my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » *RANT* Phone Booking

Author Topic: *RANT* Phone Booking Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 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? 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!  |  IP: Logged Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 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?  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-06-2006 10:43 AM                     Sounds like Moviefone oughta expand across the pond... 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.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.