Theater Extras: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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Theater Extras is service located in New York and Los Angeles that is said to offer discounted theatre tickets on a subscription basis. The website for the service claims, “For the price of One Broadway Ticket, you and a guest can enjoy 365 days of Theater and Entertainment.” While on the surface this seems to be a useful service for theatre lovers on a budget, evidence may suggests that the service is not as valuable as it appears.
Annual membership with Theater Extras is $99. The company’s website is updated daily for shows that range anywhere from that day to a week in advance. Most of the offerings are for off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows, though certain times of the year they offer Broadway previews.
On the positive side, Yelp reviewer Jeffrey S. and CitySearch reviewer Emily L. point out that subscribers get their money’s worth so long as they are into off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions. Emily stated, “I will say that for the membership fee, you do get your money’s worth and I’ve seen so many good Broadway shows, concerts and dance performances. I would still recommend the service to anyone who asked.” Jeffrey notes that “most tickets are offered for a service charge of [only] $4.”
While there are satisfied customers, many more people seem to be dissatisfied with the poor selection of show choices. Several Yelp reviewers noted that the site was misleading and presented shows prior to joining that were not actually offered once they subscribed. Reviewer LS R. stated, “Pretty crummy off off off Broadway shows or obscure musical events.” Reviewer Stacey C. added, “Very disappointed in this website. I was mislead and given a list of “offered shows” before joining. Once I joined, these were truly not the offered shows. The shows offered are no name off-Broadway.” Reviewers of the service on other sites such as CitySearch and My3Cents.com echoed these sentiments. Dee W. on CitySearch.com shared, “It’s okay, I guess… – I have been a member for a year (because it’s an annual membership) and the selection is sub standard…very little suitable for children and very little I want to see as an adult.”
Perhaps the most pressing complaint shared by nearly every reviewer was the poor customer service at the hands of the company’s owner. Alice J. shared her views by saying, “Worst Customer Service Ever – Terrible, borderline abusive communication from site.” Emmy L. stated, “You’re right, the customer service is less than desirable. The response time isn’t good, and there aren’t special considerations made for long time members (I’ve been one for 6 years).” My3cents.com reviewer smartestartist went as far to say that the owner of the company (Jed) was “not used to providing customer service”, “has a problem with excessive pride”, and that he as a customer would “rather use another service, of which there are many, where [he doesn’t] have to deal with condescension.”
It is important to note that these reviews represent only a few of the current or past users of the service. Thus, negative or positive, these reviews do not necessarily reflect the views held by a vast majority of past or current site subscribers. One person’s experience does not necessarily dictate the experience of another.
It is also important to note that there are other companies that offer the same types of services such as Play-by-Play and Theatermania. Thus, one should consider looking into all of their options before making a decision.
Those interested in checking out the service for themselves can visit the official website at Theatre Extras.
Author: Diamond Grant