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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to complain to Cineworld Head Office??

45 replies

lottiejenkins · 11/08/2011 17:11

Here is a copy of the email i have just sent to them. I have deleted the name of the cinema.
I am writing to voice my displeasure at the service myself my friend and our children received this afternoon at Cineworld. We went to the 12.40 showing of Horrid Henry 3D.To begin with everything went well. My son has a CEA card as he is autistic and deaf. We were able to go to the front of the queue to get our tickets which was much appreciated. Sadly after this the service we received went rapidly downhill. We went to queue for snacks. The queue was so long that we went and settled the children and i went back leaving my friend with the three children. I got to the food queue and of five tills only two were manned. After queuing for ten minutes i asked if another till could be opened and was told that they were shortstaffed. The manager then appeared and i asked him. He went off to find more staff and i had to go back into the cinema as the film was starting. My friend went out and queued. She asked for two of the popcorn deals for her children. She asked for magic stars with the popcorn and the drink. The boy who served her then tried to put fruit bags in instead. She stopped him and told him she wanted the stars. He told her that there werent any. She looked at the next till and the girl was putting magic stars in a bag. My friend asked why the customer next to her had them and she couldnt. The boy told her that the box of stars had just been brought out. My friend told him that the box had been there all the time! By the time she got back into the cinema she had missed the first ten minutes of the film! We sat watching the film and it was VERY cold. My son had his tee shirt pulled over his knees and my friend had her childrens coats covering her. I went back out and the man i spoke to told me that he would have the blowers switched off. I went back in and they hadnt been. I went back out and managed to catch the manager. He told me that the cinema was at the correct temperature. I have to say i beg to differ. If it had been a cinema showing for a load of penguins and polar bears the temperature would have been perfect!!! He refused to accept how cold it was when i told him!! He told me if we were not happy to leave and that he would refund us. Hardly an option when we had three children (one of whom was autistic)who had been looking forward to seeing the film!

The service we received today falls well short of what we expected. We paid over £30 to sit in a freezing cold cinema and shiver for over an hour!!! Previous to today we have always had excellent service. In my opinion, more food tills need to be manned at busy times, the cinemas need to be warmer and the staff and manager may benefit from going on a customer relations course!!!
What do other MN's think??

OP posts:
doesthisseemright · 11/08/2011 17:13

I always find cinemas freezing and always bring a cardi or coat.

Kayano · 11/08/2011 17:15

Did anyone else say it was cold?

To be fair you were queueing and then went back in and your friend queued and was late.
Why queue twice? I don't get that.

Dunno what to think but you seemed to have already complained a lot

DontGoCurly · 11/08/2011 17:16

Good for you.

Utter cheek of HIM telling YOU the customer the cinema is the right temprature!!!!

That is for the customer to decide not him. I hate over air conditioned places. Sounds like a miserable experience.

AbbyAbsinthe · 11/08/2011 17:16

If you want me to be really honest, I think you are being a little bit unreasonable.

This sort of stuff happens all the time. I'm not saying it shouldn't be better, but imo, that's life! You have mentioned in your email that this is the first time that you've had a bad experience there - and whilst I can see that it's annoying, it comes across like you just want a refund, and that you're making a bit of a fuss about nothing.

I went to the cinema last night, and it was ROASTING. It was like sitting in a rest home Angry

JustFiveMinutesHAHAHA · 11/08/2011 17:18

Would it have killed the kids not to have eaten during the movie?

Shame it was chilly, but I always take a cardi and you never know if it's going to be really warm or really chilly in there and you'll never get it right for everyone.

I bet the people sitting next to you have spent the afternoon complaining about the women who couldn't sit still.

Groovee · 11/08/2011 17:18

There was only 2 tills manned when we went yesterday. One woman queued in the wrong place and started balling and shouting when the staff didn't serve her first. In their defence they probably couldn't see her due to a pillar.

You're email is rambling and I lost concentration. Do bullet points instead making it easier to read.

doesthisseemright · 11/08/2011 17:19

Im planning to take my own snacks when we go next

TheMonster · 11/08/2011 17:20

If you were lucky enough to get to the front of the queue for tickets, then presumably a lot of people behind you in the ticket queue were also behind you in the food queue and so also missed part of the film. If this is the case, I bet others were complaining too.

Or, had you left it too late to actually have time for the food queue, knowing you would be ableto bypass the ticket queue?

Lilyloo · 11/08/2011 17:20

Ten minutes queue is poor service imo and agree more staff should be on , maybe you were right under the air con ?
Although cinemas will always be busier in holidays and on wet days so maybe you should arrive earlier so as not to miss film.
I also think your email is a bit long winded , esp the magic stars part

Kayano · 11/08/2011 17:20

But if ONE customer, out of how many complains it's cold and he doesn't think it is, and no one else has complained then he is within his rights to say the cinema temperature was fine. Your friend had her kids coats over her you say... So presumably the kids had their coats off and were fine?

I don't think any of your complaint adds up... Especially queueing for food twice and then complaining you were late!!!

AbbyAbsinthe · 11/08/2011 17:20

I always take my own snacks to the cinema. Last night I managed to sneak in 4 Kit-Kats, 4 Twirls, 3 bags of sweets and 4 bottles of water Wink

ShatnersBassoon · 11/08/2011 17:21

The Magic Stars thing was a silly mistake, the lad just messed up and no harm was done. Cinemas tend to be on the cool side, in my experience, which is a blessing for an old duffer like me who struggles to stay awake if the temp is anything but cool. They probably should have had a few more people on the tills, but I think most cinema-goers know that you have to arrive early in anticipation of queues for snacks. The queue must have been massive if you stood waiting for the entirety of the trailers and ads and then into the film though, so you're right to complain about that.

You'll probably get some vouchers for taking the time to complain anyway.

EuphemiaMcGonagall · 11/08/2011 17:22

YABU to buy food and drink at the cinema - it's a bloody rip-off. Eat before/after you go, or take your own.

YANBU to expect the place to be a comfortable temperature.

Awomancalledhorse · 11/08/2011 17:23

Thursday afternoon is not a 'busy' time for Cineworld, even in the summer holidays, along with Monday afternoon it's when the least amount of staff are on duty.

You ask AIBU, but say you've 'just sent them this email', so you don't think you were BU.

Abcinthia · 11/08/2011 17:24

I prefer a cooler cinema than a really hot one. If it's too warm I start falling asleep and miss the film.

fgaaagh · 11/08/2011 17:25

I think that some of your points are valid (short staffing of tills needs to be fed back, asking them to check the temperature, why there was an inconsistency with the food service provision)... but...

if you did genuinely email it in that format, it's horridly presented, and a very weak complaint letter.

In future, you should bullet point your concerns. "I am concerned about X, because of Y. Example given."

You should also make a clear case for what you want done. A random suggestion to send them onto a training course isn't practical - I'm sure they've already been. A time limit for a response would also have been helpful e.g. "I look forward to a satisfactory response within 10 working days, and will seek to escalate this to ABC party (CEO? Whatver) if this is not forthcoming."

In other words - whilst you have a few general complaints to feed back to them, which may be valid, the execution is terrible. It's the sort of thing I'd expect my 14 year old DSto write if he was unhappy with a company. Sorry.

There are a lot of complaint letter templates on the internet, I assume, I'd suggest next time you make use of them. I also wouldn't hesitate to write information about if you've been a regular customer etc (as long as it's true) - personally when I write complaint letters it's only because I'd prefer to use their services again. And the response to the complaint letter determines if they are added to my mental boycott list, or get a 2nd chance. Adding in information about it being "your local cinema" or the one nearest to their school, etc., I think frames a complaint better.

Just my opinion though!

southmum · 11/08/2011 17:26

You had to QUEUE Shock

GypsyMoth · 11/08/2011 17:27

i dont think you hyave grounds to complain from what you've said.

Mumwithadragontattoo · 11/08/2011 17:38

I agree these are minor complaints. Wear layers when you got to cinema then you can take clothes off / put clothes on as appropriate. They probably keep it cool in there as can get hot when full of hot bodies. Don't join food queue if it's massive. There problem solved.

Rocky12 · 11/08/2011 17:43

I think you need to get out a bit more. I lost the will to leave after the first few sentences....

Takitezee · 11/08/2011 17:49

YABU.

We always have queues at our cinema for the food and get there in plenty of time if we are buying it there. The stars incident sounds like an honest mix up, I can't see why the server wouldn't want you to have them. Whatever the temperature at the cinema somebody will always be unhappy. I always take a jacket as I find them so cold.

It sounds as though you are just trying to get something out of them.

GypsyMoth · 11/08/2011 17:52

you were offered your money back....why not take it?

the kids would have to understand,they would live!!

mumeeee · 11/08/2011 17:53

YABU. These complaints seem very minor. We either bring our on snacks or go without. Also I always take a jacket. The manager did go off to find some more staff and he did offer to refund your money if you wanted to leave.

Original poster
lottiejenkins · 11/08/2011 17:56

Ok Thanks all. I obviously abu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smile

OP posts:
Marne · 11/08/2011 18:00

YABU, if i worked in Cineworld i would be slightly pissed of about all the complaints (sorry), i went to Cineworld 2 weeks ago with my dd (who is autistic), we got there early, got our tickets, cueud to pay for dd's pick and mix and only one till was open (didn't complain as its the summer and i guess there are staff on holiday etc..), the cinema was cold (always is) so we wore our jackets.

Its summer, staff are busy, places run out of stock (chocolate stars) and cinemas are kept cool. I'm sure you must have better things to do with your life (being a mum of 2 autistic girls gives me far worse things to worry about). Just forget it, next time maybe take an extra jumper and sneak some food in to save the queing Smile.

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