really?

[Rockstar_pizza]

First off, I am VERY tired of peoples expectations in the Pizza business, we can make there dinner for nothing and if ANYTHING is wrong at all its the end of the world, I mean do you believe I had someone ask for there whole meal compt because they forgot the cheese sauce with the bread sticks. what if I was to do that to them? Can you imagine that? showing up at someones job and turning the tables!!!
One of my worst is a guy that owns a paint store, I really am thinking of going in there to his store this spring and getting paint for my home but I only want to pay Wal-mart prices.

 

[Freddy_Krugerrand]

Lol, that’s the Seinfeld episode where Jerry goes to the hecklers work and heckles her. Hilarious

 

[pizza2007]

Like the other thread,

I think this is a symptom of the price pressures from the BIG 3 promotions AND the economy. People think, and have been shown, that menu prices are for display only. The only places you can’t barter is at the bank, insurance agency, and hospital - and McDonald’s (and my place). Okay, while not quite true, try to follow me. What’s the difference between car sales, pizza, and the hospital? YOU NEED THE HOSPITAL. Now put yourself in ignorant cheap A-S’s shoes, the question is now, what’s the difference between education, hospital, insurance, and McDonald’s? YOU NEED MCDONALD’S!!!

 

[stpaullee]

Freddy_Krugerrand:

YOU NEED MCDONALD’S!!!

I am starting to need McDonald’s coffee I’m finding. Shoot me now.

 

[CIGuy]

I hear you on this. Seems like customers are complaining about the littlest things. As much as I hate to do it, I actually had to ban a customer last week. We had 7 orders from her over the last month and after reviewing her notes in our POS, she called back and complained after every order. My GM called me and let me know that he had a run in with her and the next time I worked she called and ordered. I made all of her food personally, exactly the way that she wanted it and then pulled it from the oven and cut/boxed everything. Of course 15 minutes later she called up and complained, telling me I was stupid, didnt know what I was doing, etc… So I told her to bring the food in and I would refund her money and she wouldnt need to worry about bad orders any more because she wasnt getting food from us any more. I hate people who take advantage of getting a credit 1 time and see that as an opportunity to get discounts every time they order. I just wish we would have caught this earlier…

 

[bodegahwy]

“The only places you can’t barter is at the bank”

Most certainly not true. A bank relationship is like any other. Better terms can be had when both sides see the other as a valuable partner.

 

[gbomb]

pizza2007:

The only places you can’t barter is at the bank, insurance agency, and hospital - and McDonald’s (and my place).

Haha. I actually know a guy that tries to barter at McDonadls.

 

[Deacon_V]

NEVER be afraid to “barter” with your banker! It’s time we all stop feeling like we’re entering a church or going to the principal’s office when we walk into a bank! Be smart, know the rates in your area, and go in to get your best deal possible. I saved nearly 5/8’s of a percent on my loan package which can add up to a wad of cash in 10 years. I also negotiated a rather large construction loan for our fire department that will save us enough during the life of the loan to replace a good size pile of equipment. Study!

 

[Kris]

I think we should comp the whole meal…Why? We need to be held accountable for OUR mistakes. They ordered cheese sauce…none of this would have happened if they got it.

I am a freak for honey mustard. I don’t care what they charge me. I just want honey mustard. I remind them when I order, at the window and sure enough more often than not they forget. If I went through all the trouble ordering it…it is their job to ensure I get it.

In my case, I don’t complain but it ticks me off when I don’t get what I order. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth…same with our customers.

Maybe if you had to comp the whole meal you would ensure your staff gave em what they order.

On another perspective…I tell my crew this is exactly what makes us stand out from our customers. Triple double checking orders. Caring that they want what they want.

Change your perspective…get mad at yourself not the customer.

 

[Registered_Guest]

Kris:

I think we should comp the whole meal…Why? We need to be held accountable for OUR mistakes. They ordered cheese sauce…none of this would have happened if they got it.

I couldn’t agree more. And I’ve had similar things happen to me - forgot ranch, etc - and I bite my tongue and give them whatever they want.

Maybe there people were planning to dip their pizza into the sauce - so now the pizza isn’t what they planned.

 

[knightwing1995]

So you would give away a $30 meal just for making a human error and forgetting cheese sauce? I would offer them a free order of breadsticks,a complimentary dessert and my warmest apologizes for their next visit. Do you know for a fact they didn’t recieve it or just a scam to get something free? I use to have the same trouble Kris had. I would go to Arby’s and always request their special sauce for my sandwich but somehow when I got home it was never in there. That went on for a month until I said to myself why don’t I just check the bag before I leave,then I can solve the problem right then and there. We actually have a sign up that asks customers to “Please Make Sure Order Is Complete When Paying.” It seems to work.

 

[Registered_Guest]

knightwing1995:

So you would give away a $30 meal just for making a human error and forgetting cheese sauce? I would offer them a free order of breadsticks,a complimentary dessert and my warmest apologizes for their next visit.

If that’s what they wanted me to do - yes. If they were okay with a breadstick next time - then I’d do that. But if they wanted the whole thing free, yes I’d do it. Remember, it’s not a $30 meal to me - it’s probably <$10. The fact is that the meal was not what they ordered - period.

knightwing1995:

We actually have a sign up that asks customers to “Please Make Sure Order Is Complete When Paying.” It seems to work.

If someone comes back after they pay and their order is wrong, do you tell them “too late, you already paid - read the sign”? If I saw that sign, I’d read it as “Please make sure order is complete when paying - because we didn’t!”.

No doubt, people make mistakes. When I go through the Taco Bell drive through, they ask me if I want any sauce. I always say “3 fire and 3 mild”. Every once in a while I won’t check the bag - and when I get home there is either no sauce or the wrong sauce. I take the food back up there and ask them to remake it (so it will be hot) and give me the sauce I asked for. I don’t see anything wrong with that, and neither do they.

 

[Thunderman]

Although I am generous to a fault with my customers, I don’t think I would comp an entire order because they didn’t get one item. Don’t get me wrong, if it was necessary to make them happy and keep their business I would do it in a heartbeat, but it wouldn’t be my first inclination. I mean what if someone orders 5 pizzas and one is missing one topping…do you comp all five?

 

[Pizza_of_the_Month]

To prevent these things from happening I have created buttons on my POS for every special request that we could think of and I train my staff to write it on the ticket if there is no button. We are a high volume shop and need to get things right. We average 1 mistake per week that is called in out of 1,800 orders per week.
If we get a call the manager handles it by giving a store credit for the item and a $5 gift certificate off their next order. Customers only remember to ask for the gift certificate 30% of the time. At the time of their compliant they are pleased to be offered that and they are happy with the solution.

 

[knightwing1995]

[If someone comes back after they pay and their order is wrong, do you tell them “too late, you already paid - read the sign”? If I saw that sign, I’d read it as “Please make sure order is complete when paying - because we didn’t!”.]

No,in that event we do replace whatever was missing. For us the sign works great because we have had people read it then look at us and say “darn,I’m glad that was there,my wife wanted so and so and if I forget she would kill me.”

I’m not saying every measure shouldn’t be taken to make the customer happy but you don’t want to also give away the shop. Most customers are happy enough with a sincere apology or a free item.

 

[Registered_Guest]

Just to clarify my position - I certainly agree that comping a whole order is the last thing I’d do - and only if I felt that was the only way to satisfy that customer. I’m just saying that at times I’d understand where the customer was coming from.

We keep track of this sort of thing in our POS and I can tell if someone is scamming us or not, most of the time.

 

[Wizzle_Wassell]

I can’t think of another industry where if the customer claims that you’ve made one simple mistake or omission they get the rest of the order/items for free.

In a restaurant if there’s a problem you may get that a free bottle of wine etc or maybe their dish for free. When my grocery shopping is delivered and they miss something I don’t say, hey you missed out my washing powder, now I can;t wash my clothes I’ll have all my groceries for free.

My garage forgot something on my recent service - did I get the whole service for free. Nope.

I’m all for fixing mistakes, and giving something extra for the hassle but comping a whole order - very very very rare and normally only when I have offered it not when its been ‘demanded’

I had a customer call me over a ‘missing’ 0.35 dipping sauce. My driver was adamant he packed it in the bag with a soda but no the customer said it was missing and wanted the whole 35.00 order for free.

Or the customer who complains both his pies were on the wrong crust. I asked him to check again. No he was adamant. I said I’d replace but I needed the other back - its ‘policy’ I told him. 5 minutes later he rang back - his mistake they were on the right crust now. Funny that!

 

[wa_dave]

Wizz

You hit the nail right on the head … only in the pizza industry.

As a relatively newcomer (4 years) it still amazes me what people come up with which I know no other industry would expect or accept.

The customer wants / expects the order for free if it is not delivered on time (their time !!); total order replacement for a minor “fault”, which we take their word for; money back because they claim it was cold when they got home / or when delivered; re-make / refund because there wasn’t enough toppings etc,etc.

I have wxperienced poor service / product at many a place and they brush it off and get away with it but the pizza industry just caves in. People still go back to the others time and again despite not being satisfied with the outcome.

It bemuses me how the pizza industry has accepted, or has made a rod for its’ own back over the years by caving in whilst other industries have not. I am not sure of where it all started but I know people are more accepting at other food outlets, often not complaining because they know they won’t get anywhere but chuck the biggest hissy fits at the pizza outlet.

Recently we had a price increase (the first in 18 months) and when a customer ordered she compained bitterly saying what gave us the right to increase prices. I asked her if she was as rude and asked the same at the supermarket where prices rise weekly and pack sizes get smaller. Her reply was that has nothing to do with us increasing prices. She said taht we should give her the order at the old price because she didn’t have the new menu price list. I asked her does she ask for the old price at the supermarket, the liquor store, other food outlets because the price had gone up since she last purchsed there. No that’s different she said. So I replied find the perfect place with the perfect service, perfect food and perfect price that never goes up and enjoy the rest of your whinging life. She expected something from a pizza store that she wouldnt get or expect elsewhere.

I have no idea where people got their expectations from the pizza industry from but somewhere someone has a lot to answer for. Maybe we all began to get some stiffness in our spines and start saying no to outlandish demands and be like other industries. I beleive we get raped blind more often than not because the mentatility that the customer has to be right every time.

Will everyone of them leave us for someone else because we say no. I don’t think so. Will they go elsewhere for inferior product, or greater travel distance or poorer service just because they missed out on a minor piece of their order. I don’t think so.

Might be the time to swallow a bag of cement and harden the f… up.

Only in the pizza industry

Dave

 

[Piper]

wa dave:

Might be the time to swallow a bag of cement and harden the f… up.

Yes, exactly. Don’t get me wrong now, if we make a real mistake we’re front and center to fix it. If we mess up a pizza and have to re-deliver it we resend the entire order because we know it’s a family eating together. I have sent a driver back out with a new pizza because he forgot to bring ranch dressing. We screw up, we fix it.

The problem in this industry is the scammers, and they’re plentiful. Here in the U.S. the “customer is always right” mentality has done us in. I believe it was starting to change (like when Sprint fired 1,500 customers because they called customer service every single day) but the tough economy is going to swing it back the other way again.

I made a decision years ago to put my foot down on the scammers and whiners. Like you Dave, I’ve had the guy make a stink about a price increase. He was told the new price on the phone and then waited to complain when he came and picked his already made pizzas up. He told me I was required to honor the old price and that he wouldn’t be paying for the pizzas unless he got that price. He made a HUGE scene in front of several other customers, so I politely told him that if he didn’t pay for the order at the price given on the phone he wasn’t welcome in my store any more. The customers behind him actually cheered.

He paid and still orders about once every two weeks. I had a guy that wanted his entire order comped because we quoted him 30-40 minutes for delivery and my driver showed up in 28 minutes. He said he was planning on 40 minutes and his family wasn’t ready to eat yet, and that he wouldn’t be paying for the order. I told him the driver would take the order back if he didn’t pay and he wasn’t welcome to order from us again. He paid and accepted the order. That was last October and he’s ordered 10 times since then. And if he didn’t? I don’t care. I’m not willing to put up with everything under the sun for his $25.00. Will he threaten to tell everyone he knows? Absolutely, but everyone he knows is either a) a jerk like him or b) knows he’s a jerk.

We all, as an industry, need to put our foot down on the scamming garbage. If you make a mistake, fix it… but if being scammed and “taking it” is what you need to do to survive then you shouldn’t be in business (I’m looking at you Big 3 franchisees).

And no, my prices are not negotiable and this isn’t Make A Deal. I can’t believe how many times I’ve heard "Your pizza is amazing, but why is it so expensive? Yeah, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. If you want Domino’s price, go order from Domino’s.

Ugh, sorry… this thread got me on a rant.

 

[Wizzle_Wassell]

or what about…

Customer - make sure you put loads of cheese on the pizza, more than that (looking at the pie)
Me - well I’ll have to charge you for a double topping
customer - your going to charge me for just a little be of cheese…

or

me - so that a pizza, wings, 3 other sides, deserts etc etc, that’ll be 34.00
customer - ok, can you ‘throw me in’ a …
me - of course that’ll be 39.00 :roll:
customer - what? you can’t do it for free…

or

Customer - I wanna xyz
me - I’m really sorry our delivery of xyz didn’t turn up, I can do you abc instead
customer - we’ll I’m not going to pay for it then…

Maybe I should try these lines when I go grocery shopping next time!