My movie experience was completely ruined

My movie experience was completely ruined at Ster-Kinekor Gateway

I sued the app to purchase my tickets but got delayed after the self help counter failed to add my 3D glasses to my purchase we were delayed for about 15 minutes. 15 minutes was not a huge problem for me. The lack of help from the 3 people behind the desk with no other patrons was a bit of an issue but that’s not my complaint. Another issue, not the reason for my complaint, is another 2 minutes lost because the wrong flavour Slush puppy was supp****.

We then proceeded with our goodies with much excitement. I relocated to Durban a year ago so I have not been to the movies for a long time as we do not have people to look after our baby. My mother-in-law flew in for the long weekend and we could finally go to the movies.

The lady scans my barcode from the app and hands the glasses. My ticket says Cinema 2 but Cinema 2 clearly states Rampage. Cinema 1 states Avengers and just across it is Cinema 7 which states Avengers. We figured it must be a printing issue or the cinema number using app went wrong somewhere.

We get in and the movie has already started. After 10 minutes of watching it feels like this movie is too deep in. I run out to double check the Cinema numbers and nothing makes sense. The staff who check tickets have all gone. No one at the other counters either. Beginning to doubt myself I go back to the movies thinking that maybe there is a switch in the story line it will slow down. 45 minutes late the movie ended!!!! I got to see an unpredictable ending to a record breaking movie without watching the movie!!! We went out and found 1 person in a uniform. He advises me they have been telling customers that even though Cinema 2 clearly states Rampage its actually Avengers! He shows me the dingiest office that is a OHS nightmare to stand in and there is manager Rojen Reddy sitting at it desk doing his end of shift checks.

Rojen blatantly tells me that I should have just went into Cinema 2. I asked him in what world would I walk into a cinema that clearly states another movie is showing. He says sorry, the person who supposed to do it didn’t it change it. I ask him now what do I do? His reply is ”This all self-help and you should have just went into Cinema 2, it wasn’t Rampage” He then states he will escalate it to his manager. I asked Rojen what does that mean and his response is that his manager will address this. I then Rojen who is accountable and whose job is it to make sure that the person ho changes the movie signs does his/her job. Rojen says that his job. So for clarity, I asked Rojen, You are going to escalate yourself to your manager to address this issue with you and then you are going to address the issue with the person who didn’t change the poster? His response is yes, you’re right, please email me the barcode of your ticket. I asked him how do I do this from the apply he says I should take a picture of my screen.

He first spells the email address incorrectly. He then gives me an email address that doesn’t work. He then asked me to Whatsapp it to him but his number did not show on Whatsapp. I then received an email address for “a manager” which he has access to. I am not sure why he couldn’t just take the picture. He prints the photo and he HAND WRITES “please set customer for 2 tickets” as my complimentary. He then says just hand this to a manager when I come again. I asked him what about the money I spent on food and drinks, first says that we don’t comp those but then wrote specifically the size and name of each item I bought.

I was completely flabbergasted at how this was dealt with. No professionalism whatsoever. What he could not acknowledge is that my experience has been completely ruined and cannot be reversed never mind how it was dealt with. I will have to wait for this movie to come out on Box office as I will not have someone to baby sit my kids for the next few months. I doubt I will even have this piece of paper for that long.

Sterkinekor, you have let yourselves down. Your manager has not been trained and is not capable of running an operation. Each stop had a delay and different level of incompetence.