Customer Service

MFD and I stopped by A Fancy Burger Joint for an early dinner one day last week. The daily specials were written on a dry erase board and included a soup and salad combo. One of the soups offered was Potato Soup. I love Potato Soup. So I ordered the soup and salad with Potato Soup. I’m not quite sure how, but the Female Employee got a little confused with my order. She eventually seemed to have the correct order, MFD ordered a burger and fries, and I paid for our meal.

We got our drinks and sat down at a booth, and soon FE arrived with our order—or part of it, anyway. She handed MFD her meal, then my salad and dressing. Then she asked if there was anything else she could get for us. Before I could say anything, she said, “Oh, your soup.” Yes, thank you, that would be nice.

Several minutes later she came back with the soup and the comment that “they said it hadn’t been ordered.” Silly me decided to look at the order slip, and sure enough, it HADN’T been ordered. Or paid for.

I looked back at the counter and there were a few people in line, so I waited a little bit. A second employee, with “Bubba” embroidered on his shirt, was finishing up with a customer, so I got up from our booth. “Bubba” had picked up an order to deliver by the time I got to the counter, so I was left behind a family with several children that FE was waiting on.

A few minutes later, another “gentleman” got in line behind me, then when “Bubba” came back, he moved up to the counter to order. I patiently wait behind the family. FE finished with the family before “Bubba,” but just barely. I walked up to FE, handed her the order slip and my credit card, and showed her that the Potato Soup she brought me hadn’t been ordered or paid for. Again with the confusion, until “Bubba” walked behind her and explained that “I think she wants to pay for the soup.” Yes, thank you, score another point for A Fancy Burger Joint.

As I am paying for the soup, FE tells the crew behind her not to fill the soup order on Number 365. “Bubba” is filling drive-through orders, and he reiterates not to fill the soup order.

A while later, Third Employee comes out to the dining area with a tray, looking lost, checking at tables for someone that ordered soup. I asked her if it was Potato Soup for Order Number 365. She said yes, so I told her it was probably my soup that I had received earlier, and they had been told not to fill that order. Then she offered us the soup, saying it would just be thrown out anyway.

[sigh] I’m so glad I went through all the trouble of paying for nothing.

As I told the Store Manager in my letter, that bowl of soup cost me $1.71. It caused confusion for several employees. SM still lost the price of that second bowl of soup that wasn’t paid for. AND, SM lost my business.

That bowl of soup cost more than it was worth. When I went up to pay, any decent manager would have said, “That’s ok, don’t worry about it. The soup’s on us.” (Baby Sister, who is a McDonald’s Store Manager, said that’s exactly what she would have done.)

I could have saved everyone a lot of trouble by ignoring the fact that I had received something for which I hadn’t paid, since it more than likely would have gone unnoticed. Except the employees wouldn’t have seen that there ARE still honest people out there, and I wouldn’t have set a good example for and received a high five from MFD because I did the right thing and paid.

I told SM that maybe next time, the employees would have been taught to reward such conscientious customers by thanking them and telling them they didn’t have to pay—especially since it was the employee’s mistake to begin with, for not charging correctly.

Flo