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Author Topic: Academy 6 in Pasadena SUCKS!!! (and how to manage customer complaints) Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-08-2004 03:09 PM                        I am in total agreement with Jack. The customer is NOT always right, in fact 99% of the time they are blatantly WRONG. They perceive they are right, but in fact they are not. Good example: Saturday night, I had a guy walk up to the concessions window and exclaim loudly to everyone "These Whoppers are stale, I want another box". I, thinking that's is surely possible with any boxed candy, I just take his old ones and hand him another box. He stands there, opens the new box and says... these are stale too. I go back to the store room, bring up an un-opened case of 48 boxes of Whoppers, and give him one of those. He takes them opens them up and says... "No, these are stale too. I take the candy from him, eat from the same box he had and say.."Nope... that's how it's susposed to taste". Then he says.. I know, I just don't like Whoppers.. can I trade them for a free box of Milk Duds. I looked at him and said NO!! I've opened 4 different boxes of candy, of which none of them I can now sell to anyone else... all because he decided he doesn't like that brand of candy in the first place!  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 09-08-2004 03:29 PM                     As a customer, I agree that the customer is not always right. It's not fair to a customer who has a legit beef to wait behind some moron whining about a non issue. It's also not fair to the employee who gets a minimum wage to deal with such unwarranted abuse. In this case, Manny clearly was a victim and the lady should have bent over backwards(obviously, no pun intended) to make him happy. He should have been refunded his money AND be given a free pass as a gesture to make up for his lost time.  |  IP: Logged Brandon Willis Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Richmond, VA, USA Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-09-2004 11:02 AM                     Jim - how'd you get rid of all the hoodlums? Did you just get the cops to run them out every weekend or what?  |  IP: Logged Kyle McEachern Expert Film Handler Posts: 165 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Feb 2004 posted 09-09-2004 05:24 PM                 At one theatre I was at, a memo was sent out from the owner in the monthly newsletter or something of the sort, and the first line was "The customer is NOT always right...but it doesn't matter." -- most of the time yes, they're flat-out wrong, but they're the customer, they're the consumer, they're the one making the effort to come spend money at your establishment, and in general they probably will again if they have a pleasant experience. So if they're flat-out wrong, suck it up, deal with them, laugh at them behind their backs later, and move on. Don't know how I feel about the theory, but that was supposed to be "company policy".  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-09-2004 09:56 PM                     We had a customer who stood up during the previews and began screaming at the other people in the auditorium: "WE'RE PAYING $8 TO WATCHING FUCKING COMMERCIALS! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" and on and on and on. He then migrated out to the box office and proceeded to yell at the people in line: "YOU ARE GUYS ARE FUCKING PAYING $8 TO WATCH 20 MINUTES OF GARBAGE! YOU'RE GETTING FUCKING RIPPED OFF!" Please note I can't remember the entire 'script' but needless to say there were a lot more explitives in the full speech. So you see, the customer is NOT always right. I'd like to know who here would have given this man passes. As a side note-I of course agree with his sentiment but his method of expression was clearly uncalled for.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-10-2004 02:31 PM                        I would have asked the guy to leave, but before that I would have tried to remind him that the commercials were being thrown in for FREE, and the $8 movie he was paying for would be presented uninterrupted. However, considering his language he was probably a neanderthal anyway and would have probably required the cops for removal. I am always very cooperative and accommodating with the occasional people who have complaints, but if they start throwing foul language at me, my level of tolerance (and my willingness to give them what they want) starts to drop very rapidly. "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-10-2004 09:29 PM                        The customer being right applies only to customers. When someone starts cursing, I no longer consider them to be a customer. At that point, they are a nuisance, and are treated as such.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-10-2004 10:03 PM                     So if you were managing that theater Manny went to and your box office person didn't give him his money after he asked initially, then he spoke to you and dropped "a word" somewhere, you would no longer treat them properly? Sorry, but when the theater is wrong (and in this case, flat out wrong), Manny has every right to do more than just curse, because the theater stole from him. IMHO, a good manager will have taken care of the problem before the customer feels the need to start cursing in the first place, whether that be staff training, or his/her own manner of handling the problem. Of course there will always be customers who will start yelling and dropping "words" right off of the bat, but that is mostly attributed to being treated poorly in the past (not necessarily by your establishment). Managers have to be able to handle a few naughty words now and then. (Oh by the way...stupid fuck moron shit damn cock asshole Barbara Streisand. See, bad words only hurt if you let them. ) Anyway, don't mistake me for thinking that some customers shouldn't be ran off or allowed to "never come back", because some of them really aren't worth the hassle and problems they do cause. I just felt like turning the last comment around since I got the jest of it as an absolute statement. (Plus I bet Mike's theater runs movies that have naughty words too! )  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-10-2004 11:53 PM                     Let me preface this first by saying Manny clearly should have received a cash refund without any delay or double talk. However, one's right to a refund doesn't necessarily give him the right to dole out a bunch of verbal abuse. quote: Manny Knowles About getting beligerent: Sometimes it is called for. Sometimes it's the only way to get what you're entitled to. That really depends on the specific person you're targeting with the beligerence. 99% of time, customers will spray hateful profanity at somebody not even involved with the problem. They just find someone on staff and simply unload. Sorry, but anyone that does that is just being a dick. It is a symptom of just how out of whack our stupid culture has become. America really doesn't do shit at all with regard to instilling the value and virtue of treating other people with respect. I've had some really good opportunities to do guilt-free venting at people. But I've managed to keep from indulging in it. One example: I was getting my truck's oil changed at, of all places, Wal-Mart. Too long a story on why I had to go there. Anyway, the oil change was done, I'd been in the store looking at DVDs and other shit. I start my truck and the life system computer says: "no engine oil." I shut off the truck, step out and notice a growing puddle of oil underneath the truck on the pavement. Now, what would a lot of people do? I personally know of some who would go in and start a fist fight over this kind of thing. I held my temper. The manager was so grateful I didn't take off. He gave me a few free oil change coupons and refunded my money. He also sent home the guy who didn't screw in the oil filter correctly. The manager said if I had driven for any significant distance, Wal-Mart would have had to replace that Vortek 5300 engine and anything else that got damaged. I was actually kind a bit proud of myself that I didn't treat anyone like shit over that incident. Here's another one I like: people who try that "the customer's always right" thing in a totally professional situation. Our sign company had a job to install the new signage for a chain restaurant that was changing its name. When our install crews arrived on site at the time scheduled they were delayed for hours by construction crew problems (in other words, no f**king organization). My boss, the company owner, went to the location to see what was going on and help with the install. It was late in the afternoon before our crew was able to proceed with the getting the building signs installed. The construction foreman comes over to my boss and our service manager and starts rudely running his mouth, barking orders about how our guys are going to stay there and work late. He added that he didn't care if it has to take them until past midnight. My boss smiled at the guy and said, "we don't need the work this badly; we're pulling out of here now. Find someone else to install all these signs." Needless to say, that foreman's stunt put the restaurant re-opening days behind schedule. The home office of the restaurant called us up days later, apologetic about the situation. They paid for the time we were there and the work we finished. I guess that foreman got his ass chewed out pretty good. We're still getting that restaurants sign service work.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-11-2004 12:25 AM                        There's a big difference between somebody "dropping a word" casually and a load of verbal abuse. I'm just saying, if you make a complaint politely and ask for a reasonable solution, 99% of the time you will be taken care of. If you come off like a know-it-all/smartass/demanding loudmouth, you will probably get less satisfaction. And yeah, we play the dirty-word movies. I never said I was a prude, for fuck's sake.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-11-2004 03:13 AM                     Think of it this way...It's Friday night and everybody just got off work. It's been a long Friday, maybe their kid puked on their good pants this morning, maybe their truck suddenly started leaking oil all over the wal-mart floor, whatever. They bring this shit that's been mounting all day, all week, all month to the movies and you tell them they can't bring that $4.00 crappucino from Sturbucks into the theater...You just released the torrent of stress. 90% of the time you just happen to be the unwitting target of this persons stress...They're not really pissed off that you told them to finish the drink outside or in the lobby, they're pissed off because that was the last straw. Granted, there's some assholes, but comining from a state of mind that this person's not just calling you an asshole but just venting you can help yourself to keep the situation calm. The best service is the kind of service Bobby got when they f*cked up changing his oil. When there's a customer with a legitimate complaint honestly apologizing and giving them their moneys worth and a reson to return are the best thing you can do because you're making them feel as though they've accomplished something and you're encouraging them to come back to your establishment and spend money at your candy counter. And when you send the message to the ass-bites who always start shit eventually they get it. When I worked the floor at a multiplex we were very good about catching movie-hoppers, loud patrons, etc. and after a while the problem stopped. Not because we banned them for life but because we told them "this is how it is, we understand that you want to enjoy the movie, but so does everyone else. so please keep it down". Of course in some cases it's not only neccesary but also satisfying to say "I don't give a fuck, get out".  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-11-2004 08:52 AM                     quote: Dominic Espinosa They bring this shit that's been mounting all day, all week, all month to the movies and you tell them they can't bring that $4.00 crappucino from Sturbucks into the theater...You just released the torrent of stress. Even if someone had a shitty, stressful day that still gives them no right whatsoever to verbally abuse other people. That kind of bile spreads like a flame. One guy's day is ruined, and then another's is ruined and so on. I think a parallel was mentioned that a movie playing movies with dirty words in them should have a staff willing to put up with customers using dirty words at them. I don't agree with that. It is one thing to be a third party to watching characters on the screen shouting profanity at each other. A personal confrontation is an extremely different matter; it ain't make believe. Unfortunately in just about every service oriented business, you have to bite your lip and put up with a lot of pissy attitudes from people. But you have to be willing to draw the line somewhere on just how far customers are allowed to go with venting. First, a customer should only be allowed to vent at the manager. That's it. If he's angry about the show and cursing about that, then he's still in okay territory even though he's acting like a child. When the venting turns into personal insults and attacks then the customer is walking out onto thin ice. Problems can be solved when the conversation is still that: a conversation.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-11-2004 01:01 PM                     It's too bad that we cant tell customers our opinions on their behavior, and how they should act in certain situations. I phuggin hate all customers.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-11-2004 03:07 PM                     Bobby, where is this society you keep talking about? It clearly isn't on this planet. Customers WILL be rude and people WILL take out their bad day on each other. quote: Bobby Henderson Even if someone had a shitty, stressful day that still gives them no right whatsoever to verbally abuse other people. Again, I agree, but just because someone has "no right" to abuse someone doesn't mean it won't happen. Dealing with angry customers is part of the job description when the managers sign up. Also in that is protecting the staff as best as possible from having to deal with customers that are behaving in such a manner. Unfortunately I see staff getting yelled at all the time because the manager doesn't want to come downstairs to face the irate customer and instead sends some passes down the tube so the at/near minimum wage staff member can offer them to the customer, rather than the manager who is getting paid to take the abuse and solve the issue.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-11-2004 03:41 PM                     Brad, I never said we live in a perfect world or perfect country. In fact, our country is almost as far from perfect as it can be without it being a third world country. I'm merely pointing out the fact that absolutely no one has the right to verbally abuse other people. I've also pointed out examples of how people who fly off the handle can unwittingly make things worse for themselves. What in the hell has happened to people having manners? Lots of people have this screwed up idea that it is okay to abuse other people, take from others and do all sorts of other selfish shit. It is extremely rare that any of these assholes are called on their shit. Employees have to hold their tougues and just take it. Too many idiots in this world take that lack of a reciprocal response as meaning their nasty behavior is okay. And perhaps they'll push even harder the next time. Managers often aren't the ones getting the verbal abuse, though they are the only ones that should have to feel the brunt of it (and even that still isn't okay). It seems like the low man on the totem pole gets the crap. There's plenty of minimum wage people in all sorts of lines of work having to put up with all kinds of abuse. It seems like the better you're paid, the less you have to take that kind of garbage. I don't see a lot of high-paid white collar people having to handle that. There are exceptions, depending on occupation, but it is not the norm. I did get a good laugh from an incident I witnessed a few weeks ago. A bit of justice. I was getting some gasoline for my lawn mower at the corner station. While waiting in line, some guy tries to pay for his stuff with a $100 bill. The store had a sign in clear view saying, "no bills over $20." The customer hit the roof when the cashier wouldn't take his $100. He used personal insults and F-bombs. Another fellow in line barked, "hey, asshole, can't you read that sign? Yeah, that's right. I called you asshole. That's what you are. She can't defend herself since she's on the clock. Pay for your stuff with a smaller bill."  |  IP: Logged

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