Shaw Theatres Lido

Careful not to arrive too early, they removed the waiting area… instead of keeping a sitting space for theatre customers, they are replacing it by overpriced “coffee shops” that sell you the waiting space for the price of an additional movie ticket. They profit from the good location and have increased the prices again but the service of a supposed “premium” experience doesn’t follow.

I am writing to express my profound disappointment with my recent experience, which involved both a significant billing error and a complete lack of helpful resolution from your staff. The core issue was being charged twice for seat selection. I initially paid for our seats during booking, confirmed the transaction, and received a receipt. However, upon checking in, I was shocked to find that the seats were either unassigned or listed as unpaid, forcing me to pay a second time to secure them. This is a clear failure in your payment processing or system synchronization. The situation was made infinitely worse by the complete lack of assistance from your staff. When I contacted customer service (both at the airport and via phone/chat), I was met with indifference. The agents were dismissive, repeatedly stating they could "only see the most recent transaction" and could not reverse the duplicate charge or escalate the issue. They offered no solution, no apology, and no path to contact a supervisor or the billing department. I was left feeling utterly helpless after paying for the same service twice.

Disappointed experience. Paid $150 for IMAX tickets and there was no proper waiting area at all. We were told to just stand around with backpacks like it’s completely normal. This is supposed to be a premium experience, yet basic customer comfort wasn’t considered. Really makes me question whether Shaw Management actually listens to customers feedback all the while.

2 movies finished at around 11 pm and lots of guests made their way to the toilets. Staff informed us (in an ever so slightly judgmental tone) that the cinema was now closed and that toilets could no longer be used. Just as our packed showing had ended and lots of people were still steaming out of the screens after me. When I asked whether there was another toilet in the cinema or the mall I was told they didn't know. Just seems bizarre that toilets had shut before guests had finished their visits for the evening. Not come across this before in any cinema anywhere. I frequent Shaw theatres several times each month. Unfortunately the mall was all closed up and the other floors not accessible from the cinema at that hour, so no way to use an alternative toilet instead. I currently have a broken foot and I'm not 100% mobile and pain free atm, so would have appreciated easy access instead of hobbling up and down Orchard in the night trying to find a toilet after my 2 hour movie and before my 1 hour ride home. No biggie if they were flooded or out of order or if there there was a mall toilet outside but that wasn't the case. On a positive note, it wasn't as freezing as normal, so I didn't need to use my duffle coat or woollen socks for once.

I see reviews from as far as 4 months ago complaining about the 8 squares on the screen and this is completely unacceptable. If you want to boast a premium screen experience and provide this quality for the premium price we paid, this is an absolute scam. I have added photos for proof. Shaw, get your shit together.