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Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue


madcow
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No the card is not discontinued........

 

It's being phased out by all the bank in the UK that use it - has been since 2009, but it takes a while. And Maestro has well known problems with lots of websites.

 

Does this mean i wont be able to use my Maestro Card to book any cinema tickets till 2015 when it expires?

 

ps I have also never had an issue buying anything with this card for aslong as i have it, so would be interested where you get your information from as I don't find very much online about it.

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FPC is correct as far as I can tell from the info I gleaned online about Maestro being used less and less by UK banks; most of them are replacing them over a two year period with Visa Debit Card. That said ...

 

... I couldn't book online with Box Office using my card (Not a Maestro) and it was not long after the new system had been introduced.

 

I don't agree with the comment re Oscars, especially given that Mareel said words to the effect that they could choose from a lot of films. However, in Mareel's defence people are also requesting for some oldies to be shown so in that respect, there will be repeats.

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No the card is not discontinued........

 

It's being phased out by all the bank in the UK that use it - has been since 2009, but it takes a while. And Maestro has well known problems with lots of websites.

 

do you have any examples of these websites?? because i have never had any problems with my maestro card

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Surely its not too much to expect a website, any website for that matter to flash up an error message when an attempt to pay fails, and to change your email details anytime you feel like or need to, both have been industry standard for numerous years after all.

 

Trying to excuse failures when attempting to pay on "that card has known issues, and the holder should know that" really does not cut it. If anything it does the opposite, insofar as that if there are known issues with a card the site operator should make doubly sure their potential customer will be fully informed of what has gone wrong and what rectifying measures are necessary. After all, the site operator is selling goods and services, and any successful business person will very quickly tell you making it as quick and simple as possible to relieve your potential punters of their cash before they have a chance to change their minds is a must.

 

All in all, making people go all the way around the houses to do something as simple and minor as change their registered email address, and pass the buck for failed card payments that aren't the cardholder's fault, does not equate good customer service.

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I had a problem paying with my card on the Box Office website once but a phonecall soon had that sorted (don't know what the problem was, but it's never happened again). I also saved time by paying with my card over the phone at the time. Very straightforward and I was pleased with the level of customer service.

 

I see from the SBO website that they had a problem with the type of debit card I was using which is now fixed. Not very professional.
I disagree. They noted a problem, resolved it and posted a message on the website saying so.

 

"Maestro Payments Now Accepted

We are happy to say that issues with accepting Maestro cards as a form of payment has now been resolved. Thank you for your patience whilst we got this fixed.

Shetland Box Office 12.02.13"

 

Anyway I decided to get rid of an old spam ridden e-mail address and to use a new one. Now it is fair to say that SBO is not the only site I have had problems with but when I tried changing my e-mail address they managed to lose both the old and the new e-mail addresses leaving me with the option of re-registering or simply not going. Guess which I will choose!.
Did you give them a call or otherwise get in touch?

Only reason I have expressed my views here quite strongly is that I hope someone from Mareel/Shetland Arts monitors this topic and I really do want to see the venue being a success.

Even if they do monitor this topic they'd have no way of getting in touch with you unless you posted your contact info on Shetlink

 

Surely its not too much to expect a website, any website for that matter to flash up an error message when an attempt to pay fails, and to change your email details anytime you feel like or need to, both have been industry standard for numerous years after all.

 

Trying to excuse failures when attempting to pay on "that card has known issues, and the holder should know that" really does not cut it. If anything it does the opposite, insofar as that if there are known issues with a card the site operator should make doubly sure their potential customer will be fully informed of what has gone wrong and what rectifying measures are necessary. After all, the site operator is selling goods and services, and any successful business person will very quickly tell you making it as quick and simple as possible to relieve your potential punters of their cash before they have a chance to change their minds is a must.

 

All in all, making people go all the way around the houses to do something as simple and minor as change their registered email address, and pass the buck for failed card payments that aren't the cardholder's fault, does not equate good customer service.

Sheesh Ghostrider, a pretty damning set of suppositions. Who said that the Box Office was trying to 'pass the buck'??? The post on their website says there was a problem and it was fixed. :roll:

 

I'm not having a go at anybody, but I do find the level of complaints on here and Facebook about Mareel, rather than contacting Mareel directly (or posting on Mareel's facebook page), to be very tiresome and saddening (that's why I so regularly take the bait and respond here!). I've had a couple of minor complaints, which I have made to staff at the time, and I'm pleased to say the complaints were dealt with quickly and courteously (in fact, on both occasions staff thanked me for pointing the issues out).

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Anyway I decided to get rid of an old spam ridden e-mail address and to use a new one. Now it is fair to say that SBO is not the only site I have had problems with but when I tried changing my e-mail address they managed to lose both the old and the new e-mail addresses leaving me with the option of re-registering or simply not going. Guess which I will choose!.
Did you give them a call or otherwise get in touch?
Well no!. Owing to the dastardly spammer who got access to my e-mail I was far to busy changing passwords and e-mail details with all the other sites I was registered with.

 

As for not accepting the maestro card it would have been helpful if they told people it was not currently being accepted when they tried to make a booking. Would just have used another card.

 

Of course what Mareel has lost could be more than the one cinema ticket I tried to book. Quite possible that I would have decided that my first experience was so good that I would have been back since. But I will try registering with SBO again soon.

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Well I tried to register my new e-mail with Shetland Box Office but it will not let me. Keeps saying the address is already registered but when I try to log on using the "already registered" address it will not let me. So I guess I will not bother with SBO or Mareel.......more money for me to spend on other things.

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Does this mean i wont be able to use my Maestro Card to book any cinema tickets till 2015 when it expires?

 

ps I have also never had an issue buying anything with this card for aslong as i have it, so would be interested where you get your information from as I don't find very much online about it.

 

No, but there's nothing to stoop your bank replacing the card on a whim with a new card because they're moving all their customers over. That happens all the time.

 

I think it was an article on a tech website some while ago. It may be to do with Maestro in the UK not being the same as Maestro in the US, and SBO's payment system is (if memory serves) US based.

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Well I tried to register my new e-mail with Shetland Box Office but it will not let me. Keeps saying the address is already registered but when I try to log on using the "already registered" address it will not let me. So I guess I will not bother with SBO or Mareel.......more money for me to spend on other things.
quitter
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I don't agree with the comment re Oscars, especially given that Mareel said words to the effect that they could choose from a lot of films. However, in Mareel's defence people are also requesting for some oldies to be shown so in that respect, there will be repeats.

 

Agree or not, it's still the model Hollywood works off. Post Christmas is usually pretty poor, so films that are less likely to do well are put out then, except for those that are thought to have a good shot at the Oscars. Post Oscars, more crap films are released, making way for the summer blockbusters. This happens in all multiplex cinema chains that are served by film distribution companies, because that's what's given to the distribution companies to put out. It's not a matter of opinion, it's fact.

 

That said, Mareel is in a better position than most, because they're able to show older, or less well publicised indie films, documentaries, etc - as well as rereleases of older movies - without them being swamped by four or five screens of other movies. Distributors also usually place some clauses on the cinemas they serve, making them show a minimum number of screenings of certain films as a condition. This is usually because they themselves are contracted by the studios to show a minimum number of screenings for certain movies - regardless as to whether the film warrants it or not. But that as they say, is showbiz.

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JustMe, I've been quite bemused by your "cutting my nose off to spite my face" attitude to the online booking. So much so that I just called Mareel and asked about your situation. They said that it is actually BEST to book by phone (or in person, but that won't apply to you unless you happen to be in town at the time) as not only can payment issues be dealt with by a real person, but you also get to choose the seat - which online is allocated by the system. I am sure that if there were a major problem with your card even then, that they would put the tickets aside so that you could pay in cash on arrival.

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Well Hector's House, dog has told you to say something really helpful. I will certainly try booking by phone if I see anything I want that I can get home from afterwards. Sadly I have to either pay for an expensive taxi or spend the night in town for most evening things but that is not the venues fault.

 

I have sent an e-mail to SBO but so far no reply........am sure they will reply when they get a chance.

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