I worked for a ticket company that sold tickets to sports events, concerts, musicals, etc…
During my time there I worked for many different departments. I did basic customer service on the phone, I did online chat support, I did internal support help desk for the other agents, I worked with the large scaled businesses who sold millions of dollars worth of tickets a year and I worked on a special management team who worked offline. The last one is when this story took place.
A phone agent too call from a customer who has an issue with her tickets to a baseball game. I forgot the team and stadium but that doesnt matter for this story. Anyway the agent on the phone couldnt resolve the issue so they created a help ticket and submitted it. I happened to be the one who received it and worked on it. The jist of the notes was that the caller was upset the seats she received werent next to each other. I would be upset as well if I was going to a ballgame with a friend and our seats werent together. I figured the wrong tickets got sent to her and did some research.
Upon review I looked at the order and the electronic tickets that were sent to her. They were seats 19 and 20 in the same section and same row. This puzzled me as the notes say they werent together. I proceeded to look up the stadium map and then called the customer back to see what happened. Here is how the call went:
Me: Hey _______, this is ______ calling about an issue you had at a ballgame you just attended. What is going on exactly?
Cust: My friend and I went to the game and the seats werent next to each other and we want a refund. We couldnt enjoy ourselves as we werent next to each other.
Me: Ok, definitely understandable. I am looking at the tickets though and I see they are in the same section, row, and seats 19 and 20. Did the arena split you guys up and make you sit in different seats or what happened?
Cust: Oh no, we sat in those seats
Me: …….
Me: And you werent next to each other?
Cust: No
Me: Ok, was their an aisleway or or stairway or something in between that separated you?
Cust: No
Me: Ok, so from what I gathered you sat in those seats but werent together. I am looking at the arena map and they show them together. Can you help me understand how you werent together if the arena shows them together and you guys sat in those exact seats?
Cust: Sigh so we sat there but their was a gap between the chairs. They werent touching. Their was a small gap inbetween them which prevented them from being next to each other.
Me: ………
Me: Maam, those seats are together. The only reason they are on a slight angle and the gap is inbetween them is because that is a corner of the stadium and in order to bolt the seats to the groundd they were slightly angled. They are next to each other and everything, but you will see a small gap between seats to allow them to move up and down and to be bolted.
Cust: No, they are not touching and therefore not together. I want a refund
Me: I am sorry but the tickets were valid, you attended the event without an issue and saw the game and the seats are in the same section, row and next to each other. We cant process a refund for you
Cust: Well I want to complain more, let me speak with your manager
Me: Maam I am the manager who was assigned to your case
Cust: Then who would I complain to?
Me: My best bet would be the construction who built the stadium if you are upset about the way it built, we dont handle that
Cust: Ugh fine, bye
