A visit to the cinema, which should have been a big treat, ended in tears.
Great aunt Mrs Alison Brown, of Netherton, had promised to take her nieces to the Odeon Cinema by the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield.
The excited youngsters – sisters Gracie and Evie and their cousin Jessica – were all going to an afternoon showing of the new film The Secret Life of Pets.
To save time Mrs Brown had paid £31.40 online for tickets, popcorn and drinks. But when she put her credit card in one of the two automated machines at the cinema to get her tickets, it said “transaction void.”
Mrs Brown, 57, who has used the machines before so knows the process, tried the second machine, only to be given the same message.
She went looking for someone to help her, but there was no-one downstairs at all. When she went upstairs, she said there were two men selling popcorn but they told her they were unable to help.
Mrs Brown said they then stopped a man in an Odeon uniform who was walking passed them upstairs. She said he advised her to wait by the main door for five minutes and, if the manager was in, he would come and see her. But no-one appeared, and by this time it was 3.50pm and the film had started at 3.30pm.
Mrs Brown managed to contact the Odeon’s customer services department on her phone and her money was refunded. She ended up taking the children to KFC instead, and they still haven’t seen the film.
“Four-year-old Gracie was in tears and she kept asking why she couldn’t see the film,” added Mrs Brown.
The Examiner made extensive efforts to contact Odeon by telephone and Twitter and was eventually given contact details for a PR agency.
Despite promises of a response none was forthcoming.
