15 January 2007

Dendy astroturfing

| johnboy
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I really don’t like doing this, I really want to like the Dendy Cinema and I’d like to have cooperative relationship with their management. But heavy handed corporate deception needs to be exposed when it is this obvious.

Yesterday a brand new reader, Macca77 started commenting on issues Dendy.

He started off presenting himself as a very loyal and happy Dendy customer who had had wonderful customer service from a manager there called Craig. He then went on to abuse customers who have relied on the malfunctioning Dendy website to try and raise issues with management. I thought this was a bit rich as the Dendy website positively encourages customers to use the web-form, and it’s hardly their fault if no-one bothered to test the form.

The role slipped somewhat when he immediately started lobbying and asking readers to campaign to Canberra Centre for an improvement in the parking situation.

It was particularly intriguing, to get this slew of comments posted within 40 minutes of each other, because that very day I’d had an email from the Dendy’s marketing manager Craig Maroney (who asked that I not publish his email)! The very same Craig who gave such whizzo customer service to Macca77!

Wow, what a co-incidence! Especially when Macca77’s email for subscription starts “cm24@”.

Now, please please please Dendy management, can we all start this again and behave like adults?

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Macca has Jacked off one too many it seems.

I’m waiting for Macca77’s response to all of this. A backpedal? A denial? Some maturity? Some immaturity? Come on Macca77, show us how the Dendy staff work under pressure.

shell out for the premier lounge and prepare to be amazed…

Nope. Parking signage is aweful. Just aweful.

And you cannot take the stairs to go floor to floor because the doors look behind you forcing you to go to the ground floor. So much for fitness!

Also some lifts are meant for staff use only and take you to the hidden bowels of employee staff corridor. Did i say the signage was aweful?

If you’re spending heaps going to the movies, then maybe you should consider putting that cash towards a home theatre setup – you don’t get the ads, kids kicking your seat, or the inconsiderate people rustling their chip packets, etc for the duration of the movie. All you need is a ready supply of ripped off new movies direct from mates in asia.

BTW – is the Canberra Centre parking fixed yet? I’m not going back until it is all complete.

At worst, (getting back to the initial topic of astroturfing), this is an example of a ham-fisted e-marketing effort, made not knowing the rules of the sandpit but seeing it’s potential.

It’s not like they are trying to sway opinions on anything important. It’s parking in a shopping centre and spin.

In a way, it’s endearing. It would be scarier if it wasn’t obvious.

Dendy is awesome. And if people show a little bit of patience and understanding it will only get better.

ihatestupidpeople, if you are a liar to suggest that any cinema will show 55 minutes of ads before the start of the flick. The rest of your troll should therefore be flushed where it belongs. Bye

blingblingbears4:04 pm 15 Jan 07

55 minutes?!?! what a crock of shit! I have reugularly visited cinemas in both Melb and Syd and have never sat through more ads than I have here in Canberra

Having lived in NZ for a couple of years, and going to the cinema frequently during my time there (albeit mostly to the same one in Auckland) I can’t say I’ve ever heard of either of those policies. A majority of what you post smacks of hearsay and exaggeration.

But I hear in Antarctica they won’t let you in without a penguin under each arm.

ihatestupidpeople2:47 pm 15 Jan 07

Oh, I forgot to say if you live in NZ you are not allowed to enter a cinema *after* the sesison has started under their Workcover laws.

And I think they are also required to keep the houselights on during the feature.

Count ourselves lucky I guess that we can still enjoy traditonal cinema.

ihatestupidpeople2:44 pm 15 Jan 07

Well there you go…everything you hate about Hoyts is what you love about independent cinema.

From what I have noticed, Dendy do not have advertising apart from a couple of trailers in the ‘commercial’ movies.

That poor work experience kid probably would have got fired if they had not have asked you….that’s the sad thing about those sorts of companies.

At least you get to see a familiar electric shadows face at Dendy.

Less than a 15 minute programme prior to the feature is asking for a hell of a lot of people to miss the start of the film and really piss off the people already inside as they traipse into a movie that’s started.

But 55 minutes is taking the piss and I’d be surprised if it really made sense to do that, you’d be losing three sessions a day.

Geese indeed!
I’ve even switched off SBS since they started jamming ads all the way through Mythbusters…
They’d want to pay ME 15 bucks to sit through 55 minutes of ads, and it would still be an even bet I’d say get stuffed…unless it is 38 degrees outside again.

cinema advertising.

i object to a film listing saying 1.15 when i knwo its REALLY going to start at 1.35.

at shadows, i cant recall waiting more than 5 minutes for a film to start.

most of the cinema ads at hoyts et al ARE FOR THEMSELVES!

i also object to dodgy sound, fuzzy images and one kid at the entrance to 20 screens.

i REALLY HATE buying tickets at the candy bar.

fuck i hate that.

i generally roll up to a cinema 30-60 mins before hand, procure said ticket and then have a affogato before wandering to the screen ON TIME.

i have bought my ticket 60 mins before a screening and been asked by the candy counter ticket work experience kid if i want anything from the candy bar.

Two of clubs2:31 pm 15 Jan 07

If Sydney and Melbourne residents “happily” sit through 55 minutes of ads before a film then they are silly geese who get what they deserve.
I’m going to call some friends and see if they do indeed watch 55 minutes of ads, then I’ll laugh at them.

ihatestupidpeople2:21 pm 15 Jan 07

it’s your fault – you gave us a forum 😛

Wow, Canberrans are whingers and deserve what they get?

I can tell you that having worked in cinemas in West London and Canberra that the customers here are a DREAM compared to what you can get elsewhere.

Yes in any room someone will say it’s too hot and someone will say it’s too cold. Also that the sound is too loud and too soft.

You smile, make sympathetic noises, say you’ll look into it, go stand at the back of the cinema for a few minutes, THANK THEM FOR BRINGING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION, and most of them will walk away as happy as clams and wanting to come back for more.

But if the market is just too tough for you then get the hell out of it.

ihatestupidpeople2:08 pm 15 Jan 07

To Al – yes and no.

I don’t think the members of this board understand how hard the Canberra market is to judge and appease (for lack of a better word).

I know a number of regional managers for national service-based organisations that struggle to explain to their management why Canberra based locations receive so many complaints in comparison with locations in other jursidictions.

Particularly when (in many circumstances) the level of service and product is far superior in Canberra than other states.

For example, would you sit through 55 minutes of advertising before finally getting to your feature presentation? Sydney and Melbourne residents happily wait but Canberrans complain about 20 minutes.

I once had a friend explain to me that 80% of their compliants were received from the Canberra market, the remaining 20% from the rest of the country. Of that 80%, 95% originated from a .gov.au domain.

How can you staisfy a market when from the same group of people, one will complain a room is too hot and another that it is too cold. Where is the compromise between service and personal preference.

Clearly a new business that is so overwhelmed with customers needs to focus on meeting those service standards first.

How hard do you want to be? Do you support a fledgling independent cinema chain or treat it like it has the unlimted resources of a multinational?

Hey Dendy, here’s an idea: log on as “Dendy” and post along the lines of “hey everyone – we hear you, and we’re doing our best to get it all sorted. There are limits, because the entire nation-wide building industry shuts down for 4 weeks, but we’re getting there. And for Bonfire and others with experiences other than brilliant – call me on xxx and we’ll talk about making good. Cause if you are prepared to spend $300 at the movies, you are clearly the sort of client we want to protect!”
Honesty in business, value of customers, etc. Not enough of it in Canberra.
Just a thought…

Nah I expect in this case it was an error of judgment and unfamiliarity with the ways of the web rather than the result of a policy to deceive.

So no, I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe I’m getting old.

I agree with all but the I really don’t like doing this comment…

Come on JB, you really loved doing it didn’t you ?

ihatestupidpeople1:09 pm 15 Jan 07

You must live a very sheltered life if you are so easy to instigate such drastic action for something that hasn’t even affected you.

I mean i refuse to go to Hog’s Breath Cafes – but there’s a good reason behind that one!

They’re too busy looking for the cash-cow, fnaah; which is why the bull is there…

Good catch, JB. It’s a pity that businesses spend so much time, money and effort making people think their shit isn’t smelly, when they could dispense with the bull and have a good product instead.

I think boycott is a little strong.

hopefully we can draw a line under it and move on.

This is the final straw.

Im offically boycotting dendy cinemas.

i dont care if they show ‘repo man’ – i wont be going.

as i probably dropped 300 bucks into shadows ticket box in 2006 this is not a step i take lightly.

Hope he works long shifts – poptop

Hah! He’ll have to now!

Of course the resounding silence from clients on the Dendy website wouldn’t have piqued anybody’s interest.

At least we now know to all ring and specifically ask for Craig to deal with our ‘comments’ with anything Dendy in future.

Hope he works long shifts.

The very same Craig who gave such whizzo customer service to Macca77

There would only be one marketing manager, so this isn’t that surprising.

Some coincidence though.

OK so you found him out.

However, “Craig” is right. I will avoid going to Dendy if I can because of the parking situation.

I believe however parking is free on Sundays.

Perhaps if they invested as much energy into addressing their shortcomings… well you know the rest.

This is just too funny. Dendy = Dickheads.

Heh, too funny. I’ll still be prepared to give them a shot (provided something decent is actually released) but it’s still *really* pathetic behaviour from a large company.

Nice work, JB. And at least we also know that “cm24@” is not Charles Manson’s email address…

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