If you're planning to book for the forthcoming NZ International Arts Festival -- or any multi-event venue -- don't use Ticketek for the sake of your sanity. Why? Let me take you through what I went through recently trying to book for seven separate New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week events...


(Click images for a detailed view)
1.  Start at Ticketek's Arts Festival web page and click on the Writers and Readers Week link.



2.  Here's the Writers and Readers Week page. I hope you've made a careful note of exactly what you want see because most of the useful information is absent. You won't, for example, find mention of Ian McEwan -- one of the WRW's main drawcards. You'll need to know what his event's called or what he looks like in order to actually book to see him.



3.  You're now taken to the event details page. Yes, yes, I know all this. I just want to book!



4.  Clicking the Buy Now button takes you Quantity and Delivery Method selections. Not only do you have to select the latter for every event you book, it also gives the impression there's a surcharge on each booking.



5.  You'll get this message helpful message every time you pass this point.



6.  The booking confirmation page. Not only do you have to complete you multiple bookings within 10 minutes, but there's also a hidden trap. Can you spot it?



7.  Click to Select More Tickets and this appears. (Yes, this pops up every time too.) Click OK and you're taken back to the event details page (3). You can't click the Back button here -- that'll take you back into the booking system -- so you have to return to the Arts Festival website (1).

Now repeat all the steps above six more times. And remember, the clock is ticking!

What was the hidden trap I mentioned on the booking confirmation page? You can't actually book for more than six events! This is disguised by the phrase "Your Order Offers: 4 (out of 6 per order)".

At this point I gave up and reverted to the 0800 number. Yes, it took about 10 minutes for a human being to answer, but I flipped it onto speaker phone and enjoyed some background music while I got on with my life. There was even a comedy spot. A recorded message told me that internet booking system was "quick, convenient and secure". I suspect it's only secure because most people give up before actually entering their credit card details.

The actual phone booking -- from me rattling off my selections to having the details confirmed back to me -- took just two minutes. And the cost? The same as booking online.

The Ticketek booking system is bad in so many ways. What's wrong with a one-page booking form like the one they use in printed publications? Or would that make it so easy that people would actually start using the internet?