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Topic: rant on stupid customers
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Edward Havens
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 614
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Mar 2008
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posted 08-07-2011 11:49 AM
Customers aren't getting stupider. They are getting more selfish and shallow. There is a distinct difference.
When a customer comes to me because "there are no more seats in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'," they aren't stupid because there are seats still in the theatre, and they aren't stupid because they should know better than to show up for an 8:20pm show at 8:25pm of the big new #1 opener. They are selfish and shallow because they think they are entitled to show up late for the big new #1 opener and have great seats just waiting for them. And the people in the theatre who eat up our capacity by leaving a seat between them and the next person on either side of them aren't stupid either. Just selfish and shallow.
The people who bring in plastic cups from Twilight: Eclipse expecting to get a free refill aren't stupid. They are selfish and shallow. Just because you bought a large collector's cup in 2009 doesn't mean I'm giving you free refills for the rest of your life. Again, not stupid. Just selfish and shallow.
The people who have to hit 0 to talk to a live person when all the info they wanted to know was easily and quickly accessible in our automated showtime system? Not stupid. Just selfish and shallow.
Texting during the movie? You'd think it's stupid. Why would anyone spend $8 or $11 or even $15.50 for a ticket to watch a movie, and then engage in activities they can do for free any other time they want? Because they are selfish and shallow. And the conversations they are having in text? Yep... not stupid, just selfish and shallow.
Most of society's problems can be the selfish and shallow proposition that "the customer is always right." Great in theory, but patently wrong in reality. I will always be polite and fair to my customers, and never mean to even the silliest of requests. I won't even raise my voice to the guy who threw his coffee on me because he drove eleven miles to see a movie that was only playing at my theatre and wanted to use a pass to see it even though the newspaper ad for the movie, the newspaper ad for my theatre, the recording for the theatre, the online listing at Moviefone, MovieTickets and Fandango AND the sign at the box office clearly stated "No Passes Accepted."
If what the customer is asking for is fair, I will help them. If they are asking for something absurd, I politely apologize, state I cannot assist them with their request and do my best to offer an alternate solution.
It's all a simple matter of outlook.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 08-07-2011 03:46 PM
quote: Justin Hamaker
They call the recording and pretend they didn't hear what they needed, but what they tell me makes it obvious that they not only got what they needed, but they know they already have their answer. For example, call and ask if Movie X is playing and when you say yes, they say "And it starts at ____".
Geez Justin, get with the game. Then you say "I'm sorry sir but I don't have that information in front of me. Let me transfer you, please hold." and then transfer them back to the recording. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Seriously though, what I find annoying are the recordings for companies like this:
Enter your account number
Enter your reason for calling (pay bill, balance, blah, blah)
Enter this
Enter that
Enter more shit
Ok, we are now transferring you to a "customer experience specialist spectacular"!
Hold forever
Human comes on line "what is your account number" and it all starts again. I already told your system that! Grrrrrrr.
Of course nothing, nothing, NOTHING is as bad as "voice recognition" menus. I have gotten to the point of responding with "blahbedbeblyfuckyewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" over and over. After 3-4 attempts the system realizes my "accent" is too thick to decipher and transfers me to a human...which brings us full circle back to Chris:
quote: Chris Slycord
You probably don't realize this but many automated phone systems aren't easy to navigate or quick in sending out the information. People are used to having to hit 0 just to get the information they need in a reasonable time.
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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1172
From: California, U.S.A.
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 08-08-2011 05:36 AM
One of my favorites was when a guy mis-read the website.
The movie page said:
"Daily at x,y,z
Starting Friday, (date here), daily at: a,b,c".
After finding out he'd have to wait an hour for the show he threw his ticket at the cashier and demanded a refund.
Berating the cashier all the while.
The only thing the cashier argued back with was "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do, the show is scheduled at -whatever time-"...To which the guy responded "You can make sure the f#@!ing website is right!".
As if the guy behind the ticket counter is peronsally responsible for the showtimes database....Hmm...
Hey Brad, when you get those voice recognition systems just start out saying "representative" or "operator". Works 99% of the time to bypass the menus. Sometimes you'll have to "state the nature of your call" but that's about it.
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Frank Cox
Film God
Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-08-2011 01:35 PM
I used to wear out an answering machine about once per year on my "movie hotline". Eventually some relay would quit and it would stop answering the phone.
My "hotline" is now on the telephone company's voicemail system -- I''ll wear out their machine now instead of mine.
Odd stories about customers:
My theatre is about the last place open in the downtown at night so some interesting people show up sometimes. I get a fair number of drunks coming in asking if I can phone a taxi for them and the like.
A few years back a little girl of maybe 5 or 6 years old came running in the front door in her nightgown, with bare feet. This was in October or so, so it was pretty cold to be outside, especially with bare feet. She ran in and said "Mommy's boyfriend is beating her up and she told me to run down here and tell you!"
Righty.
Somewhat to my surprise the girl could tell me her name and where she lived so I phoned the police emergency line and told them the story. I said "What should I do with this kid?" and the operator told me to keep her with me until someone comes to get her.
Luckily, my mother was here visiting at the time so she took the little girl and played with her and whatnot for a couple of hours, until a police officer showed up to take her away.
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I had a guy come in with a bucket of chicken one day. I told him he can't bring the chicken in, he said "fine" and off he went. Three minutes later he was back. With a burger!
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I used to have a guy who apparently came here to sleep. Every week or so he would come in, buy his ticket and go and sit in the back corner of the auditorium. When the show was over I would go and wake him up and he would go away again.
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There was an old guy who used to come to any movie that he figured would have naked women in it. He came to see Wild Things about 5 times, as I recall. One day I had a one-sheet in the front window with some scantily-clad women on it -- I can't remember which movie it was for. I walked out the front door in the morning to get the mail and that old guy was standing on the sidewalk in front of that poster. A half-hour or so later when I returned I saw that he was still standing there. Mid-afternoon I noticed that he was still there. I don't know how long he stood there but it must have been a good part of the day.
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The Tiger
I was standing on the front sidewalk one afternoon talking to Tank, the guy who owned the dry cleaning shop a few doors down from me. One of those travelling peddler guys who walk around with a cardboard box full of doodads and go from store to store walked by. We both told him that we didn't want any of whatever it is that he was selling so he carried on and was about to go in the door of the saddle shop on the corner. I called after him, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you."
He turned around and asked why. I said "The guy who owns that store has a tiger. It's like a watchdog. He keeps it behind the counter for protection."
Tank caught on right away and reinforced it. "Yeah, I would try to stay far away from that tiger. It's pretty big and you never know what it might do."
We went back and forth a couple of times between us about the size of the tiger, and whether it might be out of its cage right about now, it being mid-afternoon and all, "I saw it out back this morning but I haven't seen it since so it must be in the store", and so on, while this salesman's eyes just got bigger and bigger listening to us. After that pitch, he said "Thanks a lot for the warning, guys! I sure wouldn't want to go in any place with a tiger!" and took off at a very fast walk to the next block down the street.
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