This is a very long post. It is full of pictures. It is also full of awesome. Thank you for stopping by.
On July 23rd, Robyn and I went to see Star Trek. We chose the Riverdale 10 movie theater because they have the MOST COMFORTABLE recliners around, and because we could have a beer. I mean, hey, who doesnât love sipping a Guinness at the movie (that you didnât sneak in yourselfâŚ)
We purchased the beverages and popcorn. I was so looking forward to the popcorn because Iâd been living la vida low carb for 3 months. That popcorn was going in my mouth and I couldnât WAIT.
We got settled in, reclined our seats, and started chowing down. The lights had just dimmed as I reached in for my 2nd handful, I popped it into my mouth, and immediately spit out a fresh and minty already chewed piece of gum. That wasnât mine.
Iâll stop for a moment while you gag. Trust me. Itâs 3 weeks later and Iâm still gagging. I can still feel someone elseâs ALREADY FUCKING CHEWED GUM IN MY MOUTH.
I leaned over and told Robyn. After she stopped herself from throwing up, we decided it was best I go see the manager. When I explained what happened, the manager on duty said âWell thatâs weird. Weâre not allowed to chew gum behind the counter.â
Me: I get that. But still. There was someone elseâs gum in my popcorn. It wasnât my gum. It was someone elseâs. And it came from behind the counter,  soâŚ
MOD: Thatâs just weird. *turned and yelled* HEY WAS ANYONE CHEWING GUM TONIGHT?
Me: Seriously? Nobodyâs going to admit it was theirs. I just want my $4.50 back. Thatâs it. Thanks.
MOD: Sorry, youâll have to call Laird. The customer service number is posted on that sign.
Me: Just give me the $4.50 back. Thatâs all I want. And youâre the manager so you can do that.
MOD: No You have to call Laird.
Me: Fine. May I borrow your phone?Â
I dial the number listed and hear an undecipherable message that Iâm pretty sure is on an ANSWERING MACHINE from 1987. I leave my name, my telephone number, and a message that says I would like a call back before the movie is over so that I can get my refund.
Of course, no call came. So I call again from my phone, and I said something to the effect of: All I wanted was my $4.50 back for the popcorn. Now I want a full refund of both movie tickets and the popcorn. Iâll happily pay for the 2 beers we drank.
At 8:03 AM Sunday morning, the magical Laird returned my call. He woke me up, but hey, he called me back. He told me multiple times he was on his way to church and stopped by the office and got my message. He listened to what happened, thanked me for calling and not posting a review on social media, he just doesnât understand why people do that. I laughed.
Me: Oh I posted a review on FB. If your manager had just given my money back, there wouldnât have been an issue other than just being grossed out for a while. If you would have called me back last night, there wouldnât have been an issue. But you didnât. So yes, you got a review.
Laird: I just donât understand what people want. We post the customer service number.
Me: They want actual customer service.
The conversation goes on and on like that for a while. He never once apologizes for my bad experience. He just says âBut theyâre not allowed to chew gum.â Over and over. Like thatâs the end of it. Then he says heâs going to investigate and get back to me. That was July 24.
Fast forward to yesterday, 08-10-2016âalmost 3 full weeks since my incident.
Robyn decided to post a review. We hadnât heard back. Weâd done what theyâd ask. So it was time to let the world know that these guys suck.Â
She gave them 2 stars, which I thought was being generous. Then Riverdale 10 decided to respond and things got awesome:
Someone thought it was a good idea to inform the customer she was wrong in her assessment because they have six employees over the age of 40.And please note the number they asked her to call while trying to slam her from not contacting them privately. That number will be important later on in the show.
Of course, since I was the one who was the victim of the already chewed gum, I decided to remind them that I did, in fact callâŚ
Then I thought this person might need a lesson in how to handle customer complaints.
At this point, I figure itâs over and done with. Surely a manager or the owner has seen they have a troll who is managing their FB page and SURELY theyâve shut it down. Right? LOL Wrong.
Did you read all of that? No? Me either. I did skim it. Apparently Riverdale 10 loves good feedback, thinks Iâm angry and public shaming them (I guess they donât think having a customer find already chewed gum in their popcorn is HORRIFYING) and that if I had JUST CONTACTED THEM PRIVATELY, this would have all been taken care of. And then they proceeded to attempt to shame me like I was Cersi Lannister. Sorry honey, but Melf donât play that.
The Riverdale 10 person proceeded to rant onâŚ
and thatâs when I dropped the hammer:
Now, Robyn and I couldnât help but poke a little fun after this, because frankly, it had been the most entertaining day either of us have had in a while. I canât remember laughing so hard. I mean, I know this guy wasnât trying to be funny, but he was hysterical. His customer service skills are spot on! Even our friend Marissa got a little hammer drop in there herself!
Not long after the proof was offered and we started openly mocking him, the entire thread disappeared. I guess this poor twerp doesnât understand the concept of screenshots.
BTW, Iâve been told by a former employee that the only person who handles the FB page is the Owner of the theater. So no, it wasnât some little college kid twerp who should be fired. It was the owner, who doesnât give a shit if his customers find already chewed gum in their popcorn.
Because his employees donât chew gumâŚ
LIFE LESSON: How NOT to handle a customer This is a very long post. It is full of pictures. It is also full of awesome.
