We occasionally report workplace behavior that’s so odd that it sounds made up. Except it’s not. Today’s story: When an unhappy customer complained, a company official responded in a most-unofficial way.
Sarah Kohl-Leaf of Taylors Falls, MN, complained in an e-mail to Evergreen Entertainment, which operates a chain of movie theaters, about several service shortcomings and payment problems at the company’s St. Croix Falls cinema. In the letter, she threatened to take her business to a competitor: “I would rather drive to White Bear Lake, where they obviously know how to run a theater than have this experience again.”
Evergreen VP Steven Payne reacted with this response (which we cleaned up to achieve a rating of PG):
“Drive to White Bear Lake and also go f*** yourself. If you don’t have money for entertainment, get a better job, and don’t pay for everything on your credit or check card. You can also shove your time and gas up your f****** a**. Also, find better things to do with your time. This email is an absolute joke. We don’t care to have you as a customer. Let me know if you need directions to White Bear Lake.”
Something resembling customer-service sense must have kicked in later for Payne, because he followed up that message with another that apologized for the first message.
As you might imagine, the whole thing ended up on Facebook, motivating the formation of a group calling itself “Boycott St. Croix Falls Cinema 8.” At last count, it had 4,300 members — twice the population of St. Croix.
And, yes, there is a rival Facebook group called “We Support Steven Payne.” It has 68 members.
