Can you give me advice how to complain so I get my money back re a theatre trip?

[JoyceDivision]

I'll keep it brief, but I've sent an email and as I've not yet had a response I think I'll end up chasing this up by phone and I want to deal with this in a positive manne..

On Saturday we went to a local pantomine and were sat in teh balcony. the show had various dance routines froma local dance school, with children whose ages would be from about 6 to 15 in show.

The balcony was only about ten rows deep, and in the last 3 rows were the rest of the dance school students... who proceeded to scream and woop and holler whenever a dance came on, then started yelling or cheering during buts of the show... then towards the end in teh final dance scene and the audience sing a long it just decsended in to full on screaming and yelling..

It ruined the pantomine for a lot of people near us who were all really crss. There were adults with them but we never heard any adults telling them to setle down. When the show finished and I turned round to complain, the adults must ave realised a lot of people were looking round at them as they had all left before the lights went up!

I found a membre of the dance school staff and verbally com,plained who just looked like she wanted o get away and said she would pass my comments on. I sent an email saturday night but it is to an address from the schools facebok page and I haven't yet heard back.

I tried ringing this morning the schools number but no reply...

So, what I explaned in teh email is that I want teh price of the tickets (£32 total) refunding as we couldn't hear most of what the acrtors were saying as the noise wass s o bad and MIL who was with us left near the end as the noise was interfering with her hearing aids!

If the school say no, they won't refund the tickets, what do i say to them then? Just that I will write to local press about their poor behaviour and provide bed publicity?

I know it's not a lot but MIL treated dcs to this so money is a bit tight and I was furious her treat had been ruined and it;'s the principle that counts!

Thanks

Sorry but why didn't you complain to the staff in the theatre during the performance?

Agree with LadySybil, should have said something at the time.

Agree with Lady - I think it is too late to expect anything to be done now - you should have complained/asked to be moved immediately (I know that is easier said than done).

The noise wasn't too bad at first, it ws in the second half towards the end when it was ridiculous and out of hand. It was when they were screaming randomly and drowning out the songs in the last ten mins that were the worst, when MIL had to make excuses and leave before the end, its that bit that has made me ask for the refund and complain, otherwise I'd have just thought but possibly just very excited jkids supporting friends. So reason why is that it's that last bit of the show where it gt beyond a joke.

plus, MIL not too good on her feet and she wouldn't have wanted o be going up and down steps in the sw, so for her to leave before the nd and go up steps in the dark was a sure fire sign she'd had enough

So you should have gone over to the accompanying adults and complained whilst it was happening, during the second half.

Righty, thank you for all the help! Hind sight is a wonderful thing, but when the lights went up as soon as I turned round to speak to an adult they had already gone!

OP, I think you should write to the theatre administration and explain that due to their poor supervision during the performance your enjoyment of the evening was ruined to the extend you would like your money back. I do not think yabu at all.

People can have various reasons why they cannot complain during the production - apart from anything else they may be just shy. But it does not mean that somehow you should just take whatever comes at you. Theatre ushers should have ordered this group to behave or leave and it seems they did not do their job.

That said, you should be keep in mind that pantomime production usually allows for some audience participation, so you should not expect everyone to sit in total silence (as appropriate for classical music performance for example).

good luck

It's like complaining about the food after you've eaten it all. I'd complain to the theatre rather then the school. You're likely to get a free ticket to something rather then a refund though as you did actually say that it was only bad towards the end.

It was a local panto group using teh Town hall, and in fairness it wasn't the theatre group or the venue's issue, it was specifically the dance school students so I know that I'd be going t the wromg people and unfairly asking for a refund from them when it wasn't their fault.

Gah!

Bemybebe, you're right, and I do agree that it shouldn't be in silence especially for a panto. Had it not been for the sheer volume of outright creamiomb and yelling at the end I'd have left it but it was at that point i thought that was taking the rip. Lots of people when the show finished all were saying the same thing and they all recognised it was the dance school that were misbehaving