What’s that sound? Dave Thomas spinning in his grave.
I have a lot of respect for Dave Thomas. I think he did the fast food industry a big service by opening Wendy’s. His good food and happy customers philosophy did wonders to move the other fast food chains in the right direction.
I am usually pleased with my service at Wendy’s. However, this past weekend I had a real disappointment. I drove up to the order screen and started giving my order. I couldn’t understand half of what the employee was saying, but, my order displayed correctly on the screen so I moved forward.
When I got to the “pay” window I saw why I was having the problem. The employee was talking on a cell phone. The reason most of what she was saying didn’t make sense was because it was not directed toward me.
She never stopped talking to the person on the phone. She opened the window and said, “$5.90″. Which was what my order came to, but, she didn’t say thank you and she didn’t say please. She gave me my change while still talking on the phone.
I pulled forward to the pick-up window. The person who was at this window was not much better. While he was not on the phone, he never looked at me or talked to me. While looking in a different direction he stuck my drink out the window and held it there until I took it.
The rest of my food was nowhere to be found. After sitting there for a few minutes without anyone saying anything to me a manager walked past the window. She called out as she pasted the window, “Waiting on fries.”
I got my food and went back to the office to eat it. I couldn’t help but think Dave was spinning in his grave if he had seen the poor service I received.
You should always have your employees treat every customer with respect. The customer should receive the employee’s undivided attention while they are being waited on. Every employee represents your company wither you like it or not.
You never know when someone might post about a bad experience on their blog.
Great to find your blog! I completely agree: Dave would be appalled, and so am I. Each and every customer touch impacts the brand, and this one did not have a positive impact (I am just guessing here?!). It seems like such a small thing to use common courtesy, but there are many customer service departments that don’t seem to demand it.
Not sure why this was allowed to happen at this Wendy’s, but I am sorry to hear about it. I hope it isn’t catching!
Hi Becky,
Thanks for the post. I love the theme of your blog (http://customersrock.wordpress.com/). I see you had your own bad experience in your post - http://customersrock.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/do-you-want-my-business/
Fred
I went to Wendy’s here in Winston Salem last night, about 9:00pm, and the young lady on the mic was pleasant, courteous, and well-spoken. She enunciated each word perfectly. The cashier wasn’t boggled when I gave her $20.14 for my $2.14 order, and my sandwiches were hot and fresh when I got to the food window.
It was a new experience, as I have had (mostly) bad service at Wendy’s since I moved to NC. But I really wanted a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger…
Went to Wendy’s to get a couple salads and a baked potato. Always check your bag before driving off! I assumed the tater was beneath the salad but when I got back to work–it was obvious that the order filler left out the extra starch.
So I drove back and went inside to handle it at the counter. After explaining that they hadn’t included my potato, and had also give me the wrong receipt, I received no apology– just an offer for french fries because the baked potatoes wouldn’t be ready for about another 20 minutes.
I opted for a lemonade and left wondering what Dave would have said if he (or his spirit) had handled my complaint. Customer service– it’ll either kill a business or keep ‘em coming back!