| rev:text
| - careful folks--loose cannons abound at the kingsway.
i must say, this is THE worst customer service experience i've ever endured.
we arrive, 2 minutes late for the movie (start time: rush hour, location of theatre: under construction). while waiting in line to buy tickets, the owner walks by. anxiously, we ask, "has the movie started yet?". his reply, "the girl can help you when she's ready." uhh, okay, not the question, but whatever.
for those of you who haven't been here, it's a tiny place, one show at a time.
the owner then starts chatting with another employee finishing her shift. he's casually checking his phone. so we're standing there, time ticking by, waiting to buy tickets and the OWNER is lollygagging about. there's two other parties in line behind us. so we're standing there waiting. and this older women with thick eyeglasses asks where something is located. the owner sighs, and condescendingly says, "it's riiiight there, i told you already, the door with the....". i turn around to see the owner pantomiming to the poor old woman, belittling her. my partner says, "should we just leave?". as we're walking out, i hear the older woman attempt to defend herself and maintain her dignity, "you know, there's no such thing as a stupid question."
as we walk out the front door, i say over my shoulder, "you just lost two customers!"
crisp, winter air slaps us in the face as we depart. i was about to start in to my partner about what kind of person speaks to a little old woman (or anyone at all for that matter) like that, when i hear him say, "what was the problem?". the owner followed us out. wow, i thought, he cares!!! he's going to apologize! he's a real human! instead, this:
"go to the cinexplex on the queensway!"
"i don't need your support--f**k you!"
"now you've f**ked yourself! how else are you going to see this movie?!?"
"i don't go to your work and tell you how to do your job!"
"go f**k yourself"
as he's following us & we pass the UPS store, "you gonna go into UPS & tell them how to do their jobs?"
"where do you work? you sit in a sh*tty cubicle all day?"
and on and on and on.
now keep in mind, we're walking down the street, he's following us this whole way screaming at us. the traffic stopped on bloor street is looking out their windows at the spectacle he's creating. a mother shoved her kids away from him. a woman took her earbuds out to hear his fuss. this went on for a full block!! 20 storefronts! it wasn't until i said to my partner, "this guy is crazy. gimme your phone, i'm going to call 911." that he finally stopped and cowardly, turned around.
we're people who try to support local, private, small. we're even willing to pay a bit more to do it. but who does this guy think he is--the pope? that we should be lucky to be allowed into his cinema? he doesn't want our business? fine, no problem! we did go to the queensway theatre. and you know what? it was great! and by great, i mean we weren't accosted by anyone.
all i wanted was some attention. some service. sure, we were a couple (!) minutes late. so what? so were the other people in line. (this wasn't helped by the sweet girl behind the counter moving at a snail's pace.) if this guy, the owner, had time to chat, check his phone, in front of the very customers that are keeping the lights on in his business, it would be a great opportunity to...i don't know...serve them!
just because you have the means to buy a business doesn't mean you have any business running it. know your strengths. people, unfortunately, aren't one of his.
sadly, the kingsway theatre is a shell of what it once was. today, the kingsway is a zombie. sure, it's physically there, but its dead. its guts, its heart, its spirit, all gone. my guess is that the kingsway theatre isn't long for this world. which is sadly bittersweet. it's better that the landmark disappear altogether than the owner drag its name any deeper through the mud. i shudder to think how many times in the grave poor, dizzy, Robert Home Smith rolled at the notion that his creation has devolved to this.
p.s. just found this interesting article about the owner & his previous stint at the humber cinema: "...a mid-screening physical altercation with investor and partner...". can't say i'm surprised.
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