Matt Gurney argues that if Ticketmaster or Air Canada and Aeroplan could make an app that worked as well as Netflix, this column would be about something else.
Similar experience on multiple websites. I am currently travelling by RV across Canada, and having the "great" pleasure of using multiple campsite-reservation systems for the multiple provinces. All are significant time-sinks.
One piece of advice for Matt - stop using your browser to save passwords, and instead use an independent password manager. I recommend Bitwarden, but there are multiple others to choose from. Breaking the connection between your passwords and your browser is a big step forward that you really should take.
Besides this unacceptable get me my tickets problem (and making it hard sometimes to pick seats), ticketmaster adds insult to injury with a relatively rich premium - added charge to the admission. Luxury price, terrible user experience. When ticketmaster is the only way to ticket, I seriously question whether I really want to go.
I subscribed to scene+ so not charged, but agree they should not charge for online booking - it only helps them sell seats. I dislike those "convenience" charges at all places. If I do not buy in advance I am much less likely to go - they should value this!
Not sure of distinction - I'm referring to a subscription that provides one regular ticket each month, discount on additional tickets, and concession. Worth it if you see at least average of 8 or 9 movies over the year
Ah, okay. I remember this now. I did look into it but didn't think that I was seeing that many movies to make it worth it for me. Thanks for reminding me about this.
It's not just that they assume everyone has a Smartphone, it's that there seems to be an industry agnostic mania about driving me to ONLY use the smallest screen I own to do ....well, anything.
Call me a dinosaur, but I prefer to do my banking (for example) on a good sized screen, such as my laptop - but my bank won't let me do that without FIRST authenticating to my phone.
I sometimes have the same problem doing banking, etc on my laptop. When the site insists on authentication by phone, I play along and duly receive an authentication code on my flip-phone. Not sure that really adds any security to the transaction though.
I prefer my laptop for most things too, although banking is okay on my phone. Laptop for booking flights, though. My husband uses an iPad. It is hell for most sites.
The fact they don't allow paper printout of a QR code (which is functionally the exact same as scanning from a phone screen) is criminal. There is no downside to them, but makes for a horrible customer experience.
But they have essentially no competition so they can get away with it.
Air Canada will NEVER fix all their problems until the government stops supporting them and allows competition. I always try to book with another airline other than Air Canada as their experience is always bad. Air Canada is a national embarrassment.
Apps on phones and website apps you use on laptop are totally different applications so require funding to keep them working good.
I'm old-school and prefer the days when air travel was heavily regulated. The price points and travel conditions were pretty much even, and the sole point of competitiveness was customer service. Travel was so much better. I hate the nickel and diming and the race to the bottom that has been in effect pretty much since WestJet came on the scene.
But, but, do you like how prices have declined? Prices are much lower than they would have been if you look at how inflation has decimated our currency over the years since deregulation.
I am aware of that. Airfare is one of the rare things that have gotten cheaper over the years. I travelled a fair bit as a young adult and basically worked and saved for each flight and appreciated each trip more. I still prefer the days when fewer people travelled by air and the experience was lovely. Now it's a bit of a shit show. I am quite small so fit comfortably in an economy seat (except for Swoop. I fit, but it's by no means comfortable) and use carry on only. If I were bigger, larger, and had more luggage, the experience would be a total nightmare. It's funny how people expect air travel to be cheap but have no problem spending hundreds a night in a hotel or airbnb. People have different priorities, I guess.
Try doing this while explaining it to aged in-laws who have an uncanny knack for winning NHL tickets from community raffles. Your afternoon will also involve explanations on how they will then access their tickets at the gate, navigating passwords, usernames, apps, browsers and emails.
I wonder if Ticket Master does this deliberately to slow down retail ticket purchasers for popular concerts in order to give the insiders more time to bulk buy all the good seats, for re-selling through their easy-to-use portals as Matt has experienced.
Even if it wasn’t the plan at the beginning, Ticket Master must surely have noticed this happening and if they are making money off the industry connections the insiders give them, they would have no incentive to “fix” it. The system is already fixed nicely, thank you very much.
That's right. The issue with Ticketmaster (exactly how Matt describes it) has been going on for so long that is impossible to argue that they are not aware of it. It is so bad that I have ditched the password manager for that site and use a string of profanities (un shareable in public) instead, ending with a number that I increase by one any time I have to change it (two large digits by now). In most cases, it is their loss because I get frustrated and don't buy the tickets altogether, although I guess they don't miss my business at all.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they aren't going to fix them because they don't need to. People will still buy tickets, get mad at the app, and still use it. Neither of these corporations need to fix them then.
I SO feel your pain with Air Canada. Even on the web, I have found multiple problems. Which always appear AFTER I am well into a fare purchase. Then I start again with a different browser, and sometimes have been forced back onto the app. The app has another problem: you can’t book a multi-stage trip on it. It’s baffling.
However, these problems pale in comparison to dealing with Service Canada’s app. Or their phone service, which you resort to after multiple cycles of trying to do something in the app, waiting the prescribed wait time, trying again, etc. massive amounts of rework by humans needed because the online portal can’t do basic things.
Always a mystery why Govt Depts do not talk to each other, even for something as simple as address changes. And certainly the top of the list of annoyances is Service Canada ( used to be Ticket Master but I just gave up on them ages ago)
I've just never understood why some apps are so poorly made. You'd think the TicketMaster and Air Canada apps were made by the guys that made the ArriveCan app.
You're talking about apps that don't function as intended, but would be fine if they did, which points in the direction of bugs and coding issues, less so UX.
I have a bigger beef with apps that work but have horrible UX.
Toronto's Green P app (to access the municipal parking lots and pay for street parking) always works fine, but the UX is terrible, because you have to confirm twice before actually purchasing parking time, which is an issue, because if you don't, you'll likely get a ticket.
When you're in a rush, it is VERY easy to overlook the "double confirmation problem" as my wife and I have done many times.
I actually suspect that they keep it that way to they can jack up ticket revenue and still have plausible deniability. Toronto Parking Services is an evil entity that lives only to maximize revenue (I've gotten tickets for places neither my wife or I were anywhere near that day), but I digress...
I have managed to successfully avoid Air Canada since using up my points about 15 years ago -,except once when booking a United Phoenix to Ottawa flight that went via LAX and missed that the carrier to Ottawa was Air Canada. The experience can best be described as Kafka lite.
Anyway, have a great Canada day! Kudos to the PM for announcing the elimination of another Trudeauesque abomination at the last minute for another reason to celebrate.
Happy he got rid of that stupid DST, but man, Carney was a dork for not realizing it would become an issue and not repealing it as soon as he got into office. It had "Anti US tax grab" written all over it.
I've tried that, but they don't allow it anymore. At least not the few times I've been out recently. You have to have the live ticket on your phone. It's completely retarded.
Maybe if enough people showed up with printouts of their QR codes and jammed up the line demanding to see the manager that would change?!?
Pity. Works for Cineplex, smaller shows, air travel. As I mentioned in another comment I somewhat avoid ticketmaster. Go to smaller, indie, local shows instread.
Similar experience on multiple websites. I am currently travelling by RV across Canada, and having the "great" pleasure of using multiple campsite-reservation systems for the multiple provinces. All are significant time-sinks.
One piece of advice for Matt - stop using your browser to save passwords, and instead use an independent password manager. I recommend Bitwarden, but there are multiple others to choose from. Breaking the connection between your passwords and your browser is a big step forward that you really should take.
Just tried to log in to my CBSA CARM account, a government portal for businesses who import stuff into the country.
It took 8 steps and as many clicks to go from the log in page to actually being logged into my account. 8 Steps!
I can log into any of my bank accounts in 1 to 2 steps (in rare instances 3) depending on whether I have to pass an 2FA challenge or not.
CRA logins are the same. Why oh why?
Besides this unacceptable get me my tickets problem (and making it hard sometimes to pick seats), ticketmaster adds insult to injury with a relatively rich premium - added charge to the admission. Luxury price, terrible user experience. When ticketmaster is the only way to ticket, I seriously question whether I really want to go.
The CinePlex app adds a service charge for using buying movie tickets. I thought they wanted people to use their app.
I subscribed to scene+ so not charged, but agree they should not charge for online booking - it only helps them sell seats. I dislike those "convenience" charges at all places. If I do not buy in advance I am much less likely to go - they should value this!
Is Scene+ different than my Scene card? I've had Scene for many many years. Is there a fee for Scene+?
Not sure of distinction - I'm referring to a subscription that provides one regular ticket each month, discount on additional tickets, and concession. Worth it if you see at least average of 8 or 9 movies over the year
Ah, okay. I remember this now. I did look into it but didn't think that I was seeing that many movies to make it worth it for me. Thanks for reminding me about this.
So much this.
You missed an obvious major irritant that goes far beyond irritating: Too many companies assume customers have cell phones.
It's not just that they assume everyone has a Smartphone, it's that there seems to be an industry agnostic mania about driving me to ONLY use the smallest screen I own to do ....well, anything.
Call me a dinosaur, but I prefer to do my banking (for example) on a good sized screen, such as my laptop - but my bank won't let me do that without FIRST authenticating to my phone.
I sometimes have the same problem doing banking, etc on my laptop. When the site insists on authentication by phone, I play along and duly receive an authentication code on my flip-phone. Not sure that really adds any security to the transaction though.
My eyesight and disability make using a cell;phone too challenging.
I prefer my laptop for most things too, although banking is okay on my phone. Laptop for booking flights, though. My husband uses an iPad. It is hell for most sites.
The fact they don't allow paper printout of a QR code (which is functionally the exact same as scanning from a phone screen) is criminal. There is no downside to them, but makes for a horrible customer experience.
But they have essentially no competition so they can get away with it.
I've heard that there are restaurants that don't even have printed menus. QR code only. I can't eat there! grrr
That's also a case of shit UX, ignoring the fact that some people don't have a smartphone, or forgot it at home or the battery is dead.
You have to account for edge cases where the 99th precentile can still have a normal experience at your restaurant.
Also amazed by the fact that many companies have sites that only work in one or two browsers, neither of which I want to use 🤪
I spend a good chunk of time outside of the country. Have cell service there? Good luck. Then everything fails.
Air Canada will NEVER fix all their problems until the government stops supporting them and allows competition. I always try to book with another airline other than Air Canada as their experience is always bad. Air Canada is a national embarrassment.
Apps on phones and website apps you use on laptop are totally different applications so require funding to keep them working good.
So you both decry a lack of competition and talk about going with the competition 😝
Yes. Because she finds the limited competition to be better.
It follows that yet better experience will arrive with yet more competition.
I'm old-school and prefer the days when air travel was heavily regulated. The price points and travel conditions were pretty much even, and the sole point of competitiveness was customer service. Travel was so much better. I hate the nickel and diming and the race to the bottom that has been in effect pretty much since WestJet came on the scene.
But, but, do you like how prices have declined? Prices are much lower than they would have been if you look at how inflation has decimated our currency over the years since deregulation.
Why is it that the airline industry is the only one not allowed to keep up with the rate of inflation?
I am aware of that. Airfare is one of the rare things that have gotten cheaper over the years. I travelled a fair bit as a young adult and basically worked and saved for each flight and appreciated each trip more. I still prefer the days when fewer people travelled by air and the experience was lovely. Now it's a bit of a shit show. I am quite small so fit comfortably in an economy seat (except for Swoop. I fit, but it's by no means comfortable) and use carry on only. If I were bigger, larger, and had more luggage, the experience would be a total nightmare. It's funny how people expect air travel to be cheap but have no problem spending hundreds a night in a hotel or airbnb. People have different priorities, I guess.
Umm, Matt. Ticketmaster is the most egregiously awful of American monopolies. And your gripe is … their app doesn’t work?
Try doing this while explaining it to aged in-laws who have an uncanny knack for winning NHL tickets from community raffles. Your afternoon will also involve explanations on how they will then access their tickets at the gate, navigating passwords, usernames, apps, browsers and emails.
I wonder if Ticket Master does this deliberately to slow down retail ticket purchasers for popular concerts in order to give the insiders more time to bulk buy all the good seats, for re-selling through their easy-to-use portals as Matt has experienced.
Even if it wasn’t the plan at the beginning, Ticket Master must surely have noticed this happening and if they are making money off the industry connections the insiders give them, they would have no incentive to “fix” it. The system is already fixed nicely, thank you very much.
That's right. The issue with Ticketmaster (exactly how Matt describes it) has been going on for so long that is impossible to argue that they are not aware of it. It is so bad that I have ditched the password manager for that site and use a string of profanities (un shareable in public) instead, ending with a number that I increase by one any time I have to change it (two large digits by now). In most cases, it is their loss because I get frustrated and don't buy the tickets altogether, although I guess they don't miss my business at all.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they aren't going to fix them because they don't need to. People will still buy tickets, get mad at the app, and still use it. Neither of these corporations need to fix them then.
I SO feel your pain with Air Canada. Even on the web, I have found multiple problems. Which always appear AFTER I am well into a fare purchase. Then I start again with a different browser, and sometimes have been forced back onto the app. The app has another problem: you can’t book a multi-stage trip on it. It’s baffling.
However, these problems pale in comparison to dealing with Service Canada’s app. Or their phone service, which you resort to after multiple cycles of trying to do something in the app, waiting the prescribed wait time, trying again, etc. massive amounts of rework by humans needed because the online portal can’t do basic things.
Happy Canada Day!
Always a mystery why Govt Depts do not talk to each other, even for something as simple as address changes. And certainly the top of the list of annoyances is Service Canada ( used to be Ticket Master but I just gave up on them ages ago)
I've just never understood why some apps are so poorly made. You'd think the TicketMaster and Air Canada apps were made by the guys that made the ArriveCan app.
The apps reflect the companies. Both awful .
The solution is simple, Matt. Stop travelling and going to concerts. Just stay home and watch Netflix.
I get it all, it is beyond frustrating… now could we chat about Bell and Rogers customer service. It is heart attack time…
You're talking about apps that don't function as intended, but would be fine if they did, which points in the direction of bugs and coding issues, less so UX.
I have a bigger beef with apps that work but have horrible UX.
Toronto's Green P app (to access the municipal parking lots and pay for street parking) always works fine, but the UX is terrible, because you have to confirm twice before actually purchasing parking time, which is an issue, because if you don't, you'll likely get a ticket.
When you're in a rush, it is VERY easy to overlook the "double confirmation problem" as my wife and I have done many times.
I actually suspect that they keep it that way to they can jack up ticket revenue and still have plausible deniability. Toronto Parking Services is an evil entity that lives only to maximize revenue (I've gotten tickets for places neither my wife or I were anywhere near that day), but I digress...
There is no excuse for an evil UX.
Nobody mentioned ArriveCan yet….
I have managed to successfully avoid Air Canada since using up my points about 15 years ago -,except once when booking a United Phoenix to Ottawa flight that went via LAX and missed that the carrier to Ottawa was Air Canada. The experience can best be described as Kafka lite.
Anyway, have a great Canada day! Kudos to the PM for announcing the elimination of another Trudeauesque abomination at the last minute for another reason to celebrate.
Happy he got rid of that stupid DST, but man, Carney was a dork for not realizing it would become an issue and not repealing it as soon as he got into office. It had "Anti US tax grab" written all over it.
For all the save in app or cloud ticket systems than sometimes fail at the entry - try this preemptive hack -
Screen shot the entry screen and save it on the phone. Usually scans same as the live screen
I've tried that, but they don't allow it anymore. At least not the few times I've been out recently. You have to have the live ticket on your phone. It's completely retarded.
Maybe if enough people showed up with printouts of their QR codes and jammed up the line demanding to see the manager that would change?!?
Pity. Works for Cineplex, smaller shows, air travel. As I mentioned in another comment I somewhat avoid ticketmaster. Go to smaller, indie, local shows instread.