Every Theatre Should Have This Kind of Customer Service

Today is April 1st. April Fools Day. A day when people all over the country pull out all their tricks in an attempt to fool friends, family, and unsuspecting individuals.

Well let me just warn you that my guard is up. That's right... No saran wrapped toilet seats or wrongly-set clocks will get by this girl today.

So when Chad received the following response to a last minute email inquiry he sent last night regarding a performance we were supposed to attend at The Strand-Capitol but couldn't due to babysitter and child issues, I thought for sure this was some kind of April Fool's joke. The response read as follows:

"We have a cheerful refund policy, so you can get a full refund on all tickets, no questions asked."

Yes,  you read that correctly. "...YOU CAN GET A FULL REFUND ON ALL TICKETS, NO QUESTIONS ASKED." (Yes, I did go all shouty capitals there.) Surely this must be a joke. No one has that good of a ticket policy, do they? I mean, this was like two hours before the show was supposed to start.

Well, rest assured, it was no joke. What it was was the best customer service I've experienced in a very long time.

As most people are well aware, life sometimes gets in the way of plans. And as much as I am aware of this fact, I still have trouble accepting these last minute changes. To say I handle unexpected changes of plans poorly is the understatement of the year. So after I spent the day freaking out over what to do about our tickets, this response from The Strand was as refreshing as the 60-degree day we're finally having here in PA.

It's this kind of customer service that makes me want to go back to this theatre again and again. And I guarantee I will. Because I now know that when life gets in the way of my plans, they understand and are there to help me.

Can you imagine if all businesses offered this kind of customer service? Can you imagine calling the cable company because your cable went out and getting a response something along the lines of, "We have a cheerful refund policy...so you can get a full refund for your cable bill this month, no questions asked." Or how about returning those curtains that you really didn't need to Target (you know, because you always end up buying things you don't need at Target)? Imagine if instead of saying "I'm sorry, we only accept returns with a receipt, in their original condition, within 30 seconds after you purchased an item," the customer service person said, "We have a cheerful refund policy, so you can get a full refund on all curtains, no questions asked." (Ok, maybe I might have exaggerated Target's return policy just a little. Maybe.)

But seriously, a ticket policy like The Strand has is an amazing incentive to return. I mean, just look at my experience trying to get my 6-year-old to New York last year. It took three tries. Three tries! That was a lot of extra money spent on ticket exchanges (and we even had ticket insurance!).

So thank you to The Strand for your amazing ticket policy and for understanding that life happens. Now that I have one less worry in my life, I can rest much better tonight. After I check my toilets for saran wrap.