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STILETTO – a high pointed HEEL on a woman’s shoe or a small dagger. WHEELS – a medieval instrument of torture or a vehicle for personal mobility. |
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Me and EaZYD swung across to our local multiplex this weekend to see Avatar. The storyline piled cliché upon cliché – definitely the weakest component part – but it had a bloke in a wheelchair as the hero … even if they did give him legs for the heroics … visually, it was stunning and the, much vaunted, 3D animation really worked. Definitely worth seeing if you like fantasy movies and I do. What I really did not enjoy was the booking process. Wow, how to make a visit by your wheelchair user as difficult as possible. Thanks Myvue cinemas, thanks a lot! Previously, with a few clicks for online booking of 2 adult tickets, a short drive, reasonably easy parking – won’t mention all the non blue badge holders in the blue badge spaces …won’t… and the swipe of a credit card, we’re in the cinema. Fantastic. Minimum fuss, unobtrusive visit, in and out. No longer. I am barely able to articulate how mad this makes me! |
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This week, I went online to book and, suddenly (maybe not totally suddenly as it’s been a dire year for big films and I have been busy!), there are about ten ticket choices – adult, adult VIP, child, child VIP, senior, senior VIP – you see a pattern? So where is the wheelchair, wheelchair VIP? You got it! Notable by its absence! Surprise - no VIP status for a wheelchair just ‘special’ treatment and doesn’t that notion just make you shudder? We, and we alone, get the special pleasure of having to call a number, pass through a number of those, deeply annoying, press this, that and the other voice messages before – after 10 minutes for me – I eventually spoke to a person. I was then informed that because each wheelchair user pays a full price but gets a carer in free, I would have to do this for each visit. Additionally, I could not pay ahead and swipe my card on arrival but would have to reserve the tickets, queue and pay on the day. My instinctive response was incredulity. Are you kidding me? Not only does this add additional time and aggravation, have you seen the foyer of their cinemas for popular films? |
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