The other side of the counter

So, this weekend I visited a different fast food chain for dinner and had an awful experience. Being that I always criticize the customers, I found the way the employee's handled me to be completely rude and disrespectful. I decided that it was interesting to me how they were trained so differently. Of course they have different policies when it comes to handling incorrect food, but the fact that they just assume it is us in the wrong is ridiculous. So, here's the story. 

            We went through the drive-through around 10pm. Our order was not that hard, a chicken sandwich. That was it. I’m not sure if someone around the same time as me happened to get the same thing but minus the lettuce and I received that sandwich instead of them, or if it was just a mistake. Either way, my sandwich had no lettuce. I would normally deal with this kind of thing and just buck up and eat it, but there were other quality issues as well. So, I called.

At Foodies, our policy is that if you receive the wrong food, we will replace it. We ask for your name and write it in a book and tell you that if you want to come back later just to tell us who you are and repeat what we are replacing and we will take care of it. Some people come back right away, others, a couple of weeks. It’s on the customer’s terms. This particular fast food chain needed us to come back that second and show us the product and only then would decided if it was actually a mistake or not. This is when I started to get angry, sitting in my pajamas leaning over the stove cooking mac&cheese because I just wanted to be warm. It was almost 11pm at this point and the thought of going all the way back to the not-so-close restaurant in my pajamas when I just settled down, sounded terrible.
                I tried to bargain with the woman. “Please, it’s late, just let me come back in the morning and get my sandwich, It is very inconvenient for me to have to drive all the way back right now.” “Sorry ma’am that’s not our policy.” As I haven’t said those words enough myself. I finally gave up, put my mac&cheese in the fridge and drove back to that stupid place for a sandwich I didn’t even want at that point. The whole way I was thinking about the fact that I was wasting more money In gas than the stupid chicken even coasted in the first place.

When I got back to the fast food place I waiting in there drive –through line (the inside already being closed because of how late it was) for over 15 minutes. Finally, getting to the window and stating my case the woman said. “Well okay, to replace your sandwich you’re going to have to wait about 6-7 minutes so we can get you a fresh chicken.” I lost it.  I became one of those customers. She was only doing her job, but I could clearly tell that she was the one I talked too on the phone. She couldn’t have thought about it and put fresh chicken in when she knew I was coming back? So, I got my non-fresh chicken sandwich pretty quick after that and an apple pie, which was cold and gross. Moral of the story, McDonalds has crappy policies.