Coldstone Calamity

[myswtghst]

I got a response email (posted below) though I'm not sure he's directly related to that store, and I really don't want gift cards or anything, which is part of the reason I didn't give a phone # on my complaint, just my email addy.

Hello, We thank you for visting our store, but sorry to hear that u had less than optimal experience. Please call me at ***-***-****, so i can help resolve the same.

Thanks
Yogi

I responded with the following:

Hi - It's not a problem. It's not a store I visit often (I don't live anywhere nearby, just was visiting the mall) but I wanted to make sure that management was aware, so that the problem can be corrected. Please just make sure that the problem is followed up on appropriately. Thanks!

Why should you feel bad? They're paid to do a job they weren't doing. It's too bad there wasn't a way for you to notify the owner or manager directly before contacting corporate, but that's the way it was set up.

I think it was more that I knew they were swamped, and having worked in customer service, I always tend to err on the side of forgiving, and have guilt and overthinking issues, even with bad service.

That answers the question I was going to ask: Why would anyone put themselves through such hell and misery for ice cream? I would have said "Screw this" and left.

I sort of mentioned it in the story, but I'll describe better why not - it was a small mall ice cream shop, so the line was snake-y and there were "barriers" in between the line (I'll diagram below). Between that, the very large number of people in line behind us, their small children all over, the strollers in the line, etc, it would have taken 10 minutes just to wade out of the store, and then we would've had to wait on line in Starbucks. Plus, I'm stubborn, so once it's been ten minutes, dammit, I'm going to get my ice cream!

Counter
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First line of people
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Second line of people
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Third line of people

-----Door--Door--------------------

[calulu]

Oh I know why you put yourself through that line. The same reason I drool every time I read the name in the title. Just the word "coldstone' is enough to make me want one, sucky employees, line, price, whatever. I would kill for ice cream right now.

[Rapscallion]

Hello, We thank you for visting our store, but sorry to hear that u had less than optimal experience.

Um, they actually used 'u' as 'you' in business correspondance?

Scum. Take them for every penny they have.

In the meantime, I've munged the number you provided in the quote in case it was the real number you were given.

Rapscallion

[Record Store Tough Guy]

I think it was more that I knew they were swamped, and having worked in customer service, I always tend to err on the side of forgiving, and have guilt and overthinking issues, even with bad service.

Had they been doing their job, they likely would not have been swamped.

[rerant]

I have to chime in to defend the High School kids. To receive their High School diplomas, students here have to perform a certain number of community service hours. Some have figured out that working off those hours as a museum volunteer is a lot more pleasant than working in a soup kitchen.

Man, you must get the good volunteers then. I do volunteer work for a food bank on a regular basis (2-3 times a week) and whenever high school kids come in it's a 50/50 toss up if they're actually going to be into it, or if they're going to stand around and pout.
Granted I don't see much of them since I'm up at reception, but from what I do see some of the kids that come in just shuffle their feet and act like we're torturing them.

The funny thing is, a lot kids looking for volunteer hours for school have their moms call in for them.
How much money should we put on the kids whose moms call for them being the ones who act like sorting food for four hours is the worst thing on the planet?

[machinest]

As an aside I have never really understood the whole point of required "volunteerism" as apart of schooling it just seems to miss the point of volunteering in the first place.

[HawaiianShirts]

Apathetic teenagers? No! I refuse to believe it!

I'm sure it's not all high school students who act like that, but I know I've seen them do it. I worked with several when I was in high school myself. But then, I work with several apathetic adults and a few really enthusiastic high school students. I think the OP just ran into an unusually high concentration of apathy. Still, I must ask the question someone else already asked: Where was the supervisor?

Um, they actually used 'u' as 'you' in business correspondance?

Scum. Take them for every penny they have.

Struck a nerve with that one, eh, Raps? Guess we know one of 'ur' pet peeves now.

Seriously, though, I agree. I can handle the abbreviations in text messages or casual emails, but using them for formal communications certainly doesn't speak well of the company or the representing employee.

[Evil Queen]

I'm with Raps here. No one uses "u" in business correspondences. That's unprofessional.

And extremely irritating to boot! GAH!

[Andara Bledin]

I refuse to use abbreviations or numbers instead of words even when I am just chatting.

My favorite, however, is when the abbreviation ends up being just as many characters as the word it's replacing. What's up with that?

^-.-^

[Rapscallion]

Struck a nerve with that one, eh, Raps? Guess we know one of 'ur' pet peeves now.

Site Rules reflect my thoughts on this.

Rapscallion

[Jpurple]

lol come to japan!
i think we have coldstone here ... tho being american it'll be quarantined first (combination of health code issues and trying to encourage people to buy japanese first)

but you're guaranteed to have awesome service.
hey it's japan. i have yet to see any store here with sucky service.

Yes, there is Coldstone in Japan (Lalaport!) and it's really really tasty.......

and I have to agree with you that I have never yet seen poor service in Tokyo.

[mariamousie1]

Highschoolers like that give awesome, helpful teenagers a bad name.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

As an aside I have never really understood the whole point of required "volunteerism" as apart of schooling it just seems to miss the point of volunteering in the first place.

Me neither. Schools must require them because they think it's a good idea to get out in the community and help non-profit organizations who need it, but then don't call it "volunteering" because the student is required to do it to graduate and isn't just doing it on his/her own.

Hence, they use the term "service project" instead.