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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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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 02-27-2010 03:57 PM
quote: Sean McKinnon
I think the lady had valid complaints, I think the VP was totally wrong. I think the lady could have been more polite and that the VP would have been more recepptive to her however he still should have never responded in the way he did.
I agree totally.
If we lived in a cartoon world, that ubiquitous tool the "think bubble" would come in very handy indeed. I've used mine many times while getting a new a-hole ripped by an agro patron- but that's as far as it went, lots of "fuck you" thoughts with an aknowledging nod, an air of concern and a "thank you for your comments, Ma'am/Sir".
What I think Sean may be getting at is that even though we are a service industry, we will never be able to satisfy everyone at the same time. This should not give the patron a blank cheque to heap disdain on the theatre staff because we can only do so much to allieviate these problems.
Additionally, there is a culture out there that KNOWS it can get freebies by bitching long and loud and it's this sector of the population that is/will be the bane of cinema operators.
As usual the answer lies somewhere between two extremes, and everyone here has had valid points but in my personal experience, once the word gets out that the management is a pushover for freebies, then you have just made a long, hard rod for your back.
It's a very handy skill to have in your armoury. Try it in the mirror one day. Imagine you're face to face with the Tasmanian Devil of all patrons and they are giving you "what for". Feel your pulse rise and the sweat begin to run down your shirt collar.- then just let your "think bubble" run riot- all the while keeping that air of customer concern about you.
Result- You keep your cool, the customer vents his/her concerns and the situation ends then and there without major consequences.
What say you?
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Elise Brandt
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 160
From: Kuusankoski, FIN/ Kouvola, Finland
Registered: Dec 2009
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posted 02-28-2010 12:02 AM
Uih. Read this thread yesterday, I had some customers last night who did not react well to a sold-out auditorium. It seems I am an incompetent bitch who doesn't give a crap about customers although they just drove seventy km just to see a movie in our theater. now "girl" you just "cough up those seats for us, I know you can. Stop being a bitch and do what you're told"... that kind of thing. Not too much the language but the attitude.
The real situation is that we had a much-advertised kids' movie day with very cheap tickets that were sold in advance for a week. That's why they drove here in the first place, to save two euros per ticket! And didn't call in advance and reserve tickets. Or show up on time. I hate those situations where several people are left out, but I can do nothing about it.
So I nod and apologize and offer them tickets to the next show (four of them one after the other and several other movies for kids as well, all at the same price) but no. They leave with a huge scene.
The good part is, another group with the same complaints stayed and listened, got persuaded to take tickets for the next show, went to have dinner at a restaurant (with our coupon discounts, I might add ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) ) came back happy, stayed for the show and thanked me after. Now That was a good one.
Thank goodness it's a normal day today. I do hope some of the last nights' left-outs come back today. Personally, I will gladly pay more money for the ticket if I know it's not going to be that crowded, especially with kids...
Thank you for the opportunity to vent. I have to say I am proud of how I handled the situation, and have to admit losing my temper twice in the last ten years. Good track record, but could be better. I, as everyone else, daydream about what to say to a certain kind of customer but never do.... thank goodness I have a husband who is faced with similar situations constantly and understands my whining at home.
On the original topic (sorry I veered off), obviously the complaint (and the show in question) were very badly handled. But I do agree it warms me a little bit when I see a rude customer treated the same way back. In this case of course it was not just rude, the response, but totally over the top, but you do get my point. And I love Denis Leary... ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
What I wonder is, do the bigger chains for example have a policy on ticket-checking? What to do, when to do it and what to say to patrons? I know we don't, but we're a small theater anyway and "wing it" most of the time but the attitude is definitely the same as is already shown here, swallow the loss of a few tickets rather than have several patrons tell their friends not to come to us. Negative experiences are told many times over, positive are not. Sad truth.
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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 02-28-2010 12:18 PM
quote: Mike Spaeth
Back when I was managing theatres, I used to sell to zero regularly. The key is to have someone in the auditorium monitoring the seating BEFORE the show even starts, so you know when the lights go down, exactly where your spare seats are, and just plug the newcomers into those seats...
We called them "ushers" back in the day Mike. Today it seems "ushers" do just about everything BUT monitor the auditoriums, take tickets, sweep floors, run projectors, sell concessions, clean restrooms, everything BUT monitor auditoriums leaving the customers to fend for themselves..
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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today
Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99
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posted 02-28-2010 10:40 PM
quote: Sean McKinnon
I am sorry you have hearing problems.
Dude, you're being a dick. I don't have any hearing problems. Apologies if it was an innocent statement, but I doubt it was.
Anyway, even THX certified houses sound noticeably different from room to room, even within the same complex. Sure, the industry has standards, but I don't think a blaring 3-8k (approx) is one of those standards. You can't just set everything up to where the equipment says it should be set up and then walk away. A listening test MUST be performed with a known source and final tweaking must be done by ear. Even if you adjusted two identical rooms with identical sound equipment with the same RTA on the same day, you would likely hear a small difference between them if you paid close attention. I have no idea how your super awesome theater sounds, but you think that all theaters that meet the same spec seem to sound the same. You have no idea what I am listening to and hearing. You also jump to the conclusion that I have only seen one movie in the auditoriums I am complaining about when in fact I have seen a few and the problem persists, movie to movie. The problem goes away completely in the medium and small houses of the same complex(es). So tell me, big boy, which houses are set up wrong. I will agree that some movies are overmixed and sound bad by design. I would not use something like Transformers 2 to judge sound quality (though the intro logos and whatnot do sound pretty damn good). Daybreakers is another one with badly mixed sound, the screeching bats in particular.
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