We are enrolled in the Bradley Method of childbirth education for this pregnancy. At our second class, we learned about good nutrition during pregnancy (and really, for life). On the night of our third class. we were running late and decided to grab Wendy’s drive-thru and eat on our way to our class. Here’s what happened ( slightly paraphrased… but not exaggerated):
We pulled up to the speaker.
Wendy’s Employee A: Thank you for choosing Wendy’s. Can I take your order.
My husband: Yes, I’d like a Number 4 combo with a coke to drink and a Number 1 combo with cheese, plain, with a frosty as the drink.
Employee A: I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Would you say that again?
My husband: Yes, I’d like a Number 4 combo with a coke to drink and ….
Employee A: Is that all?
My husband: No – I’d also like a Number 1 combo with cheese, plain, with a frosty as the drink.
Employee A: I didn’t hear you. Would you repeat the order?
My husband: All of it or the second meal?
Employee A: Well, I have a Number 4 and a Number 1 with cheese, and a Number 1 plain.
My husband: OK – no, I just want a Number 4 and ONE number 1, with cheese, but plain.
Employee A: kdsjfkljriejfsdkjfklsdj [speaker issue]
Employee B (the gender changes, so we know it’s someone new): What would you like?
My husband: Ummm, I’m not really sure what you have… I’d like a ….. Ummm, can we just pull forward to and order in person. I don’t think the speaker is working very well.
Employee B: Sure.
So we pulled around. And in person, my husband ordered our meal. Employee B was friendly, listened, took one look at the screen and said, OK, $15-something. My husband paid him, and the window shut. I told my husband that I thought 15 was pretty night for just two of us. Employee B never returned to the window so we pulled forward to the second window and were going to ask if the price was correct.
The second window opened and Employee C quickly handed us 2 bags, and 2 drinks. My husband started to ask our question when she said…
Employee C: OK, you have one more drink coming.
My husband: Umm, no – I only need 2 drinks.
Employee C: No – you ordered three drinks. We all heard you!
My husband: [slightly laughs] Oh, no, the lady said that she couldn’t hear me, so I had to repeat my order a couple times.
Employee C: NO, baby, we all heard you. You ordered 3 combo meals….We can all hear the speaker.
My husband: Are you kidding me? I really don’t appreciate your attitude. I’m just trying to tell you that..
Employee C: Baby, I don’t have an attitude. I’m just telling you that we have minority workers and they don’t understand English. So they made the extra meals because that’s what we heard you order.
My husband: Are you seriously trying to blame your kitchen staff for this problem? It’s not even a big deal. I just can’t believe your attitude, when I’m just trying to correct the problem.
Employee C: Baby – I’m not giving you attitude!
Me: Excuse me, who is your manager?
Employee C/manager: I’m the manager!
Me: You’re kidding?!??!
My husband finally just asked if we could please have what we ordered, and have the extra money returned to us. Meanwhile, I was writing down the customer feedback phone number that was on the window.
I started to call it as we left, but was too hungry and annoyed, so I thought I’d wait until I had calmed down. I gave my husband his food, but was shocked [sort-of] to see that my order was wrong — not even ONE of the orders they “heard.”
So then I called. The lady on the phone was very nice. Obviously reading from a script, but at least I could tell she was smiling and she acted friendly. I told her the story, she apologized and told me that she would file a report with upper management.
The next evening, I got a phone call from the District Manager. I had to repeat the story, and he said that he wasn’t sure what had happened that night, but the Manager shouldn’t have spoken to us like that. He said, “There shouldn’t have been any conversation about it, really. Your money should have been refunded and the order corrected.” I agreed, and reminded him that it wasn’t the mistake that was the problem…. it was the condescending and rude attitude. “Sure, I understand,” he said. “It sounds like no one was at fault on either side… it was just a misunderstanding.” uhhhh, no – I wouldn’t say that… I think I know where the fault lies — but I said, “ok.”
There wasn’t ever a real apology. I rarely count apologies that end in “but’s” or “If’s.” I’m sorry IF you think I have an attitude or I’m sorry but…
Anyway, if I believed in Karma, I’d say that we knew better and that eating fast food on the way to a class that just taught against it was the reason this all happened…. I just think the lesson learned was that this particular Wendy’s stinks and I’ll be getting my fried, fast food elsewhere, thank you very much.
