Double-booked family 'frogmarched' out of Wizard of Oz theatre
A father told today how a family trip to London to celebrate his son's 21st birthday was ruined when their West End show seats were double-booked and they were "frog-marched" from the theatre.
Geoffrey Cole, 55, spent more than £200 on tickets and £300 on hotel rooms for the trip to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz at the Palladium on Saturday.
But when he arrived with his wife Jill, 54, their son, Tim, and daughter, Hannah, 21, they and more than 10 other theatre-goers had nowhere to sit as the seats in their row had been sold twice and were already filled.
Mechanical engineer Mr Cole told today how children were left crying, families were forced to sit apart from each other and some had no choice but to stand.
He said his family and others were left "milling around" and when they complained to staff they were told that the problem had "nothing to do with the theatre" and that they were not guaranteed a refund.
Front-of-house staff then insisted they must sit in seats near the front, where they could not see the stage properly, or face losing their money. Mr Cole said: "There were about 15 of us with nowhere to sit. One chap with his seven-year-old daughter dressed in a Dorothy costume started crying because they were made to go in the back row."
Mr Cole, whose family were given seats right at the front, said: "I was fuming. We couldn't see a thing. I was so angry that I went outside to speak to the manager.
"I demanded either a seat where we could see or a refund. To my amazement she said it had nothing to do with the theatre and gave me a receipt saying I had been refused admission to see the play because our seats weren't valid.
"When I came back at the interval I found my wife, who is only 4ft 10in, crying because when she stood up to try to see, other people told her to sit down." He said they were then shepherded out by an usher who allegedly claimed Mr Cole was "making a nuisance" of himself.
Theatre bosses today apologised and advised Mr Cole to contact them for complimentary tickets. They said ticket agencies were responsible for the mistake, not the theatre.
André Ptaszynski, chief executive of Really Useful Group, which runs the Palladium, said staff had "no alternative" but to ask Mr Cole to leave as he was being "vociferous".
Dan Pearce, managing director of website uktickets.co.uk where Mr Cole bought the seats, said: "We offer this family the opportunity to return as our guests, with top-price tickets and overnight accommodation."
