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Topic: The stupid are spreading their stupidness

Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 07-19-2008 12:19 PM

Well, maybe I'm stupid, too... I absolutely could not follow what you just wrote. [Razz]

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 07-19-2008 12:37 PM

And it was pretty much verbatim... so what does that tell you? [Smile]

Essentially, a staff member said someone complained that "they could here us in the back speaker." Then when asked what that meant and which auditorium was having the problem, he didn't answer to either and later the booth manager headed downstairs to figure out what the heck the complaint was about and came back up and the staff member in question still was unable to explain what was meant.

This is one thing I hate:
A staff member hears some vague complaint about a certain auditorium and instead of either going into the room and checking it out or at least asking for a short explanation from the guest, they relay to us a useless description to a problem.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-2008 01:06 PM

That's no different than the classic "the sound is broken" or "the THX isn't on" complaint...only to find out it is a quiet dialogue scene where only the center channel is being used. [Roll Eyes]

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 07-19-2008 02:01 PM

Tom, how sound proof is your booth? He said they could hear you in the back speaker. Someone may have made that complaint if you were talking in the booth and it could be heard in the house. A patron might have perceived that as coming from a rear speaker. In one of the theatres we have a wall-to-wall port window and if I talk above hushed level in the booth, the people in the balcony can hear me.

Just a thought.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-19-2008 03:06 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
This is one thing I hate:
A staff member hears some vague complaint about a certain auditorium and instead of either going into the room and checking it out or at least asking for a short explanation from the guest, they relay to us a useless description to a problem.

You're fortunate that a staff member even called up. Not long ago this happened:

7:00 PM Indiana Jones IV with 12 in attendance . . .

BOX ATTENDANT: Manager, please come to the Box Office. A customer wants a refund.

ME (figuring possibly film related given time of the call): What's wrong?

BOX ATTENDANT: The sound messed up in Indiana Jones.

ME (frustrated with the attendant): Why didn't you call when the customer first came out?!

BOX ATTENDANT: I don't know.

ME: OK its fixed!

BOX ATTENDANT: What for, we already gave the refund.

UNBELIEVABLE !!!!

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 07-19-2008 03:09 PM

Frank,

I was the one who wrote the thing up. Tim (not Tom [Razz]

) was just responding to me.

I remembered how at my old theater the port glass allowed through the sound of the small slide-projector when the film was off so I asked someone else the same thing and they said that during the screenings they had if he tried yelling at the person that was in the back row (since he needed their attention), they couldn't hear him.

But regardless, I still have no idea IF there ever was a problem to begin with. It's entirely possible the "back speaker" noise was simply background from the movie or another person talking inside the auditorium. And since the person taking the complaint didn't tell us which auditorium it happened in, I was left going "All we know is one of the 30 screens may or may not have a problem."

quote: Aaron Mehocic
BOX ATTENDANT: What for, we already gave the refund.

Giving the refund is fine... suggesting that fixing a problem is unneeded because the only person complaining already got their refund is ridiculous. But obviously you already know that since you seem peeved about it. [Smile]

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Thomas Pitt
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: May 2007

posted 07-19-2008 03:29 PM

Whenever there's a problem when I'm watching a movie, I wait until the movie is over (unless it's a severe problem, like no picture). I then find the nearest member of floor staff, and tell them in detail what was wrong with the presentation.

After that, while walking away I often see the staff member on the radio or internal telephone to the projectionist, relaying my message. I have to wonder though, how much of my detailed message gets through? Perhaps I should listen next time and see how much detail is given to the projectionist [Wink]

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-19-2008 03:32 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
But obviously you already know that since you seem peeved about it.

I was peeved. What made it even worse for me was later that night the rest of the staff just laughed it off as the ditz employee who said something stupid. "Don't worry, its just so-and-so . . ." was the reply.

Well, yes it just might be so-and-so, but its crap like that that can ruin a staff. Young workers seeing what happened and not doing anything when it happens to them is a recipe for disaster.

Had that been my home-base theater, the managers there would have sent her packing (or at least two weeks off the schedule).

[ 07-19-2008, 04:11 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]

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Michael Brown
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1522
From: Bradford, England
Registered: May 2001

posted 07-19-2008 03:57 PM

who's post are you quoting Arron? ~I've lost the flow of this thread.

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Andy Muirhead
Master Film Handler

Posts: 323
From: Galashiels, Scotland
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 07-19-2008 08:22 PM

quote: Thomas Pitt
Whenever there's a problem when I'm watching a movie, I wait until the movie is over

Sorry Thomas, but I hate that attitude when dealing with customer complaints. Obviously we can't be everywhere but as soon as we are alerted to a problem, it is sorted IMMEDIATELY. I often come across customers complaining on leaving (whether it be technical, or other customers causing a disturbance, or anything). I always stress that if they make staff aware of the issue it would have been sorted immediately, after the event, there isn't much we can do.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 07-19-2008 08:37 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
This is one thing I hate:
A staff member hears some vague complaint about a certain auditorium and instead of either going into the room and checking it out or at least asking for a short explanation from the guest, they relay to us

Hey, Chris, try working in the service business these days! LOL! [Wink]

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 07-19-2008 09:59 PM

Tim; recently drove 5 hours to a theatre to work on LED/sound issues. "While you are here. . . . .work on these items also." Great! If I had known (received a letter listing all(?) complaints the day before) I would have brought all of the parts to do so. All I could do is make a list for next time. Louis

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Kenneth Wuepper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1026
From: Saginaw, MI, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 07-20-2008 06:55 AM

Service delays are not new. In the 1960s the Butterfield chain used Altec service. The technician for Michigan came from Chicago. He would make a list of the worn parts, place an order for them and leave. The next month he would return and, if the parts were there, install and adjust them.

Once he came and installed a new gear in the sound head. I got the next shift after the install and noticed that one of the sprockets of the sound head was crawling out of position. Seems he forgot to tighten the set screw to the shaft. The technician was already driving back to Chicago and could not be reached.
Our manager had to get permission from Altec for us to open the machine and tighten the screw without voiding our service contract.

KEN

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 07-20-2008 08:44 AM

quote: Thomas Pitt
Whenever there's a problem when I'm watching a movie, I wait until the movie is over (unless it's a severe problem, like no picture). I then find the nearest member of floor staff, and tell them in detail what was wrong with the presentation.

I wish I had the self-control to do that! Saw There Will Be Blood at the Odeon Wimbledon a few months ago, and the feature started just very fractionally out of rack, as in the bottom matte line just fractionally vibrating off the masking and into the picture. After about 10 minutes it got so annoying that I thought that if I didn't ask for it to be corrected, I'd come away from that show not remembering much about the film but fixated on that f***ing frame line! So I got up and asked an usher to ask the projectionist to put the picture back in rack (saying that it was just off at the bottom), and to the credit of the staff there, it happened within 2-3 minutes.

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Thomas Pitt
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: May 2007

posted 07-20-2008 12:46 PM

Not to change the subject of this thread, but here's what I would class as 'severe' problems; need reporting right away:

* No picture or partial picture (aperture plate or turret out of place)
* No sound or unwanted sound (e.g. if some or all channels go to white noise)
* Badly out of frame; half the image off screen
* Masking incorrectly set; covering up part of image
* Wrong lens/plate selected for feature (flat for scope film or vice versa)

The following I would class as more 'minor' problems and could probably wait until the end of the feature - i.e. doesn't interfere too much with enjoyment of the movie:

* One surround sound channel missing
* Auditorium lights shining on the screen (often there is nothing the staff can do about this; it's up to the architect)
* Torn speaker buzzing occasionally, but not enough to be distracting
* Projector very slightly misaligned to the screen, or minor framing error
* Projection booth lights spilling into the auditorium

Also, if there is an individual or group of people causing a disturbance (being noisy), I would go and tell one of the floor staff straight away.

The times when I have complained about a 'severe' problem, like one of those in the first list, it's either been fixed within a couple of minutes or the show cancelled and a refund given.

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