Painful `no credit card, no talk' policy

22/01/2002

IF you don't have a credit card, forget about booking tickets for the 2002
Kuala Lumpur World Cup because the Malaysian Ringgit seems to have no
respect at Ticket Axcess counters.
A pathetic-looking ticketing counter has been set up at the National
Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil for the duration of the Six-Nation but more
enquiries than sales have been made four days into the tournament. Another
counter is at the official hotel, the Concorde, and there too only credit
cards are accepted.
The man selling goreng pisang opposite the ticketing counter has set up
his wares in a more interesting manner than the World Cup ticketing
agent's, Ticket Axcess.
Timesport received numerous e-mails from disgruntled fans who don't
understand the logic of having to produce a credit card to make ticket
bookings.
Yesterday, a Pakistani fan who came to watch the Japan-Pakistan match at
4pm was seen arguing with the counter staff.
"I want to make bookings for all the Pakistan matches in the World Cup
but I don't have a credit card. Are you saying that just because I am a
factory worker I cannot watch hockey in this country?" wailed the angry
fan.
Ticket sales have been anything but good since sales started two months
back and the Malaysian Hockey Federation has had to make three extensions
to the 40 per cent discount offered to Malaysian fans for the World Cup.
The Six-Nation was seen by many as an avenue to increase World Cup
ticket sales but with the policy practiced by World Cup ticketing agents
Ticket Axcess, sales have been painfully slow. When approached, the
ticketing staff admitted that there have been more enquiries than sales.
"We have been instructed to only accept bookings made with credit cards;
we have no authority to accept cash," said the ticketing counter staff
when timesport approached them with a bundle of cash to purchase tickets.
MHF secretary S. Satgunam was surprised when asked about Ticket Axcess'
stand on the matter.
"We received numerous complaints from the public saying that they were
not allowed to make bookings using cash, and I personally brought up the
issue with Ticket Axcess on the first day of the Six-Nation itself and
they told me that the problem would be rectified soon," said Satgunam.
But it looks like the tail is wagging the dog in this case because
Ticket Axcess has not bothered to accept cash even after being reminded by
the organisers who hired them in the fist place.
Timesport observed the ticketing counter for one hour yesterday and many
fans who turned up for the Six-Nation and wanted to purchase World Cup
tickets could not do so because they did not have credit cards.
To date, with about a month to go for the World Cup, not more than 15
per cent of tickets have been booked because the procedures to get them
are too tedious.
And to think 6,000 fans turned out to watch the Malaysia-Pakistan match
on Sunday and most of them could not get their hands on World Cup tickets
because they were from the poorer income group and did not have a credit
card in their wallet.
jugjet@nstp.com.my
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