Metro Adlabs: Not customer savvy/friendly

Let me make this clear. I quite enjoy watching movies at Fame Adlabs in Andheri. Yesterday, I watched Om Shanti Om at Metro Adlabs. And I have to say, it has to be one of the most terrible experiences hall-wise. Allow me to elucidate.

The Wife called up the telebooking numbers. The chap on the other side claimed that the film was sold out and he had no tickets left save for the Ebony Class, that's Rs 280.00 a ticket. The Wife, being a seasoned film aficionado, reasoned that a major hit like OSO would still not be likely to be filling halls in the late night show (2000 to 0100) this far after the launch. So instead of being sold ludicrously expensive ticket, she hopped on down to the counter and booked the second most expensive class of tickets, and only because the cheapest is simply the first row, and even those have prices over Rs 200. Which totals up to the fact that Metro Adlabs' telebooking guy was lying to The Wife.

We had a nice goan dinner at New Martins (awesome, cheap Goan food. Must try the Beef Curry. Dal and Papad are the only veggie offerings) near Strand Cinema and turned up at about 2110 for the 2200 movie.

After metal detecting, respectful feeling-up and taking a considered gander into my bags, the guard told me to come back later, because the entry into Metro Adlabs is only allowed 15 min before the film actually begins. That was surreal! It was almost as if management was concerned that we might overuse their toilets, breathe in too much of their precious air-conditioned air, or god help, gatecrash the climax of some other film and occupy an empty seat. Maybe they were worried that we might actually end up buying some expensive popcorn or Pepsi. So much for customer respect.

Being the seasoned Mumbaikar that I am, I promptly went back out and parked my butt on the slender, swaying good old municipal railing outside. Withing minutes, a senior guard asked me to get off the railing. I refused, quizzing him in response as to who said I could/should not sit on top.

Evidently the Metro Adlabs management thinks the fence-sitters are not welcome. Perhaps because the rusty water tankers, haphazardly parked cabs, atrocious parking behavior on the part of their patrons and all spoil the look of the hall. All of which they can do bugger-all about. At least they can get chaps who sit in the fence to stand, instead, right?

I told the chap that since the railing did not belong to this management I would continue to be seated on it, unless he allowed us into the theater and park ourselves in one of the two empty 4-seater benches in the absolutely deserted, unoccupied lobby. I pulled the usual trick of raising my voice while doing this negotiation, which got us the benches pronto.

Once seated inside the theater at the appointed hour, one usher actually tried to get us to move from the seats we had purchased so some effing latecomer would not disturb the rest of the 'patrons.'

Metro Adlabs, in my opinion, sucks. I'm never going back.