Wendy's Lives!
I don't eat there anymore, but yesterday on the way to an event Jared asked if I could stop and get him some fast food. I asked him where, and he said "Surprise me."
"Are you sure?" I teased. "My blog needs new material!"
"You pick," he assured me.
So, being the blog-seeking sadist that I am, picked Wendy's! (Everybody wave to Ineptitude Incarnate!)
I pulled up to the speaker at 3:09. By 3:11 I was saying "Hello? Helloooo?" to the speaker. By 3:13 I asked Jared if I should just pull up to the window. But at 3:14 I was finally greeted with, "Welcome to Wendy's would you like to try a combo?"
"Hi," I said, "I'd like a mediterranean chicken salad and a medium Diet Coke."
"What kind of dressing do you want with that?" she asked.
"Uh, it comes with a vinaigrette?"
"I know what it comes with," she snapped, "I wanted to know if you wanted a substitute." Gee, how nice of her. Funny, my special orders in the past have never been so accommodated!
"No thanks," I told her, "just what it comes with."
"Want a drink?"
Oy. "Yes, a Diet Coke."
"Okay, $5.something at the window."
The drive thru has 2 windows; the first one is usually open, but was apparently closed. I paused to make sure nobody was there. As I did, I saw the second window . . . where a hand clutched a bag containing Jared's salad, DANGLING IT OUT THE WINDOW. Not quick enough for her, apparently!
I pulled up, took the salad, handed her my money. Then she handed me . . . a tiny drink. Kid-sized.
"This isn't medium," I told her.
"You didn't ask for medium," she snapped.
"Yes I did," I said, politely but firmly.
"No, you just said 'Diet Coke.'"
"Actually," I corrected her, "I ordered a salad and a medium Diet Coke, and you didn't understand me, and asked IF I wanted a drink, so I REPEATED myself."
Wordlessly, she yanked the drink back inside and a moment later returned with . . . a super jumbo soda. I took it. "Thank you," I said with raised eyebrows. She ignored me and closed the window.
Have a nice day, indeed.
posted by Me @ 7:12 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
i hate that they treat us like that. dont they know WE pay their paychecks?
Though I generally agree that customer service is serioulsly lacking in a variety of businesses, I've given up getting annoyed with fast-food service entirely. What can we honestly expect from an industry that underpays its workers, consistently hires unskilled workers (many times careless teens), and squelches any attempts for these workers to create better working conditions and morale (ie forming unions)? I feel badly for them and am not surprised by their lack of 'customer service' insight.
Yeah, Wendy's is awful. Once when I went through their drivethrough, I thought that they had overcharged us for what we ordered, and when they did not give us a receipt, I asked my husband to ask for one (as an added bonus, I noticed a sign that says that if you don't get a receipt, you get your money back). So, he politely said "can we have a receipt" (did NOT demand money back for not getting one), and the drivethrough worker literally threw all our money back at us and said "don't ever come back." And we didn't.
To Anon at 4:24,
Not ALL fast food restaurants are like that, nor are all owners like that. Sometimes stuff just happens...not every employee can be perfect. The workers at the fast food company I work for make (average) well above state minimum wage and takes their customer service very seriously. We train as well as we can, then it is up to the employee to retain and use that information. If they don't, there are consequences. No one and no company is perfect. It's still someone's job, and EVERYONE makes mistakes at their job.
Post a Comment
<< Home