Nu Metro, the theatre chain which forms part of the filmed entertainment division of Johnnic Communications, comprises 34 theatres in Southern Africa.
The chain`s Web site, designed by Kitsch Design and managed by Comitant.net, went live in November 2000.
Appearance
The site is colourful and vibrant - just what you`d expect for an entertainment site. It features surprisingly few graphics, although there are a number of banner ads and a very annoying promotional interstitial.
Functionality
The site is primarily a movie information and booking site. That said, it also allows users to purchase and register Nu Metro movie cards. It allows for personal profile management as well as registration to enter the various competitions that run on the site on an ongoing basis.
Upon first visiting the site, users are met with the following greeting: "Welcome to Nu Metro! Please register for great prizes."
All well and good, but there`s a key element missing from that section of the Web page - a button labelled "click here to register", or something similar. To register, one needs to venture into the profile management section, and there enter one`s Nu Metro movie club card number to achieve this goal.
Immediately after I registered, I tried out another of the site`s tools - a loyalty point checking system. Even though I had just registered, the form didn`t recognise me - something I`ve almost come to expect from consumer sites.
Navigation
An anchored navigation bar means that from the front page one can hop to any section of the site. The limitation makes itself evident when one tries to refresh any section of the site. One is immediately redirected to the front page, to start from scratch if one`s patience holds out.
Content quality
The site features a plot synopsis as well as other useful information, such as a brief credits list, running times and age restrictions for each movie currently on circuit. It also has an entertainment news and gossip section, Showbuzz, which appears to be updated every few days.
There are frequently updates on special events run through Nu Metro, as well as the competitions underway at any given time. In addition, there is a concise list of Nu Metro venues, complete with address and contact details.
Something which I feel is very definitely lacking is information on how the Nu Metro movie club card may be used as part of the Infinity loyalty programme. This nationwide initiative is mentioned in the blurb, but not explained, other than to say that most Nu Metro cinemas will have copies of the Infinity magazine. There isn`t even an external link to the Infinity Web site - but since that doesn`t seem high on functionality either, I suppose it`s not much of a loss either way.
Litmus test
Good luck trying to book tickets through this site. It makes use of the Computicket booking engine, and that has experienced more downtime than up over the last week. I tried to make a booking about twice a day, over a period of three days, with no luck whatsoever.
Although the booking transaction is secured through Computicket`s secure servers, the Nu Metro site has the most chilling lack of security I`ve ever come across. The card purchasing section of the site has a gaping security risk - the page has a Verisign button, but it is not at all secured, and a query of the certificates yields no information. This form calls for ID or passport number, and extensive credit card information. Clicking on the Verisign logo to verify the page security brings up an error message.
To add insult to injury, if a consumer is reckless enough to go through with the card purchase transaction, he or she is faced with a disclaimer that reads, "I hereby agree to abide by the rules of Infinity as set out in the Lifestyle Guide. I accept that benefits will change from time to time." It is followed up with an instruction to call a customer help line for further information.
What on earth is the Lifestyle Guide, and why is there no copy of this available on the Nu Metro site? For a company within the Johnnic group, this site displays an appalling lack of relevant consumer information and a decidedly chilling lack of adequate security.
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