before it opens fully. I suppose I'll have to email them yet again but my heart sinks at the prospect.
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Post by CG on the loose on Feb 25, 2019 9:25:32 GMT
Though both are badged ATG, booking for Come From Away through their website and directly through ATG offers two completely different user experiences. I find the show's website the easiest to use but both are an improvement on the old ATG set up which made it so difficult to check a range of dates, but please... just settle on a design and stick to it - even the seating plan is displayed stage top on one and stage bottom on the other. And that's just one show - delve further and the concept of consistency gets ever more ethereal!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 25, 2019 9:56:15 GMT
It’s bizarre because it presumably costs them money to maintain all of these different versions. It must be a nightmare when there’s a fault.
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Post by MrsCondomine on Feb 25, 2019 10:07:36 GMT
The Donmar booking engine. Never before have I come so close to heaving an entire PC out of a second-storey window. I don't know why we worry about sentient AI with this sort of terrible technology, if the robots are coming they will probably walk into a wall and end up marching slowly on the spot.
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Post by kathryn on Feb 25, 2019 15:33:51 GMT
*does anyone ever let the system choose “best available” or does the idea of that bring you out in a hot sweat too? 😱😱😱 I am *deeply* suspicious of 'beast available'. Best for who? For me, or for the theatre?! |
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Post by Tibidabo on Feb 25, 2019 15:44:00 GMT
I am *deeply* suspicious of 'beast available'Me too! Available for what? Weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, quiz shows...? |
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 25, 2019 16:40:06 GMT
^ TheatreBoard moderation, while also keeping an eye on things on the wrong side of the Pennines. 😉
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2019 17:26:58 GMT
It’s bizarre because it presumably costs them money to maintain all of these different versions. It must be a nightmare when there’s a fault. Maybe its a legacy thing. Small team of in house web developers, poor old Tony has been with them since he left Alan Turing's team and he categorically refuses to let them take down his original code for the website, whilst newbie apprentice has been tasked with discreetly phasing chunks out until Tonys retirement. Kind of like how the banks have had to adopt their ways and practises to develop and include digital banking systems etc to the point where they've just been bolting bits on here and there resulting in causing chaos when it all inevitably fell over (CoughNatwestCough) |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 25, 2019 19:36:13 GMT
Since The Other Palace moved onto the LW Theatres booking system recently I've had single seat issues. I've already had to phone them once & was cursing when the problem came up again this evening, when I wanted to buy a bottom price seat that was next to a seat in the next price bracket up but the single seat rule was preventing me. I've just managed to get round it by putting the more expensive seat into my basket on the TodayTix website, which it allowed me to do, going back into the LW Theatres website to book the cheaper seat (which wasn't coming up on TodayTix), & then releasing the more expensive seat on TodayTix. It worked but it's ridiculous that we have to do this sort of thing to get round stupid seat booking rules.
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