Paul Laverack, who spent around £70 per ticket to see Strictly star Nikita Kuzmin as a birthday gift for his wife, was not happy with the response he received from Hull Culture and Leisure who ‘partially upheld’ his complaint
Hull New Theatre, where the couple were admitted for the wrong show(Image: Submitted – Hull New Theatre)
Hull Culture and Leisure has found that “at no point was the security of the venue compromised” after a couple were mistakenly allowed to enter Hull New Theatre, despite having tickets for a show at Hull City Hall. The remediation effort by Hull Culture and Leisure has been deemed “disgraceful” by the theatre patron who complained after being let into the wrong show by security staff.
Paul Laverack and his wife had tickets for Strictly star Nikita Cuzman’s “Supernova” touring show on Tuesday, June 30. The pair mistakenly went to Hull New Theatre where they thought the performance was being staged. Instead of being turned away and redirected to Hull City Hall, their tickets gained them entry to the theatre, where they sat through the first act of Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man instead.
An investigation by Hull Culture and Leisure found the complaint to be “partially upheld”. The findings state that Paul and his wife attended the venue and “the ticket presented was a valid Hull Theatres-issued ticket and was successfully scanned by our ticketing system”. But the conclusion found that “at no point was the security of the venue compromised”.
The decision continues: “Unfortunately, whilst the ticket scan generated information that should have prompted a further verification check, the final stage of our admission process was not followed on this occasion. As a result, you were inadvertently admitted to Hull New Theatre despite your ticket being for a performance at our other venue.
“We fully acknowledge that this should not have happened and understand the frustration and disappointment this caused.” It goes on to say “the member of staff involved has received additional guidance and training” and the “wider front of house team has been reminded of the importance of completing all stages of ticket verification”.
Paul was then offered a £50 credit against any future Hull Theatres show “as a gesture of goodwill”. Paul has declined the offer and says he is considering contacting the small claims court.
He said: “To offer me a £50 credit to something else is not really acceptable in my eyes. I’m not sure I’ll ever go there again. The attitude is pretty poor. I think I spent £72 on each of those tickets for the Nikita Cuzman show because it was a present. I’ve tried to say to them this wasn’t me just deciding ad hoc that I’m going to go to the theatre. We spent £60 upstairs on a meal and drinks, so we gave them some other business as well.
“This isn’t that I’m not happy with the theatre, this is a security issue. I feel they need to take this seriously. In today’s world there are idiots out there that will do anything. I replied on Friday, saying I think it’s a derogatory offer and you’ve offered me a £50 credit. It was a birthday gift for my partner. There seems to be no remorse at all.”
Hull City Council, which runs Hull Culture and Leisure, declined to comment when contacted by Hull Live.
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