Admission Tickets as Text Messages 244
lee1 writes to tell us that InfoWorld is reporting that Smartmachine and their partner Skidata have developed a new way to allow customers to purchase and receive tickets to events. The new ticketing system allows users to "have a ticket sent to their mobile phone via SMS (Short Message Service) in the form of a 2D (two-dimensional) bar code. At the gate, they slide their mobile phone display showing the bar code by a bar code reader." The new technology also claims to help combat the counterfeit, pilferage, and repeat use that can be such a problem for paper tickets.
And they'll pass the cost savings on to... (Score:4, Insightful)
Plan B (Score:5, Insightful)
Paperless ticketing, while important, will only cause monetary loss, imagine if a country is crazy enough to adapt paperless voting where voters don't get a "vote receipt" in case something or someone messed up the results.
This is a bummer... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Plan B (Score:5, Insightful)
imagine if a country is crazy enough to adapt paperless voting where voters don't get a "vote receipt" in case something or someone messed up the results.
What, you mean like the US of A?
And... (Score:3, Insightful)
P.S. You can order seats here in Greece too, in large multiplexes.
Combat counterfeit? (Score:3, Insightful)
They can counterfeit a barcode on a ticket to get into Madison Square Garden. They can most certainly figure out how to draw the image on a phone's screen.
Excellent... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:And they'll pass the cost savings on to... (Score:5, Insightful)
I doubt few would disagree with you... Look at ticketmaster. The last time I bought a ticket via TM I was charged somewhere about 8 USD for a "convience fee". I bought the ticket online and picked the ticket up at the box office. So what's the convience? The fact that I did my own order entry and seating research instead of tying up one of their customer services sales reps on the phone for 15 minutes on an 800 number? The fact that they didn't have to put the ticket in an envelope and mail it to me? I SAVED them money by doing my business on the internet and still I got smacked with a fee as if doing things on my own is somehow easier....
Wait, yeah, considering the level of competence of the average sales rep, I guess it was more convient.
Re:Like public transport in finland (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Old news in Korea (Score:3, Insightful)
That being said, I would image that younger people are more likely to use the service.
Re:Plan B (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Plan B (Score:5, Insightful)
You'd probably have several seconds to do it before the person scanning it gives up trying to scan the "bad phone display" and tries another way to verify the ticket.
Swiss Federal Railways (Score:3, Insightful)
Step 1 : You sign up for the service
If you are missing an option to order your ticket via a web site free of charge you are probably not alone.
Those blitzes of brilliance with which marketing bozos can come up with truely mystify me at times.
Re:SMS? (Score:3, Insightful)
New way to scalp (Score:1, Insightful)
Pilferage? Great now instead of losing a ticket, I lose my cellphone which has my contacts, calendars, and messages in it.
Bar Codes are Too Complex (Score:2, Insightful)
plus creates equipment limitations on customers.
Why not just use the credit card used for purchase as the "ticket"? The
confirmation code for the credit card transaction is the e-ticket ID.
Alternatively, use a driver's license or other ID. Just swipe the card,
and possibly check the physical card. Radio linked portable equipment with
card reader, keypad, and receipt printer already exists.
One could buy an e-ticket by phone, SMS, https, etc-- it doesn't matter.
If all electronics fails, a non bar code also works with a faxed paper list and pen to cross off admissions. Someone too cheap to buy the scanners
can use the fax method.
Yes, there is the possibilty of credit card fraud, but no other than normal
usage. Adding a smartcard chip to the credit card would be the best technical
solution to fraud by copying the card numbers.