Comments from JenniferBock

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JenniferBock
JenniferBock commented about UA Movies at Patchogue 13 on May 1, 2007 at 10:25 am

“Auditorium Checks” are supposed to be the greatest customer service Regal can offer. You no longer have to get out of your seat if you have a complaint – they come to you every 15 minutes so that you can notify the employee from your seat if there is a temprature problem, film presentation/sound problem, baby crying, someone is having sex or smoking (if it’s pot – you probably got it from the staff they don’t drug check and if they did – nobody would have a job, not even management). Really, it is just a disturbance every 15 minutes and the usher usually doesn’t know what to do, and since they have to do all 13 theatres – and then tell management about any problems, it could be a while to have the problem fixed (if the usher remembers the problem). And yes they are required – or the employee may be fired for failing to provide you with the best customer service possible.

If they really wanted to serve you better – they would clean everything. The seats are no longer cleaned every 3 months – they are spot-cleaned as needed since the cost is expensive and there is a minimum to be cleaned when the professionals are called in (which they do not do any longer – since they may close). And with the seats no longer being cleaned – the mold is a growing problem. Bring your own flashlight and look at your seat – it is gross on top and even worse on the bottom metal of the seat- you may never want to sit in a seat ever again. They can’t replace the seats with new exact replacements because the seats were made in 1985 and are no longer in production (and the repair parts are becoming scarce) – which is why you see gaps in the rows of seats; when a seat is beyond repair it is removed and classified as a designated spot for the disabled- regardless if it is in the middle row and is inaccessible to a disabled person (it just sounds like UA is doing something nice, but they aren’t really).

Then the mold spread to the walls – especially near the black areas up front by the screens. But that all stems from the a/c system. Again, their system is so old and beyond repair – the costs to update to working modern equipment is well beyond the pockets of UA. There are theatres were the unit never stop cooling or warms up. They show movies regardless of the temprature inside any particular theatre – as they say, the show must go on. But the real kicker is at night when the theatre closes – there is no heat or a/c at all (regardless of temprature outside) – the power to the air system is shut down – so mold has a good chance to fester and spread (which it has to unsafe levels -which is why I stopped going there after watching a movie while sitting against the wall and getting sick. My doctor said I was exposed to mold and sure enough – I researched and discovered the mold growth at the theatre – which everyone should know for their health and safety).

Lastly there are the UA mascots (as proclaimed by the joking management)– the rodents. It seems befitting as Patchogue UA is the bottom feeder of movie theatres on Long Island. When you cut back on cleaning efforts to save money, you invite this problem into your business and it’s safe to say that the rats do good business.

It’s just a pity that the Regal corporation headquarters has let this building go down hill – and it’s only getting worse. UA was always frugal but always talked of doing modern renovations since it used to be a serious money making theatre. But since Regal took over, it looks at Patchogue as just a pile of cash, just waiting to sell it off. Besides, corporate officials actually believe that Regal patrons are so loyal that they will travel past the Island de Lux theatre to get to the Ronkokoma theatre. Somebody is smoking something? and it ain’t just the Patchogue Pothead Staff. Really, what a shame.

JenniferBock
JenniferBock commented about UA The Movies at Coram on May 1, 2007 at 9:37 am

It is for obvious reasons that drive in theatres close – concessions! Movie theatres make most of their money at the concession stands – so if you can bring in cheaper food – why would you buy the movie theatre’s high priced food? And that is the reason for the dying era of drive-in theatres.

On a side note for Coram – UA mad two blunders with this theatre. The first was that Target had opted to buy the land – so Regal made the decision to close the theatre – but before the official sale went through. UA took whatever valuable assets was left in the building and shut their doors anticipating the sale. Alas, Target nixed the deal at signing and the theatre was already closed. Two weeks later – Brookhaven Multiplex shut their doors and UA was the real loser. So you might be thinking – why didn’t they reopen? Well, there were 2 reasons – first it was vandalized in a way that would have cost UA a large amount of money just to make repairs to re-open and since the theatre was already losing money, they sat on the fence about what to do (talk about cheap). Then, when the district manager finally made his way into the building – they had to evacuate. Due to the stale tempratures, mold started to develop (more like expanded to unsafe levels) and now the building is a toxic waste inside. The building will have to be demolished before anything could happen there – it’s actually quite dangerous for anyone to go in there – which is why the building is forever closed.

JenniferBock
JenniferBock commented about UA Movies at Patchogue 13 on Apr 30, 2007 at 10:54 am

There will be no miracles for Regal’s UA Patchogue theater. Since the land is outright owned by the corporation they can do whatever they want – close it or sell it at their whim. And the corporate headquarters are banking on a zoning change in which case they will close that theatre without warning or notice to the public (two weeks notice for staff). The theatre does make a profit however the land is worth millions (more money than it would cost to renivate to modern fixtures and ammenities). Corporate only sees the big bottom dollar and does not want to wait for the money it would receive in the future (if they fixed up the place – because people would come back to it) – they would rather take the big payday when they sell the land (for more homes on a highway)!

Needless to say, not one dime will be spent on the building as they await the zoning change. The roof has patch job leaks, the mold is dangerously hazardous (because of the poor a/c system that is no longer maintained – just fix when broken) and the cleaning is bare minimum – no sterilization (Only one person has a food handlers license). I don’t know how they are still open with the mouse/rat infestation – which is why I don’t go there anymore.

One of Regal values include bare minimum staffing. This is their absolute motto – not one more person than you need – so budgets are designed for very little staff (who are required {otherwise fired} to walk through the auditoriums every 15 minutes with a flashlight.

Regal only supports it’s new fancy theatres and is slowly closing less modern theatres. It’s a better financial situation for them business wise. They don’t have to hire the lowest bid contractor – and hence avoid the hassle of dealing with contractors – or the lawsuits that come later from the poor work done to remodel. It is easier to build a new megaplex in your backyard than to fix up the family theatre you’ve gone to your whole life – why? Because it’s a corporation that has absorbed all the bankrupt chains along the way -there is no family friendliness at the theatre (did you see a baby changing table at the theatre? there is no room in the bathroom so they are ignoring this compliancy telling parents to go their cars – official policy) or corporate level. Consumers are the faceless patron (when and if you complain you get a generic letter that won’t address your specific complaint – oh and free passes) and employees (from the concession stand to management) are replacable at a cheaper rate.

Regal is truly a conglomerate corporation that is just after the all-mighty buck, especially yours.