Read The Email; That’s The Ticket!
(It is a policy at our venue that if you buy tickets online and pick them up in the box office, you must show the purchaser’s ID or the credit card they used, even if they are not present. “So-and-so said I could have their tickets,” is not a valid excuse.)
Customer: “Hi, I’m picking up tickets for [Buyer].”
Me: “Okay, can I see your ID?”
Customer: “Oh, that’s not me. He’s not coming, so he said I could have the tickets.”
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I need to see [Buyer]’s ID or his credit card in order to give you his tickets.”
Customer: “No, it’s okay; he gave me permission. Here, it’s written right here.”
(He hands me a folded piece of paper through the ticket slot. I open it to find a printed screenshot of an email, the right half of which is cut off so I can’t even read the whole message.)
Me: “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t really tell me anything. I can’t let you have those tickets without an ID.”
(I hand him the paper back through the window.)
Customer: *getting angry* “Look, if you’ll just read it, it says right here. He is letting me have his tickets because he can’t make it.”
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I have no way of knowing who that email is from or who it is addressed to, and half of it is cut off.”
Customer: *trying to shove the paper back through the window* “Just read it! It says right here!”
Me: “I can’t accept this. You’ll need to get his ID or credit card, or I can’t give you the tickets.”
(He snatches the paper back without a word. I watch as he goes over to the venue entrance and waves the paper in the poor ticket-taker’s face until a manager shows up. The manager takes a look for himself, says something to the customer, and then disappears around the corner and comes into the box office.)
Manager: “Let him have the tickets. That paper is bulls***, but I know the guy who bought the tickets, and I know he ended up not being able to come.”
(I find the tickets and hand them to the customer.)
Customer: “There, see? If you had just read the email this would have been so much easier!”
Question of the Week
Tell us about the worst boss/manager you’ve ever had!
