~ Theatre turns off light, leaves victim in dark ~
COLE BAY--A Megaplex Theatre client is up in arms after her vehicle was vandalised and three tires and rims from her 2013 Suzuki Swift were stolen, while her vehicle was parked in the theatre's parking lot and she was enjoying a movie at the facility.
The incident occurred last week Tuesday evening. The client, a mother of young triplets, said to add insult to her injury the theatre turned off its parking lot lights, when the staff was ready to go, leaving her and her friends in the dark to await the arrival of a tow truck.
In an invited comment, the theatre's General Manager Sean Green, said the theatre has a sign posted informing consumers that they are parking at their own risk. He said too that while he was aware of the incident, he did not know the lights had been turned off on the victim. He offered no apologies to the client, but said that Checkmate Security officers, posted at the site would be given one last chance to patrol the parking lot to prevent the spate of vehicle vandalism that has been occurring there recently.
The woman driver told The Daily Herald that she parked her vehicle in the parking lot around 9:20pm last Tuesday, and went into the theatre to see a movie. "The car was left fully intact. However, when I returned to my car, I found that it had been vandalized and all three tires and mad rims were stolen," she said. "I immediately contacted the police who arrived about 30 minutes later."
While awaiting the arrival of the police, she looked for and found the security guard on duty. The guard told her that he was the only one on duty that night and he had been upstairs in the theatre. The driver said the security guard went upstairs to inform the manager about the incident. However, the manager did not react or go down to the parking lot to see the damage or speak to her. "When they [the staffers – Ed.] were ready to go they just shut the parking lights off, even though the tow truck was not yet there. So my friends and I waited in the dark until the truck came," the driver said. She said too that "the reaction from the police was less than satisfying, as they said that all they can do is to call a tow truck and file a report. No further investigation has taken place."
The woman said she is busy with her three young babies, having two jobs that she was unable to take this matter any further. She is hoping that by sharing her experience, other Megaplex clients would be aware and cautious. "The movie theatre is supposed to be monitored by guards every night, and it's not the first time that something like this has happened. The theatre needs to take some responsibility for not making their parking safe for their clients," she stressed.
In the meantime, Green said Megaplex has submitted a request for more security personnel from Checkmate Security. It has also urged the guards to patrol the parking lot since this has happened before. He said, however, that a guard told him that he "wasn't taking a bullet for anyone."
Green said the theatre has had some reports of vehicle vandalism this year, where vehicles had been broken into while in its parking lot. "We have already made an assessment of the situation and if this happens again," the theatre will terminate its working relationship with the security company, he noted.
