#1
Posted: 6/29/13 at 8:49pm
When out of town relatives asked my parents to purchase June 29 Rush tickets for “Kinky Boots”, they checked online and called Hirschfield Theatre about Rush ticket policy. They were told 2tkt limit, first come/first serve and arrive (with chairs) as early as 6am. And so they did!! They arrived at 5:30am (with two chairs) for 10am box office opening.
My mom stayed in line until around 8:40am and then went home to let the relatives into her apartment. She came back around 9:10am. Shortly after she left, a Hirschfield employee asked each person in line their arrival time and desired # of tickets. My Dad said two tickets for each chair (meaning 4 tickets in his mind-I know- he could have been clearer) and told the employee he arrived at 5:30am.
When my mother came back at 9:10, she was concerned that my Dad had left the employee with the impression they only wanted two tickets. So she called the Hirschfield employee over and told him they wanted 4 tickets. The Hirschfield employee immediately waved his finger in my mother’s face and said at least four times in a loud voice: “he (my Dad) told me two tickets”, “he told me two tickets” and I have guaranteed a couple behind you in line two tickets and you were not in line”. When my mom said she was in line at 5:30am, left at 8:40am, came back at 9:10am, he then started saying she was never in line until people in line ahead said she was. He then loudly switched his accusations to: “you were not in line since I arrived and the Rush policy is you can only leave the line for 15 minutes!! When my mom tried to tell him she was not aware of the policy, the employee talked right over her in a loud voice, continued to wave his finger in her face and said: “you should have known you could not leave the line for more than 15 minutes!” My Dad asked the employee to please calm down and listen three separate times, but each time the employee also waved his finger in my Dad’s face and quickly moved around him to continue to berate my mother. He then said to my mother: “you left the line for more than 15 minutes and if you ask for more than two tickets at the window you should be ashamed of yourself because you will be deliberately taking a ticket from someone who was in line longer than you. You should be ashamed to even think about doing that”.
At this point, my Dad shouted “stop this now; you want let us talk and yet are trying to make us out like criminals”. I am tired of your finger wagging and accusations”. The employee then said, “I know how to fix this, you’ll see”. How did he fix it? He talked to the Theatre manager so that when my Dad got to the ticket window he was told all the Rush tickets were gone!! My parents ended up having to buy standing room only tickets.
When my parents spoke with the Theatre manager about the employee’s behavior, she said in a sarcastic voice, “my employee told me the whole story, you cannot leave the line”. My Dad said leaving the line is not the issue; your employee’s behavior is the issue... But before my Father could say another word, the manager cut him off and said again “you cannot leave the line, you cannot leave the line”and ended the conversation with this statement: “As to my employee’s behavior, he told me that at least 10 people behind you in the line applauded his behavior”.
Has anyone experienced or seen similar employee behavior at the Hirschfield Theatre Rush line? I am pretty disgusted because my parents are senior citizens and always play by the rules. My mother actually started crying in front of the manager because she and my Father were publicly cast as villains trying to flaunt Rush line rules they were totally unaware of. It really ticks me off to have had my parents publicly berated and accused of sleazy behavior while simply trying to buy a Rush ticket.
My mom stayed in line until around 8:40am and then went home to let the relatives into her apartment. She came back around 9:10am. Shortly after she left, a Hirschfield employee asked each person in line their arrival time and desired # of tickets. My Dad said two tickets for each chair (meaning 4 tickets in his mind-I know- he could have been clearer) and told the employee he arrived at 5:30am.
When my mother came back at 9:10, she was concerned that my Dad had left the employee with the impression they only wanted two tickets. So she called the Hirschfield employee over and told him they wanted 4 tickets. The Hirschfield employee immediately waved his finger in my mother’s face and said at least four times in a loud voice: “he (my Dad) told me two tickets”, “he told me two tickets” and I have guaranteed a couple behind you in line two tickets and you were not in line”. When my mom said she was in line at 5:30am, left at 8:40am, came back at 9:10am, he then started saying she was never in line until people in line ahead said she was. He then loudly switched his accusations to: “you were not in line since I arrived and the Rush policy is you can only leave the line for 15 minutes!! When my mom tried to tell him she was not aware of the policy, the employee talked right over her in a loud voice, continued to wave his finger in her face and said: “you should have known you could not leave the line for more than 15 minutes!” My Dad asked the employee to please calm down and listen three separate times, but each time the employee also waved his finger in my Dad’s face and quickly moved around him to continue to berate my mother. He then said to my mother: “you left the line for more than 15 minutes and if you ask for more than two tickets at the window you should be ashamed of yourself because you will be deliberately taking a ticket from someone who was in line longer than you. You should be ashamed to even think about doing that”.
At this point, my Dad shouted “stop this now; you want let us talk and yet are trying to make us out like criminals”. I am tired of your finger wagging and accusations”. The employee then said, “I know how to fix this, you’ll see”. How did he fix it? He talked to the Theatre manager so that when my Dad got to the ticket window he was told all the Rush tickets were gone!! My parents ended up having to buy standing room only tickets.
When my parents spoke with the Theatre manager about the employee’s behavior, she said in a sarcastic voice, “my employee told me the whole story, you cannot leave the line”. My Dad said leaving the line is not the issue; your employee’s behavior is the issue... But before my Father could say another word, the manager cut him off and said again “you cannot leave the line, you cannot leave the line”and ended the conversation with this statement: “As to my employee’s behavior, he told me that at least 10 people behind you in the line applauded his behavior”.
Has anyone experienced or seen similar employee behavior at the Hirschfield Theatre Rush line? I am pretty disgusted because my parents are senior citizens and always play by the rules. My mother actually started crying in front of the manager because she and my Father were publicly cast as villains trying to flaunt Rush line rules they were totally unaware of. It really ticks me off to have had my parents publicly berated and accused of sleazy behavior while simply trying to buy a Rush ticket.
