Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: *RANT* Phone Booking

This is topic *RANT* Phone Booking in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 02-05-2006, 05:55 AM:

A national chain here in the UK has recently installed some kind of centralised booking system, you can no longer call the cinemas direct, you have to call the dreaded contact centre.

So I want a couple of tickets for 'Walk The Line' on it's opening night. So on Wednesday I try to call, and either it rings so long that BT cut me off, and give me a robot voice telling me 'there is no replay, please try again later', or it rings, their machiners answers, telling me that all their operators are busy, and that I'm in a queue, then CUTS ME OFF! WTF? [Roll Eyes]

So I try all day Wednesday, periodically through Thrusday, and Friday. Eventually at 3pm on Friday I get fed up, and call the cinemas administration line, which I have the number for because a; I used to work there, and b; On occasion I do service there. The manager resolves the ticketing problem for me, and takes careful note of my plight. Apparently the company has NINE people answering phones for a national chain, all in London, and who don't even seem to know that the company has cinemas outside of London, far less know the kind of things that customers want to know, showtimes, what's on, where can I eat?, where can I park? etc, etc, etc.

Added to that, they don't have online booking facilities, and their website still gives the individual cinemas phone number, makes no mention of this useless call centre.

Idiots! [uhoh]

Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 02-06-2006, 09:35 AM:

Assuming we are talking about the same cinema-

It seems strange that a company would install new phone/internet booking systems to a cinema that they want to sell.

Most of the other sites in the chain were on the system before, as the company added new sites they probably have not recruted more staff.

Is the old box office number disconnected to force people to use the non-geographic number?

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 02-06-2006, 10:43 AM:

Sounds like Moviefone oughta expand across the pond...
[uhoh]

Locally, Mullers had a central phone line when they opened the Lakeville 18 in '97, but they soon switched to moviefone after that and a few more additions.