I eat fast food more than a person should. I’m always on the go all over the place with work, and when I get to dine out… fast food is usually a safe shellfish-(and therefore death)-free option. Wendy’s burgers are pretty good. I like a baked potato more than fries sometimes… if I have time to sit & eat.
In my never-ending quest to be ridiculous for absolutely no reason other than self-amusement, I present this to you:
Heh. Tweeted the other night during some shenanigans in GetGo.
Heh. They both responded.
I also got a DM from GetGo, but no real response yet after I provided my advantage card number. I’m not looking for any freebies, but those poor employees clearly had their hands full.
Sheetz wins the humor in social media award. I do wish there was one here in Bridgeville near I-79.
I am glad that there’s competition here. Let’s just keep Wawa out.
Heh. Twitter is fun. So, you may know that I have my W(aL)D Twitter account, and I use it to be goofy. I think I re-opened the Subway door here. Mayhaps this time I’ll get some sort of resolution?
Today, Subway Freshbuzz tweeted the following…
Does anybody else out there try to save half of their $5 Footlong for a 2nd meal, only to be called back by its delicious siren song?
So, I posted this in response…
@subwayfreshbuzz Nope. Not when 1 bite is a potential trip to the E.R. thanks to cross-contamination in the food-prep area.
Tonight, I have this in my Direct Message box…
subwayfreshbuzz Thanks for the feedback. It would be great if you could let us know more about this incident on our cust. service page http://bit.ly/bhSAn
Well, at least I have someone paying attention! I sent them a link to my original complaint to Subway, but I’d like to list the whole saga here… in case I need them to refer back to the message trail at some point…
• October 28, 2009 • 8 Comments (Edit)
• October 29, 2009 • 7 Comments (Edit)
• November 12, 2009 • 8 Comments (Edit)
• November 13, 2009 • 2 Comments (Edit)
• November 17, 2009 • 3 Comments (Edit)
• November 18, 2009 • 3 Comments (Edit)
• November 20, 2009 • 3 Comments (Edit)
• November 24, 2009 • 4 Comments (Edit)
• November 25, 2009 • 6 Comments (Edit)
• December 21, 2009 • 1 Comment (Edit)
• November 12, 2009 • 8 Comments (Edit)
I’m posting to everything via email thanks to Posterous… just checking it out to see what it’s all about. Apparently, you can throw anything at it via email attachments, and it deals with it on its own… and I’ve set it up to post to Twitter, tumblr, Facebook, WordPress, YouTube, and Flickr on its own.It’s really easy. all I’m looking for is some consolidation. I’d ask for MySpace support if anyone used that any more… but Photobucket support would be cool… as well as importing UrbanSpoon reviews – although, that may be there and I just haven’t found it yet.
Perhaps this out to be the way that Fast Food Fail is handled?
I’m going to attach some totally unrelated stuff, just to see what happens with it.
I wonder if it handles formatted text better than WordPress?
It will apparently even embed video from YouTube if you just provide the URL…
…and all kinds of other crazy stuff.
Heh. McDonald’s wrote back about my brief stop and UrbanSpoon.com review (posted with pictures) the other night.
Here’s the message below, that rides the “impersonally personal response” line quite well.
Someone got rid of the pictures at UrbanSpoon.com… perhaps they were flagged as inappropriate? I can see that. Oh well, no reason I can’t show them here.
Here’s my review…
“Sadly, had the best service there tonight in years…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (98 reviews)
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 Recommend
And here’s their response with my message submitted through the McWebform following below…
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
To: eric_aixelsyd@yahoo.com
Sent: Tue, December 1, 2009 5:14:49 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USA
Hello Eric:Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center to bring your recent experience to our attention.First, I hope you will accept my sincere apology for your disappointment in McDonald’s. I can assure you that we want you to be completely satisfied every time you visit one of our restaurants.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.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s and giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. Customer feedback is very important to us as it helps us improve. McDonald’s is number one because of customers like you.
Ashley
McDonald’s Customer Response Centerref#:6502666
————————————————————————————————————–
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
You wrote:
The crew in the place tonight seemed to be operating well, were friendly, and quickly as far as the food was concerned, but the parking lot was full of cars for the bar next door, and the men’s bathroom was disgusting. Please see this link for a review & photos: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346713/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/McDonalds-Pittsburgh
Rarely is this kind of stuff ever followed up by the local chain. I don’t know if that’s indicative of stores nation-wide, or just in our area. Then again… it gets me wondering… I put my address in that webform… and my photo is up at UrbanSpoon.com.
Bad idea?
So, I fired off two more emails… One to Subway, and one to my new friend Mr. Jones at Quiznos. No response from Mr. Jones yet, but we do have one from Subway. I’ll share it all below!
OK, so email one, to Subway:
From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
To: “Bridenbaker, Mack” m.bridenbaker@sfaft.org
Cc: Paula Gomez gomez_p@subway.com; Kevin Kane kane_k@subway.com; Anna Marie Seeley seeley_a@subway.com
Sent: Mon, November 23, 2009 10:24:20 AM
Subject: Re: Subway [Customer ID: 1918316]
Hello Mr. Bridenbaker,It’s been over a week since your email to me saying that Ms. Gomez would address my concerns and I’ve yet to see any sort of response. I still haven’t had a reply to my initial message to Ms. Seely, or from anyone on your team. I’m disappointed in the lack of comment overall, my first message which was sent on Oct. 28th has still gone unanswered.
I now understand why the employees in your stores have an “I don’t care” attitude. It trickles down from the top, and certainly must be passed on in franchise owners, hiring, & training.
I’m amazed at your total lack of concern for the decline of your once championing establishment. I should perhaps pass on my shellfish allergen and cross-contamination concerns to some allergy awareness groups. Perhaps allergy awareness lobbyists will warrant some attention. Everyone I know already hates Jared and the $5 footlong commercials, so I don’t need to push the issue on that one. The concept of cheese tessellation will obviously elude the average sandwich artist from now until the end of time, so we have no hope there.
Perhaps in copying Quiznos’ idea of toasting subs, you should also adopt their business model in using better quality ingredients and customer service policies. I have had a continued dialog with them regarding your lack of customer service and their seemingly misleading Toasty Torpedo ads with the very tiny hands. They proudly stand behind their ads (however creepy), their innovation, and their customer service.
Not signed. On purpose. Notice all the Cc’s, everyone hates that… I don’t care who you are. I tried to poke at every issue and make empty useless claims about allergy awareness groups, and I brought up that Quiznos is the trend-setter while noting that they’re also not perfect.
And, on a friendlier note to Quiznos, I decided to reveal my intentions to an amicable Mr. Jones:
From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: The Quiznos Toasty TorpedoT ads?
To: “Jones, Tony” TJones2@quiznos.comThanks Tony,
I must confess, I do have a blog and I have been chronicling my email escapades there. I like to play them as part consumer advocacy, part humor and all goofy. I used to write snail mail letters, but email has made it so much easier & faster. Some friends have encouraged me to keep writing, so I have. I really enjoy the open & honest dialogue that we have going on, and appreciate that you stand behind the product & integrity of your company… and take the time to respond to emails such as mine. Also, you obviously have a sense of humor, which has to be a “must” for any kind of customer interaction. I’m sure you get goofier emails and phone calls from actual crazy people.
I’m intrigued at your suggestion that I get into consulting or franchise journalism. Do you know how I would even go about this? Would I need to obtain a degree in something? I hope to grab followers to my blog just for amusement, but am unaware as to how to make it a profitable venture, ha ha ha.
Thank you once again for your time, I’m actually waiting to hear from some of your Quiznos colleagues, and Subway has still not given me a response beyond “someone will respond”… not that I’m at all surprised by that at this point.
Rock on!
-Eric
Hopefully he writes back in a positive light, and still finds all of this amusing. Still waiting for further comment from his other colleagues, none of which have really delivered so far.
And, now, the fun part… Subway’s response (or lack thereof):
From: asksubway@subway.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Subway
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.comMonday, November 23, 2009
Dear Mr Aixelsyd:
First, allow me to apologize. Secondly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us and share your comments.
At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.
Our customers provide us with valuable input, which we use to improve our operations. Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited. Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.
I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.
Again, I appreciate you taking the time to contact us. SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits.
Sincerely,
Paula Gomez
Heh. “First, allow me to apologize” not followed by an apology is extremely profound, and hopefully intentional. Then, she thanks me for writing, probably through gritted teeth.
This line reeks of copy & paste: “At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.”
And, I love the long winded “it wasn’t me”/”it’s not my fault”/”it’s not my problem”: “Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited. Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.” Basically, she’s telling me that I’m being ignored by a lower level.
“I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.” With what? Cross-contamination? Cleanliness? Cheese tessellation? How to reply to customer emails?
“SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits” …so we can spit in your food? Did she read my emails? Perhaps this whole thing is just a reading comprehension issue. I find it amusing that the e Subway spokesperson declined to comment. Perhaps now is the time to move into old-school W(aL)D mode, and reply that Subway will not be allowed on the moon when I’m emperor.
Are there any psychologists or psychiatrists out there reading this? I’d love to get your take (…if you can tell me without telling me what my own problems are, ha ha ha).
If you haven’t been following,you may want to check out the back-story rundown here: If we’re keeping score, that’s Subway 1 and Quiznos 3½. That should explain the last email, and at the bottom there’s a rundown of all the ones that came before it (with links) if you’re interested.
Also… lots of people have been telling me they’re following… by word of mouth, or Facebook, or Twitter, and even via text message… but I beg you, if you’re reading… post a comment here, and others may have a comment about your comment. I see by the stats that people are reading. Don’t be shy. We’re all friends here. Except for you, people at Subway… Except for you.
World (and Lunar) Domination 