I never got a reply from McDonald’s going any farther than the original “we’ll forward it to the appropriate party” email. So, I decided to reply. Nothing to lose, right? Well, I couldn’t directly reply, because of the incredibly blunt “No ‘replies’ can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com” part of their email. So, back to the McWebform I went! I even included the fancy ref#:6502666.
Well, it apparently worked!
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 5:09:19 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USA
Hello Eric:
Thank you for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center. I’m sorry you have not yet received a local response regarding your recent McDonald’s restaurant experience.
Please know we take your comments very seriously. I will immediately re-contact the franchise owner of the restaurant you visited and request that he or she follow-up with you as soon as possible.
Please be assured your complete satisfaction is our top priority. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center.
Jimelle
McDonald’s Customer Response Center
ref#:6521333
————————————————————————————————————–
Please do not “reply” to this email response. No “replies” can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com
————————————————————————————————————–
Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Even the person with everything gets hungry. An Arch Card makes a great holiday gift. For more information visit your local McDonald’s restaurant or our website at http://www.mcdonalds.com/archcard.
You wrote:
Hello,
Regarding my last message from Ashley at McDonald’s customer service… ref#:6502666
I was told not to reply to the email… hopefully that reference # can refer you to my earlier message.
I think it’s a very poor setup that you have… not being able to reply to emails.
Your message to me said “Because most McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited. Please be assured that your comments will be investigated and, if appropriate, corrective action will be taken.
Secondly, although we did not completely meet your expectations, please know that our restaurant employees strive to maintain the highest standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value and it’s certainly nice to know that their efforts are appreciated. We want to recognize your complimentary comments and thank you for your kind words.“
Was anyone at that McDonald’s contacted?
Will I get a reply?
And, then, it was followed up by this…
From: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 7:07:00 PM
Subject: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant
From: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Subject: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant
To: [complete@misspelling.of.my.email.address]
Dear Eric
I am the Customer Service Representative of the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant. I unfortunately did not receive your first e-mail. Please fill me in on the situation. I am located in the Pittsburgh area and will address all issues to the supervisors of this restaurant.
Sincerely,
Sandra Jaeger
How cool is that? Ha ha ha. An actual response! Funny that it “didn’t get through” the first time. Very funny. Also funny that it went to a complete misspelling of my email address, those of you who have it will find it amusing. There was a “.” where a “_” should be as well, as a few incorrect letters. (Not transposed, incorrect.)
So, of course, I had to write back…
From: me@my.email.address
To: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 10:00:58 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant
Hello Sandra,
Thanks you for the reply! I have always wondered if the emails that you get in reply to webforms at sites like the McDonald’s one are anything more than a standard form letter. In reply to my first message, the response said “I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited.” I had wondered if this really was the case… Apparently not, until I took the time to reply with a second message asking if it had really gone any further. I’m glad I took the time to follow up!
I find it amusing that my original comments did not make it to you. It makes me wonder how many emails remain unanswered daily when filtered through the McWebform. This is not your problem though, as you are obviously concerned and addressing this issue now.
My original comments were regarding a visit that I had over a week ago now, in an evening stop at the McDonald’s on West Liberty Ave. in Beechview or Dormont or whatever the neighborhood may be there.
My original message was…
That pointed to a review that I posted on
UrbanSpoon.com, which you can read here…
November 29, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Small crew tonight, decent night-time crowd, stopped for a late dinner, was served relatively quickly… fries were a perfect golden color and hot… burgers were OK, super-greasy but it IS McDonald’s. We were out at an event earlier, on the way home… had to use the facilities… but they were trashed. Stall #1 had no TP dispenser, the roll was on the back of the commode, and the bowl was chock full of the stuff. Stall #2 had a broken doorknob/lock mechanism. One hand dryer was stuck on, the other didn’t work, and both urinals were full of urine. I know they can’t control flushing… but periodic checks/cleanings and some repairs might be in order. Just when I thought this place had their stuff together for once… My advice? When stopping here, use the facilities somewhere else. 1 person likes this review
…and these are the photos referenced:
I understand that the fact that at that time of night, there’s perhaps a smaller than usual crew, and that the West Liberty Ave. location is seemingly always busy. I have been through the drive-thru at this time of night before, and it always seems slow, though it’s thankfully not as slow as the Wendy’s right down the street. Those people have a whole different set of issues. My friends and I call it “The Slow Wendy’s”.
I was just wondering what kind of cleaning & maintenance policies that you have in place? Does management or ownership do any kind of inspection or follow-up? Do inspections my the corporation ever occur? I mean, surely you can’t think the photos above are an acceptable presentation of your restaurant chain?
I don’t know about you, but when I “gotta go”, it’s urgent! The urinals looked filthy, si I opted for the stalls… one was stuffed, and one had a door that wouldn’t close. I like to do my business in private, no interruptions. Closing doors are a good thing! Also… the lack of a TP dispenser, & the roll just being on the back of the thing… I cannot imagine what would have happened had I needed to use that. I mean, how uncomfortable would it be to reach behind yourself like that after… Well, after doing your thing?
Thank you for your time, and the follow up. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to inquire about the issue.
Sincerely,
-Eric
Maybe I should have included a link to the Wendy’s incident? Not yet, my friends. Not yet. I can’t wait to see what kind of response I get this time. I love when it gets down to a real live person in charge of something.
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