Verne Drive In Theater — Local services in Luverne

My awful experience at the Verne Drive In:

Last Friday, August 25th, my wife and I went to the drive in to watch a couple of movies. After the first movie ended I started my car and left it running while we went inside and bought food from the concessions and used the restroom. When we got back to our car it had been running for about 15 minutes so we shut it off and prepared for the next movie. About halfway through the 2nd movie my car shut off -- dead battery. I was in disbelief.

This is where it gets bad.

I walked inside the concessions and embarrassingly asked if they could jump my car since it died. The worker said he would text his boss. About 10 minutes later I asked again and the worker said his boss said that he wouldn't jump it...

Very confused by the response, I asked what my other options were to get my car started. The worker said he didn't know what to do... So I asked the worker if his boss could come down and if I could talk to him. (Thinking we could figure out a solution together - or at the very least he could give me a number to call.)

Not long after, the back door comes flying open and bursting through the door comes the Verne Drive In owner, absolutely furious with me. Before I said anything, he begins to yell at the top of his lungs at me about how it's not his job to jump start my car and that he told me to start my car after the first movie (which I did). He continued to yell at me and treat me like an idiot for allowing my car to die. He said his job is to offer a $5 movie and that's it.

Mind you, he was yelling at me... LITERALLY YELLING AT ME. No exaggeration.

He gave me no solutions, no help, no courtesy as a paying customer, and no respect.

I can genuinely say I have never felt more disrespected before in my life. The worst customer service I've ever seen. Clearly, he doesn't care about anything except making money.

The reason I share this is to alert all of my friends that this is not a place you should go. There are plenty of other date night opportunities which will care about you as a customer.

Thanks, Verne Drive In for...

The owner of this place is a complete jerk! I have been to many drive ins. Even wrote an article on one of them when I worked for the paper. Never in my life have I been met with such unwarranted hostility as a paying customer. I was with my children. I am not a young person being ignorant. I just wanted a family night out.

1. First of all, they over fill this theater and let people continue to pool in well after the first movie had started, causing distractions and light noise while these people drive around trying to find a place in an already crowded parking lot.

2. They let their grandchildren ride around at full speed up and down the parking areas on their side by sides. There are tons of little kids around here! I cannot even believe they don't see the danger in this!

3. Then they have rules about your suv. Mine is only a blazer so not a beast at all. They dont want you to open your hatch to watch the movie. I have never heard of such nonsense in a drive in before. It's not like the hatches open taller than your car. And besides, pickup viewers sit in the back of their trucks and they are far taller than anyone else there but no issue with that apparently.

4. If there are such crazy rules, informing your paying party over an intercom in an over crowded parking lot is NOT the way to advertise it. We honestly couldn't hear what was being said and when I apologized for having my hatch open, he told me I was just being rude and that he said this over the intercom. Yeah, we cannot hear you when you overfill your theater. You have a radio station. Utilize it and be better about posting or informing your crazy rules to your patrons as they enter the parking lot.

I will likely never return here again and will advise others to stay away. If you get a chance, go to the drive-in in Long Prairie, MN. They are incredibly nice owners and they have a full grass parking lot to enjoy the movie in. They are not over crowded and you can open your hatch and enjoy the movie without being called rude...

I come here @ least once every Summer. Tonight was my 1st visit since they re-routed the entrance. It is confusing to say the least. I drove thru on the West side of the only little building there, assuming it was where I pay. There was a sliding window but no one there. I drove thru slowly & looked carefully & no one was there. I kept going very slowly, saw a slender Man coming my way. He had fuzzy either blonde or grey hair & maybe head phones. He did not wave me down or Indicate in any way that I should stop, so ikept going & picked out a spot. I even vaguely thought, maybe it's a freebie because of what I thought was some kind of construction inconvenience. I got some popcorn & waited for the movie. About 10 minutes into the movie, this kid about 12 years old, comes to my window & asked if I paid. I said " no there wasn't anyone there " I reached for my purse & this rude little disrespectful punk said I "drove right by the window". I explained to him what happened & he said I had to pay him $10. I said I thought it was $5 & he said you need to pay $10 because you drove thru. I told him again & made sure it was the window on the Westside. He then said and you brought food in, I see that McDonalds cup right there. I asked " that's against the law?" He said yes no outside food or drinks. I said and that's not posted anywhere & that's an empty coffee cup from earlier today. I gave him $5 & said that's what I'm paying. He took it & left but came back 3 minutes later to tell me if I didn't pay the $10, I'd have to leave. I said I wish there was a rewind button on this movie cuz you've made me miss 10 minutes of this movie I just paid $10 bucks to see. He told me that was my fault. I am a 66 year old white female & this disrespectful little "bouncer" obviously wasn't raised to be reasonable or insightful. He was sent to do an adults job & failed miserably. I wish I could say " I'll never go there again" but I enjoy an...