Bad Grade for Burger King…
I usually don’t post bad customer service experiences, but last Friday I had one that went above and beyond poor, and I felt compelled to tell everyone I know about it.
On my way to take Taylor to school in the morning, we’ll occasionally stop for breakfast. Since I’m staying away from all fast food, I usually just get coffee. I need to state up front that the service at this particular BK has never been great, the food is usually just lukewarm, and the tellers are not very friendly, but that stuff is easily overlooked. I would never complain about that, it’s fast food, and I’m no gourmet. We’ll just call that strike one…
So here we were at 7:45 on Friday morning at the Burger King on the corner of Atlantic and Hodges. I pulled up to the drive thru speaker and ordered my coffee and Taylor’s breakfast, and the lady told me they were out of coffee. Give me a break, I asked her how that could be, and she said that they were out at the drive thru, but I could come inside if I wanted some. I went ahead and pulled up to the actual window at this point…
She came to the window, and I asked her again about not being able to get any coffee. She said once again, that they were out at the drive thru, not making any more, and if I wanted any, I would have to come inside. I asked her where inside the restaurant the coffee was, and she pointed around the corner from where she was standing. No more than 15 feet away from her…
Now I’m pissed, she can see it, and she could get to it if she wanted, but that wasn’t happening. If I wanted coffee, I was going to have to park and come inside and get it myself. That wasn’t happening. I left without getting my order, and I will never go back again. I will make sure to stop at the McDonald’s down the street, where I can get a nice hot cup any time. Strike two…
To make matters worse, I wanted to report the poor level of customer service to someone that might care… So I went to the BK website to drop a comment, or send an email. None listed. Get the heck right out of town… They specifically tell you on the website that if you have any complaints, tell the store manager… Of course, no phone number was listed for that location, or other contact info aside from the mailing address.
Strike three, they’re out. I haven’t been to BK since, nor will I ever go again. When I go to Wendy’s or McDonald’s, the customer service kicks BK’s butt. The people are friendly, courteous, fast, AND the food is hot… Go figure. Even Taco Bell beats BK. There are too many choices out there for a corporation to not keep up with how it’s front line people are performing. If BK corp doesn’t care about me, I don’t care if they have slipped into the #3 fast food chain position behind McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
How’s that for having it my way?!
Weekly Fitness Progress…
I had a pretty good week. I ran 5 out of 7 days.
Monday I made it 1.5 miles, Tuesday 1.75, Wednesday 1.75, Friday 1.75, and Saturday 1.75. I alternated running through the neighborhood and the park up the road. They have a nice 1.75 mile loop that goes around the soccer and baseball fields. 8.5 miles for the week, not bad, but I can do better.
When we first got started, we were lucky to do 1 mile, but now the 1.75 miles is doable. I’m going to try and work up to 2 miles a run next week.
Between the running and the workouts, I dropped another 3 lbs. With three weeks to go, I think I’m in striking distance of my goal. I’ll keep you posted…
Kudos to Arlington Toyota and State Farm Insurance for Great Customer Service
Last week I had a minor fender bender. I was stopped, waiting to turn onto Hodges from JTB, when a guy ran into the back of my 4Runner. No real damage, just a scraped rear bumper. The guy was very pleasant, he apologized for hitting me, and we swapped business cards. We didn’t swap insurance cards or anything (my lawyer buddy told me I’d never hear from the guy)…
March 29th, A Very Special Day.
Why is it special? Because today is the day that the love of my life celebrates her birthday.
Happy Birthday to my lovely wife Michelle. Throughout our relationship she has provided me with strength and encouragement during some very trying times. Her unselfish devotion to our family is an inspiration. She gives of herself to others like no-one I have ever known. She is my partner in life, and I couldn’t ask for more.
I hope that some day I can provide her with all the wonderful things she deserves, but until then, I know she is happy with all the love myself and our children give to her.
Update For March.
Life is good. Busy, but good.
After viewing pictures from Rachel’s wedding, I realized how fat I had gotten. So, I got back into my exercise routine. I know, I never should have gotten out of it, but you know how it goes. All I needed was some motivation, and those pictures were all the motivation I needed.
So, for the past three weeks, I have been running 3-4 times a week, and working out on the home gym again. I’ve already lost 12 pounds, but more importantly, am starting to lose those chubby cheeks and the third and fourth chin that had developed… A lot remains to be done, especially since Michelle and I are planning a trip to St. Maarten for our anniversary, and I can’t be fat in St. Maarten…
The goal is to lose 10-15 more pounds before April 21st. I haven’t had a beer in three weeks, so you know I’m serious about it… I’ll post weekly updates on my progress until then.
Everything else is moving forward, slowly, but forward nonetheless.
That’s all for now, I’ll update more soon…
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