McDonald's Complaint - One More Time

Gah! I'm beginning to feel like Staurdays are dissolving into my McDonalds rants! I'd like to promise this will be the last one. Can't. But it probably will.

Just a recap, for those of you coming in late.

The last weekend or so in April of this year, I pulled through the drive thru of my corner Mickey D's and ordered a Quarter Pounder meal. The sign said 3.79. I paid, got the receipt, it totalled to 3.99 + tax. The drink was broken out separately. That's standard practice now, the breaking out of the drink price.

I pulled through and asked about being overcharged. The guy got the manager, who stood and argued with me for a couple of minutes, patted his pockets down like I was taking his money, told me he puts the prices up so it couldn't have been wrong, told me it was the tax (I pointed out the tax). Finally gave me a quarter and a hot apple pie.

I didn't want the pie. I wanted an apology for being overcharged and treated like an idiot. I wanted sincerity. I most certainly did NOT want to be treated like I was in the wrong.

Round two.

Two months later I try the same McD's, this time for breakfast, thinking maybe that manager had trained his shift to overcharge. I have no idea how the registers work. I'm since told they just push buttons and prices come up. Same thing happens with a breakfast meal. Overcharged 20 cents.

I was meeting a friend to walk and didn't have time to argue with a manager, so I came home and emailed McDonald's, explaining all that happened. I thought it odd that a store seemed to consistently, intentionally charge an extra 20 cents per meal. Who gets that money? The next morning, early, I got a phone call from a supervisor about my email. She was vague. No apologies. Abrupt. Glad she

could satisfy me. Except she hadn't satisfied me and I said so. She said she'd send me some coupons. Why? To eat someplace I'm never going to again?

Last week I got a letter from a regional person. A form letter. See it?

It's very generic. I emailed McD's again and told them I wasn't pleased, that I would never eat there again, then blogged about it. Almost immediately I received an email from the local supervisor to this effect:

Dated July 8 -

I am writing in regard to your concerns about the previous price issues at
our location at 91st & Memorial. I have tried to reach you by phone but was
unable to do so. First, let me apologize for the impression I left during
our first conversation. I certainly did not intend to come across as vague
or unapologetic. I researched the original complaint about prices on the
menu board being different from what the receipt shows you were charged. I
found that the price for the Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle was incorrect
on the menu board. I asked the Restaurant Manager to correct the menu board
immediately. Unfortunately, with the large number of items we offer, we can
miss something in posting pricing. At this time I am not sure what action
you expected from our first conversation or what action you are looking for
now. Based on the information provided I felt that we did resolve the price
issue. We place a lot of importance on the feedback we receive from our
customers. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to contact us in
the first place and look forward to discussing this issue with you again.
Please contact me at the number below or on my cell number, 918-6 (I'm really tempted to leave her cell number intact).
Liz B*******
General Manager
Mar-B McDonald's

That was certainly genuinely caring and apologetic. Not. Same tone as the phone call. I responded with the following and never heard back:

Thank you for your response. This happened not only with a dinner menu, but a month later with a breakfast menu, which is what you're addressing here. The earlier event was a Quarter Pounder meal. Unfortunately I didn't have time to address it with breakfast, as I was running late to meet someone. Also unfortunately, the manager treated me like an idiot the first time I addressed it.

Your response to me was simply acknowledgement that I was unhappy with the situation. Not much more or less. I wasn't necessarily angry, but definitely unsatisfied with my treatment as a human being. I was unhappy with our conversation and feeling as though I got the brush off, as though you simply wanted me off the phone, as though I was a nuisance.

I will no longer eat at McDonalds. I know that you said on the phone that you'd send me coupons (which you didn't - I got a form letter from someone in Texas), but I don't want coupons I won't use.

You say that you're not sure what action I was looking for. I am simply looking for an apology for being treated like I was at fault, as well as an apology for being overcharged. Not excuses. If the manager had apologized and refunded the difference immediately the first time, I would have let everything go. It's not about money. It's about customer service.

Yesterday's mail brought this:

And this:

Can you believe it? Maybe I'm over the top. But I'm giving these two coupons for sandwiches to a single friend today. What a joke. And of course, I'm blogging about it. I'll keep saying it - it's not about the money or the food. It's about the customer service. It's about being treated as a human being. It's about an apology for continued poor treatment, CYA and indifference. Over 20 measly cents, for Pete's sake. Give me a break.

Do me a favor - if you have to or want to eat at McDonald's and you get a meal, pay attention to your receipt? My job today is to figure out how to contact the people as high up in the corporate ladder as I can and give them the links to all these posts. Let them know I'm being vocal about it.

Until I write again ...

Flea