Friday, 01 August 2008
Barnstaple Cinema - Don't Go There
After saying goodbye to a dear friend who's moving away from the North Devon area, Jon and I decided to go to the cinema. We booked our tickets an hour before the film was due to start, and, to all indications, everything was fine. We went to a nearby bar for drinks to while away the hour, and then returned to Barnstaple's only cinema. This is where problems began.
We walked in, showed our tickets, and were told that we could not sit together in the cinema. When we expressed surprise, the usher said we could sit at the back. When we said that was fine, we were told that the seats were in the VIP seating area, which would cost us another £3. Now, I've sat in all screens of Barnstaple cinema and never noticed a VIP area at the back of any of them, so we were quick to answer in the negative and ask for a refund.
This was agreed to, and we were told to wait until the person authorised could sort it out. While we waited, for ten minutes, people were queueing for tickets. One such couple having reached the front, then walked past us. We initially presumed they were heading for one of the cinema screens. However, as they walked to the door, we were told there were now seats in which we could sit together to watch the film we had bought tickets for.
The film was ok. It doesn't matter what it was. I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have, because I was disgusted with how we were treated by the cinema staff. If the cinema had a policy of booking seats when tickets were bought, we should have been allocated seats together, or at least told of the problem before we paid. If it did not have such a policy, how did another couple leaving - who arrived after we did - provide us with the opportunity to sit together?
Needless to say, we won't be going back to the awful Scott Cinema in Barnstaple any time soon. Which is a shame, because there are two more films, at least, that we plan to see during August.
I guess, the moral of this story is, if you want to be treated with respect and have a good time at the cinema, don't go to see a film in Barnstaple's Scott cinema. If you want alternatives, try The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington, The Embassy Cinema in Ilfracombe, Lynton Cinema, or go to Exeter where they have an Odeon and a Vue cinema.
I hope this information helps someone not go through a similar experience to what we had tonight!
