A Good Manager

I finally found the correct location online in which to voice my complaints over the poor sound, projection, and food services at our local theater. I sent two emails in, being as specific as I could, and offering suggestion for how I would solve the issues I presented.

First, I got an email from the manager of the local theater. That email asked for me to call in and speak directly with her about my concerns. I called, but had to leave a message. Within 10 minutes I got a call back from her.

She was obviously nervous speaking to me, expecting me to harangue or yell, or something similar, I'm sure. But I was very quickly able to put her at ease, explain that I love movies and just wanted her theater to be the best experience possible. I reiterated my disappointments, explained my solutions, and then let her tell me what they could or could not do.

Next, she said that they went through "a bad stretch" where they had many technical issues, including the poor projection and sound that I mentioned. She said they had just recently completed a "comprehensive" review of the entire theater, fixing and replacing what they could. She expected those issues, barring unforeseen circumstances, of course, were behind them. She also mentioned that they hired a new food services manager who was retraining staff and reconfiguring how they worked the concessions. While this is ongoing, she hopes that by the next time I go to the theater I will see a marked improvement in the speed with which I am served. They have also hired a a bunch of new staff so there are more people working the projection booth. She is also in the process of retraining staff to empower them to fix problems without seeking approval (for those things within their ability to fix, of course).

Lastly, she told me to ask for her by name the next time I go to the theater and she will comp me in (along with my guest-- I probably shouldn't abuse it, so likely my wife or my buddy depending on when we next go).

People sometimes laugh or groan when I tell people I'm going to speak with the manager. I speak with management nearly as often to say how happy I am with a product or service as I do to complain about something being wrong. However, in almost every case it has been to both his/her and my best interest. I often get an apology or comped a little something, which is nice, but more importantly they learn what they are doing right or what they are doing wrong and can fix it. While my wife gets all nervous and feels the need to wait in the car, she often enjoys the fruits of my labors (which, in this case, will be a free movie).

As the summer movie season is nearly here, with some big ticket items coming up in May, I hope that the theater manager is right and that our next movie-watching experience will be superior to the last few. Here's hoping!