A Lesson for Us All

June 28th, I went to f(X) for a farewell party for our dearest author and friend Richardson who will soon go back to where he stationed currently, KL. That day (or in this case, yesterday) was also one of the most important day for fans as that was the day where KIII were performing officially as a team for the first time on the theater.

It is understandable that the theater seat were reserved beforehand by limited amount of fans who were lucky enough and also kinda packed with people hoping for a chance via waiting list. And also understandable that the securities and staffs were doing the best they could in that situation. But there are actually some things that caught my attention yesterday. Something that needed to be addressed and also something that both fans and officials might have to consider for a better future.

Lesson in Politeness

As usual, I went there with my capacity as a prospective customer to their show with me losing the verification stage and hoping a little bit for a waiting list chance to enjoy the show with Richardson and my friends. I came with my Solo batik suit to celebrate Shan’s birthday , a neat jeans and also shoes. Something that I regarded pretty neat for hanging out in any kind of malls.

I arrived at around 3PM and the situation around the theater is pretty empty. I notice a staff wearing a beanie with an ID on his hand talking to his colleagues. I politely asked him,

“Excuse me Sir, I…” (Permisi Mas, Saya..)

My sentences was not even completed yet and without looking at my face, he shove his hand around my face. He just gave me a talk to my hand attitude out of the blue. Baffled by the way he acted, I continued my question still in a very polite intonation,

“My apologies, is the waiting list number is still available Sir?” (Maaf, Apakah waiting list masih ada Mas?)

He then answered my question without even looking at my face and still concentrating to the ID in his hand,

“Are you FAR?” he said referencing whether I came from outside of Jakarta or not. I then answered him with,

“No, but I’m thinking perhaps if the waiting list still a..” (Tidak Mas, tapi mungkin saja Waiting List masih…)

Without waiting for me to finish my sentences, he then just waved his hand stating “No.”

Already knowing what he meant with his gesture, I left the area while saying my thanks to him.

I understand completely if the staffs and the securities were all in high stresses due to demanding and hard to controlled young fans. I understand the pressure they will have to face and I very much understand how bitter they were with the hard to controlled fans. But there’s something inside me that hoping that they would be more polite to their customers AND prospective customers, at least those who asked them politely.

This is my third or fourth time to the theater and I utterly shocked with how they treated their prospective customer at least in this case, me. I understand how stresses they were with the fans behaviour but I can’t imagine if a first timer tourist from one of Southeast Asia nation and able to speak Bahasa Indonesia is getting that kind of treatment out of the blue.

I didn’t have any grudge against that staff nor the securities as a whole, they’ve done a great job in making the theater not so crowded anymore outside of ticket exchange hours. But perhaps a little bit of politeness will do them no harm. Smile at least and see your prospective customer face to face when answering them.

No matter how bitter you are against your customers, they are still a prospective paying customers that needed your hospitality even at the very least. Well, at least just try to smile, a little bit.

I think a polite smiling securities and staffs are very kinky and smexy y’know

I personally will very appreciative to any kind of smiling gestures they could give to any kind of prospective customers.

For us customers? Be polite too! Smile to the securities! Give ’em smile and cross your fingers they will too. Or in worst case scenario like me, just think his waving palm as a gesture of a very good cute and sexy smile

Lesson in Ticketing

It was just shocking for me who rarely went to the theater due to my job to hear some stories from fans today who already got their verification tickets but were not allowed to enter the vicinity.

While hanging out in Starbucks enjoying my sip of iced chocolate and a puff of smoke, some fans came in started to tell me and my guys their experiences which then I recorded on my phone.

They’ve showed us their verification email first before their statement recorded.

Fans H

“We were queuing around 5:30PM and it was still in the time frame for ticket exchange as we usually did. The queue was pretty packed and the staffs already cut the line behind us to ensure that no more queue will be accepted once it is out of the ticket exchanging time frame. But then suddenly, one of the securities came out and told us that the tickets were all sold out. We were very shocked as we already hold the verification email on our hands.”

Fans A

“We were told that all the tickets were all sold out and it was our fault for being there outside of the ticket exchange frame. We were queueing from 5:30PM! It IS still in the time frame they announced!”

Well, I personally don’t know how the ticketing staffs handle the ticket allocation, but one thing that I know and always applicable to daily working environment is that once a customer already got hold of the verification email, they reserve the rights to an entry.

I’ve got reports from them that at least 50 customers who already got their verification emails got rejected while still waiting in the queue area and has been queueing before the ticket exchange time frame ended. For me personally, that doesn’t sounded fair. God knows from where they came from, but the gasoline cost to f(X) is not a cheap one, that’s one thing for sure.

This has somewhat scaring me, a lot. What if I won a verification email, decided to took a taxi to f(X) from Depok and ended up being rejected like that? I lost my rights, I lost a decent amount of money for transportation and I lost a lot of time. Based on those accounts from the fans up there, the prospective customers will always wrong and we won’t and can’t do anything to help it whatsoever. Even for Shan, I will still think that this is a total lost to a business, my business.

I totally clueless if this is a recurring incident or not. But crossing my fingers here, this is a once in a lifetime incident that the officials will try to overcome for the next and future shows. I hope they have the database of how much people winning the verification email and how big the theater capacity can hold.

Or at least reserved some always empty seat for VIPs (Members Family, Executives from the head office) that is NOT counted to the overall theater capacity can hold for customers. Sacrificing your recurring customers and potential prospective customers for VIPs is not a wise move in any kind of a healthy and profitable business.

And for us prospective customers? Well…I think watching My Cute Little Ponies is the only thing we could do in the above case while hoping we could puke rainbows. Or just get your ass ready from 4PM while hoping for the best. Just think of the long queuing as a training to get your ass fuller and sexier. Doesn’t matter if you want to be a wide receiver or tight ends, people loves those with sexy ass.

Lesson in FAR Tickets

If you are not getting verification email for FAR tickets, don’t ever hope too much from Waiting List or just hold your passion to see the girls and cancel your trip for next time.

I met four young boys from Malang who failed to enter the theater due to their high hopes from waiting list and they told me their story.

“We came here around 1 PM to bet our luck with the waiting list entree. And then suddenly there were announcement made that the waiting list will be delayed until around 4 PM due to how crowded today was. We were okay with that condition and we waiting until 4 to get our Waiting List number. ”

“They then announced that no Waiting List will be available today. To be honest, we kinda disappointed since we were promised an entree as a FAR fans by the staffs there.”

Well, took note that promising something will not always ends nicely. Better for them to get the bitter truth (like what they told me but in a much more polite way) rather than being promised of something they couldn’t get. Perhaps if they were explained that the chances of getting the ticket via Waiting List is almost none back then, they won’t be this disappointed with the end results since they knew the risk they took all along.

They told me and Red if they were explained how small the chances will be, they will be going straight back to Malang and not waiting and queueing for that long.

Then I asked them about how the staffs treated them as prospective customers. They said that the staffs were doing an awesome job by making it a little bit organized compared to what they have seen before. They only noted that perhaps if the staffs and securities could be a little bit more polite in handling them, then it would be perfect.

“I really like how the staffs and securities able to make the theater vicinity a nicer place for the others f(X) tenants and customers. But perhaps the way they treated their own customers to clear the way for other customers and tenants is a little bit rowdy if not discourteous. We were just hoping that the securities and staffs could be a little bit nicer to us. They were yelling at the fans and to be honest even though they don’t yelled at us directly, that’s kinda intimidated me as a customer standing near the yelling securities.”

Well, I would shit my pants if I were yelled by those big buffed securities if I was a young boy. Trust me.

At the end of this short interview, they asked us to pose for a picture with their banner. Unfortunately, the picture for one of the youngsters is blurred due to his movement. So yeah, I checked my phone and finds that I actually took three pictures instead of two and one of them is perfect one without any blurry moment.

And this one they took themselves and asked me personally to upload too

I hope that big ass banner doesn’t disturb the audiences in the theater too much the next time they got the chance for watching the show. Well, this is their way to express their love and I have no beef with it as long as it is not disturbing others like yelling a member’s name so loud on wrong occasion (Read: MC) perhaps.

Lesson for those living far away : as I told before, don’t put your hope too much on waiting list. Learn from these youngsters from Malang experience. Be more patient and wait until you win a verification. It may took long, but that’s the way the game went. Play with the game or take the risk, that’s your choice.

Lesson for those “virtually” living far away : Let’s start with ourselves, don’t overabuse your double ID please? Once in awhile is okay but for many shows? come on, don’t be a douche and give those guys who really came from far away places a chance to enjoy the show.

Lesson in Personal Needs

I’m saving the best for last

A friend of mine told me about this rule which I also heard on my show with a very good friend of mine from Singapore, WasshoiJ.

This very genius unwritten rule of “You may not go out even for your personal needs once you enter the theater. Once you out, you are forbade to enter the theater again.”

‘Nuff said, Inhuman.

For me personally and what I suggest you to do : I’d rather go out once my sensitive bladder starting to act out of control and having a peaceful thought on top of those lovely toilet seat while counting how much of money I lost due to my costly excrement. How cool is that? Your excrement now have their own value!

Lesson for Me

I need to try to hold my urge from yapping and whining too much. I did wrote this long article as well as the previous article on how to make yourself smelling good. But in the end of the day, that was just me whining and I still can’t hold my urge from doing that. I’m not yet matured despite of my age and I need to reflect and learn from it. Ciao for now guys, and see you in my next yapping and whining article somewhere in the future