Friendly customer turns into SC (long)

[customersruinmylife]

OK, nice quiet shift, I feel I deserved it after working 12 hours on St Patricks Day. A family comes in, two adults, two children and a baby. They order some Sunday Roasts, and are very friendly. I made sure to take care of them. If someone is nice to me, I will be nice to them. If they're sucky, I'll keep away from them.

So, I take their roasts out. And for a £5 Sunday Roast, I thought they looked fantastic! Veg, perfect, potatoes, perfect, meat, perfect, temperature, perfect. I take it to them and am greeted with "Ooooo"s and "Ahhhh"s when I present it to them. Great stuff.

I go over to their table about five minutes later and ask if everything is OK with their meal. Response is a load of muffled "Mmmm great thanks!" as they stuffed their faces. Good good.

They finish their meals, and I see the dad walking up to the bar, he speaks to a co worker.

Dad: I want to see the manager!
CW: Ok I'll just go find him for you.
Manager walks over.
Dad: Our meal with diabolicle. It was the worst meal, I want a complete refund!
The manager asks what was wrong with the food.
Dad: It was just...terrible, awful, undercooked, cold, horrible. I did not pay £5 for a horrible meal!
The manager goes to have a word with the kitchen staff. The kitchen staff are extremelly offended that someone has insulted their food, and another co-worker points out the empty plates.
Manager: If it was so terrible, why did you all finish your meals?
Dad: Well I paid for it! I wasnt going to waste it!
Manager: Did it not occur to you to ask someone for fresh meals?
Dad: Well no one came over!
This was a LIE.
Me: Actually I went over.
Dad: Yes and we told you it was terrible!
Me: Ummmm, no you didnt.
Dad: Wheres my refund???? Im going to get you all fired. I have witnesses!

The manager completely caved and gave them what they wanted. I was so annoyed. He did say he would rather not have given him the refund, but he said families with children are the worst when they complain, and he just wanted them to leave. I was shocked at the complete character change I witness. A friendly family turned into a load of freeloading idiots.

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Something similar happened later on.

Me: Ok I have two beef burgers?
Woman: Oh....I dont eat beef, mine was meant to be chicken.
She glares at her boyfriend.
Man: Oh sorry, I thought you wanted beef.
Woman looks at me like its my fault.
Woman: Can I get a new one?
I was feeling generous for some reason, and I said I would sort her out a chicken burger.
Woman: Oh thank you! I really appreciate this!
It took about five minutes to cook a new burger, and she must have asked me every thirty seconds. I finally got it. I checked it was warm, yes it was. I actually burnt my hands on the chips. I took it out.
Woman: THIS IS COLD!
Me: Is it? Have you tried it?
Woman: I DONT NEED TO TRY IT! YOU'VE GIVEN ME A COLD MEAL! I PAID FOR A CHICKEN BURGER AND YOU COULDNT EVEN GET THAT RIGHT AND YOU GIVE ME A COLD MEAL!
I take the chicken burger back into the kitchen. I rearrange the chips on the plate, move the burger around and take it back out.
Woman: See what a little effort will get you?
Me: Yes...

[MrSunshineState]

The manager completely caved and gave them what they wanted. I was so annoyed. He did say he would rather not have given him the refund, but he said families with children are the worst when they complain, and he just wanted them to leave. I was shocked at the complete character change I witness. A friendly family turned into a load of freeloading idiots.

I would have quit right there. I will never again (after the movie theatre) work for managers without a backbone. The fact that they blatantly lied to you, said the food was great, then went to another person besides you (to not be called on their lie) and snaked a free meal proves that your manager should have zero supervisory power. I wasn't even there and that story pissed me off, LOL!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"I take the chicken burger back into the kitchen. I rearrange the chips on the plate, move the burger around and take it back out."

My ex roomate used to do that to get her cat to eat leftover dry kibble.

[Reyneth]

Woman: See what a little effort will get you?

WHY do SCs always assume that because we work in a service industry we are lazy and stupid? I bet that 80% of us (because there are some sucky coworkers) work HARDER than the SCs do and for drastically less money. Oh yeah, lady - I'll give you "a little effort." Good luck getting a refill on your drink and no dessert for you!

[Lace Neil Singer]

At the pizza place, no-one ever got a refund/replacement on defective pizza unless they produced it. We had a few people try bloody hard to persuade us otherwise tho, one woman even bringing in a few empty boxes and trying to tell me I didn't have to open them and look. That's why these people, since they cleaned their plates, shouldn't have gotten squat. *smacks manager for giving in to such leaches*

[karma_gypsy]

Dad: Well no one came over!

So. . . let's just say for a moment that they were unhappy with their food. Instead of wolfing it down and wanting a replacement, they could have tried the tactic so many other people use when wanting attention . . .

Eye contact, waving someone down, "excuse me", whistling, tapping fingers/silverware, glaring, huffing/sighing, loudly complaining about how no one's coming over, rolling your eyes, getting up and physically walking over to the manager (like he did to complain after the food was GONE).

[Anakah]

I wonder if they've ever seen the movie "Waiting." I guarantee they'd change their tune.

I hate spineless managers. I'd have told them to pay for their food, take a hike and never return. I'd rather have a big blow out then give in to scammers.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

The manager completely caved and gave them what they wanted. I was so annoyed. He did say he would rather not have given him the refund, but he said families with children are the worst when they complain, and he just wanted them to leave. I was shocked at the complete character change I witness. A friendly family turned into a load of freeloading idiots.

While I too would have not given those bunch of freeloading scum wads a refund and would have been very annoyed with the manager for caving in, I do have to give the manager props for giving you a reason for why he caved and I'm assuming by the absence of any mention of this in the post that he also did not blame you for their behavior.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to refund them, let them go without a scene, then never let them back into the store ever again.

Woman: I DONT NEED TO TRY IT! YOU'VE GIVEN ME A COLD MEAL! I PAID FOR A CHICKEN BURGER AND YOU COULDNT EVEN GET THAT RIGHT AND YOU GIVE ME A COLD MEAL!
I take the chicken burger back into the kitchen. I rearrange the chips on the plate, move the burger around and take it back out.
Woman: See what a little effort will get you?
Me: Yes...

She just did that because she needed to feel superior to someone. At least you get the feeling of superiority from pulling a fast one on this complete waste of food and oxygen and giving her the same meal a second time only to have her take it. She'll never know how much the fool she now looks to the rest of the CS reading population of the world.

M

[BookstoreEscapee]

Did he really call it "diabolical" - that's hysterical

Diabolical:
1. Of, concerning, or characteristic of the devil; satanic.
2. Appropriate to a devil, especially in degree of wickedness or cruelty.

[Department stores *sigh*]

I take the chicken burger back into the kitchen. I rearrange the chips on the plate, move the burger around and take it back out.
Woman: See what a little effort will get you?
Me: Yes...

heh back in my burger king days a guy was yelling about cold fries. I dumped his fries next to the new ones (his fries coming from that same batch), then put his dumped fries back in to the container. He said it was much better =P