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marilynfl

Moderator
"America runs on Dunkin'. How can we help you?"

You would think a simple question like that would require a simple answer, which I THOUGHT I was giving, but apparently not.

WHO: Me and the folks working at Dunkin Donuts

WHAT: Placing a drink order

WHY: Because I'm thirsty

WHERE: Three different DD sites

WHEN: Over the past 2 weeks

It's Florida, it's summer and it's hot. Damn hot. Heat Index over 100 hot. So ordering ICED COFFEE shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? It's not like we're sitting on a glacier somewhere, getting ready to calf an ice floe and a request for "iced coffee" would be odd.

OH, YOU ARE SO WRONG, YOU SILLY PERSON.

In the past 2 weeks, I have placed ten orders for iced coffee and IT HAS BEEN WRONG SIX TIMES!

I live fairly close to the NASA space center, BUT THIS ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE, PEOPLE! All I want is ICED COFFEE with MILK and TWO SPLENDAS.

There. Was that hard? Did you--the viewing public--understand what I just wrote? I'm going to assume you did, but apparently the fine people working at DD can not.

I have received:

HOT COFFEE WITH CREAM AND SUGAR

BLACK HOT COFFEE.

BLACK HOT COFFEE WITH SUGAR

BLACK ICED COFFEE

ICED COFFEE WITH CREAM AND NO SUGAR

ICED COFFEE WITH MILK AND NO SUGAR

Am I speaking in some alternate language?

 
...and then it happened at McDonalds!

ME: (standing at the counter speaking to a counter person my own age) "Do you have iced coffee?"
CP: Yes we do.
ME: (paying) Can I get it with milk instead of cream?
CP: Yes, of course. Do you want a flavor?
ME: Nope.
CP goes over to coffee machine, pours milk into a paper coffee cup (first flag goes up), asks me if this is enough milk, then walks over to HOT coffee pot.
ME: Hold on! I wanted iced coffee
CP with confused look on face. Calls over manager. "Can we use this milk in an iced coffee?"
ME: (memorizing this conversation because I can see where it's leading)
Manager: "Sure." Take clear plastic cup (yes), adds ice (YES!) and then proceeds to pump some clear liquid in it.
ME: Hold on! What is she putting in there? I don't want any flavoring!
CP: She's adding sugar.
ME: Why??
CP: Because it's iced coffee!
ME: But I didn't ask you to add sugar. I'm going to add my own Splenda.
CP: But that's how we sell it! With cream and sugar already added.
Me: okay, fine...(because I know a lost cause when I see one) I'll take it.
CP: Handing me the drink along with a severe look and in a chastising voice, said: "Now, I only charged you for a Senior Coffee, but NEXT TIME I'll have to charge you for an iced coffee. I'll let it go this time."
ME: "...but I ASKED for an iced coffee..."

 
It shouldn't be that hard to order a drink. Analysts say that is why McDs is struggling.

Too many choices; too many menu convolutions; not enough common sense.

I had a similar experience recently. I don't normally eat at McDs, but I was in a hurry and a burger sounded good.

I pulled into the drive thru and ordered a burger, naming it exactly like the big, featured picture on the menu board.

Not good enough, evidently.

The highly-skilled fast food professional on the headset reacted as if I had ordered Pho with a bald eaglet filet and compound yak butter over the top. Truly.

After going back and forth at least four times, I told this person that ordering a burger just simply shouldn't be THIS HARD, and drove off without getting fed.

I was probably better off anyway.

Michael

 
AND you need to tell CORPORATE also, both by e-mail and snail mail . . .

First offer a compliment (c'mon, there is always something you can complement on, isn't there?), then describe what happened. Then tell them what you want/want to happen.

I did this with corporate S-bucks. I never said I wanted free drinks, but I did say that I would like to have the problem corrected and that I would have liked to not have paid for those drinks. The apologized very nicely, sent me two free drink coupons and within the week (by my next regular visit) they had corrected the problem--at multiple stores! Maybe others had complained about this as well. Or maybe S-bucks is just more responsive to complaints?

I figure if no one knows there is a problem, then it cannot be fixed. And all too often those complaining on social media are brushed off as whiners. I say go directly to the source.

 
Yes, too many choices. Mickey D's needs to go back to basics: . . .

A hot, FRESH burger: a patty that has not been held more than literally a minute or two, then placed directly into a steamed fresh bun, condiments added then zipped out to the customer. I remember seeing McD's burgers being wrapped but then held over steam, and they were good. This holding the patty in a drawer then combining with a just barely warmed bun really sucks. Once in a long while I want a McD burger--but it HAS to be fresh. I order and tell them I will wait for a fresh patty to be cooked, and I then check to see if it is indeed fresh cooked.

'Bout the only thing I have had lately from them is the fish fillet, which is good, but again, it has to be fresh. I order it fresh cooked and tell 'em I will wait. Fresh in this case means that if I bite into it, it will burn me, and that I what I want. Old fillet-o-fishes are worse than old burgers.

 
I think Ice coffee is a newish thing in NC. Especially Black ice coffee. Impossible to

order at Micky D's. By the time you say no to all the things they want to add you've lost interest. Starbucks is OK with it but there aren't many out in the country areas where I mostly work.

 
Those who study the phenomenon say that texting and cell phone use just may be the cause

When I talk to the texting generation,sometimes I see a blank look when giving more than one ingredient for my coffee, Italian Soda or whatever. I usually get asked two questions such as : "do you want that hot or cold, and what size did you want". So, I repeat the entire order and May get what I wanted.

 
You bring a very interesting point....

I've been dealing with graduate students for decades now - literally.

one thing I've noticed in the past 3 years or so is that if I tell them to follow a particular path of action - nothing too gruesome, let's say it is to start an experiment, grow the cells in such a way, then do this and that - they WILL panic and ask me to stop. One "case" in particular drove me nuts because he would start writing with a pen ON THE PALM OF HIS HAND. I ended up having a nice conversation with him about how unprofessional that seems - "when you become a post- doc, please don't do that anymore... it seems childish and inappropriate in a scientific setting.. smileys/wink.gif

basically, it is as though they cannot retain too many bits of info without the fear of forgetting it. Again, I am not talking complicated stuff - for that I normally sit down and write them the specifics -

so, yes, I can see that texting and the type of interaction favored today can lead to blank stares and a lot of mistakes...

are we doomed or what?

 
I agree! I ordered a black iced coffee at Mac's and they

literally poured hot coffee over a glass of ice. What I ended up with was coolish watered down coffee. Not doing that again.
Since it not something I ordinarily do, I go to Starbucks and order a Vente (I hate those names) Iced Americana black.
It is always exactly what I ordered and it is good.

 
Well Sally, the high school history teacher who lives next door to me is very concerned

for many of his students. They cannot follow instructions well, need to ask for them to be repeated. We have long talks about his observations but the one that hit home for me was his telling of parents who have taken vacations purposely out of cell phone range. More than one family has had to move back into range as the kid(s) became hysterical not being plugged in. Scary.

The fast paced games and action on cell phones apparently excites the brain and it becomes addictive. When the brain is slowed down by the lack of blinking, bright, fast action, it gets bored. The student/brain is unable to focus as once was usual. Children, young adults who do not participate in hours and hours of texting and cell phone usage do much better in social skills and cognitive abilities.

 
Italian sodas are a mix of sparkling water or soda, Torani flavored syrups and half and half

cream, or non fat milk. They can also be made with cream soda. Google for more in depth info. All coffee shops here make them as they are a great alternative to coffee drinks especially in summer. Very refreshing and light.

 
Totally agree. I went into a Jack in the Box and ordered a crossaint breakfast sandwich....

...and asked if I could get it "hot off the grill". The young lady at the register had to "go ask the manager if that's okay". I heard him say, "Please tell that customer that I would be happy to make one for him and that he can have it any way he wants it!"

She came back and said, "The manager says okay."

Yipes.

Michael

 
We get the same report from our friend at a prominent west coast university.

She has her PhD in French Linguistics, and is a professor.

She laments the sad state of communication skills, poor reading proficiency and a general inability to function academically, amongst incoming freshmen. And this is a GOOD SCHOOL. They have standards and should be able to get some of the best applications in the country.

One theory is that they get a ghost writer to help them with their college application essays. Some schools are actually talking about requiring a supervised essay writing requirement, just to flush out such nefarious activity.

Michael

 
and not having to remember phone numbers etc. everything is saved to phone and a click away, not in

the head anymore. scary

 
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