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This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
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Author
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Topic: St. Croix Falls Theatre Owner Fails At Customer Service
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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 12:11 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
As for the ticket check during the show, that's just unbelievably stupid. If it absolutely had to be done, then stop the film between trailers and feature. But I would only consider doing even that if the problem involved, say, dozens of people. But eight? Big deal, eat the ticket loss and celebrate that those people might buy extra concessions.
Well there could be a bigger issue here. What if there was a blind or open checker in the house? What if the theatre was under investigation by the studios? Eight people could cost them thier master license agreement, and maybe even put them out of business.
You know I beleive in the golden rule. This lady could have written her email in a constructive polite manner but she didn't. She chose to be rude, insulting, and threatening. Maybe her complaints were valid but they get lost in her tone. No one is perfect, no theatre company is perfect. This lady's letter sounds less like a constructove dialogue about a bad experience and how the company could have done better and more like an angry person who clearly stated she would not come back just looking to blow off steam and use this VP as her punching bag. I have never beleived the customer is always right, and I don't beleive that someone who is disrespectful, and rude should be treated like the queen of england.
I am sure that if she had been polite in her email and honestly wanted to let the VP know so the theatre could improve thier service she would have gotten an appropriate response and most likely compensation.
Did this guy go too far? Yes. Do I think this lady kind of deserved it a little tiny tiny bit? Yes.
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Martin McCaffery
Film God
Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 02-24-2010 01:17 PM
quote: Bobby Henderson
Honestly, what sort of movie theater doesn't take credit/debit cards but is willing to take checks?
Well, in our case, single-screen, non-profit arthouse in Montgomery, AL;>
On the larger subject, as the one who takes almost all of the complaints, it is totally beyond me how corporate customer service doesn't understand how much mileage they can get from just saying "We screwed up. I'm sorry. Let me fix it."
My friends are amazed by the number of fights I get into with corporate customer service. They are set up to keep the companies from ever having to apologize. The site linked to at the beginning of this thread, The Consumerist, is jammed full of just how bad customer service is everywhere.
Just apologize, fer chrissakes.
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 02-24-2010 01:44 PM
There seems to be two separate issues here, both of which they failed at.
First, the credit/debit card issue. While I am sure we all at one point or another wanted to tell an annoying customer where to go, you just can't do that. Steve should have politely explained and/or re-affirmed that the companies policy is not to take plastic, and apologize for the ATM running out of cash. There are certainly polite ways to indicate that if the policy in unacceptable to her, she will need to go elsewhere. If they had done so nicely, regardless of what she said in the letter, in the future it was unlikely that she would not patronize this theatre solely because they don't take cards. She would know for the future that she needs cash.
Second, the ticket check while the show is running was just plain stupid on the theatres part. If they had the need to do a count against the boxoffice, they needed to do this BEFORE the show started. Ruining the presentation IS the sort of thing that would make me never go back to a given theatre. The company needs to retrain it's staff so that it does not happens again, and should have sent everyone who complained some free passes. The fact that a few people managed to sneak in is the price we pay for not always having a ticket checker at the door of every auditorium. We know that and the studios know that. As long as it does not get out of hand, it is rarely a problem.
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Manny Montes
Master Film Handler
Posts: 270
From: United States
Registered: Feb 2010
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posted 02-24-2010 02:18 PM
The best way this could have been resolved would be to either issue an apology (and passes) at the end of the show, apologizing for the interruption during the show. Though the tickets should have never been checked while the presentation was playing. And it would help if the suit learned that the most important part of business is LISTENING, whether it be to complaints, employees, or commendations.
I find that the best way to head off complaints like this is to say as one poster above said "We screwed up, let us fix this" and its best to do it before anyone complains rather than HOPE that no one complains, A study showed that 95% of people with a complaint never complained either because they did not know where to complain, or didn't feel it was worth taking the time. They simply did not return.
It's sad that theaters are out there like this one, gives the rest of us a bad name in a time where all we have left is the experience, since for the most part, people can reproduce a pretty darn good theater system in the comfort of their own home, with their own candy, soda and popcorn.
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Ian Parfrey
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1049
From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 02-24-2010 03:20 PM
As one who is constantly on display to the patrons in many capacities, this usually makes me the target for complaints in the cinema I work at.
My duties include, apart from projectionist, is usher and ticket-taker at the auditorium entrance.
Now, some patrons are very cordial and pleasant in airing their grievances, but then there are the patrons from hell who insist on giving you "what for", regardless that they are holding up the traffic flow into the auditorium.
...but what gets me is that the complaint usually refers to the patron's inability to gain entrance at the advertised time on a previous visit so now THIS patron wants to hold up further traffic so they can grandstand in front of other patrons and make themselves feel all special and privileged all the while upsetting other patrons and preventing their ingress.
My usual response to look at the complainant straight in the eye, ask them to hang for a second, apologise to the patrons who are being held up and then return to the complainant-all the while listening to their complaint and taking tickets from the other patrons.
My point here is that some patrons are just shits who get off from bitching at someone who really have no avenue of retribution.... BUT that is no excuse to let fly in the way the V.P did so in the email reply.
Whether we like or or not, we are in a SERVICE industry, that shit full patrons are an occupational hazard and we just have to deal with them as quickly and as politely as possible.
N.B That complaining patron referred to above is now a regular customer, and EVERY time she arrives, I establish eye contact, say that I hope she enjoys the program and give her a smile to take with her.
She's been back every week since.
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 02-25-2010 02:32 PM
Poor customer service can take on a life of its own in the age of Facebook and Twitter. A Facebook group titled "BOYCOTT St. Croix Falls Cinema 8 (Evergreen Entertainment LLC)" was formed, and has about 4,000 members so far.
As a result of the commotion, other news outlets picked up on the story, and an article written by the Minn. Star-Tribune has gotten 170 comments from people.
That's a lot of bad word-of-mouth!
It would have been a non-issue if the response to the customer complaint had been courteous, understanding, and apologetic. No apology is going to put out the fire that guy started for his family's company (sounds like he's the son of the owner). Eventually, the uproar will die down, but the search results will live on for quite some time.
On the subject of whether the theater should be taking credit cards: a common assumption is that all retail establishments take VISA and MasterCard. Whether that's a proper assumption for people to make is irrelevant. Their web site makes no mention of the fact that credit cards are not accepted, which would be an appropriate thing to do to communicate a fact that differs from the assumption.
The proper operation of the ATM was also the theater's responsibility. It doesn't matter if the ATM was run by a third-party. If it's in the theater, it's the theater's responsibility and they have to take ownership of the problem. If that ownership involves pressuring the third-party provider to keep it working on weekends, so be it. The customer shouldn't have to care about such details.
Did the complaining customer have a legitimate complaint? Yes. Could her message have been worded more kindly? Sure. Was the response she received completely inappropriate? Definitely.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
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) you do realize that in today's US culture, apologizing for anything is simply unacceptable, right?
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