Mini festival 'The National Theatre Week' abuses Home Shopping Guarantee logo

The National Theatre Week is new and very small. And, strange for a small festival, advertises big on the site with the logo for the Home Shopping Guarantee. That raised questions. Because clicking on the logo of the guarantee produces a completely different result. By the way, it is not criminal, if you use the logo of Thuiswinkel-waarborg without being affiliated to it, but it is considerable lying. According to communications man Richard Zuidgeest, organiser of National Theatre Week, however, we should not see it that way: 'By putting that logo on our site, we show that we are a reliable party and do not buy tickets in bulk that we resell for a lot of money.' With this he also refers to the site weetwaarjekoopt.nl, which can be accessed via the link to home shopping guarantee. And that site does indeed warn against rogue resellers. But so Richard Zuidgeest is not, he informs us.

However, he has since given it some thought, and contacted the Thuiswinkel organisation, which issues the guarantee. Very quickly, the site was then updated, because carrying the logo without being affiliated is indeed not allowed. That carries a fine of up to €450,000, and the organisation behind Theatre Week does not have that kind of money. So they changed the site, and moments later it said that their payment service provider was affiliated with Thuiswinkel Waarborg.

And that was another lie, and another illegal use of the logo. Because Icepay, National Theatre Week's payment provider is only business partner of Thuiswinkelwaarborg, and not affiliated to the club. So use of the logo is only allowed to affiliates. Thuiswinkelwaarborg will contact Richard Zuidgeest again. We will keep you informed.

So is this a rogue club, or just a bunch of amateurs? That question lingers a bit over the market. After all, the aim is good: National Theatre Week wants to let a wide audience know that theatre has to be fun and not boring. The programme featuring only try-outs by comedians promises just that.

But why does a theatre ticket for the programme 'FUD:GE' in Diligentia at the box office only €12.50, while it costs €15.00 through Theatre Week? According to Richard Zuidgeest, that's because the festival covers the extra cost elsewhere. And that's right, we observed. Because if you go to see Jeroen Leenders at De Meervaart via the theatre week, you're €3.50 cheaper.

Remains a question as to what those unclickable logos of Paypal and do iDeal on the site: 'With that, we indicate that you can pay via Paypal.' And even those logos now link to a site that says that.

National Theatre Week, which does not last a week and is not National, as it can only be experienced in a handful of theatres in the Randstad region, aims to be nationwide next year.

We will, as always, keep you updated.

Update 17:30: Meanwhile, the text 'affiliated with' has been replaced by 'business partner of'. But the logo is still there. Against the wishes of Thuiswinkel Waarborg. Interesting little club, that puuree.net, the organisation behind National Theatre Week, which is otherwise not mentioned on the site

Update 10-8-2011, 10:00. The Home Shopping Guarantee vignette has disappeared. Turns out the InHolland student can learn something after all. Now just get rid of those distrustful half-dead links to Paypal and iDeal and the site might start doing what it was made for: providing relevant info. Send us a bill for internship support. To InHolland.