I ran one of the first computorised system of communication and trained over 200 staff throughout GB, and am perfectly aware of how to use internet at the level I am interested in. However I continue to fight for the choice of using phones or internet and being able to buy direct, use cash etc. It has recently changed but up to now it didnt matter if you were a millionaire with the latest phone available, there was no signal up swaledale and many dead spots up in other dales, so the only thing that worked was cash.
I also champion those who cannot afford a phone or whatever, and now get treated as second class citizens in such things as getting appointments. Around here there is a particular area where they are no doubt now losing money from a car park where you can only use your phone to pay. Very few people go there as it often does not work well and is just a hassle. One very sensible and well thought out company here is the cinema at Thirsk. There you can order tickets online if you wish , but they also have tickets available on the door too. So they have a regular group of people who keep them going all year and they recognise that and are not allowing something like Downton Abbey to be deluged by those who rarely go at all and would book ahead and take over. A very good attitude and I support them wholeheartedly. Unfortunately due to mostly my back problems, I no longer book ahead for things, as can only judge on the day , whether I am able to do something. That can be sorted with trips with friends where I will ring them before a certain time if I am unable to do something that day. However both very expensive if I pay for a ticket and cant go, and also that means that another person cannot use that place and when there are limited seats that is a shame. I also get cash to use on our local market, partly because I only want small amounts of various fruit and vegetable , but also because the stallholders also have to pay to use a card and so it puts prices up. As other people have said, for me , I much prefer to just take cash and simply buy a ticket and have no aggravation. Having worked in an airline etc I also insist on paper copies of tickets information etc, whilst I may also have it on my phone, I am far too aware of possibilities such as blank spots, losing or breaking phones etc, and having both just covers my back and makes for a calmer day. I always have a certain amount of cash on me for times when the systems go down and have had several occasions in a supermarket where familes with trollies full of items were stuck as the power went off at the tills and only cash payments were possible, where I was able to sail through. So just because someone chooses to use cash or have paper tickets does not mean they have no idea how to use internet, just they are more savvy to the vagaries of life. Its why some of us are still around!!
Stewards made me stand outside until near to tears I asked if I could talk to the box office staff. I produced the original email I'd printed out with the seat numbers on and they happily showed me to my seat! A lovely talk, but what a nightmare! So beware if anyone sends you tickets via Ticketmaster in an Email, life isn't simple anymore!
