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Topic: rant on stupid customers

Jaime Tuzzio
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: Salem, OR, USA
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 08-19-2008 06:48 AM

Edit: It's just not the same when it's on the NEXT PAGE. Oi.

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Sam King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Oct 2006

posted 08-21-2008 10:57 PM

Where is the Men's Room?
Just up there where that sign is that says "Men"

Where is theatre 4?
Right through the doorway underneath the word "FOUR". Also located convieniently between theatres three and five.

(At box office window) Where do I go?
Inside the building.
Oh ok.

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Steve Maggs
Film Handler

Posts: 22
From: Brisbane , Australia
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-21-2008 11:06 PM

I remember a few years ago one customer placed $12.30 on the counter after she asked for a ticket. She was told that she only needed $11 (I think that was our price at the time). She insisted that it said $12.30 on our board.

No lady - it says that the movie is on at 12.30....3.00 etc

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-21-2008 11:21 PM

quote: Sam King
Where do I go?

We get this occasionally from newcomers and I swear I just don't get it.

1. We only have one screen, with ONE title listed on the marquee.

2. Our lobby is very small - we have two short hallways that both lead directly to our one auditorium. You can see into the auditorium through the doorway the instant you come inside.

3. If you're late, you can hear the sound of the movie coming through the hallway and if you are far enough to the right, you can see the edge of the picture too.

And still they ask, "which way do I go?"

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Steve Maggs
Film Handler

Posts: 22
From: Brisbane , Australia
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-21-2008 11:44 PM

I thought I would post a few of the stories from the small booklet I wrote about 13 years ago of my experiences working in cinemas....

One day a patron came out and complained that there was a strange lady washing her hair brushes in the sink of the Ladies toilet. An usherette went to investigate. She found nothing at the sink but one cubicle door was closed. Upon looking, she could see hair brushes on the floor. She got down on her knees to look under the door. Instead of seeing feet, an upside down face stared at her. An old lady was doing a head stand in the cubicle. She told the usherette that she was doing her exercises and would not be long. Why would you do exercises in a toilet?...

A teenaged girl went into the cinema, watched the slides, film ads, trailers and the beginning of the film. After the film had been running for about twenty minutes she came out. I was changing some posters in the foyer. She came over to me and said, "Excuse me. How do you know when the movie has started?" I told her that usually the title of the film appears on the screen along with the names of the people acting in it. She thanked me and went back inside, I must stress that this was a genuine question and not someone trying to be stupid....

During the early to mid 1980's there was a period of ultra violent R - rated gang films. The R rating in Australia means that nobody under the age of 18 can be admitted. One of these was Class 0f 1984. It caused huge problems for us. The biggest problem was the kids who were turned away at the door would often seek revenge. Their favourite form of revenge was to go to the nearest telephone and tell us they had placed a bomb in the theatre. This meant that all four cinemas had to be evacuated and the Police Bomb Squad brought in. I had to evacuate a cinema one Saturday night. My theatre was completely full. The film had been screening for about forty five minutes when it stopped and I gave the instruction to quickly and calmly leave the theatre. Instead of leaving, they began laughing. The film being screened that night was Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl. The audience thought that I was a paid actor and that the break was a part of the show. Eventually they believed me and left. We all had to wait outside for about thirty minutes whilst the Police checked the cinemas....

Leonard once encountered an Indian lady who had a very strong accent. He found her very hard to understand. "Could you please tell me where de boot is?" she asked. Leonard told her that he was not sure of her meaning. After getting quite frustrated and repeating the question several times, she finally said, "You know. De telephone boot."....

and one for stupid staff...

The Manager was selling tickets one day when a lady came running up the stairs, After looking at the board she panted, "Oh! I ran for nothing. It's not on until 2,07." The Manager then told her that the film was on at 11,45am. She looked at the board again and re-stated that the board did say 2.07. Upon investigation the Manager found that the late night usher had, in fact, placed the finishing times, not the starting times for all sessions on the board. I gave that usher quite a stirring for that incident for many months.

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Chris Slycord
Film God

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

posted 08-22-2008 10:37 AM

We had a roped off waiting area and we would change a sign that said which auditorium number it would be for and as we seated, we would change the sign. All the time we'd get people who couldn't figure it out even after looking at their ticket telling them which auditorium number they were in.

With that in mind, one day we simply printed out a piece of paper and taped it to the sign which said "Minority Report" and underneath "10:30", clearly to indicate that the area was for people with tickets for that movie at that time. So a guy walks up to me with his ticket and looked at the huge line of people waiting for MP.

Him: What's that line for?
Me: Minority Report at 10:30
Him: That's a movie?!?!?!

And I was left flabbergasted. Apparently, in his world it is normal for a couple hundred people to stand in a herd on a Saturday night at a movie theater to not see a movie.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-22-2008 01:50 PM

quote:
Me: Minority Report at 10:30
Him: That's a movie?!?!?!

Or maybe he was reading the sign or what you said as one title.

Minority, report at 10:30.

Did you have a bunch of minorities in the line at 10:30 [Big Grin]

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Thomas Pitt
Master Film Handler

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

posted 08-22-2008 06:01 PM

I once happened to be leaving an auditorium for the bathroom during a movie, and happened to catch someone else complaining to the ticket collection usher. They said, and I quote, "The screen's fallen down a bit in there". I guess they weren't used to the fixed-width screen and top masking [Razz]

I was also in an auditorium recently and sitting behind me was a child and what looked like his grandmother. The child looked behind him at the portholes and said there was a "man up there" - to which the grandmother replied "It's just like a big TV these days. All automatic". I couldn't help myself and pointed out that it still was film, even in 2008 [Big Grin]

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Chris Slycord
Film God

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

posted 08-23-2008 01:25 AM

quote: Darryl Spicer
Did you have a bunch of minorities in the line at 10:30

Not really. Redmond, WA isn't exactly known for it's massive minority population. [Smile]

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James Westbrook
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1133
From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 08-24-2008 02:51 PM

We had a diode go out on Vicky Cristina Barcelona yesterday. I got it repaired and the customers who waited patiently got to see their entire movie. (The diode died about a few minutes into the feature. I had to cut film and drop the beginning back in.)
An impatient indignant woman said we absolutely,completely ruined her Saturday for her.
Absolutely, Completely Ruined. Forever.
Are we gifted or what?
We took care of those who couldn't stay but those who did were happy they got to see the feature, especially the parts that went dark earlier.

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Sam King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Oct 2006

posted 08-25-2008 12:58 AM

We get that ALOT. You ruined my entire evening, I must be compensated for gas, parking, MY TIME. It really makes me feel bad for humanity at some times.

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Matthew Kirwan
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Salinas, CA, USA
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 08-25-2008 11:19 AM

We have crappy top masking too, and had a similar incident. I drop masking, start the film, 30 seconds later on the radio: "Projection, a customer says the screen is falling off in 11."

A woman comes out at the end of a first showing of Miami Vice, complaining that the movie was missing reels, specifically that the first reel was missing, and wanted to speak to the builder (me). Supposedly she's an expert on everything film related, because she's in a screening guild. [Roll Eyes]

She wants her money back for ticket and concessions, free passes, and an apology from me because she missed the beginning of the movie. The next show has already started by then, so I have her follow me back into the auditorium just as the attached trailer is finishing up, and point to the giant "Universal" logo that graces the beginning of the feature. Only time I ever had a customer apologise to me.

Last showing of Scary Movie 4 one night, a woman with her two sons (about 9 and 11 respectively) comes out when the credits hit, and demands that she be issued a refund because she felt that the movie wasn't appropriate for her children. The manager flat-out asks her, "Then why did you stay for the entire feature? At this point, if you have a problem with the content, I suggest you write to the studio." I don't think she came back.

An older woman (at least 50's, older than me anyway) got caught using old tickets she had picked up off the ground outside to get into movies the next day at the same show time. Eventually an usher was smart enough to check the date, and refused her admittance. She actually came up to guest services and complained to management, saying "I've been doing this for months with no problem, why are you giving me a hard time now?" She was asked to leave and not return.

It seems that my town has a higher level of stupidity than most, I have dozens of these. This is just the pick of the litter.

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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 08-25-2008 12:46 PM

quote: James Westbrook
We had a diode go out on Vicky Cristina Barcelona yesterday. I got it repaired and the customers who waited patiently got to see their entire movie. (The diode died about a few minutes into the feature. I had to cut film and drop the beginning back in.)

There is no need to damage the film by cutting it... You can un-thread the projector and then pick up the take-up ring off the platter and wind the film onto the ring (you may have to pass the ring under conduits, or pipes etc...) and then drop it in without cutting any film.

quote: James Westbrook
We took care of those who couldn't stay but those who did were happy they got to see the feature, especially the parts that went dark earlier.

The customers that wanted to leave should have gotten thier money back for tix and concessions as well as a couple of passes. The people who stayed should still have been given a couple of passes wether they saw the whole movie or not. Equipment failure is not thier fault and they had to sit in a theatre for X amount of time while it was fixed. If you give the people more than they expect you can turn a negative situation into a positive and keep thier business in the future.

The cost of the passes will be negated by not losing X amount of customers future business forever.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-25-2008 12:59 PM

quote: Sean McKinnon
You can un-thread the projector and then pick up the take-up ring off the platter and wind the film onto the ring (you may have to pass the ring under conduits, or pipes etc...) and then drop it in without cutting any film.

I would think the amount of handling necessary to do that would potentially cause more damage to the film than a simple frame-line splice would. I'm not saying you couldn't do the unthreading without marring the film, but in the interest of getting back on the screen ASAP, I would do the cut/drop.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 08-25-2008 01:53 PM

I've done this rewind trick that Sean has mentioned many times and if one is careful enough when unwinding through the rollers and such, there is no scratching involved.

Granted, it's more complex than just doing the simple cut/drop method as Mike has mentioned, but that's just me to do the other way.

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