Remember how happy I was with Famous Players Theatres yesterday? What a difference 24 hours can make.
After getting the confirmation for our theatre tickets yesterday I was like a whirlwind today arranging for a bus, even having my principal intervene with the bus company to make sure the bus would have us at the theatre for the 9:30 show, writing a permission/information letter for the parents, getting all the financial info from the secretary, making sure all the letters and permission forms were photocopied for the two classes, making arrangements with special needs students and their educational assistants and more. Considering I had a Fiddler organizational meeting all through my lunch, plus my teaching day it meant I literally didn't stop for a minute between 8 and 5. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but happy that I had managed to pull off and organize such a cool field trip under such time constraints.
Then I come home to my e-mail tonight to find a letter from a Famous Players representative saying she needs to clarify her statements to me yesterday. She tells me that although she told me our spots were reserved for next Friday she should have mentioned that was only if the morning performance was "approved". She says she can't get approval for such a performance unless she has 150 tickets advanced sales, therefore our reservation only holds if 75 more tickets are sold. And then she encouraged me to go and talk to the other teachers in my school to try and get those other 75 tickets sold, as otherwise our reservation may be cancelled.
I am livid. I am beyond livid. I tried for six weeks to book this trip being bounced between one Famous Players employee and another with answers to my questions either being delayed or not answered. Yesterday I was told my reservation was confirmed and now I'm being told it's conditional on selling 75 more tickets, something I simply can't and won't do.
I've returned a fairly furious letter to the representative letting her know that if this trip is cancelled and I have to break 60 Gr. 5 hearts on Monday I need to know now as I need to cancel the bus, return the kids' money and send a second letter home to the parents telling them why this trip isn't going to happen. Either way, this will not end here, I am determined to take these complaints to someone higher up in the company and get my principal to support me.
I'm hoping the company will realize they're caught between a rock and a hard place and they will put on the movie regardless, even if there are only 75 of us. But at this point I just don't know. I've taken groups of kids to Famous Players for the last three years, but this will certainly be the last year.
So, I await their next letter and I hope it will come soon so I will know what plan of action to take next.
Hopefully tomorrow's Toronto local filk at Sally Headford's place will calm me down some...
After getting the confirmation for our theatre tickets yesterday I was like a whirlwind today arranging for a bus, even having my principal intervene with the bus company to make sure the bus would have us at the theatre for the 9:30 show, writing a permission/information letter for the parents, getting all the financial info from the secretary, making sure all the letters and permission forms were photocopied for the two classes, making arrangements with special needs students and their educational assistants and more. Considering I had a Fiddler organizational meeting all through my lunch, plus my teaching day it meant I literally didn't stop for a minute between 8 and 5. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but happy that I had managed to pull off and organize such a cool field trip under such time constraints.
Then I come home to my e-mail tonight to find a letter from a Famous Players representative saying she needs to clarify her statements to me yesterday. She tells me that although she told me our spots were reserved for next Friday she should have mentioned that was only if the morning performance was "approved". She says she can't get approval for such a performance unless she has 150 tickets advanced sales, therefore our reservation only holds if 75 more tickets are sold. And then she encouraged me to go and talk to the other teachers in my school to try and get those other 75 tickets sold, as otherwise our reservation may be cancelled.
I am livid. I am beyond livid. I tried for six weeks to book this trip being bounced between one Famous Players employee and another with answers to my questions either being delayed or not answered. Yesterday I was told my reservation was confirmed and now I'm being told it's conditional on selling 75 more tickets, something I simply can't and won't do.
I've returned a fairly furious letter to the representative letting her know that if this trip is cancelled and I have to break 60 Gr. 5 hearts on Monday I need to know now as I need to cancel the bus, return the kids' money and send a second letter home to the parents telling them why this trip isn't going to happen. Either way, this will not end here, I am determined to take these complaints to someone higher up in the company and get my principal to support me.
I'm hoping the company will realize they're caught between a rock and a hard place and they will put on the movie regardless, even if there are only 75 of us. But at this point I just don't know. I've taken groups of kids to Famous Players for the last three years, but this will certainly be the last year.
So, I await their next letter and I hope it will come soon so I will know what plan of action to take next.
Hopefully tomorrow's Toronto local filk at Sally Headford's place will calm me down some...