The Death of Customer Service

I read Scott's gripe on Facebook on how often McDonald's messes up his order.  It reminded me of two of my weirdest experiences in the McDonald's Drive Thru.  I know it's not the healthiest food and some would question whether or not it's really food.  However, it's one of the few places close to work where  can get a relatively fast meal...even though the quality is questionable.

This is my weirdest MickeyD's experience.I was sitting in the drive thru placing my order when a car drove in front of me.  She handed the bag to the cashier and said she had just came through the line and this was raw.  Like someone watching an accident unfold before them, I observed the cashier telling them to pull up to the next window and a manager would talk to them. She did so...and the manager came to the window and asked her what the problem was and she repeated that it was raw. The manager opened the sandwich and said it's cooked...and the person very slowly with a heavy accent stated I said it's wrong.  

When I arrived at the front window, they were still in shock that everyone had misunderstood her.  I told the workers that I would've sworn she said it was raw too.  Language barriers do make customer service difficult.

My worst experience...and the one time I really lost it and verbally tore into a MickeyD's employee was a few years back. I still remember it vividly.  I worked about 12 miles from home at the time.  I swung by the MickeyD's that was on my way home.  I ordered a diet coke.  I started out of the parking lot and realized that they had given me a regular coke by mistake.  I turned around and went back through the drive thru and explained to the person at the window what had just happened.

They had switched employees at the window with the woman who waited on me going to the front.  The clerk popped the lid off of the soda that I had just purchased and said that's not our ice.  I lost it...I whipped into a parking space...went to the counter...and demanded they get the twerp who had just called me a liar up there immediately.  I told him that I didn't like being called a liar...I wanted my money back...that a $1.49 wasn't going to break the franchise and hadn't he ever heard of customer service.  Everyone looked at me like I was crazy...and at that time and place...maybe I was. I'm not proud of my actions...although I don't like being called a liar. 

The next day I called and got the owner of that franchise.  I explained what had happened.  I said in effect what I heard was:

1. I had found an empty cup on the street.
2. Washed it.
3. Added my own ice and soda to it to rip their franchise off for the cost of a diet soda.

I told the owner that I had reacted in anger and I regretted that...but staff should not infer that someone is not telling the truth over such a paltry sum.  He asked what he could do to make it up to me.  I told him I didn't want anything with the exception that his employees should be more aware of what they're saying because they represent his establishment.

Insanity defined is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  If I go through a Drive-Thru, I always expect the unexpected now.