Ugh! I got my first of many complaints for Cab sub seats. And it's all going to be the same conversation.
Why was I not seated closer? I'm a subscriber, I should've received better seats.
Well, at the time that we were seating you, based on the preferences you gave us those were the best available seats.
I saw a lot of empty seats closer to the stage. Are you telling me that those were not available?
Yes, on a season ticket basis, those seats were not available. There are many reasons why the seats would be empty: the patron may have decided not to attend, they exchanged their tickets into a different night at the last minute, they gave up their tickets as a tax donation... Once the tickets are sent out, we have no way to control or know what the subscribers do with their tickets.
I don't think you're being up front with me. The theatre wasn't even 1/3rd full. (Outright lie here.)
I know for a fact that 240-something seats are taken on a season ticket basis for just this night. The hall seats 300, there's not much availability to begin with. As a season subscriber you had the priority to be seated prior to everyone else so anyone purchasing after you were seated received whatever was left over.
Well, why didn't I get better seats then?
Please bear in mind that we do have other subscribers who have been with us for a while. Some for as long as the series has been around ('96). Most of the seats taken that are closer are taken by those subscribers.
And then they proceed to let me know that they don't think that's true and that we're screwing them over. (Not exactly put in that way, but you get the gist.) And they ask for their money back, I tell them that we can't do that at this point since the first show has passed and I tell them that we can upgrade on a show by show basis and even go so far as to waive the initial exchange fee. (That's all I'm waiving dammit! If they want to exchange after that, they will follow proper policies.) When they receive their renewal, they can opt to cancel or request an upgrade. Of course, that's when they threaten to take this to the executives, etc.
Ugh! Dude, don't you think I'd spare myself the stress and effin' put people close and centered? I mean, why would I want people to call me and complain about their seating. Hello? If you didn't get it, that means it wasn't there!
Gah!