In answer to the question of what can be done about this, I suppose the only
thing that can really be done is that a class action suit could be filed
with the accusation that Ticket Master is in violation of section 508 of the
rehabilitation act, and probably also the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Maybe one of the many blind lawyers that seem to exist could file the suit.
Too bad i don't know any or I'd ask them.  But seriously, I bet we could win
this one.  I'm not usually a rabble rouser, but this is rediculous!
Catherine Armstrong, distinctly NOT a lawyer, much to my aunt's chagrin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Killian" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 10:52 PM
Subject: Fw: [blindlikeme] Can Anything Be Done About Ticketmaster?


> ----- Original Message -----
> : From: "Mary Lorefice" <[log in to unmask]>
>  Subject: [blindlikeme] Can Anything Be Done About Ticketmaster?
> :
> :
> : > Morning everyone. The following article shows how indifferent some
> : services
> : > can be to the needs of blind consumers. I too ran into difficulties
with
> : > Ticketmaster. I wanted to order tickets for Dolly Parton. She's coming
to
> : > Toronto in September. I was doing great, till I came to that dreaded
"Word
> : > Verification" box. As you'll see in the following article, I'm not
alone.
> : >
> : > > Turned Away at the Virtual Box Office
> : > > 11 October 04
> : > > Christopher Danielsen
> : > > If you have ever purchased tickets to a major popular music concert,
> : > > sporting event, or theatrical performance, then you probably dealt
with
> : > > Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster is the largest retailer of major event
> : tickets
> : > > in
> : > > the United States. Venues from sports arenas to local theaters use
> : > > Ticketmaster to sell tickets to their events. Ticketmaster still
sells
> : > > tickets by way of its telephone outlets; generally, you can find a
local
> : > > or
> : > > regional number to call in order to reserve tickets. Like many other
> : > > retailers, however, Ticketmaster also sells its wares over the
Internet.
> : > > Until recently, it was possible for blind persons, like other
members of
> : > > the
> : > > general public, to use either Ticketmaster's charge-by-phone service
or
> : > > its
> : > > Web site to purchase tickets. However, as far as I can tell, it is
now
> : > > virtually impossible for a blind person to purchase tickets at
> : > > Ticketmaster.com.
> : > >
> : > > It was not always thus. Last year, I was able to score the last
> : available
> : > > tickets to see Jimmy Buffett at the Carolina Center in Columbia, SC
with
> : > > the
> : > > help of determination, good luck, and Ticketmaster.com. I was able
to
> : get
> : > > my
> : > > Buffett tickets because Ticketmaster allows you to store all of your
> : > > relevant shipping and billing information on its site, so if you can
> : find
> : > > seats for its computers to hold for you and click quickly through a
> : couple
> : > > of screens, you can have your tickets in minutes. At least, you
could in
> : > > the
> : > > spring of 2003.
> : > >
> : > > What has changed since then? The answer is that Ticketmaster, like
other
> : > > sites on the Internet that collect information they want to keep
secure
> : > > from
> : > > automated software, has adopted a technology called visual
verification.
> : > > Readers of the Braille Monitor may remember Curtis Chong's article
about
> : > > his
> : > > experience with Network Solutions, whose database of domain name
owners
> : > > was
> : > > unavailable to the blind without assistance because of this
technology.
> : > > (Network Solutions has since removed the visual verification
component
> : > > from
> : > > its Web site.) The basic idea behind visual verification is to give
the
> : > > Web
> : > > site's owner a way to tell whether a real human being is trying to
gain
> : > > access to the service or information being protected, as opposed to
> : > > automated software. (Ticketmaster is apparently concerned that
automated
> : > > scripts can be used to reserve large blocks of tickets, giving the
user
> : of
> : > > the automated program an unfair advantage in obtaining seating. This
> : > > concern
> : > > is certainly legitimate.)
> : > >
> : > > The technology works like this: An image containing characters or
words
> : is
> : > > displayed on the screen, and the user has to retype them in a box
before
> : > > being permitted access. The image of the characters to be typed is
not
> : > > plain
> : > > text, so screen readers can't detect it; it's also typically
somewhat
> : > > distorted so that it requires some work on the part of a sighted
user to
> : > > interpret it. Some sites that use this technology offer an
accommodation
> : > > for
> : > > blind users in the form of a link which plays an audio file of the
> : > > characters to be typed, or provides a customer service number for
the
> : user
> : > > to call so that a representative can complete the transaction. As
Mr.
> : > > Chong
> : > > reported, these solutions have their problems, but an imperfect
solution
> : > > is
> : > > better than none at all.
> : > >
> : > > On March 7, 2004, I was planning to look into snagging a few seats
at
> : > > Baltimore's brand new Hippodrome Theater for the Broadway musical
"Les
> : > > Miserables" for a few friends and myself. I was able to fill in the
form
> : > > explaining what kind of seating I desired, how much I was willing to
pay
> : > > for
> : > > it, and how many souls were involved, but when I clicked the
"submit"
> : > > button
> : > > I was greeted with the dreaded Visual Verification Screen. I wasn't
> : happy
> : > > to
> : > > see the visual verification monster rear its ugly head again, but
below
> : > > the
> : > > box where I was supposed to type the elusive secret word was a link
> : > > reading,
> : > > "Can't see the word?" I braced myself for whatever indignities I
would
> : be
> : > > asked to endure - listening to a garbled audio file and Brailling
its
> : > > contents before retyping them, calling a customer service number and
> : > > waiting
> : > > for a return call, offering a sacrifice to the gods that rule
> : cyberspace.
> : > > I
> : > > clicked the link. I got a pop-up window containing information that
my
> : > > screen reader couldn't interpret and a single, unlabeled link.
Clicking
> : on
> : > > this link only returned me to the visual verification screen. There
was
> : > > nothing left to do but email customer service. I did so, though I
had to
> : > > work my way through a form that was essentially inaccessible to do
it. I
> : > > specifically asked Ticketmaster whether there was any kind of
> : work-around
> : > > for blind customers to bypass the visual verification screen, such
as
> : > > listening to an audio file or calling a special customer service
number.
> : > >
> : > > To its credit, Ticketmaster's customer service department responded
> : > > immediately:
> : > >
> : > > "Dear Christopher,
> : > >
> : > > Thank you for your e-mail. We do apologize for your experience.
Although
> : > > there is no audio file provision to the word verification screen at
> : > > Ticketmaster.com, there is an accessible seating icon in the upper
right
> : > > corner of each event page. This icon will allow you to access an
> : > > accessible
> : > > seating form, which you may use to request sight impaired seating
for
> : your
> : > > desired event. The event page appears before the word verification
> : screen,
> : > > so you should experience no difficulty in placing your ticket order.
You
> : > > may
> : > > also request sight impaired seating through our Charge-By-Phone
lines if
> : > > you
> : > > prefer. . . . We hope that this answers your concerns. We look
forward
> : to
> : > > serving your needs in the future.
> : > >
> : > > If you have any further questions, please reply, and include all
> : previous
> : > > correspondence.
> : > >
> : > > Sincerely,
> : > >
> : > > Dan (Customer Support Supervisor)"
> : > >
> : > > I was unsure what was meant by the term "sight impaired seating" and
> : > > didn't
> : > > necessarily want my seating choices limited to the so-called
> : "accessible"
> : > > parts of the theater. However, not knowing what else to do, I did
what
> : the
> : > > customer service representative suggested. Requesting accessible
seating
> : > > proved to be a difficult proposition because the form I was supposed
to
> : > > use
> : > > to do so was, ironically enough, inaccessible. Specifically, tabbing
> : > > through
> : > > the form yielded only the repeated word "edit" from JAWS, indicating
> : that
> : > > proper labeling techniques had not been used on the Web site. As a
> : result,
> : > > identifying which information I was supposed to type in each of the
> : boxes
> : > > on
> : > > the form took approximately fifteen minutes. However, I did
successfully
> : > > complete the form and was rewarded with a screen stating that my
request
> : > > was
> : > > being processed and a customer service representative would get back
to
> : > > me.
> : > > An automated email from Ticketmaster.com arrived a few moments
later,
> : > > saying
> : > > that I would receive an email from a customer service representative
to
> : > > complete my request within an hour. An hour passed, but I did not
hear
> : > > from
> : > > Ticketmaster. Fortunately, Ticketmaster still operates a
charge-by-phone
> : > > service. I personally prefer to avoid it because it is slower and
more
> : > > cumbersome than using the Web site, but having been turned away at
the
> : > > virtual box office, I had no choice.
> : > >
> : > > I had a few more rounds of email correspondence with Ticketmaster,
in
> : > > which
> : > > I indicated that their accessible seating request form was
inaccessible
> : > > and
> : > > asked what blind computer users were supposed to do in the event
that
> : > > Ticketmaster offered special Internet promotions or advanced
Internet
> : > > sales.
> : > > I was assured that the accessible seating screen was intended to
address
> : > > all
> : > > of the needs of the disabled, including Internet promotions and
> : presales,
> : > > and that my concerns were being forwarded to Ticketmaster's
technical
> : > > research team for possible improvements to the Ticketmaster.com Web
> : site.
> : > >
> : > > I should note here that at the time I attempted to purchase the "Les
> : > > Miserables" tickets, I still had the same account I had used to
purchase
> : > > my
> : > > Jimmy Buffett tickets. This fact made no difference to
Ticketmaster's
> : > > security scheme. Like the Network Solutions site as it existed in
> : November
> : > > of 2003, Ticketmaster requires visual verification for each
transaction
> : on
> : > > its Web site, not merely for the creation of an account that can
later
> : be
> : > > used to purchase tickets without the need for verification. But
unlike
> : > > Network Solutions, which doesn't collect personal information from
users
> : > > of
> : > > its free "Who Is" domain registration database, Ticketmaster had my
> : > > personal
> : > > address, telephone number, and credit card information on file;
> : > > theoretically, it would have been easy for someone on Ticketmaster's
> : staff
> : > > to confirm who I was and conduct an investigation if I appeared to
be
> : > > trying
> : > > any funny business.
> : > >
> : > > Three weeks later, I received the following official-looking email
from
> : > > Ticketmaster:
> : > >
> : > > "Dear Mr. Danielsen:
> : > >
> : > > Thank you again for your email and your suggestions. While we are
proud
> : of
> : > > the services we offer as well as the efforts we have undertaken to
make
> : > > our
> : > > services accessible to all consumers, we are continuing to seek ways
to
> : > > make
> : > > our website even more user friendly. You have some interesting
> : > > suggestions,
> : > > and we have already initiated a project that we hope will address
your
> : > > concerns, including making it even easier to reach and utilize our
> : > > accessible seating page. As you know, Ticketmaster employs visual
> : > > verification technology on its website. We have chosen to use this
> : > > technology to prevent commercial users from taking advantage of
personal
> : > > users of tickets by using automatic scripts to buy tickets faster
and
> : > > ahead
> : > > of those buying for personal use. Nevertheless, we understand how
this
> : > > might
> : > > affect visually impaired consumers. While there are technological
> : hurdles
> : > > we
> : > > must overcome, we remain committed to seeking ways to make our
services
> : as
> : > > accessible as possible for all users.
> : > > We are glad you contacted us, and found your feedback to be quite
> : useful.
> : > > We
> : > > look forward to hearing from you again in the future, perhaps after
we
> : > > have
> : > > implemented some of the upgrades we are considering.
> : > >
> : > > Very truly yours,
> : > >
> : > > Ticketmaster
> : > >
> : > > Kandus Simpson
> : > > Director, Corporate Communications"
> : > >
> : > > Naturally, I was not entirely pleased with the email. It outlined no
> : > > specific steps Ticketmaster would take to rectify the problems I had
> : > > experienced and contained only thanks for my "interesting"
suggestions
> : and
> : > > vague assurances about Ticketmaster's commitment to accessibility.
The
> : > > message appeared to be that I should buzz off until later, however
> : > > politely
> : > > worded. I told Ms. Simpson as much in a reply email. Not wanting to
burn
> : > > any
> : > > bridges, however, I followed up with a relatively cordial telephone
> : call.
> : > > Ms. Simpson assured me that my email had gone all the way up the
chain
> : of
> : > > command at Ticketmaster, to the president and legal counsel, and
that
> : > > steps
> : > > would be taken to improve accessibility. She did not know what those
> : steps
> : > > would be, and specifically said that she was not sure Ticketmaster
would
> : > > abandon the use of visual verification technology. I followed up
with an
> : > > email suggesting ways the blind could be permitted to work around
the
> : > > visual
> : > > verification screen and offering the assistance of the Federation,
but I
> : > > have received no further correspondence from Ticketmaster. As of
this
> : > > writing, Ticketmaster's Web site does not appear to have changed
> : > > substantially.
> : > >
> : > > Why Worry?
> : > > Ticketmaster appears to believe that it has no obligation to serve
the
> : > > blind
> : > > other than to provide us with a means of requesting accessible
seating.
> : If
> : > > one doesn't want accessible seating or can't use the Web site, there
are
> : > > always the charge-by-phone numbers. However, in circumstances where
we
> : > > might
> : > > need to use the Web site, such as for special Internet-only presales
and
> : > > promotions, we are effectively being denied service. We are required
to
> : > > use
> : > > an accessible seating form that is in itself inaccessible and then
wait
> : > > for
> : > > a reply from customer service, which may never come. Meanwhile,
tickets
> : to
> : > > the event continue to sell and may be gone by the time we receive
any
> : > > reply.
> : > >
> : > > Ticketmaster is a major online retailer, probably the largest of its
> : kind
> : > > in
> : > > the nation. Not only has it chosen to use visual verification
> : technology,
> : > > but it also appears that no thought has been given to how the blind
will
> : > > access Ticketmaster's goods and services in light of our inability
to
> : work
> : > > with that technology. It further appears that no change in that
> : situation
> : > > is
> : > > coming any time soon. The fact that such a major retailer has chosen
to
> : > > ignore the needs of blind consumers is cause for concern.
> : > > Turned Away at the Virtual Box Office
> : > > 11 October 04
> : > > Christopher Danielsen
> : > > The Bigger Picture
> : > > As far as I can tell, the only good news in the area of visual
> : > > verification
> : > > is that the Internet community is becoming more aware of the issue,
> : which
> : > > will hopefully give other companies doing business on the Web pause
> : before
> : > > adopting this technology without considering the needs of blind
> : consumers.
> : > > In addition to the dropping of visual verification by Network
Solutions,
> : > > Cnet News.com published a story highlighting the problem, referring
> : > > readers
> : > > to a draft statement by the World Wide Web Consortium (commonly
called
> : the
> : > > W3C) criticizing visual verification as a security option and
suggesting
> : > > alternatives. The alternatives suggested included the kinds of
> : > > accommodations already being provided by some sites that use visual
> : > > verification, including playing an audio file or providing a special
> : > > customer service number, as well as discussing other nonvisual
security
> : > > alternatives. Ticketmaster was mentioned in the Cnet piece and
refused
> : to
> : > > comment.
> : > >
> : > > Perhaps it is impractical and unwarranted for the Federation to take
a
> : > > position against visual verification technology as a whole, given
that
> : the
> : > > security concerns this method is meant to address are legitimate.
But at
> : > > the
> : > > very least we must encourage Web developers and the corporations
that
> : > > employ
> : > > them to consider us when designing their security systems, and fight
for
> : > > access where we must. Ticketmaster should serve as a wake-up call;
it is
> : > > bad
> : > > enough when we are presented with barriers to obtaining information
from
> : a
> : > > database or opening free email accounts, but it is even worse when
we
> : are
> : > > denied the opportunity to purchase goods and services online when
the
> : rest
> : > > of the public can make such purchases easily. We are being told, in
> : > > effect,
> : > > that we cannot enter the virtual box office, or must wait at the
back
> : door
> : > > for service. This policy is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to
stand,
> : > > nor
> : > > can we allow other companies to follow suit.
> : >
> : > Mary L
> : > mailto:[log in to unmask]
> :
>
>
> --
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>
>
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>


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