I should be smarter than this!

[notalwaysright]

This is about me ordering fast food. I don't want anyone to think I'm being too harsh on the workers, I'm just talking about the few I encounter. I'm sorry for the length, but I wanted to go into detail of how inexplicably hard it is for me to attain the simple goal of the food I wanted, at the price listed.

I get fast food maybe four or five times a YEAR. It's expensive, and bad for me. Anyway, I don't understand why it's so hard for me to get what I order, at the correct price. And no one can ever hear me, which is my fault, I know. And I know I could order inside, but if I'm going to do that I'll just go to the deli at the grocery store.

I have previously complained about a place which automatically upgraded the meal to large without asking. Today I went to the drive through of the scary clown chain. I order a meal and then ask for a side which is on special for $.99. I'm told the price is $1.49. I explain that I'm looking at a big sign which says $.99, and then she asks if I want anything else. I ask if I can get the sale price, and after a long pause where she takes the order of the person in the other lane, she updates the reader board and it's right. She tells me the total and I go off to pay.

At the payment window notice the price isn't right, but the receipt looked okay, so whatever. Then when I get to the window to get the food and they try to hand me a bottle of water, which I didn't order. When I looked at the recipe closer, I see they put the sandwich I wanted on there, but not the meal, and instead of the $.99 special, there was water. So after some hassle, I get a bag and a drink and the girl said "it's all in there."

Did I check? NO. Because I'm a freaking idiot, and was tired of holding up the line. I was hot and hungry and needed to get home. So at the light I check, and sure enough, it's JUST the sandwich, no fries or the special. Also, no straw for my drink. Again, I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED. I'm aware of this! Okay?! The whole point of this is why can't I just order what's on the menu, get charged correctly, and get the food I ordered?! Many many people get fast food all the time and don't have to deal with this.

I don't even want to fill out the stupid survey because then what? I hardly ever get fast food, so a coupon or discount (likely on something I don't want) is useless. Plus I have no intention of going back to that location, until I forget about this experience, at least. Anyway, as my title says, I should be smarter. I should know that I'm cursed and can't get my silly comfort food without a fight.

[mathnerd]

Sounds similar my nationwide ordeal with the golden arches. I order a chicken club with pickles and lettuce only, and without fail, they leave off the bacon and cheese. This has happened at locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Washington State, Oregon, California, Texas, Arkansas, North Dakota, and probably others that I've forgotten (I travel a lot). Their response is "well, you said those two condiments only". I generally respond something to the effect of "Well, yes, just those two condiments, but if I ordered a cheeseburger with pickles and lettuce only, would you also leave off the cheese?" Some get it, most don't. I don't understand why they think that altering the condiments somehow changes the base sandwich. If I wanted a plain chicken sandwich, I'd have ordered one, but I wanted a club, which includes the bacon and cheese no matter what condiments I put on it. Ugh.

[raudf]

My last golden arches order.. I order two double cheeseburger meals and a kid's meal. They tried repeatedly to short me on the second drink. I refused to budge until I got that drink, because it was on the receipt! I hate to be sucky, but I refuse to move my car unless the order is spot on. I don't care if it screws up their drive through times. Not my problem. If it's on the receipt, I paid and I will get what I paid for. Then I complain to corporate that there is too much concern for drive-through speed and not enough on correct orders. Maybe, eventually, they might get the hint.. when the next Ice Age happens.

[notalwaysright]

I have to take back the straw comment. She did give me one, which fell on the side of the seat where I couldn't see it.

But yeah, I knew it would be wrong, but I was to tired/hungry deal with it. I don't get where they got the bottled water from, though. And now that I think of it, quite a while ago when I was at this location (last summer maybe) they tried to give me an iced coffee when I was supposed to have a regular fountain soda. That was easily dealt with, but I'm seeing a trend at the golden arches...

[Jay 2K Winger]

I've not had any problems with Mickey Dee's in years. Last "bad" experience I had with them was in another state, and I had to repeat my order four times to the slack-brained girl at the counter until she got it. I was speaking clearly, slowly, and deliberately, and she still needed multiple tries.

The BK Lounge is hit or miss. There are three Lounges in my usual routines that I could go to (four, if you count the one at "Fast Food Paradise," but I never order anything there if we go through their drive-thru), and two of them I have no problems with. (Apart from their advertising their Tots o'Cheese and then saying they don't have any. Put a "sold out" sign up if that's the case!)

But the third? The last three times I've gone there (across three separate months, at different times of day, on different days of the week), they've always gotten something wrong. I just don't give them my custom anymore. I'll happily go to the Nawlins Chicken next door, where all the employees know me and my usual order.

[MoonCat]

Mathnerd, I wouldn't even consider bacon and cheese to BE condiments. What is wrong with these people? Condiments are salt and pepper, ketchup, mustard, mayo. NOT bacon and cheese which are supposed to be part of their basic club sandwich.

The problem I seem to encounter most often at fast food places (and I hardly ever go to these places because I just don't care much for the food, and now I'm being more careful what I eat, anyway)....is that inevitably, I order something that they claim they don't serve. It can be RIGHT THERE on the menu or on a giant poster on the wall next to them, but they'll say "We don't have that." It usually happens with drinks. Last time it happened was at McD's where I asked for the dark roast coffee that was on the menu and got blank looks. The counterperson then asked the manager who also looked blank and then said they didn't have it. So I got water instead.

[Krivak]

At the clown near me i have not had many problems with my order. I've had it where some times they say "We're out of that", but thankfully the worst i've had was they over-pepper the damn sandwich >:| (Edit: Wait, the worst was when i had fries that tasted like cat litter that has not been changed in a few days. Cat litter smells, that is how i know it, i have not eaten it, keep your minds away from that other possibility :P). But then again, I also try to keep my order siiiimple, I clearly enunciate, and I speak slowly.

At the Roast Beef place, if I have anything more complicated than "One sandwich" i go inside, or i don't order. Anywhere else, its inside orders or ShakenStake only. I don't even bother anymore.

Heck, the Fast Food Fish place nearby has actually had worse drive thru equipment installed since I worked there. I order a 6 dollar meal with three 1.39 addons, cant understand the person on the other end, and pull up to her going "15.80." Turns out she heard a completely different number, at 9 dollars nearly, with 3 addons and the 2 dollar drink. :|

[mathnerd]

MoonCat, that's how I feel, but apparently at Golden Arches around the country, they don't feel the same way. I've even complained to corporate because I've had this problem across the country (I don't think I've ordered that meal anywhere in the mid-atlantic or New England states, but I've got most of the rest of the country covered). It still doesn't make any difference.

[Aragarthiel]

My issue with Golden Arches is that their spicy chicken is regional. Who serves a regular chicken sandwich and makes the spicy version regional?

I have a problem with the Zaxby's in my area. (Regional fried chicken place for those who don't know, mostly tenders and sandwiches.) One barely puts any sauce on my Kickin' Chicken sandwich then charges me if I want more, the other soaks it (which is the way I like it). I would say it isn't a big deal but it's buffalo wing sauce and ranch, you don't want just a smear.

[An Haddock]

I had two screwups in very simple order over a period of three days recently, so I have to check my order every time now.

The first was I ordered 2 breakfast sandwiches from McD's. They only gave me one... and I didn't realize it until I was far gone from there.

The second was a BK - I ordered onion rings, the girl read my order back correctly - TWICE - asked me at the window if I wanted sauce for the onion rings... and when I left I discovered they gave me french fries instead.

They both sent me coupons when I complained, but I still feel like I need to check my order every time. It only takes a few seconds but it gives you piece of mind.

I also check my drink, if I get one, before I leave because I've had them give me substances other than Diet Coke before.

[raudf]

The Red Roof Pizza in our area always winds up having to send me free coupons for pizza, because they apparently can't read an internet order (the only way I order from them any more). Is it really that hard to read, "Super Supreme, no Italian Sausage, no Sauce?"

I check it if I'm the one that picks it up, but the hubs never thinks to check until he's HOME. We live 20 minutes away, and by the time the idiot gets home, he's pissed off, hungry, and doesn't want to go back. I've chewed him, but he still doesn't bother to check. My oldest son, however, will, if I send him with hubs. My boy knows how I likes my pizza, that one does.

If it happened once in a very great while, I would just shrug it off as the person doing the pizza getting into a zone and only seeing SUPER SUPREME. It's not.. and it's unfortunate that there isn't another one within 30 minutes of us, otherwise, I'd swap favorites.

[Blue Ginger]

I think I put the story of my battle with Macca's putting mayo on my burgers when I ask for 'no mayo' when I first joined.

Over the years, I have learnt to ALWAYS check before leaving the car park, even when I do drive thru.

I like twisters from KFC and I always get them with no mayo, no tomatoes. (I love tomato sauce, but not actual tomatoes.) I now won't go to 3 KFC locations because they are incapable of understanding the concept. I have had to get them remake the food too many times to count, even when I have ordered from the counter.

More than once there was more mayo in the wrap than chicken strips.

[jedimaster91]

I remember many times when I was younger how difficult it was to get a plain cheeseburger. Bun, meat, and cheese was somehow terribly taxing to the poor workers. Generally I don't have a problem these days, but I have on occasion. The only times I've gotten something I don't like on my burger is when I forgot it came with pickles and/or mustard and forgot to tell them to leave it off.

[Latekin]

The McD's around the corner from my parents place is frakkin useless. In the entire time it's existed, I don't think I've EVER had an order they've done correctly. It's gotten to the point that they get almost no business from the local area; every customer they have is passing through on the main road they're on. Top that off with the staff behaviour....ergh. If I go in and line up for food, I really don't wanna have to wait for you to wrap up your conversation about that chick you totally coulda banged last night. Bonus suck points when they sigh and get huffy if you dare interrupt them.

Place round the corner from us though? Fast, efficient and polite. You occasionally get the wrong order, but it's never a massive mixup - more like getting a medium fries instead of a large, or getting a large coke instead of a medium.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

The local McD's is beginning to get on my nerves. Small town, so we don't have that many options for fast food. We'll usually pick up dinner once a week, and I'll get breakfast with my younger son once or twice a week after we drop off the elder @ kindergarten. He's almost 3, so I can still get away with splitting a breakfast platter w hotcakes with him.

Last week was just about the worst I've ever seen them as far as errors. Got food from there a little too much, but that's another topic. Had breakfast 3 times and dinner once. They managed to make errors 3x out of the 4 visits. Bfst #1 they forgot syrup. Bfast #2 didn't get the hashbrown. And then for dinner they doubled up the contents of the boys happy meals. We got 2 boxes of nuggets and 2 cheeseburgers in each happy meal.