AMC Snubs It's Twilight Fans

Let me start off by saying that I am NOT a Twilight fan. I tease my family who are, but I will still take them to see the movies, buy them the TEAM shirts to wear and watch the movies with them because it’s a family event.

Last year when Eclipse was released AMC Theaters held a Marathon. At $30 a pop people bought the Marathon package because they wanted to sit there and watch all three movies back to back.

Now the 4^th installment is due to release and in my own words here AMC is telling those loyal fans to SHOVE IT. They posted on their website that they were offering the Ultimate Twilight Experience to only have it removed after the advance tickets went on sale. They have replaced it with two options that no one seems to be pleased about.

There is a Twilight Tuesday where you can see all of the movies before the midnight release of Breaking Dawn Part 1 on November 18^th.

TwiSherry, a devoted Twilight fan, and very vocal on the subject on AMC’s website stated, “I don't even think the Twilight Tuesdays is what you are thinking. The way it was explained to me was that Twilight will play on Nov 1st, New Moon will play on Nov 8th, and Eclipse will play on 15th. So, it's not that you get to see all three two days before the premiere. You have to see them one at a time for 3 weeks. I mean OMG like someone said, who wants to do that when we own them all. The whole point is the “experience” and excitement the night OF the premiere. Again, I feel sooooo slighted, I just can't even express it.”

The more I speak to Twilight fans the more I hear how disappointed in AMC they are. While I believe AMC has the right to do as they wish, after all it is their company, I firmly believe that the consumer’s voice should be heard. After all, if you ignore your customers those customers will go elsewhere. AMC was their first choice and they are still willing to give AMC a chance to fix this.

“Again,” TwiSherry went on to say, “I am loyal to AMC, I always try to see my movies in the suites if it is available. I don't even have a theater that has the suites that is closer than like 25 miles from my house and yet I make the drive every time. And now that I've done research and see that other cinema's ARE offering the marathon, I feel completely jipped by AMC. I am seriously considering eating the $250 non-refundable fee for the rental of the suite theater for BD1 and going to the other theater in my town that is showing the marathon.”

“Did you hear that AMC? It is worth it to me to LOSE $250 so that I can see all 4 movies on the SAME day. Not on 3 separate Tuesdays for 3 weeks before the movie. Are you really that unclear as to what your customers want?”

“My husband is always complaining that we have a theater 5 minutes away, and it's cheaper. But, I enjoy the movie experience of the suites so much that I always (or rather used to) feel like it was worth the drive. Disappointed is not even a good enough word.”

Another loyal Twilight fan, Gretchnh added, “I must say that I've heard of NO ONE who's happy with the “choose your preceding movie” deal. That has to be THE DUMBEST idea anyone at AMC has ever come up with. I attended the Twilight Experience last year with about 20 friends and we all planned to do the same this time. We will ALL be looking for other theatres in the KC area that will offer the marathon. We all live 25+ miles from the AMC 30 in Olathe and love that theatre, but I will not give my business to a company that does not listen to the masses. And to think that the AMC Headquarters are right in our back yards here in KS.”
“And Twilight Tuesday? Really? Stupid idea. Who wants to go to the movies 2 days BEFORE Breaking Dawn just to watch the 3 movies back to back? I can easily do that with friends at home at give AMC NO BUSINESS FOR THAT!!!”
“I also saw the ULTIMATE TWILIGHT EXPERIENCE on the AMC website. I click on it, and it takes you to a page with an error message. Evidently they THOUGHT about doing it, but changed their minds.”
“AMC has lots of loyal customers, but unless this is rectified, I think you'll see your loyal customers who are also Twilight Fans going elsewhere from now on. And, BTW, there are LOTS of us.”

Other AMC customers voiced their concerns on AMC’s website over how they felt AMC was not listening to their concerns. Gretchnh was very vocal when she stated, “I have a movie theatre that is 10 minutes from my house. However, we ALWAYS choose to drive the extra 20 minutes (30 min total) to the AMC 30 in Olathe.”
“AMC has really screwed up this time. Flood the phones, e-mails, facebook and twitter with how upset all the Twilight Fans are with this so-called choice. Who's brilliant idea was this?”
“I refuse to buy a ticket from AMC for B.D. and I AM a stubs member... A member that didn't have to pay a membership fee because of our frequent visits to AMC 30.
The way I see it, AMC is losing $1000 just from my group of friends and I that won't be attending. Looks like Cinemark may be getting our business, even if it's a further drive and costs us $1 for a refill.”

Flooding the phones seemed like a good idea so I decided to get a number for these fans. In my eyes this is an injustice the way AMC is treating their customers. On a personal note, my daughter has grown up in AMC movies. There is a staff member at our local AMC that has seen my daughter grow up literally. Since my daughter was a baby till now, this is the only place we go to see movies. Even on our vacation when we decided to o see a movie we would ONLY go to an AMC.

I found the number and called to get a contact on the matter and was directed to a Carrie Trouter. I left a message, allowing Carrie to comment on what was being said on the website but received no answer. I posted the following on the forum only to have it removed by an AMC employee two hours later.

“Okay Twilight fans, want to voice your opinion to a LIVE person? Maybe if we flood them with calls they will LISTEN to what you have to say. I did some research and got the number to AMC Headquarters. 816-221-4000 ext 4715. The person's name is Carrie Trouter. Flood them with calls, I promise you this WILL get their attention. Tell em how you REALLY feel.”

Three hours after this post AMC finally posted a reply to it’s customers:

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts about the upcoming Breaking Dawn Event. I understand that many of our guests want a marathon, but it's important to keep in mind that Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is less than a year away, and we are saving our complete film series event for the finale.

We worked closely with Summit Entertainment to create this year’s Twilight Saga Experience. I truly apologize to our guests who are not content with the double feature, but we will going forward with this event.

I know that advertising the marathon on our website was a terrible error and ultimately we will have to take our lumps for that. I want to assure you that we did not pull a potential marathon at the last second as it has been suggested. Our website pulls movie information from many sources and our 3rd party IT Vendor mistakenly included this as a movie title in our movie database.

I want to assure everyone that I have, and continue to personally forward all of your thoughts and posts to the appropriate people at AMC.

Thank you all for posting and taking the time to contact us. We consider guest feedback to be very important to our success and we appreciate the time and effort that you have put forth to share your thoughts.

Many things could be taken from this statement, however, I took issue with the last sentence, and apparently I was not the only one. I asked why my post was removed and was told “I did not remove the post to stifle your voice, but the fact of the matter is, the number you posted is neither the appropriate contact nor the appropriate method to be heard. You would be much better served by contacting our corporate customer care line at (877) 262-4450”

Before I had a chance to reply this comment was picked apart. Gretchnh was first to respond with, “That's right. Send it to the customer service line people so they can get chewed on for a decision that was not theirs. Why can't we call him directly?”

Cherie Defenbaugh had this to say, “I think the customer should decide for themselves who they want to contact. Let those who let us down take the heat. Just looking at this board I would feel sorry for any CSR for having to take the call.”

AMC I believe your customers have spoken. They are NOT accepting the bull you are trying to shove down their throats. They have told you how they bend over backwards to make you their FIRST choice. They are even willing to give you a chance to fix this issue. Time is running short. Gretchnh stated it best.

“AMC is going to choke on this one. You guys are in my back yard for God's Sake. I WILL NOT go to AMC again. If there are companies out there willing to actually listen and give customers what they want, then they deserve my business more than those saying, “but we will be going forward with this event.” Or simpler said as “kiss off, we don't care what you want. This is what we want so there.”

Max M. Power

Grounded

Sometimes I look to the sky,
A tear rolls down my face.
I get choked up,
Longing to be high up in that special place.

I was born in the air,
My spirit soaring free.
Being in an airplane
Is where I am most ME.

My wings have been clipped,
My time in the air short lived.
Aviation was my mistress,
Oh how she loved to give.

The Day The Music Died

I was nine years old when Top Gun came out, the Navy’s two hour recruiting commercial. It wasn’t until the summer of ’89 that I seen the movie for the first time.
While all the girls at the time were drooling and falling in love with Tom I was falling in love a different Tom, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. I watched the movie over and over, fast forwarding to the scenes that had a jet in it. It wasn’t long till I had the dogfights memorized.
Still playing with metal toys I bought a set of Navy fighter jets. After school and Saturday morning cartoons I would fly my jets around and around, going supersonic and breaking the sound barrier, turning on my afterburners so I can save the day.
As soon I was old enough I bought my first model. I was so excited that I could not wait to get home. I tore the box open and started popping out the parts I needed to build my very own F-14 model, with wings that rolled forward and back. I put it together, carefully painted the body and placed the stickers in the proper spots. When I glued the pilot into the front seat I knew that would be me one day.
I was told I was not smart enough, that I would never fly a Tomcat, but I refused to listen. I studied aviation; I played every video game involving flying. I pushed myself; I read and read and read. I knew it was going to be a hard journey but I wanted those Wings of Gold and I wanted them to be for the Tomcat.
One day in flight school I had finished a test early and went out into the hall to wait till class was over. I was looking at two favorite pictures hanging on the wall. One was an F/A-18C Hornet breaking the sound barrier. A circle of white surrounded the aircraft in the middle, showing where the barrier was broken. The other was the Tomcat flying above the surface of the ocean, causing two waves to splash up behind it, trying to catch up.
Imagining that was me, I was dreaming about flying low then pulling up slowly, climbing higher and higher into the sky, feeling freer than anything else alive. I knew that was the goal someday. My main flight instructor walked out of his office and seen me standing in front of the Tomcat.
“Too bad they just canned the Tomcat huh,” he said as he stopped behind me. “They just announced it this morning, no more Tomcats.”
My heart sank, I was crushed. The Navy would no long accept new pilots to fly the Tomcat. The F/A-18 Hornet was now the future of the Navy. Two weeks later a Tomcat landed at the airfield and taxied in as I was walking out to aircraft. I froze. I had never seen a Tomcat up close. The pilot could see the love I had for this aircraft. He allowed me to climb inside and sit in the pilot’s seat. I had touched my dream, however brief it may be.
Slowly over the coming years the Tomcat would be phased out and flew its last flight on September 22, 2006, the day the music died, well for me at least.

BIG DISCOUNT ON EBOOKS

I have set a 50% discount on all my ebooks. Coupon expires December 31, 2010, so you have plenty of time. www.smashwords.com Search Max M Power for a list of my ebooks.
The Guardians – UE39A
Loves Flight Path - GD73Y
VL45 - XZ66N

Love's Flight Path

Love’s Flight Path was the first novel I’ve ever written. In a way it was therapy for me. Parts of this book are true, most of it is made up, but still it was a way to help me get over my past. I never really seen this book as best seller but out of all my books on Smashwords this one is selling the most. What is your opinion?

A man is considered lucky if he can find love in his life. Max Power finds love not once, but three times. Fighting for everything he has, Max finds himself coming across the love of two beautiful women and his dream, being a fighter pilot in the United States Navy.
On his first cruise Max discovers whom he truly loves and everything falls into balance. His life is going great until the unthinkable happens; the United States is attacked. Faced with WAR, Max must put aside his personal feelings and do his duty as a fighter pilot. When he is shot down behind enemy lines, Max knows that he has to make it back safely to the woman he loves.
Question is, will he?

Realist

I promise you, if you just bare with me, everything will make sense. I’m going to take you on one of those wormhole journeys through my mind.
As humans we feel the need to name and label everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!!! Hey, it’s human nature so don’t feel bad. With all that’s going on with our country right now there is one question that keeps floating around: What are you?
Liberal, Conservative, Tea Bagger, Republican, Democrat, you name it I’m being asked. When I respond I say, “I’m a REALIST.” This of course draws more questions of what IS a REALIST?
Plainly put, a REALIST is someone who no longer sugar coats life. A REALIST sees things for how things are in the world, what REALLY works in the streets. There are many types of streets so this applies to just about everything in the world. A REALIST sees things as they are and tries to work with that fact, not lying to oneself in the hopes of not facing the truth. For this I am called COLD yet I say, this is what makes it real.
Here are two samples of what I mean:
Common Sense: This is a biggie. Okay despite what most believe everyone has common sense. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong, the only thing is what they see as common sense and what is right may be completely different from what you see. To someone who lies, cheats, and steals, this is just as natural to them as breathing. It makes perfect sense to them to do these things.
Death: Everyone dies, this is a fact of life. You can not stop this from happening and the only real thing we can control is what happens until we breathe our last breath is how we spend our time. This is where I am called cold but in history, death is a cause for celebration not just sadness. Now this rings especially true when someone who has an illness passes. Life is pain, in one way or another, and despite what your belief in the afterlife is, when a person dies they are no longer in pain, no longer suffering. To truly honor someone you have to rejoice in the life they lived, not marinate in the sorrow of their passing.
I could keep going on and on and on but the reality of it all is my brain is jumping with examples and you have stuff to do, hahaha. But I can say, if you think about things, really think about them, look at them from your point of view then turn around and look at it from the OTHER point of view, playing Devil’s Advocate, if you will, you will find yourself slowly becoming a REALIST too.

What Language Do You Speak?

This is a touchy subject for a lot of people. Should you speak English or Spanish? I’m not here to get political about the subject but this situation calls for a huge “COME ON” moment.
I went to a Church’s Chicken, yes a 99¢ heart attack I know. Anywho, I was next in line and the cashier asked me in Spanish what I wanted to order. I don’t speak much Spanish so I started giving my order in English.
Silly me, I’m thinking an American restaurant, in an American State, in an American City, and here I thought I could order my food in the most commonly used language, English. Nope.
The cashier stated that she did not speak English and I said I do not speak Spanish. She proceeded to try to take my order in Spanish again and of course, I tried to place my order in English.
The cashier got angry at me and I could tell that whatever she was saying was not friendly. She walked to the back and started telling the manager something. The manager came to the front and asked me what the problem was.
I said I want to order and the cashier can’t take my order because she does not speak English and I do not speak Spanish. Then, and somehow I knew this was coming, the manager told me that I should learn Spanish then. I was really starting to get pissed at this point but I was on my way to work and wasn’t about to lose my cool.
I asked if the manager could just take my order and she said no, asking me to leave. I’m sorry but if you are going to service people who speak English then you should have people inside who actually SPEAK the language.

Stockton, California

I’m from a place that has deemed the 2nd worst place to live in the United States and the sad part is it’s a small hole in the wall town in Northern California. Well I call it a hole in the wall, compared to Houston, which is where I live now, which is now the 3rd largest city in the country. My family is not one that people would call an ideal family, sorry pop, your words, not mine.
Despite all the negativity it IS where I was born so it will always be my first home.
I am a firm believer that you can find beauty anywhere, if you know how to see it. I have lots of memories of Stockton and for those of you not lucky enough to drive through that little slice of heaven, the best thing I can tell you is watch those shows and movies that take place in L.A. ghettos.
Downtown was nothing special. It’ll take a lot of elbow grease to clean it up. When I was little I use to think to myself, why do we have to have such a dirty downtown. Even the Greyhound station was bad. Now, as an adult I realize that Stockton’s downtown was not that bad, I should know, I worked at Greyhound in downtown Houston and I use to think, just like Stockton.
I use to walk or catch the bus everywhere I went. Summer time was spent at Oak Park, swimming in the pool, learning how to swim from a fat balding old man who looked like Mario from the Super Mario Bro game. My grandmother use to take me to Ports games, Stockton’s minor league baseball team, and she taught me a lesson I still live by today. “They may not be a Major League team but they are your team so you need to support them.” I agree and that’s why no matter what anyone says, I still cheer, GO AREOS!!!
Sorry, that’s a Houston team and I’m talking about Stockton.
Anywho, I remember Stockton having very few movie theaters and my uncle taking me to them all. There was the big one where I seen ET, The Hunt for Red October, Return of the Jedi, and Jurassic Park. There was a little one where we seen two movie on one ticket, that was the best, we spent all day there watching movies.
There were two malls, and they both had a video arcade. Many a quarters were lost in that place. I even remember there was a park, not sure what its called, but the zoo was there, it had a water ride that went around the entire park, and it had a museum. That was my first museum and I swear that the mummy they have on display moved while I was there.
The best, for me anyway, I have a few. The last time I went to Stockton for a visit there was three things I HAD to do. First thing first, when I got back into Stockton it was morning so we had to go to a Spanish bakery and the smell was heaven. Having to park on the street and go inside brought back memories, nothing had changed in the ten years I was away, right down to the pink fading paint on the outside wall.
That night for dinner I HAD to have a Michael’s pizza. When my aunt moved down the street from Michaels I went there all the time, which is where I fell in love with Hawaiian pizza. I went on and on about how I HAD to go to Michaels but my family wouldn’t let me leave the house so my cousin went and picked me up a pizza and that first bite, oh my god it was awesome.
Lastly, Genova Bakery. I have found memories of the smell of that bakery. If you are reading this and living in Stockton you HAVE to go to Genova and take a huge breath, smelling that sweet sweet smell. All I can say it this is what I think of when I think of Italy. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!
Well that’s enough about my home town. While I would not move back there, sorry but California is beautiful, just expensive for me to live in, I would love to go back for a visit. It may not be the best place to live, the crime is high, the streets are dirty, but it’s still a place that I call home.