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Author Topic: rant on stupid customers Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 12-31-2003 03:13 PM                     Yesterday- It was a fairly busy day. The only unusual aspect of the day was that our TV monitors (that show the film times) were out of order. I was amazed by the number of people that came up to me (while I'm working at a station on box office) and asked if we were closed! (bear in mind that our neon lights are switched on, there are lots of other customers in line at box office and there are lots of people around in the foyer and buying concessions right in front of these peoples eyes.)  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-05-2004 10:05 PM                     I give you the following scene. A transcription of actual events when I first began as an usher... INT. CINEMA - NIGHT A customer aproaches an usher. CUSTOMER: I can't seem to find my daughter, she's about 5 feet tall with dark hair and a black jacket. Have you seen her? USHER: No, ma'am. I'm sorry, I havn't. What movie were you guys watching? CUSTOMER: Sweet Home Alabama at 7:30. Is there a way you could page her? USHER: Actually, there isn't. Sorry about that. CUSTOMER: Why not? This is a big building, you should be able to page someone! USHER: Well, you see it would severely disrupt the 13 other films that are playing. I'm sorry, but it's just not something that you'd find in a theater. CUSTOMER: Well that's just silly. Can I talk to your manager please? USHER SLAPS FOREHEAD WISHING IT WAS CUSTOMER  |  IP: Logged R. Andrew Diercks Expert Film Handler Posts: 232 From: Marion, Iowa (In the middle of everywhere) Registered: May 2003 posted 01-06-2004 10:24 PM                     I'm a little late on this one, but I recently had a gentleman claim the diabetic reason for having a soda. He said he needed the sugar free soda. I explained that we have those options available as well as water. He then claimed that he was allergic to caffeine so the sugar free options I had weren't sufficient. After I took 4 other sodas from his family, I explained that I will look into a caffeine free diet soda, but I am not inclined to believe this was his only reason since the rest of his family also smuggled in soda, some of which we offer. I did also explain that next time he could keep his option as long as his family complied with the policy. After being very pissed at first, he left understanding and happy.  |  IP: Logged Linda Welch Film Handler Posts: 9 From: Arlington, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2003 posted 02-10-2004 12:07 AM                    I had a brilliantly stupid customer today. Actually, I don't know if she qualified as a customer, since our interaction was only on the phone, but here goes . . . Me: *standard canned greeting* Customer: I couldn't understand your recording, he was talking to fast, what times are you playing Barbershop 2? M: The first show is at 1:00, the next one is at 4:00. C: How long is it? M: It's 2 hours, ma'am. C: So, if I go to the 1:00 show, what time will it be over? *****WHAT??????? You're kidding me, right?????***** M: (after pausing, hoping she'll say, just kidding, or silly me, or some other self-mocking remark) The 1:00 show of Barbershop 2, which is 2 hours long, will be over at 3:00. C: Thanks. *click* Um, okay . . . WHY did I answer the phone????  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-10-2004 12:16 AM                        "How long is it"... referring to the length of the feature. "When will it be over"... referring to the extra time usually incurred by the barrage of ads and trailers that the public has come to expect.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 02-10-2004 02:31 AM                        A chat with Peter Hall over the weekend touched on an, erm, 'mutual acquaintance' from several years back which put this one into my mind - an incident which took place in the bar of a two-screen arthouse. It tended to attract 'blue rinse' tea drinkers in the afternoon and arty/studenty types in the evening. Late one Saturday there were a group of about five sitting in an alcove sofa, most of whom were getting pretty efficiently drunk and who also appeared to be smoking stuff they shouldn't, too. One of them attempted - with great effort - to walk to a neighbouring table to say hello to someone. In doing so he dropped his pint of beer, with the result that the bartender had to stop what she was doing (abandoning a queue of irate customers) and mop up the mess. About 10 minutes later this bloke got up again and headed for the bar (presumably for a refill). He was very unsteady on his feet by that time. Just as he reached the bar he knocked over an ornate table lamp, shattering its glass shade into several thousand pieces which scattered far and wide. At this point my colleague, who was on a coffee break, turned round to him and virtually screamed, 'LOOK, WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCK OFF AND DIE, ALRIGHT?' The Basil Fawlty approached worked - we never saw him again.  |  IP: Logged Sam Johnson II Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Waynesburg, KY, USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-10-2004 09:16 PM                     One day I was working box office, and sold some tickets to a lady about an hour before her show started. She then asked, "Can we go and eat before we watch the movie?" I almost burst out laughing. I wanted to say, "No. You see, if you read the back of your ticket carefully, you'll clearly see that, once tickets have been purchased, you are contractually bound to stay at the theater and not leave until the credits of your movie have finished. Violating this implied agreement will result in a lawsuit." But I instead replied, "Of course." If we could only have our own way with customers...well, we'd be out of business, but it'd make for some great times  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-24-2004 09:01 PM                     A customer calls and asks if "The Passion" is going to be in English or some foreign language. When I told him that the movie is going to be subtitled, he voiced his displeasure and then asked this gem... "When The Passion comes out on DVD will it be in english?"  |  IP: Logged Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 02-28-2004 10:36 PM                     I got a good one from tonight. I go into 50 First Dates before the show to check for outside food and other disturbances. There is a little girl in the front row with some fun size candies (Snickers, Reeses, Etc.) I tell her she can't have the food in there and she asked if fhe could put it under her seat. I told her that she could hold the candy in there if she promised me not to eat it in the film. I made the rest of my rounds and came back in the theatre and checked with the girl again. She had her friend there and they were eating the candy. Told her about the policy. Got some attitude from the girl's friend. I asked her to come to the box office and put the candy in a bag to hold till the end of the show. Going back to the film, she went into the Passion to tell her mom. Here mom comes out and starts chewing me out. Nice little interlude of her screaming at me. Told her to see my manager to allievieate the situation. She goes out and starts screaming at the manager that she spent 10.00 on soda and popcorn and wasn't going to spend 5.00 on candy. Manager sided with me on the situation and the lady finally stopped after missing about 15 mins just to yell about this issue.... People are so stupid sometimes  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-29-2004 12:28 PM                     This reminded me of the favorite mom's that come through the concession line with kids. And it's always when there's 40 other people waiting in line behind her. Mom says "Pick out something from the candy case". Kid points to some item. Mom says "No you can't have that, pick something else". Kid thinks for an eternity, then points to something else. Mom says "No, you can't have that either, Pick something else". this continues until the kid has pointed to almost everything in the candy case. AWWWWWWWWWWWW, Tell the kid what he CAN have. Geez.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-29-2004 01:24 PM                     Man, for Mel Gibson's sake, it was a little girl with candy! Was it really worth all of that confrontation just to show that you can enforce a policy? I can see if someone comes in with a bag of chips or sodas, but fun-sized candy?!? And to allow her to "hold it under her seat" if she "promised not to eat it?" You were asking for it. And she did buy other concessions... =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Emma Tomiak Expert Film Handler Posts: 238 From: Carrollton, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 02-29-2004 06:56 PM                        We recieved an utterly strange phone call today. A lady called and asked to speak to a manager. Our GM picked up the phone, and he said "Uh-huh.....yeah...ok.", hung up and started laughing. I asked about it, and he told me that the woman informed him that she was being followed and approached by people who were dressing up as police officers. She said that other people were watching her, too, and some were taking videos of her and following her. She asked that we not videotape her during her movie, and that we not let anyone know she was there. WTF? Best part is, she didn't leave a name, description of herself or the show and time she was going to watch. Weird.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 03-01-2004 02:22 AM                        I've voiced it before - Richard - that is HORRIBLE customer service. Your per capita did not suffer because she was eating a little candy. They purchased other concessions! Keep acting like the food Gestapo and the customers will go elsewhere.  |  IP: Logged Aldo Baez Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 03-01-2004 03:03 AM                    Why is it horrible customer service? Where do you draw the line? Do you let someone in if they have half a water bottle drank already? What if you walked in and she had fast food for her friends along with her candy? What if you don't serve coffee but there is a coffee shop across the street? I don't see how enforcing the rules is horrible customer service. So I'm assuming that you agree if they got in with outside food past door they should not be confronted. What about if they get passed the door without a ticket do you confront them in the theatre?  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-01-2004 03:46 AM                        i think a reasonable enforcement strategy is that if someone gets it past you at the door, you only crack down if there's a good reason that's not percap-oriented. i.e. it could be hazardous, disturbing to others (more so than what you already sell), or a pain in the butt to clean up. so zero tolerance for glass bottles, sardines, and sunflower seeds, but if someone sneaks in a snickers, you let it slide. and we would never crack down on a plastic bottle of water, even if we see it. hell, it saves you giving them a courtesy cup. carl  |  IP: Logged

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