Booking Fees for buying movie ticket online

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Kyanar

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#608624 13-Apr-2012 09:13

nigelj:

CC Commission would be built into ticket price I'd imagine as I believe they get charged the 2-3% for physical transactions, but yes, Anti-Fraud, Transaction Fees for online merchant accounts all valid reasons.

Something I'd also like to mention, the costs are far more likely to be more in line with reality that what Ticketek charge for concerts etc.

It's also possible they just eat the commission on CC Transactions at the POS because there'd be less of them, and the margins could sustain it. But the transaction fee is actually higher for CNP (Card Not Present) transactions so they may have opted not to simply absorb it for those.

To the OP: There's lots of possibilities really, and almost none of them involve them simply charging it because they're greedy.

richms

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#608668 13-Apr-2012 10:51

The price charged is nothing to do with what it costs, its what people feel booking online is worth.

The whole idea of online shopping etc being cheaper is a myth, people will pay more for it because it is easier, this is just another case of that.

Richard rich.ms

BlueShift

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#608672 13-Apr-2012 11:00

richms: The price charged is nothing to do with what it costs, its what people feel booking online is worth.

The whole idea of online shopping etc being cheaper is a myth, people will pay more for it because it is easier, this is just another case of that.

It is a matter of finding how much more people will pay for convenience though - I considered online groceries, but my Scots ancestors wouldn't let me. I have no problem with an extra buck for a movie ticket. I'm iffy about the Ticketek etc fees though - since you can't actually avoid them, they should be just part of the ticket price, like airline fuel surcharges.

richms

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#608677 13-Apr-2012 11:11

I love online groceries. The delivery fee alone is worth avoiding the tripple handling of items in store and then again loading them into the car, before you even factor in the wasted time looking etc.

Can online shop when on the phone to someone and remember what you bought before etc. much nicer.

$1 not to queue - again, worth it. Would anyone stand for 10-15 mins if you gave them a dollar? Dont think so.

Richard rich.ms

stevenz

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#608761 13-Apr-2012 13:46

surfisup1000:
Not that we don't already have the worlds highest prices to see a movie.

We don't.

How does US$19.50 for a "peak time" ticket to Titanic 3D sound? Or US$12.75 for a non-3D film?

Prices obviously vary from place to place:

http://www.pacifictheatres.com/
https://www.arclightcinemas.com

I didn't bother looking at anywhere else, but I doubt we're any more hard done by than elsewhere.

@KnightNZ

BlueShift

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#608770 13-Apr-2012 14:06

richms: I love online groceries. The delivery fee alone is worth avoiding the tripple handling of items in store and then again loading them into the car, before you even factor in the wasted time looking etc.

Can online shop when on the phone to someone and remember what you bought before etc. much nicer.

$1 not to queue - again, worth it. Would anyone stand for 10-15 mins if you gave them a dollar? Dont think so.

I have no problem with the delivery fee - as you say $20 or so to avoid the 1-2 hours of shopping would be worthwhile. The problem is, I do my main grocery shop at Pak N Save, and the difference between a fortnite's food from there, and from Countdown is between $50 & $100 for pretty much the same basket (5 folks & a dog). That makes it not worth the price.

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floydbloke

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#608798 13-Apr-2012 14:49

BlueShift:

Where are the extra costs of an online ticket sale? They already have a booking system used by their staff, they already have a website with their session times etc. The only difference, systematically, between buying online, and buying in person, is that minimum-wage teenager poking the buttons for you.

I haven't done it myself, but I expect there is a bit more to building and running an e-commerce site than this.

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

BlueShift

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#608800 13-Apr-2012 14:55

floydbloke:
BlueShift:

Where are the extra costs of an online ticket sale? They already have a booking system used by their staff, they already have a website with their session times etc. The only difference, systematically, between buying online, and buying in person, is that minimum-wage teenager poking the buttons for you.

I haven't done it myself, but I expect there is a bit more to building and running an e-commerce site than this.

I don't know how to do it, so it must be easy - I should be in management :-)

Still, their e-commerce site, in this day & age, would be fairly tightly integrated with their entire scheduling & booking system. They're already booking seats in theatres, taking credit cards, etc. Its not like they have the entire movie theatre business running merrily, then go out and set up the e-commerce side from scratch alongside it.

gzt

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#609007 13-Apr-2012 20:49

iDear: Why cinema charge us booking fees when we buy movie ticket online?

@$1 per ticket, I never really thought about it. Reduced snack sales might be justification but now with popcorn online they could discount the popcorn using the booking fee if they are thinking about encouraging that spending more.

It takes a lot to get me into the cinema these days. With larger screens and faster action it is about time the basic technology gained real improvements to support it. Jackson's 48 FPS 3D Hobbit is the only thing on my cinema radar.

lucky015

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#609061 13-Apr-2012 22:46

stevenz:
surfisup1000:
Not that we don't already have the worlds highest prices to see a movie.

We don't.

How does US$19.50 for a "peak time" ticket to Titanic 3D sound? Or US$12.75 for a non-3D film?

Prices obviously vary from place to place:

http://www.pacifictheatres.com/
https://www.arclightcinemas.com

I didn't bother looking at anywhere else, but I doubt we're any more hard done by than elsewhere.

I'd much prefer a decent On/Off Peak system, I generally watch movies almost exclusively during Off-Peak times and often find myself wondering why they chose empty theaters over bulk discounted sales.

Also a decent difference in 3D vs 2D prices would be nice.

If I visit the Cinema it is generally during a time I can go at a discounted rate, I never order online and always buy the same thing, The largest cup of Coke available.

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