So AMC Theaters is doing a thing where they show all five Avengers lead-up movies ("Iron Man", etc.) in a day-long marathon on May 3rd, with the midnight premiere of "The Avengers" capping things off. It's going to be awesome, and you better believe I bought my ticket weeks ago, through Fandango. At the time, the only participating theater in my area was alllllll the way on the other side of the city -- we're talking a 30-minute drive minimum (if I take the interstate bypass, and if there's no real traffic, which is unlikely). It's nearly this city's literal geographic apogee from my living space's location. I thought "what the heck, you only live once" and prepared myself for the journey. However, yesterday I went on the event website to get more information and found that another theater in my city is now participating -- and this one's on my side of town, and is 15 minutes away by surface streets. Boo! Living once doesn't have to mean risking my life if I don't have to. If I'm going to drive home at 3 a.m., I'd rather do it on short, familiar streets than some god-forsaken stretch of six-lane highway. "Guardrail" isn't a good look for my car, or my face.
So, armed with heroic resolve and more than a little chutzpah, I decided to see if I could get my ticket switched to the closer location. Fandango's website was a little vague for my tastes, and when I called customer service, I got a phone tree that referred me back to the website. I stewed for a while, talked it over with A Trusted Friend and decided to try again. (Buying a new ticket without possibility of a refund was not appetizing -- this one in particular is dang expensive.) I sat through the terrible hold music (and it was terrible, scratchy and full of static and mostly made of synthesizers, and not the good kind), but my patience paid off and I was connected to a lovely young lady in Rochester, NY. I explained the situation, and she said that while she couldn't switch the original ticket, if I went ahead and bought a new one for the correct theater, she'd put the old one in for a refund. More to the point, she'd do it right then, while we were on the phone. I booted the lappy and we chatted about the weather in our respective locations, and lo and behold! All went well! I got my new ticket, and this morning I got a confirmation e-mail that my refund for the original will be deposited in 3-5 business days. So, all in all, a win! Fandango has won a repeat customer.
Although I can't help but wonder if the excruciating hold music isn't there on purpose to weed out the weak and unresolved, like when you have to defeat a dragon before you can enter the Cave of Refunds. I guess it helps if you go into it thinking questy thoughts.
Avi Stiletto has posted here before, you just didn't know it. Crossposted from my other blog, which I won't link here because Privacy. Anyhoo ... AVENGERS!
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