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Ever wonder what happens when people find fault with a fast-food joint? Kyla Jones considers herself a reasonable person. As someone who has worked in customer service, she knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of an unwarranted phone tirade. Still, after receiving shoddy treatment from a KFC manager in Columbus, Ohio, she didn't hesitate to call the company's hot line to lodge a complaint.
In 2008, Jones and a companion began eating dinner around 8:30 p.m. at a KFC restaurant that closed at 9. Within ten minutes, they were approached brusquely by a manager and asked to leave without being allowed to finish their meals.
"We're closing in ten minutes, you have to go," Jones recalls him saying. "Do you want a box to put it in?" "He was just really abrupt and acting like us being there was a huge inconvenience," the 48-year-old continues. "Nothing like, 'I hope you're enjoying the food, but our employees need to go.' I sat there like a stunned deer in the headlights."
After leaving the restaurant, she called a KFC toll-free number (printed on the receipt) to complain about the treatment. She gave a representative the store name, date, time and a detailed account of exactly what happened. The representative apologized and told her that she should have been treated more courteously. The next day she got a follow-up call from the company with another apology. "The rotten manager was gone within days and I've never had another problem," she says.
Not surprisingly, each and every customer complaint doesn't get resolved. And fast-food employees are just as likely to grumble about poor treatment at the hands of rude customers, as discussed in an earlier Slashfood story. For many unhappy quick-service patrons, customer service can be a misnomer.
Complaining with persistence and tact can help. Matt Dzula, from Baltimore, Maryland says that he frequently complains if "service or food quality doesn't meet what I consider to be standard for a fast-food establishment." His complaints usually relate to botched food orders and employee rudeness.
"Lets face it, it's cheap and the expectations aren't so high," Dzula says.
He sums up his grievance strategy like this: "I am quick with what I have to say. I make sure to mention that I'm not looking for anything free and I don't call during busy lunch or dinner rushes. Those three things really help to make sure that they realize I'm only trying to help. Being a crazy person at the other end of the phone does nothing to help matters."
He praises McDonald's managers for being the most responsive.
A spokeswoman for McDonald's advises customers with easily resolvable complaints like food-order errors to contact a restaurant manager. She says if a complaint cannot be resolved, customers should call the customer satisfaction department.
"Customer satisfaction is a top priority," Ashlee Yingling, a McDonald's spokeswoman told Slashfood.
The customer-is-always-right philosophy isn't always fair to fast-food employees, who sometimes feel belittled and abused.
At an Arby's restaurant in McKean County in Northwestern Pa., extremely rude customers won't be served, according to an employee who asked that she not be identified because she wasn't authorized to discuss store policy. "If you are exceptionally rude, we will take your food, issue a refund, and you're never welcome back," the long-time employee says. "It's a rather small town so it's hard to forget a face."
In one case, a customer came into the restaurant, claiming he got the wrong drive-thru order and screaming obscenities. His bag of food was taken by a store manager and thrown away. The Arby's employee says it's unusual for workers to treat customers rudely, but in one extreme example, a shift manager was fired for swearing at a child. The child had asked for a complimentary glass of water.
For Bob Abner, a former Taco Bell customer from Louisville, Ky., complaining didn't seem to help get him better service or treatment. Abner was a frequent early morning (1 or 2 a.m.) drive-thru customer who recalls that employees often got orders wrong and ignored even simple requests about too much ice in his soda. He believed verbal or written complaints were "pointless and a waste of his time." Instead he has decided to put his money where his mouth is -- at restaurants other than Taco Bell.
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2-01-2010 @3:41PM ESC said... I've never complained at a large fast food chain, but at a smaller chain, Willys (burrito place, kind of like Chipotle), I was given the wrong thing on a take out order. I didn't discover it until I got back to work to eat, and by then I had run out of time to make the trip back to ask for a replacement. I emailed their customer service, and within a couple days, got back an emailed apology and a request for my address so they could send me free meal coupons. Haven't had the same problem since!
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2-05-2010 @7:50PM Kris said... They always f*** you at the drive through (or take out or eat in). Be sure to check. Even when I was eating at the restaurant, I've had incomplete orders, but it's easier to get the right thing.
What I can't stand it McD's and other places closing breakfast at 10:30 am!!! WTF. Nobody I know eats burgers at 10:30 am. I get they need to clean up between meals, but 11:30 or even 12 should be the changeover.
2-01-2010 @6:10PM TimSD said... Only issue I have is probably the major of everyone, "They screw you in the drive thru". When I have an issue like this and no time to go back, I usually will post on the restaurant's website. I'd haveto say all have been reactive and replied with an apology and free food coupons.
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2-01-2010 @5:41PM chris said... Don't be an idiot customer and pay attention to the hours.... i would have kicked her out too.
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2-02-2010 @1:32AM tom said... CLOSES AT 9:00pm. NOT...We want to be out of here by 9:00pm. They took the job.DO the job!
2-02-2010 @12:01PM Restuarant Manager said... When I was running a fast food restuarant, pizza hut for 15 years, my employees would always complain about taking orders at the last possible moment. However, I explained to them that the hours posted state when we were opened to orders. We closed @ 11:00 pm. If a customer called at 10:59 pm, we would take the order.
I also worked part time @ taco bell. Same thing, our lobby closed at 9:00. If a customer would walk in at 8:59, we would take the order and let them stay at the lobby if they wanted to.
The hours are meant to let customers know when the business is open. If the company doesn't want customers after a certain time, they should arrange business hours to accomodate. For ex, if a company does not want to have customers in the lobby after 9, then close the lobby at 8:30 to allow 30 minutes for the customer to eat.
Not allowing customers to order or enjoy their meals is bad service.
2-02-2010 @3:12PM wb said... Yep...closes at 9:00....not 8:30.....I own a BBQ place and if my employees were that rude....FIRED....we are here to serve.......If my employees don't like that...then "hit the bricks"
2-01-2010 @8:43PM Spoonmanwos said... @chris: I think you just skimmed the article. It says the people arrived at 8:30 and were told to get out at 8:40. No one was waiting. The employees might've been finished early, that's great. Send 'em home and you close up. You're the manager, try to be a leader. If you can't handle any follow up order that might come from these folks, or worse: clean up the table after them, you shouldn't be a manager anyway.
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2-02-2010 @12:56AM eric said... totaly agree!
2-01-2010 @11:32PM Kelly said... We picked up an order at Applebee's and took it home. I ordered a burger but they forgot to put the meat in the bun! Drove back, the manager did not apologize and was quiet rude. That was the last time I ever ate at that Applebee's.
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2-01-2010 @11:47PM Stephen said... You need to get in touch with corporate. We went in a week ago, got completely ignored, and left after paying for our drinks. My husband called corporate immediately once we got home and we wound up with a $40 gift card. We now go to the Applebee's across town and have zero issues.
2-01-2010 @11:43PM Stephen said... It's damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I once worked at a Nothing But Noodles. Customers coming in during the last half hour of opening were literally the most annoying thing ever. The manager would balk constantly and then you had to deal with the patrons. Extremely frustrating.
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2-02-2010 @12:29AM rj017 said... Try to complain about a Burger King in Phoenix it's almost impossible you can't find a corporate number and when you call the store they don't care. I went to Burger King at 43/Indian School and was charged more than the menu and price and when I complained the manager said something in Mexican to the cashier and they both laughed and then he took it back and refunded my money and said to go to Mac Donalds.
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2-02-2010 @12:49AM whitney said... whats really upsetting...is that the job in itself is really stressful. and dealing with rude customers is an everday thing. you just have to smile and kick in your customer service act. but sometimes you've just had enough of being called every name in the book, and decide to throw off the gloves (so to speak) and stoop to their level.
ive been flipped off,told to "shove it up my explicative" had food thrown at me. EVERYTHING.
so we cant always blame the fast food employee. to be honest we really arent paid enough to deal with most rude customers. but i agree, some fast food places do deserve a notice.
2-02-2010 @1:41AM Mena said... I actually had an issue tonight w/ a Burger King in Glendale (on 75th and Glendale Ave) and will be going back tomorrow to complain because I realize it's too late now and they don't post phone numbers on their receipts at any of their stores in the Phoenix Metro area. That being said I take offense to you stating that the employees were speaking MEXICAN. Living in a city that is as culturally diverse as Phoenix is I'm sure you hear SPANISH on somewhat of a daily basis and know that the correct term is SPANISH but prefer to say Mexican in a derogatory manner. While I agree that it was extremely rude of the employees to speak a foreign language in front of you and that their treatment of you was definitely lacking courtesy it does not give you the right to use a derogatory and inflammatory word to describe their language. Spanish isn't spoken only in Mexico, you have no proof whatsoever that the employees were actually from Mexico, and generalizing people that way is extremely ignorant and unfair. I'm sure you would be upset if the tables were turned and they said you speak White instead of English. They should not have spoken a language you don't understand in front of you and quite frankly, I believe that if you're in the US you should speak English but you should not have stated that they spoke Mexican. Not only is it insulting it's also embarassing to think that a fellow American could be so ignorant in this day and age.
2-02-2010 @2:16AM JC said... I think some courtesy on both sides could benefit everyone in this case. Employees should be polite to customers and work to make sure that their orders are correct (and/or corrected) quickly. Customers, you need to remember that your servers are people, not robots, and that they do make mistakes occasionally, Think about how you would like to be treated in that situation and act accordingly instead of yelling and screaming at them.
And for all of you people who think fast food workers are all immigrants or high school dropouts, think again. Many are college students or other very smart people just trying to pay bills or tuition money. Treat workers with respect and they will reciprocate. And also, keep in mind that company policy is frequently to give workers as little responsibility for major things (like issuing refunds and voiding credit card receipts) as possible. Please don't yell at the main staff for not being able to do something company policy dictates only the manager can do. It's not their fault.
Customers, if you must complain politely ask to speak with the manager or supervisor. He/she can usually resolve the situation. Yes, some fast food restaurants are bad eggs. But most work hard to earn their customers and treat their customers well.
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2-02-2010 @8:35AM Mary said... I'm sorry to disagree. I'm in Texas. I speak Spanish, like they speak in Spain...and I mostly understand the Spanish they speak from Mexico. The two are as different as the English in England and the English in American...and Yes...I seak American and I teach my children to understand that they speak American...not English. It's rude to imply you speak the language of another country when the words mean different things. In England...a fag is a smoke. Here it's a derogatory term for a gay person. In England, a lift is the same as an elevator over here.
So yes...maybe the person making the comment is well aware of the difference and not using it as a derogatory term. Geot over it.
2-02-2010 @1:41AM Donald said... Being an experienced manager for Wendy's you'd be surprised what I've put up with but I've never had any problems exchanging food for polite customers. I've had a few instances where I had to threaten the customer with a police escort out of the building
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2-02-2010 @1:47AM Ryan said... As a full dining casual restaurant manager, I can't speak for fast food places.... however, DO NOT go into a place, whether fast food or casual 30 minutes before they close. It's rude, and anyone with tact knows that. People in the restaurant business, especially managers, are typically in that position because they can't find something in their trained field. AKA me who has a Political Science degree from THE Ohio State University. These people have families and other things to go home to. The restaurant might say open until 10, but if you stumble in at 930, that adds an hour to the managers day, the servers day, the 4 people in the kitchen, etc.... DONT BE THAT PERSON.
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2-02-2010 @7:34AM Keith said... If you can't go into a fast food place less than a half hour before they close, then they should simply post that earlier time as their closing time. It's not the customer's fault if the business fails to adequately pay employees for whatever amount of time it takes to close up once the doors are locked.