Now That’s Almost Triple-A Service

I volunteer to help with ticket sales for my choir, and I am dealing with customer complaints before the concert starts. A woman comes up to me with a complaint about her ticket.

Customer: “When I phoned up to book a ticket, I specifically asked for a balcony seat, but the one I’ve been given is in the stalls. I have neck problems; I can’t possibly sit in the stalls.”

Me: “I’m very sorry about that. I’ll exchange it for a seat in the balcony now. How about this one?”

I offer her a seat in the middle of the balcony, though towards the back as all the seats in front have already been sold.

Customer: “No, no, I don’t want that one. I want to sit right at the front near the orchestra. In the ‘AA’ section.”

Me: “We don’t actually sell those seats, because they’re right around to the side and you won’t hear a good balance of the music.”

Customer: “I’ve sat there before and I like it. I’m not sitting anywhere else.”

Me: “If that’s what you want, ma’am…”

I wrote “Sit in AA 64” on her ticket, initialled it, and sent her up to the balcony. She paid a premium price for a seat we don’t sell, even further round the balcony than the cheaper seats, and went upstairs smiling.