Have you ever gone to a fast food restaurant where employees got your order wrong?
I'm sure it's happened before, at least once if your life time. But what happens when you get your messed-up order? You're sitting there, ready to eat the food you paid for...the food you ordered, and you take off the thin, paper wrapper only to discover tomatoes on your burger when you've asked for no tomatoes.
Or lettuce on your tacos when you've asked for no lettuce.
Or, have you ever actually made it all the way home from a fast food drive-thru only to discover only half of the food you ordered actually made it into the to-go bag?
The last example actually happened to me last night. My wife had an early-pregnancy craving for some good, old-fashioned McNuggets. Which worked out well for me, because once she asked me to go get her some, I was in the mood for some golden, crispy chicken as well.
Two ten piece meals. With the only difference being the drinks. There were NO cars in the parking lot, NO cars in the drive-thru. It was just me. Seems simple enough.
NOPE.
They give me my two drinks. Then hand me a large to-go sack. I get all the way home, and I only have one of my meals.
So heck yeah, I gave my nugget-craving, pregnant wife hers and I haul my truck back to Mickey-D's where I'm compensated for my time by getting an upgraded meal and two free hot apple pies.
But that's not the point.
The point is, why was the drive-thru girl on her new iPhone when I came through the first time? How can someone mess up a job designed for a 12-year-old?
The purely-cynical friends of mine seem to think I get what I deserve by choosing a fast food restaurant in the first place. You get what you pay for, they say. That's the risk you take for choosing a place where you can get a burger for a buck.
There's a reason, they say, that people in their twenties and thirties work for minimum wage flipping patties. It's because they failed at life, so why expect them to succeed at completing a fast food order.
That's a little harsh to me. So here's the question. Do you stand up to poor customer service? Do you make the bee-line back to the restaurant when you've been shorted on your dinner?
Or, do you sit there and take it, allowing $3.99 of hunger-pain injustice to get the best of you?
Grind it, and let me know.
Mike Tobias, Port Arthur News
mtobias@panews.com
Saturday, December 27, 2008
5 comments:
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First a chuckle that you consider anything at McDonald's "old fashion". Secondly, I agree with you that you should expect your order to be correct.
ReplyDeleteWhere our views part, is that you entirely blame the employee. The business also bears responsibility for the quality of their service.
I happen to agree with some of your friends in that, a lot of people in fast food places are actually, lets say "challanged" for the sake of political correctness.
Instead of being annoyed at having to remove my own tomatoes or lettuce, I am glad that they are out there trying to make their way in life instead of sitting on their ass expecting others to provide for them. For these I have some compasion, but the business should take steps to insure that orders are still prepared and filled correctly.
It is the employees with the terrible attitudes about work and their jobs that really get to me. The example you give of the employee on the cell phone while waiting on a customer is a good one. For them to consider that acceptable behavior as an employee says mounds about not just the type of employee they are but also the person in general. They would understand that such behavior would get them fired if I were Ronald.
It appears from your writings that you have had incorrect order problems many times. With all due respect, may I submit that, if you are still leaving the parking lots of these businesses without checking your orders, you may be a bit of of a slow learner or challenged as well.
Great points, and no, I don't make a point of leaving unless I make sure the order is correct. Last night, I just gave them too much credit, thinking a nugget and fries order would be hard to mess up.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I whole-heartedly agree, poor service is a reflection on the business itself. The sad part is that particular McDonald's is one of those "Jeckyl and Hyde" businesses that is stellar in the mornings but begins lacking at night.
I only ask for a little consistency...know what I mean. Great reply, Randy B.
Mike Tobias, Port Arthur News
mtobias@panews.com
Mike, Great subject! I just got burned for a 10 nugget meal the other night. I was on my way home from work and thought of the nuggets would be a quick meal before worrying about the bike I needed to put together before Christmas morning. I was happily snacking on the fries on the way home drinking the soda in between chants of Rebel Yell, "more, more, more". I get home to look for my nuggets when I find to my horror a Quarter Pounder with no cheese!! I'm dismayed but make a call to the McD's and they them my plight. I am not going to make time to go back up there but want it rectified somehow. Sheila tells me they have my name in "the book" for next time.. Supposedly the next time I can get a 10 nugget meal at no charge.. We shall see!!
ReplyDeleteWow...that's awesome. Billy Idol and McNuggets would have made for a great evening...too bad they ruined it for you.
ReplyDeleteMore, more, more.
Mike Tobias, Port Arthur News
mtobias@panews.com
I agree with Randy about the employees with terrible attitudes. I hate when they act like it's a bother to take my order, are carrying on a conversation with other employees while taking my order, or are multi-tasking by answering the drive-through intercom or phone while taking my order. I never know when they are directing their speech to me or someone else. Should I answer them or not? I believe this is one reason why orders are filled incorrectly-they aren't paying attention to the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteIf my order is filled incorrectly, I will go back and get it corrected. I usually give the employee a little slack if it appears to be their first day or so on the job (especially if there is a crowd and no one around to help them). Everyone makes mistakes and I know how I felt when I started my first job. If the problem keeps occurring, I think the manager should be notified.