It all started amicably enough. I was on the road, had an afternoon off between speaking engagements, and wanted to do something relaxing with three hours of found time. I thought, “Movie! That’s the ticket.” So, by golly, I went to the neighborhood theatre, paid the admission, and was directed to door #9, my gateway to entertainment.
I went in and with a mix of surprise and mild frustration realized that the feature had started ahead of its scheduled time. There was no way to know how much I had missed so I settled in and played catch-up. When the closing credits ran, forty-five minutes later, my mild frustration elevated a bit. For some yet unexplained reason I was sitting in a movie that was half way through when I got there. I’d have to wait more than an hour for the next showing. But hey, I was on break, this was something fixable, and in the great scheme of things, not a big deal. So, I went back to the box office to explain the situation. The very young man in the glass box said it was a computer error; the ticket had been printed incorrectly, and I’d have to buy another ticket to get back in. Case closed.
“I’d like to see the first half of this movie without buying another ticket”, I said, “so, who can I talk to, to make that happen?”
The young man in the glass booth shrugged his shoulders and turned to speak to a young woman in the glass booth. I thought they were figuring out who the go-to person was, but apparently they were otherwise occupied.
I repeated my request, with greater insistence, and the young man, visibly vexed with my persistent interruptions, called out for his supervisor. The supervisor arrived on the scene, looked at my ticket, looked at me, and said, “yup, the computer messed up, you’ll need to buy another ticket, can’t go in without one” and turned to leave. Suddenly this relaxing afternoon’s molehill was taking on the proportions of a mini-mountain. I had morphed from maturity to Matilda the Hun. When earlier all I wanted was to unwind and see a movie from beginning to end, in that order, now I wanted more.
“I want to see this movie from the beginning and I want you to refund the cost of the ticket.”
“Look”, he said, in buzz off terms: “I told you the computer made a mistake. If you want to see the movie, buy another ticket.”
OK, I’ll not bore you with the rest. Bottom line: By the end of round 3, he reluctantly and disagreeably gave me safe passage to see the next showing and a free pass for another. Was I proud of my Pyrrhic victory? No. Am I likely to return to this theatre? No. The debate wasn’t worth the cost of the ticket or the effort it took.
So, why tell the story? To illustrate what happens when employees of all ages engage customers in “I’m right, you’re not” tussles without calculating longer-term consequences. It’s a cautionary tale that extends beyond movie theatres to wherever companies and customers slap up against each other.
As consumers we expect that in exchange for payment for goods and services we will be treated fairly, respectfully, and the product or service will be provided as promised.
Mistakes happen. And when they do, we expect providers to not only acknowledge errors and make good on contracts of understanding, but to do it with grace, and reasonable haste. When they don’t, they tinker with the consumer’s ire and that can’t be good for business.
Everyone benefits when management accepts responsibility and accountability for proper preparation and ethical development of their employees. This is especially true when employees are young, impressionable, and entering the work place for the first time.
Effective managers create working environments that value excellence; excellence in team play, communication, problem solving and skills building. They establish goals that are discernable and measurable, while reinforcing long- term thinking and longer term results. They invest in all their employees and give them what they need to get the job done right: adequate time, quality training, and realistic feedback.
