View source for Hoyts Website Sucks

Hello Hoyts,

Your website badly needs improvement. 

Case in point: Can you please update your web site so that it does not lead me to try reserving a seat that is simply not available?

I just went through the full process of trying to reserve a seat for Xmen 3 at La Premiere tonight at Fox Studios, and after here was the process I had to go through:
* Step 1) Go to hoyts.com.au
* Step 2) Click La Premiere
* Step 3) Click Select Fox studios
* Step 4) Click X men 3
* Step 5) Click the date
* Step 6) Click the 8 PM session time
* Step 7) click buy tickets
* Step 8) Click "sign in" 
* Step 9) Then enter email address and password
* Step 10) Click "sign in"
* Step 11) Then be shown the total price, then click "Next"
* Step 12) Be told that there are no seats left.
* Step 13) Click "search again".
* Steps 14 - 22) Repeat steps 3 to 11 inclusive again, except this time try the "7:15" session.
* Step 23) Be told that there are no seats left, again.
* Step 24) Click "search again", again.
* Steps 25 - 33) Repeat steps 3 to 11 inclusive yet again, except this time try the "9:30" session.
* Step 34) Be told that there are no seats left, yet again.

So, it took me 34 separate actions to discover that you cannot sell me what I want. I repeat: '''THIRTY FOUR STEPS'''.

What a waste of my time, and relevantly, what an terrible website. How many people must just give up, and how many sales must you lose because of this? I'm thinking: Lots.

Why did you not tell me at step 6) that there were no tickets available for the times I wanted?
After all, the session times are different for each movie, and each cinema, so you ''have'' to store separate session information anyway based on cinema + movie + day.
Why not show something like this for the list of available session times:
* 12:15pm
* 1:00pm
* 2:30pm
* 3:15pm
* 4:45pm
* 7:15pm - SOLD OUT
* 8:00pm - SOLD OUT
* 9:30pm - SOLD OUT

That way I would have known immediately that you didn't have what I was looking for, so I could try another night.

And another thing: Why do I have to sign in ''before'' I have seen the total, and ''before'' you have even checked whether seats are available? In other words, steps 8, 9 and 10 should not happen until after the current steps 11 and 12.

Instead of this happening, my step 35) was this: Give up in disgust, and write open letter to Hoyts, and [http://nickj.org/Hoyts_Website_Sucks put it online], as well as mailing it to your customer support.

All the best,<br />
Nick.

[[category:Opinion-Editorial]]