my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » rant on stupid customers (Page 39)

This topic comprises 75 pages: 1  2  3  ...  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  ...  73  74  75

Author Topic: rant on stupid customers Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 12-05-2006 11:51 AM                        quote: Charles Phillips The only time I'd draw the line is when they touch you or threaten some one. Either it be you, your employees, or another customer. Or damn near break the doors. She did damage them, though I was able to fix them. Had I had not answered the door, she would have broken in.  |  IP: Logged Jim Ziegler Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 753 From: West Hollywood, CA Registered: Jul 99 posted 12-16-2006 07:55 PM                     I draw the line at violence, threats of violence, damage to property, anything else illegal, general unruly behavior, or refusing to comply with a reasonable request of staff (i.e. stop talkig on their cell phone in the movie). Generally, I expect people to act civilized, and if they won't, they can go be uncivilized somewhere else. The rest of our customers appreciate that we don't put up with the same crap that the megas in the area do.  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 12-24-2006 10:07 PM                        quote: Jim Ziegler I draw the line at violence, threats of violence, damage to property, anything else illegal, general unruly behavior, or refusing to comply with a reasonable request of staff (i.e. stop talkig on their cell phone in the movie). Generally, I expect people to act civilized, and if they won't, they can go be uncivilized somewhere else. The rest of our customers appreciate that we don't put up with the same crap that the megas in the area do. OK, so how do you handle the confrontation? Some 250 pound, 6 foot 4" guy is talking on his cellphone. You politely ask him to stop and he doesn't. Or he tells you to go screw yourself, he paid his money and he'll do whatever he wants. Do you have five big security guards to carry him out? Do you call the police? What do you do? I witnessed a scene once where a woman was thrown out after loudly talking on a phone and she was screaming, fighting and cursing the whole way out.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-26-2006 02:41 AM                        quote: Martin Brooks What do you do? Maybe it's just the small town I live in, but I've never had a patron who wouldn't do as they're told, if sometimes begrudgingly. I've never had to call the cops. But, if a big guy as you describe wouldn't shut off his cellphone, I would just say "Fine...I'll call the police and maybe you'll turn it off for them." And then walk away quickly...let's not get stupid about it, as Bill Engvall would say.  |  IP: Logged John Joseph Fink Film Handler Posts: 60 From: West Hartford, CT Registered: Feb 2006 posted 01-01-2007 09:51 PM                        Then there are theaters that use the police for various functions, last time I was at AMC Loews Wayne, they were using police to rip tickets, had there been a projection problem I would have called 911 to get it resolved. This is a theater that attracts a rough crowd, but building ushers and managers never themselves ask a patron to quite down or stop using a cell phone, the responce you get is "Oh, we'll get the police in there to take of that for you, sir".  |  IP: Logged Kara J. McVay Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Delaware, OH Registered: May 2002 posted 01-02-2007 08:34 PM                        1:45 New Years Eve matinee showing of "Night At The Museum", hit the start button and the ignitor switch in the lamp blows up and catches fire. No one hurt, put fire out without spreading beyond the back of the lamp house. Some customers that got in with passes wanted their money back and others wanted their money back for their concessions that they ate 1/2 of already WTF. They are lucky I was not out front, they would have not liked my answers. Did give the people who had the passes more passes and told the greedy SOB's "NO" on the refund on their food  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-03-2007 01:41 AM                     Gotta love a greedy dingleberry. My current favorite is the "is the owner in?"...I had a lady ask to talk to the owner once because the temperature was too cold. It must be the fact that I'm only 22 or that the previous manager seemed to lead people to believe he owned the place but I get a lot of "You're not the manager." ever since I came up here...  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 03-05-2008 09:27 AM                 It has been 427 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Sonja O'Reilly Film Handler Posts: 18 From: San Diego County, CA, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-05-2008 09:27 AM                     I have to bring this back because of what happened last October. I live in Southern California. As the rest of the nation has caught on that FOREST FIRES are the things you have to look out for, not earthquakes, in California, we were due for our four-yearly big scary fire. The Sunday night of the fires the Santa Anas were blowing mightily (has anyone ever felt an evil wind? that's what it was). I drove around the area most of the night, watching things burn. I had about an hour sleep when I was called in by my GM. He was evacuating from his area and had to move south with his family. He calmly told me that he would be back up to help out at the building later in the day. I went to work and met up with the Concession Manager and the Box Manager. I also thought to call our A/C company and have them close down the outside vents (which prevented our lobby from getting extra ash). We farted about, watching the news on the little B/W tv, waiting to get the go ahead to open. There was a fire burning on the mountain ten miles south of us and a giant smoke cloud was headed towards us. About an hour into our wait, customers began to appear. Some people I think had evacuated, some bored, some had kids out of school, and when I told them we weren't sure if we were going to open, some got mad, some confused-asking me why not? I'd point at the mountain that WAS ON FIRE, saying that the fires may prevent us and they'd just say, "Well, that's not here." I wanted to scream that contrary to what they may think, we do not live at the movie theatre and that most people are spread around the county. I live in an area that was an evacuation area (but we really saw no need to evacuate). I was livid. I think some of the people were new to the county and hadn't been through the fires of '03 and just thought they would evacuate for a few hours and go home. I don't think they knew they could be gone for days or even forever if their house burned. I was just frustrated that they didn't care if the air quality was good, let's go to the movies. Our air quality was bad. I could smell smoke in the booth. Another theatre in our area had severe ash and soot problems on their platters. I know there is nothing to do when the whole county shuts down, but I would much rather be at home with my friends than at work worrying about them. So yeah. We did open. All the movies that those customers wanted to watch didn't play til later on (for which I was called unprofessional from some nasty old man, because I control the start times and our opening time, apparently). We closed down an hour later and let the started movies run through. But we did enjoy some pizza and I got some interesting pictures of the fire and the last day of blue sky for almost a week. So yeah, that's my rant. Sorry its incoherent.  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 03-06-2008 01:16 AM                     Sonja, Not too long ago, I saw security camera footage of some department store that had a fire in the back of it. Despite the fact that flames were visible, and that the store could likely go up quickly, customers still meandered around. This could be natural selection trying to take hold.  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-06-2008 08:41 AM                        When I managed the Neonopolis 14 in Las Vegas - I got a call on the radio one day that there was a fire in theatre #8. I walked down to that auditorium thinking it was an exaggeration, when I walked up to the door I saw orange flames through the glass. I thought "Holy Crap" - the theatre is on fire!! I had someone call 911 and then I walked in the theatre. The small audience was still watching the movie! I asked them to get up and leave, but they DID NOT until we shut off the projector! 3 seats were fully engulfed in flames and the movie was shut off before these people RELUCTANTLY left the theatre. They then were more concerned with seeing the last part of the movie than anyone's safety.  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 03-06-2008 11:32 AM                        What was the film?  |  IP: Logged Timothy Eiler Expert Film Handler Posts: 126 From: Litchfield , Minnesota, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-06-2008 01:32 PM                        quote: Geoff Jones What was the film? Maybe it was Backdraft  |  IP: Logged John Winebarger Film Handler Posts: 4 From: Gloucester, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 03-07-2008 12:50 AM                        How about those parents who think a 7 dollar ticket for their 13 year old constitutes an obligation for us to babysit? Last Friday I was projectionist. We had another projectionist working the floor because she's pregnant and unable to work upstairs. We had her seated at back drop tearing tickets. We always have trouble with the young kids on Fridays in the PG13 movies. Who doesn't? But that night was especially wonderful. I, after going to start Witless Protection on screen 2, noticed that the whole group of pre-teens in the front section was rather rowdy. I called for some security (in the form of off-duty Sheriff's Deputies) on the walkie to settle them down before I start it. With that done, I started it, and one of the deputies stayed and babysat the auditorium. After the 7-set ended I came downstairs to check on things, and stood and talked for a couple minutes with the manager and that other projectionist at back drop. Well, a group of about 6 of those kids kept popping in and out of the theatre, and after a couple times we told them that they could either go straight back into that movie or leave permanently. Most of the group froze, but one smartmouth kept going and we kicked him out, much to his friends' dismay. Well, 20 minutes later, the boy's mother (a lawyer no less) shows up and begins screaming at the manager in the middle of the lobby. By that point in this particularly horrible night, that particular manager had had enough. It went something like this... CUST: "What business do you have kicking my son out of this movie? He's a good boy!" MGR: "Ma'am, he was running in and out of the auditorium causing a disruption to the other patrons. He was also disrespectful to the staff." CUST: "Ridiculous! He's a thirteen year old boy and you have no business kicking him out of the building. When I arrived, I found him in front of Food Lion!" (we're located in a shopping center and share a parking lot with Food Lion) "He could have been hit by a car crossing the lot! If anything had happened to him I would have owned this theatre!! When I pay 7 dollars for a ticket, my son becomes your responsibility!" MGR: "Oh, I beg to differ! I did not tell your son to cross the parking lot and wander about the shopping center." CUST: "Well they don't have a lot of common sense at that age and it's your responsibility to watch him!" MGR: "Well if your son lacks common sense, what are you doing leaving him alone at a movie theatre at night without parental supervision?" Finally the woman runs out of argument, and leaves in an angry huff, professing to never return. That was just the gist of it. It went on for several minutes. Not exactly the most diplomatic of ways to handle it, but this particular group had been a problem before and my manager wasn't having any of it. I think the manager held up pretty well in the face of what she was dealing with. Thankfully we were in a break and the lobby was virtually empty. This time the customer was not right. On top of that, we had to kick out 2 entire rows from Jumper, and had to get the other deputy to deal with two girls who said "F--- you!" to that other projectionist who was tearing tickets after she asked them to leave for coming in and out. Also, another kicked out group decided to curse out the manager on the way out. The disrespectful kids are ruining it for everyone! What happened? We're a small town 8-plex for God's sake! The past few weeks have been among the worst I have seen.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 03-07-2008 08:38 AM                     We are right across the road from a mall. We have problems with MALL RATS every weekend. They will do their best to disrupt the movies, get past the box office, bring their own food in, or generally trash / vandalize the theatres. I personally have not had to deal with an outraged parent, recently, but I often dont start the show until our security goes into a theatre where kids are down front messing around, messing with the curtains on the walls, or the worst, messing with the screen itself.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 75 pages: 1  2  3  ...  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  ...  73  74  75

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.