|
|
 
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Meet the Lone Loser in MoviePass Hitting 1 Million Members
|
Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 01-09-2018 02:47 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
I guess the question is really, how do we get listed on their website? Doesn't the MP app have to interface with the theater some way to get ticket price, seat availability, etc?
They'll be using a combination of information they buy from a few providers that keep track of movie showtimes across the country, combined with their own harvesting from public showtimes published by theaters. There's a lot you can grab from public websites.
Also, they don't guarantee you any seats at all. You still need to reserve your seat at the theater. You cannot buy a ticket on-line as it would defeat their application.
In order to be able to pay with the credit card they provide, they use the app, which verifies your GPS location. If that's close to the theater, it will allow payments of roughly up to the advertised ticket price. To avoid abuse, they'll most likely automatically block certain kind of transactions like those from the ATM or supermarket across the street.
So, in order for it to work with your theater, you need to be in their database. If you're not in there, it's probably because they didn't find you yet or getting your showtimes reliably posted into their database was too big of a hassle. If you want to be in there, then exhibitors@moviepass.com seems to be the way to contact them about those matters.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.
Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004
|
posted 01-10-2018 11:04 AM
quote: Marcel Birgelen
In order to be able to pay with the credit card they provide, they use the app, which verifies your GPS location. If that's close to the theater, it will allow payments of roughly up to the advertised ticket price. To avoid abuse, they'll most likely automatically block certain kind of transactions like those from the ATM or supermarket across the street.
Specifically, it authorizes one transaction "swipe" on your debit card.
I read some reviews on the Costco website (who sell MoviePass combined with a streaming subscription to something called Fandor for $89.99/year) and it's way more bother than I'd ever care to deal with.
1. You "check-in" (open the app within 100 yards of the theatre). Apparently this includes choosing a movie and showtime. If you choose one and go to the box office only to discover that movie is sold out, you need to cancel the check-in and choose another show. So somehow, they need access to your showtimes.
2. You have 30 minutes from the check-in to complete the transaction.
3. Same-day tickets only. No purchasing advance tickets, even at the box office.
4. You're not allowed to see the same movie more than once, even on different days.
The app is allegedly buggy. Several complaints of the check-in part failing, leaving people who made the trip out in the cold. Could be a regular problem if your theatre is in a crappy cell coverage area.
Customer service is non-existent.
Probably the biggest complaint is the app only manages a single membership, so if you and your spouse each have a membership, you have to each download the app on your own phones and purchase tickets separately.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
|
posted 01-10-2018 01:39 PM
It is my understanding that the app is required so that MoviePass knows you are in or very near the theatre via GPS, so their computer knows to authorize the ticket purchase.
For the life of me, I don't understand why a theatre owner (or circuit) would care if a patron uses MoviePass. They are getting their full boxoffice price. As to cheapening the public's perceived value of movie going, I think that is nonsense. The public already thinks movies are overpriced, but those who make movie going choices solely based price tend to stay home and wait for Netflix to send them a DVD.
There is ample evidence, even here on Film-Tech discussions, that price alone does not drive attendance. If it did, there would be a lot of crappy theatres doing a whole lot better, and a lot of state of the art venues doing a whole lot worse.
Yes, MoviePass's current business model is unsustainable. Regardless of any back end deals they strike to sell demographics or deals with exhibitors, they will eventually have to raise their prices. At that time, they will lose subscribers depending upon whether the new higher price is still considered a value by a given subscriber.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 01-14-2018 08:39 AM
quote: Monte L Fullmer
Bottom line is: If the patron can choose a different feature than what was chosen using his MP card, that's is business and also could face fines from MP doing this practice.
The only one that could possibly face "fines" is the patron, because he or she is cheating the system. Also, I doubt they will handle out fines, they will simply terminate the subscription if they suspect fraud. Still, it's pretty hard to impossible to check for MoviePass whether or not the patron actually bought the ticket for the show he booked through the app. The patron could also simply come up with an excuse: I decided not to go to see that movie anyway, so I bought a ticket for a show tomorrow. Big deal? Nobody lost anything, did they?
quote: Monte L Fullmer
The patron has to leave, hates the film, and the similar where he wants a refund...
....You simply can't refund back on the card since there was no money to refund back in the first place.
First of all, the money from the ticket came from the MoviePass credit card, which works mostly like all other pre-paid credit cards.
I'm not even sure if it's impossible to do a refund on a MoviePass card. Even I can do a refund on a credit card. Maybe MoviePass blocked the feature, but if there's one feature I wouldn't want to block, then it's the "refund" option.
quote: Monte L Fullmer
The money on the card wasn't the patrons in the first place. Money came from MP.
If you give cash back for a MP purchase, that person actually stole out of your cash drawer what wasn't his.
That isn't your problem, isn't it? The customer showed up at your doorstep with a valid method of payment. It was given to your customer in good faith by MoviePass.
If the customer wants a refund and is eligible for a refund, then you give them the refund. MoviePass is no party for you in this transaction. If the patron is required to reimburse the refund to MoviePass, then it's between them and your customer.
quote: Monte L Fullmer
Thus, the patron gets a re-ad or a pass in its place. The mgr is going to have to be firm with the box employees on this, for otherwise the cash drawers will be terribly short.
It's not really a get-rich-quick scheme, unless you manage to gather a few hundreds of those movie passes and have people all over the country trying to defraud MoviePass out of their money.
If the same guys end up at the information desk over and over again, asking for a refund, I guess their scheme is clear. You politely ask them to stay away from now on or you'll call the police. But besides some transaction fees and maybe some cash in the drawer, the movie theater isn't really losing anything here.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 01-15-2018 03:45 PM
quote: Dave Macaulay
The customer can't get a refund, they didn't pay for the ticket. If they want a pass I guess that's fine as they paid for a movie a day, but (to follow the rules) they would have to use it the same day.
Why not?
- Customer shows up at the information desk with a valid, fully paid ticket and asks for a refund.
- Optional step 1: Employee might ask for a receipt, maybe because the ticket doesn't list if it was bought using some discount program not eligible for a refund.
- Optional step 2: Patron produces a receipt that states it was paid in full by Credit Card. The receipt doesn't show it was paid using a MoviePass.
- Employee identifies patron is eligible and pays the refund to the patron.
So, I thought, let's check the very vague Terms of Service of MoviePass if said patron is actually allowed to do so. Their terms are very vague and mention all kinds of stuff they're not doing. It's more like they copied the Netflix terms of service and added a few lines of their own.
This might be the relevant passage:
2.14. You may use MoviePass Card to purchase a 2D movie ticket at a theater kiosk. You may not use MoviePass Card for any other purpose, including but not limited to, unauthorized purchases or purchases exceeding the value of a single movie ticket. MoviePass allows for a single valid transaction for a movie theater ticket. You acknowledge and agree that all funds on your MoviePass Card are the property of MoviePass. You do not have the right to stop payment on any transactions made with MoviePass. Your MoviePass Card is valid through the Valid Thru date printed on the MoviePass Card, except in states where prohibited by law. No reproduction will be accepted. MoviePass is non-refundable and non-transferable. If your MoviePass Card is lost or stolen, please contact MoviePass Customer Support immediately. There will be a $10 replacement fee charged to the payment method that you provided to us.
Source
The non-refundable part is about the pass and subscription fee itself, not about the actual transactions.
So, the current terms and services don't even seem to exclude the possibility of the patron asking for a refund for a ticket they bought with the funds of MoviePass. It also leaves the ownership of the refunded money up in the stars. It probably still belongs to MoviePass, but it's not explicitly claimed so in the terms and services.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
|
posted 01-15-2018 09:02 PM
Some time ago, we worried about the possibility a customer could purchase tickets with his card, then come back pre-show and ask for a cash refund, then contest the credit card purchase.
After fussing over that scenario for a while, I asked RTS to put a notation on the serial number line that simply says "Credit", if the ticket is purchased with a card.
With that in hand, we can easily see that the customer used SOME sort of credit card. We don't have to care which one, but we now require a card for any refund on a ticket with that notation.
I suppose a creative type could buy a ticket with MP, then turn around and present a personal card for his refund. That could probably be seen as a fraud of some sort, but at least the theatre wouldn't be holding the bag.
And as for fraud... maybe?? MP did their job and got you the ticket. They get to notch you up in their stats for the purchase. Maybe you used the theatre to pluck $10 bucks that really wasn't yours in the first place, but you didn't actually watch the show.
Maybe you've defrauded the theatre out of some labor time... not sure what kind of case there'd be though.
Geez... for $10? Well... a dedicated sort could pull off $310 on a given month. Maybe that would go for a while, until the computers at MP picked up the pattern.
Wouldn't put it past someone to actually try it though...
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 21 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 19 20 21
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic