Customer Service Tales from the Crypt

Poor customer service is on the rise. Judging by some of the comments I received on a previous article I did for AC see story I think most agree.

My bad experiences seem to be on the rise so I have decided to start a series, so here goes volume 1.

Lets start with today. At lunch a coworker and I decided to try a restaurant called RiverBridge Cafe, located on the outskirts of Ponca City, Oklahoma across the bridge in Osage County.

Its not quite your hole in the wall place but it serves that type of food.

We elected to go with the $5.99 all you can eat buffet and pay a $1.29 for a drink.

So we fill our plates to the rim and stuff ourselves.

Then comes time to pay.

The cashier rings the two meals up together and comes up with a total of $15.40. We ask the total be divided, so she replies okay that will be $7.38 a piece. Well in my day of mathematics, $7.38 times 2 equals $14.76.

I decided maybe she meant without tax and surely she realizes the cost should be $7.70.

So I hand her a $10 bill. Mistake. I should have let my friend pay fist by check, because the cashier rings in I'm not sure what and now the amount owed is completely wrong.

I look at her and she looks at me and says, "That's not right. I do this all the time and now my boss just laughs at me." I'm thinking whatever just let me get my $2.30 back.

Well my coworker gives her a check and then I end up getting a dollar bill and a pile of change back. i was so stunned that this woman seemed to not have a clue. Its another example of people who can't count change back in their head and if they key in the wrong amounts on the cash register they do not have a clue.

So lesson learned for eating at the RiverBridge Cafe. Pay by check or bring exact change so that you are not overcharged.

Now on to another food establishment that suffers from a similar problem.

Once again my coworker and decided to do lunch. So on this blessed day we chose KFC.

So my coworker orders the buffet and pays her debt with a debit card. So far so good.

Then it is my turn. I order the pot pie meal. First the cashier can't figure out how to ring it up, so she asks for assistance.

Another worker comes to her rescue and is going to show her up. After punching a barrage of buttons, a total of $6 and some change is achieved. I attempt to pay with a $20 bill.

Well they do not have change handy so my coworker offers to put it on her card so that we won't delay the line any longer.

Well we had no idea the chaos that was about to occur.

Back when I worked with cash registers, all they would have had to do was void the order, start over and pay by card. But instead, they take her card to another register and freak out for lack of a better term.

Meanwhile a worker returns with change, and now I'm fighting to get my $20 back because we are paying with the card. The worker charges the card the $14, which was supposed to be my change back. So now they have no clue and they go to the boss man.

Well to his defense, he is lost because they can't communicate with him, we try to tell him, that now they need to credit the card the $14 and charge the $6 meal.

When it was all said and done, I got my $20 back and we were never charged for the $6 meal.

I thought geez, I have become a quick change artist with out even trying.

Now for an experience that I was not present for, so this is by word of mouth. I trust that my source is being honest and it is believable in this day in age.

A group of my former coworkers decided to feed their Big Mac cravings at the local McDonalds.

After leaving, one for what ever reason looks at the bottom of her cup and discovers a name written across the bottom. After calling the restaurant back they discover it was an employee's cup and drink.

They apologize and offered a free drink on her next visit.

Well that is about all I can stand to share in one setting. But never fear there are more tales where these came from. And these types of stories are not limited to the food industry, they are in the medical profession as well.

Tune in next time for those stories.