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Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:05 am
by jones jones
I know I do ... I mean especially when I go to a restaurant and the watron ignores me or if my food is not prepared in the way I asked for it to be done or especially when my beer glass stays empty for more than ten minutes!

Now my partner takes the opposite viewpoint. She says that if the service in a restaurant is poor, we should just never go back there again. And when the watron asks if our food is okay & it isn't, she wants me to just remain silent and say nothing rather than, as she puts it: "cause a scene."

Personally I really, really struggle to keep my lips zipped when I feel that I am not receiving the kind of service I am entitled to get. Considering the price of a fillet steak today, when I ask for "medium rare" I don't expect to get it well done or vice versa.

What's your take on this?

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:04 am
by LarsMac
Depends.

Some places have great food, but the wait staff is a bit lackadaisical. I usually let it go.

Some places though, the wait staff is just plain inept, and and after a few incidents, I have to speak up.

Or if the food is not to my order, then I will not let them off the hook.

I am particularly annoyed when a steak does not come out cooked correctly.

They will often undercook my wife's steak. We have to send it back. This ruins the entire meal, in my book, because now I either wait for them to correct it, while my meal cools, or eat while she watches.

The last time, I just sent them both back and told the waitron to bring two new, properly prepares steaks. This brought the manager over, who wished to explain that they must charge me for an extra steak because mine was prepared properly.

I lit into him, explaining how the failure to deliver what we ordered, in its entirety, was unacceptable, and that we either got up and walked out with no bill, or they brought us what we ordered, cooked to our request.

When the next pair of steaks were delivered they were both properly done, and the meal was delicious.

While we were eating dessert, the manager returned to apologize and inform us that the entire meal was his complement.



So, yes, it pays to complain, and I shall, whenever it seems necessary.

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:15 am
by LarsMac
Having said that, however, there are times when you just know that the place is hopeless, and it will be a waste of time to complain. You just pay your bill, and walk away, never to darken their door again.

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:18 pm
by along-for-the-ride
Just this evening, Hubby and I ate supper at Ryans. Our waitress offered to get us fresh rolls, but only returned without them when we were 3/4 into our meal. She asked again about the rolls and I replied, "No, thank you." Hubby got some biscuits and gravy from the buffet table, but the biscuits were hard. The waitress came back and inquired about the meal, and Hubby straight out told her about the hard biscuits. :wah: We did leave a tip, however. :)

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:55 am
by LarsMac
Last night, we dined at Farradays in Black Hawk.

Usually the food is terrific.

Last night the onion soup was over-salted, and my Prime Rib was tough and stringy.

The waiter was one we had never had wait on us before.

He was "Fast and Furious" and never slowed down to hear what we were saying.

He came by and asked if everything was all right, but as I was telling him about the rib, he says, "Great." and walked off.

We left him a whole $10 tip on $96 and as we left, I told the maƮtre d we never wanted to be in that waiter's section, again.

This morning, my credit card account showed a refund for the bill.

IT definitely pays to bitch.

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 2:09 pm
by Oscar Namechange
I always took my Fathers advice:

" Be a Gentleman, pay your bill, Thank them and never go back":

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:30 pm
by LarsMac
oscar;1411259 wrote: I always took my Fathers advice:

" Be a Gentleman, pay your bill, Thank them and never go back":


Well, that works if it is just a place where I just don't like the way they make their food, or something, but you know, when you go to a steak place and they don't cook it correctly, or a breakfast place and the eggs are cooked hard rather than over easy, or the waitron is just not doing his job, It's like, how would you react if you are paying for tires on your car, and they don't mount the tires correctly. You get home and the next day you have flats because the air leaked out. Gonna just say, "thank you" and be be on your way?

Or you hire a guy to install carpet, and it is all rumpled and twisted. Gonna just say, "thank you" and be be on your way?

How gentlemanly would you feel, then.

Just say thank you and walk away.

I think not.

When you are paying your hard-earned money for something, don't you have expectations of getting what you pay for?

Sure, if I try out a restaurant I have never been to, and am not happy with the way they do things, then I may simply say thank you, tip the waitron, pay the bill, and be on my way.

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 4:31 pm
by gmc
I don't get worked up about it, I complain if I think it justified usually you don't need to make a scene as most places want to give good service and sometimes things go wrong in the best of restaurants. If it's crap don't go back. I have sent back steaks that are not cooked as ordered on one occasion because it was clearly not the weight as advertised the explanation that it shrinks when cooked didn't go down well.

I remember the shrinking steaks because the rather irate manager threatened to call the police because I refused to pay. In the UK if you order food and it is not up to standard, cold or whatever, or as described you are within your rights to refuse to accept it s long as you are not halfway through before you complain. It's not a criminal matter like it would be if I ate the food and then refused to pay. Once it dawned on him I knew my rights and wasn't intimidated we ended up with a free meal and a bottle of wine by way of apology.

On another occasion a small computer place refused to refund on the wrong part they had sold me. I stood at the door telling everyone that came on not to buy anything because of it was faulty or the wrong component they would not exchange or refund it. Took five minutes for them to change their minds. Much more effective than shouting at them. Big stores you ask for the general manager if you are not getting anywhere there time is too valuable to waste arguing over an exchange (if you are in the right that is).

I don't make a scene, usually it's counter-productive and all I want is something sorted. I used to be in retail management and had to deal with irate customers. It's a lot harder to deal with a polite softly spoken customer sticking to his guns than someone having a hissy fit. Them you can burst like a balloon.

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 4:35 pm
by Oscar Namechange
Test

Do You Usually Bitch About Poor Service?

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:05 pm
by LarsMac
oscar;1411321 wrote: Test


Will it be graded on the curve?