Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Busted

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Posted by Kyle Caudill (Member # 1252) on 06-28-2002, 09:46 PM:

There is a lady and her male companion who will occasionally try and hit our theatre up for rainchecks/refund. Finally today we busted her. This had been going on for around a year now. She would call sometime during the week and ask for a manager and give some story that she had to leave. (Friend sick..blah blah) Sometimes you could quiz her and stumble her up, while other times you couldn't. She would say she talked to a manager as she was leaving and give a description of the manager. She did not have time to wait for a raincheck and the manager told her to call back the next day. Eventually it happened enough and we were becoming suspicious of her. She would always send someone else in to get the rainchecks, but after a while we would see the same lady walk in with the person who go the rainchecks.

Anyway, today my assistant who dearly hates this person with a passion saw her purchase a ticket for Insomnia, so she put us on high alert. About 6:00, around 45 before Insomnia let out she came back to the ticket window asking for a refund, saying she got paged and had to leave. So I told another assistant in the box office at the time to go ahead and give her a refund, this way we new she had already left with her money and if she calls to get a raincheck we could bust her. Insomnia was playing in a corner auditorium and the emergency exit is on the side of the building. My assistant became suspicious when she did not see the lady drive out of the parking lot. The only way out is around the front of the theatre 20 feet from the box office. We had only sold 2 tickets to that showing of Insomnia, to the lady and her male companion. The assistant called up to the projectionist and told them ro run it black for the remainder of the show because it was empty. Before the usher-b kicked the power off she noticed there was still two people sitting in the auditorium. My assistant that was in the box office went and cheched the audiorium and there were two people still in there, the lady who had got her refund and her male companion. Her companion let her back in the emergency exit. Well she put up a fight but we finally got her up and out of there when we called the cops.

Well I am tired of typing and I am sure you are tired of reading my typo's, but I am wondering if anybody else has any busted stories like this or any ways to prevent people like her from scamming us.

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 06-29-2002, 01:11 AM:

The theatre that I work at has a fun policy that keeps such things from happening: if the patron comes out and asks for a refund / raincheck more than 20 minutes after the feature has started (and there is nothing amiss with the presentation) - they are denied.

Occasionally, exceptions will be made, but it either has to be an extreme case of genuine emergency, or if it's someone that we recognize as a regular customer, that doesn't try to pull a fast one every time they're in the building.

Overall, the policy is pretty effective.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 06-29-2002, 01:33 AM:

Kyle, I am glad you all finaly busted that bitch. Did you all file a complaint with the cops?

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 06-29-2002, 06:30 PM:

It reminds me of a situation that happened about 13 years ago at one of our theatres. Seems as though two Hispanic kids wanted to sneak into a movie. I was working the booth that night, and I came down to the lobby for a cup of coffee. That’s when I saw these two kids that were kind of shifty-eyed. I know what they were up to….

So, I just wondered around a little bit in the area where they were, with the “Dolby” coffee cup in my hand and a flashlight in my back pocket. You would think that with this equipment, I would at least look like I might have been part of the staff. Apparently, the two kids didn’t think so….

After a few minutes, they muttered something to each other in Spanish when nobody –(except me) was in the area to observe them. They headed for an auditorium, and I took three quick side-steps and said, “Tickets, Please…”

Needless to say, they were surprised. One of the kids muttered “We no understand English..”

I pondered that for about 5 seconds or so, and I replied:

“Oh? Well, here is something you can understand…Adios, M***** F******!” while I pointed my finger in the direction to the door.

They left very quickly.

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 06-29-2002, 08:28 PM:

I guess they knew never to tangle with a man holding an angry weenie...

Posted by Chris Erwin (Member # 176) on 07-05-2002, 04:08 AM:

Here's a sure-fire way to stop needless passes-out....

PAPERWORK!!

Yes, make the customer fill out something and a good percent of the time you'll hear, "that's ok,I'll stay" or "I don't have time" ,etc. and walk out. If the pass is legit, they'll fill it out since it's not an everyday thing like the case that started the post .

--Chris