AMC Hanes 12 — Attraction in Winston-Salem

I am beyond livid. My wife wanted to go to a movie so we arranged our day around attending a 12:45 show. I purchased tickets online at 11:55. We arrived at the theater and were told our movie had been cancelled because no tickets had been sold and they scheduled a daycare group for a private screening. So, an advertised showing that we even purchased tickets for had been cancelled earlier in the day. They asked if I wanted to see something different (there were no other shows my wife was even remotely interested in) and then said we'd be refunded. I asked to speak with a manager and the shift manager said they hadn't sold any tickets to the show earlier in the day so they scheduled the daycare. I explained that I had scheduled my day around their advertised show and had driven 35 minutes to see the show and that a refund really doesn't correct the problem. She (Barbara) indicated that was all they could do. I asked to speak with the GM or for a number to call the district office and was given a brochure with the general 888 number (which, when called, indicated they don't receive phone contacts and directed me to go to the web site).

This was horrible customer service in so many ways 1 - If you advertise a show, the show should take place. There are exceptions...mechanical issues, safety issues. And if no one shows up you can turn the projector off. But just because no one had purchased tickets online by some ambiguous time in the morning doesn't mean no one is expecting to see the show. Everyone doesn't purchase tickets online. If a person travels to a theater to buy a ticket five minutes before the show, they shouldn't have to worry about the show not happening. 2- If you have a showtime that is cancelled, you probably shouldn't be advertising the show. You definitely shouldn’t still be selling tickets on your web site / phone app. 3- Having no personalized way for an unhappy customer to reach someone is poor. Literally giving them a phone number to call that tells them to go to a web site is pathetic. 4- When you have a customer that you have treated so poorly, you cannot make them whole again. What you can do is to try to lessen the problem by offering something that will make them feel like you care. Offering a refund isn't actually an offer (you have to give the refund as you provided no show). A couple of movie passes with a concession stand coupon would go a long way to mend the relationship. This used to be Movie Theater Customer Service 101. I worked at a theater for a number of years. My son was in management at Carmike a decade ago. But telling a customer that you cancelled their show that morning, hate that you came all this way and wasted a chunk of your day, you should get a refund but there's nothing else we can do? Sad.

I am a lifelong movie theater fan and will obviously not stop attending shows. I will, however, look for other theater options before settling on one with this...

Had a bad experience today at the AMC Winston-Salem location. Had two people show up late to the movie my wife and I was watching. From the very moment, they sat down they started talking loud, laughing, and playing in their seats. If we were in a comedy this could be somewhat understandable. But it was a scary movie (pray for the devil). Despite us making the staff aware twice they were allowed to stay in the theater and continue to disrupt paying customers' experience. After the movie, my wife and I went and spoke to the person who said they were the General Manager(Bailey). She was unprofessional and dismissive. She kept saying we can give you a refund. This isn't about a refund/ money. My wife and I are AMC stub members. This is about having an environment where people can enjoy a movie. Not to mention situations like this should be handled properly by AMC employees. The last thing needed is customers feeling like they have no other choice but to approach an unruly movie watcher to get them to do right or leave the theater. This location needs better management. It needs a General Manager that will have protocols in place for situations like this and be ready to carry them out when necessary. We're seriously considering canceling our stub...

The stadium seating is a plus, but the only plus I can think of. There are a lot of great review comments about the staff but most of the times that I have been there I have not seen any staff except at the concession stand, where you have to buy tickets, standing in line behind all the people who are there to buy snacks for their entire families. Popcorn prices are astronomically high. Don't worry about being on time for the show since you will be treated to a minimum of five commercials and eight to ten previews before the movie starts. Whatever genre the movie you have come to see falls into, all the previews will be of the same genre. If the feature is an action flick, you will see previews for ten more action flicks; no comedies, no docudramas, no family flicks. I suppose a focus group held at the Home For the Feeble Minded once indicated that consumers never vary in their choice of movies. No movie titles are posted on the large marquee visible from the road. The theater does not advertise at all in the local newspaper. The only way to find information is to seek it out online for yourself. Overall, I believe management has a good grasp of the fact that they have little competition on this...