Today I began my shift at work at approximately 4:30 P.M. and almost immediately was asked to speak to a customer who need assistance. I went over to the man and greeted him with a great big smile and asked how I could help. The second he began speaking my smile was replaced with a nervous grimace. This man was VERY upset because he had just come through the drive-thru and had received "straw fries". He said that this happens to him everytime he comes through the drive-thru and that he is sick of being "frauded" by In-N-Out Burger and their nasty fries that taste like straw. He explained that our fries cost more than a whopper jr. at Burger King, and that has meat and cheese on it, and that he is personally being ripped off by In-N-Out. He then proceeded to shove the fries into my face and crumble them with his hands onto the counter, asking me, "Do these fries look light to you? I ordered my fries light, now tell me, do they look light?" Of course I agreed with them, the customer is always right ya now, and then he took it to the extreme and said he wanted it in writing. I was rather surprised by this, and was curious as to what he would do with this form of documentation. What I should have said was "No, I can't sign anything sir, it is against policy," but what I did do, out of fear, was scribble on a napkin, FRIES WERE NOT LIGHT and signed my name. Bad Move. I then asked if there was anything else I could do for him, and offered to refund his meal, but no, that was not enough. He wanted me to refund him for the last three meals he had purchased because they too had straw fries, wanted me to give him the customer service number, and as he was making his demands he was waving his new documentation in my face, and in every other manager's face. Eventually I let someone else handle him because I just could not find a way to please him.
Lessons Learned:
Do NOT put straw in the fryers, apparantly they do not taste half as good as the potatoes we traditionally serve.
The customer is always right, unless he is a rude, nasty old man, who is just trying to ruin your day.
NEVER sign your life away on a napkin, this form of documentation is more binding than signing your soul to the devil.
5 comments:
This is a classic example of why I refused (and should never be allowed, really) to ever work in fast food or retail. If my treatment of people who try to pull this sort of junk against me on the internet is any indication, then any retail or fast food place where I worked or became manager would be much more pleasant, at the cost of having fewer customers. I'd probably have had the guy polishing the floor behind me by the time I finished with him.
That really does suck though, and you're a much better example than I am at dealing with people like that.
People are ridiculous. I don't see how people turn out like that.
I always thought the taste of fried straw was rather satisfying...
I don't get it. If the fries always taste like straw to him, why does he order them? Or frequent In-N-Out at all? Does he think that his complaint will make you make your fries like Burger King's? (which always leave me wanting to puke, personally).
I couldn't deal with a person like that. It would make me way too mad.
Hi Madison. That guy is a cry-baby. Any real person knows that the only place to complain about fries is in a blog. And that In-N-Out fries are pretty tasty. And really, who does that over fries? I bet he beats his wife.
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