I had bad service today at a restaurant and called corporate after a nice manager tried to smooth things over, but the employee screamed at her manager, because of the complaint. I also hear all the time ''maybe they're just having a bad day.'' Do you agree with this and let bad customer service slide or do you do something about it?
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J, there is no excuse for bad service in a restaurant. You were certainly right to complain. It takes skills that some lack to give the kind of service that will guarantee customer satisfaction and recommendation or future patronage. Odd that the employee doesn't understand that, or the manageress. Probably said employee ought to be in another job.
It also helps if the food is good, and prettily presented.
I'm guessing you didn't tip.
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I refuse to complain ***in the restaurant*** as I've known way too many vindictive restaurant employees. BUT, yes, I will contact corporate offices if the service received is below par.
I can excuse once in a blue moon, the waitress is a little ditzy or something. It happens. But if it's a habit of bad service, or if the service is just downright rude? Forget it, I'm the king of disgruntled phone calls and/or letters.
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My dad has taught me a nest trick about bad staff in restaurants that he learned by accident. Basically he discretely makes audio recordings of when he orders and any other trouble he has. That way no one can make up a story about him being rude or tell him he didn't order his steak rare. If he has problems in a restaurant he's on his phone with corporate office before leaving the table. He'll also record customers being rude to servers if they're nearby.
He doesn't just get on his phone to complain. If he gets greats service the manager will be told about it AFTER dad has already called their corporate office to tell them what a good job the server did.. ... and for good service he'll sometimes tip more than the damned meal!
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Most likely since I don't go out often, I have the luck of the draw and get really good servers all the time.
I have never had an experience at a restaurant to complain about.
Or it might be my own attitude reflected back? Nah - everyone knows I'm an evil sarcastic bitch ~ so it can't be that. :biggrin:
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If a server was really, REALLY rude to me, I'd probably just stiff 'em on the tip, though that's never happened to me. Contacting corporate and all that seems like a lot of effort, and just doesn't seem worth it. I'd stiff em on the tip and spend the rest of the day fantasizing about all the clever things I wished I would've said to them in the moment.
I'm very patient and forgiving when it comes to customer service situations. Those folks have to put with entitled assholes all day (I know from experience), so I like being one of the few people who doesn't give em a bad time if they're screwing up.
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I can't think of complaining offhand. There was one I might have but it was a unique place as far as I know (that closed down in about a year, IIRC) and it would do no good to complain, no one there spoke English. (To finally get a meal I had to say "cuatro" and hold up 4 fingers to get "meal order #4.") The food was so terrible I couldn't finish it and when I went to wash up the restroom was so filthy I refused to use it, not even the sink. At least it was cheap but I never returned. (In retrospect I should've made retching motions to the staff moaning, "Muy malo, cena el diablo!" which I think would mean, "Very bad, supper of the devil!" :tongue: )
One thing that both bothers and irks me is a Long John Silvers that served bad crap. It was delicious, I'll give them that, and I didn't even think food poisoning when I first started throwing up, nor when my girlfriend with me did. After awhile I felt better and finished the crab I brought home and got sick in exactly the same way again. So I called up the manager who was all defensive but when he realized I wasn't planning on suing I just wanted him to be aware of it he pretty much brushed me off. A couple of weeks later it came out in the paper that many had gotten sick which meant we weren't the last, nor did the manager care (too bad I didn't think to write his superior over that).
Same exact thing happened when my cat kept getting sick off Fred Meyer cat food that had a good price. Once I connected it to the canned food I got rid of it and called the manager of Fred Meyer who was obviously scared I was planning to sue, but when I said I just wanted him to know so he could take it off the shelves I could feel him lose interest. At least in that case I got back and taped up a warning (have no idea how long it stayed up).
Personally, I'd feel terrible if my food (including sharing something store bought) was making people sick, but apparently that makes me peculiar.
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I just remembered there's a local sandwich shop that is very conveniently by a bus stop but the prices were so high and the bread tore way too easily. I thought about telling the guy who owned it but he displayed anger control issues in front of me toward others (staff and customers both) the few times I tried it so I didn't and haven't been back in years now no matter how convenient it is.
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Poor service = small tip
Bad service = zero tip + note for the server
I've been told that this is not the right way to handle the situation. In most restaurants, the tips are pooled and distributed with the rest of the staff. So the "right" way is to leave a standard tip and complain to the manager after.
LOL. Yeah, right. If one server is screwing the rest of the staff out of tips due to the bad service, then it's their problem not mine. The staff need to police their own.
Also, I would check your local laws before recording any conversations. In some states, like California, it's illegal to record a conversation without expressed consent/knowledge from all parties involved.
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When do you complain in a restaurant?
