Last week, the Grandson had to have a tooth removed (lower front as his permanent tooth had erupted behind that baby tooth) and a couple of cavities filled. TMEW promised him that later on that day, we’d take him to McDonald’s. Well, that didn’t happen as he, like many kids his age, bit his lower lip. Several times, as the case turned out, due to the numbness of the area. It blew up so bad that we took him back to the dentist the next morning. “Normal” we were told and he was much better than a lot of the kids who had had the same procedure.
Anyways, this post isn’t about the Grandson, the two teeth that actually got extracted (same condition, the other side), his first visit from the Tooth Fairy (yeah, inflation got invoked when she waved that magic wand), or even the size of his lip or how awful it looked (he’s fine, now – it’ll be completely healed in a few more days) – it’s about the treatment by the MacDonald’s in Laconia, NH we endured when we went to honor the promise we had made.
And THAT’s when the problems started. So, I decided to play by their rules and let the young lady’s manager’s manager’s manager know of what transpired – and the lady customer that came in after me as well.
So here is the email I sent both to the manager’s manger’s manager – the first email is what she gave me and the second was what was on the “Complaint Sign” taped to an outside door:
—— Original Message ——
From: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To: bos.1693@us.stores.mdc.com; macdonaldsfeedback@hotmail.com
Sent: 5/15/2022 11:54:15 PM
Subject: Today’s experience at your McDonalds in Laconia, NHDear Mykle and “MacDonalds Feedback”,
Yes, I’ll go along with this charade as the DNS for us.stores.mdc.com doesn’t resolve (even though I was told by the manager on duty you are the person to complain to and that you are the “contact to corporate”). As to the second email address, I would have imagined that an actual commercial entity, the size of even one MD store, would be using an actual domain name and not a mere hotmail.com domain. That said, let me continue.
So this afternoon, The Most Esteemed Wife and I took our Grandson to your store in Laconia to honor a promise to him made before his dentist appointment a few days ago (it was clear, right after the appointment, that had been a rather silly idea at the time). Upon walking in, we went to the traditional register station and began to wait for a warm body to appear on the other side of the counter – that was not going to happen.
I was then summoned to your automated kiosk by one of your young lady employees who told me I had to use the kiosk to order our meals – like it or not. It was mandatory to use the kiosks and that the traditional registers were not be used. When I complained, I was told, as if I was the age of my Grandson, that using the traditional stations were verboten (my choice of word – I’m betting she would not have that in her vocabulary). If I felt uncomfortable, she condescendingly said she would operate it for me – and then smiled as if I was some dufus just off the street.
I informed her that operating them was not going to be a mechanical issue – I spent 40 years in the computer industry and hold an MS in Computer Science. I just didn’t want to use it with the registers behind me. She said that the kiosks were there due to staffing issues and she’d be happy to click in our orders. I said this was rather poor customer service in being forced to use them.
To be honest, I then angrily started to punch in our order – first TMEW’s and then the Grandson. Then the Good Lord above decided to make life hilarious. Not for that young lady but for me. You see, I wanted the breakfast sausage burrito for my late lunch. Having already scanned the kiosk’s menu, I knew that they weren’t there (I used to design user interfaces years ago) so I knew what the next step had to be.
Your employee certainly didn’t. And she spent a few minutes “in waste” and finally announced, after fumbling around the menu system, that she would complete our order…
…at the traditional register station behind us. Yes, I said “I knew we’d be back here” having already figured it out as the “BREAKFAST” option on the Left Sidebar was not present so why did you waste our time? She punched my burritos in and I paid – a second time:
(Kiosk and Register)
After payment, I asked to talk to her manager. She, in turn smiled a lot but continued the patter that I SHOULD be using the kiosk because they don’t have the staff to both take my order and then make it. I guess she thought she was being amusing and cutsie – “See, I can’t be MAKING your order if I’m taking it, that’s why we have the kiosks that you should be using. And I can’t take orders through the drive through at the same. So, the kiosks are easier for everyone!”.
Except for the tremendous hassle for simply wanting two breakfast sausage burritos. That weren’t on the kiosk menu. She was rather unbelieving when I mentioned the word “choice” and “Customer Service” in the same breath. The impression that she gave was that I was to do what I was being told to do – and like the experience. Except I hated it. And she simply ignored it.
Truth is – I hated it then and I’m hating hating it even more as I type this. Unfortunately, I think I enjoyed writing my missive about the T-Bones manager who couldn’t get my Prime Rib order correct after sending it back to the kitchen 5 times – much more humor involved. This, not so much. I guess with the higher price on the Prime Rib, there was more room for hilarity. I next saw that manager next door – demoted to Friendly’s. I guess corporate enjoyed my missive – they made multiple attempts to “make it up to me”. I refused them all.
So, all in all, in an attempt to save both time and money, your company failed at both – in taking MORE time to do what should have been done correctly the first time IF I had been allowed to choose without coercion, thus costing you more in wages in time spent. And costing you a 4 decade long customer as well; there are other “choices” in the area.
And if you think I was the only one, not three minutes after we were served, ANOTHER customer came in and started to complain about having to use the kiosk – she refused to. At that point, I spoke up and said to that lady customer, about my age,: “You go, girl – I just went through all this as well. Very poor Customer Service”. She thanked me for speaking up – and announced that she’d never be back as well.
Same employee that “served” me and the lady made it clear she was rather unhappy – at us.
The other customer came over and we spoke for a few moments. She recognized the website that was on my cap and asked my name. I told her and that the website is the largest and most influential political blogsite in NH. She smiled and said that her brother, who was outside, really liked the site. I had the chance to chat with him after I took a snap of your sign:
Still incredulous about the email address: McDonaldsFeedBack@hotmail.com. Anyways, now you know my complaint – very poor Customer Service and condescending attitudes. However, I dryly point out that YOU, upper management, have put them into this position so YOU folks are the ones ultimately at fault – your employees were put into that situation while you don’t have to suffer the consequences of your decisions or policies.
Oh, by the way: I always ask for the hot sauce packets, which I can always get at any other MacDonald’s – except for yours that only stocks the mild stuff. Why is that?
OH, by the way – the new interior construction is rather sterile – the previous renovation was much more inviting and cozy feeling even if it had little use due to COVID.
You got rooked.
And today, so did I.
-Skip
Skip Murphy
Co-Founder, co-owner
GraniteGrok.com | Skip@GraniteGrok.com
Dominating the political Bandwidth in New Hampshir
Oh, and this:
If ALL customers HAVE to use the kiosks, WHY are there so many “Table Tents” ready to go at the traditional register stations if customers are required to use the kiosks?
Oh, and that lady customer’s brother is a big reader of GraniteGrok – hopefully we supply far better customer service than McDonald’s did today.
