Rude/Inept TKTS Security

I am currently drafting a letter to TKTS regarding their security staff and I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced rude or inappropriate behavior on behalf of the staff. Also, I never noticed anything negative about the staff before they moved to the new location. Does anyone know if this is a new staff?

I see Bway shows regularly but I usually get comps or buy student tickets so I don't use TKTS that often. Recently, I have had visitors in town and we have been frequenting the new TKTS booth. The security staff is rude, mumbles or barks orders to patrons, smokes while on duty, and gives out incorrect information. Basically, they're rude morons. I never noticed this type of behavior at the temporary location.

Anyone else?

Updated On: 12/1/08 at 09:38 PM

Could you be any less specific?

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When TKTS was underneath the Marquis, the security staff was loud and could come off as a bit abrasive, but when you have to deal with 300,000 families from Montana who just want to see Mamma Mia and who don't listen or pay attention, you'd be a little irritated at the workplace too.

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I didn't have a problem with the security at the Marquis. (Only went once) I think the OP is asking a legitimate question and deserves more than smart remarks for answers. I have had problems with theater staff, but that has been discussed.

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Thanks, Winston!

Yeah, it's one thing if your life was really in danger from them or someone else standing on line. However, they generally are just trying to move the line along, and again, I can see it being frustrating if the customers have no idea what they want. I'll admit, I was one of those people once, and I totally deserved to have them annoyed at me.

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I apologize for being so vague. These weren't instances where myself or my friends were asking the security guards about shows or anything like that. I work on Bway shows and I know the scoop.

One instance happened earlier today. It was the hour before 3pm so if you wanted tickets to the 3pm shows you could go straight to the front and if you wanted tickets to the 7pm shows you had to wait in the newly forming line. The security guy told several people in line the opposite of that information so people who actually wanted to see 3pm shows were stuck waiting in the line for 7pm shows.

One of the security guards was lighting another's cigarette right outside of one of the ticket windows and right in the middle of all the ticket purchasers. I was amazed by that. Then those two joined another two and they continued to shoot the **** by the ticket entry area while the other three lit up their smokes and ignored everything else going on. When one of their coworkers told them they shouldn't be smoking, one of the four piped up that he was the supervisor and the other guy should mind his own business. Then he returned to his other three buddies and they laughed amongst themselves.

I am all for taking smoke breaks or other types of breaks but shouldn't these breaks be taken a short distance from where you work? I'm not even sure they were on breaks and I really don't think they should be smoking that close to the tickets windows or people waiting in line.

Last week I was buying a ticket for myself and a friend who was downtown getting off of work. I was alone standing behind a couple and one of the guards told us we could move over lines. I stayed in my line and the couple moved over. The guard yelled to us that we could not split the line. I asked him what he was talking about. He had assumed we were all friends or something and didn't believe that we didn't know one another. He yelled that if he caught us buying tickets for one another he would confiscate our tickets. ??? It was all very bizarre.

Those are my details. Maybe I am overreacting but I was just surprised and a bit shocked that they were so abrasive and unprofessional.

Did you obtain any identifying information (i.e., their name)? That would help when writing a complaint. As for barking directions, then that's tough. They have to deal with thousands of people who don't know how to follow directions, so that's just the nature of their job. I agree that the smoking was unacceptable.

"He yelled that if he caught us buying tickets for one another he would confiscate our tickets. ??? It was all very bizarre."

He has abslutely no legal authority to confiscate tickets from you. Had he taken them you could have gone to the nearest cop and had him arrested for theft.