Wendy's Customer Sevice Sucks

[jronald]

So in an attempt to get Wendy's Attention, I posted a note on their Facebook. They chose to delete it. So in it effort to silence me, they only ticked me off!

Why is Good Customer Service, so incredibly hard to find? Posted this on the Wendy's Facebook Page. Lets see what they have to say:

Dear Wendy's
I attempted to use your website, and it did not work. So I called Customer Service 888-624-8140, spoke to a young lady named Ohannon S'Neil (Change to protect the innocent) just before 5pm Eastern. As she did not have an email address (I find that hard to believe) I asked for someone else's email, she could not provide that either. So I asked for the CEO's, and no she would not give me that one either. Im left very little choice on how to communicate with Wendy!

Below is an email I had planned to send, and keep private:

I hope this day finds you well.

I wanted to take a few moments of your time, to relate my experience with your local facility. With more than 35 years in the Retail Customer Service industry I don’t consider myself an expert in the Customer Service Field. I learn something new about Customer Service everyday I unlock the doors. As a Manager of numerous Teams, over the last 25 plus years, I find myself Teaching, Coaching and Preaching Customer Service every single time Im leading the team. This still does not make me an expert on Customer Service.

Today at 1:35 PM, I pulled onto your lot to grab a bite to eat with my son. This time was after your normal rush, but it was shortly before a significant snow event was to arrive in our area. Looking around the lot I noticed less than 12 total cars in the lot. These included the 6 in the drive through and 6 in the dining room. 12 cars total. I was tempted to go inside and place my order, but like most people enjoyed the convenience of the drive through. I made it to the order pedestal by 2:00 PM. After rolling down my window and waiting 3 or 4 minutes, I then rolled my window back up, most of the way to stop the snow and sleep from entering the vehicle. Glancing over at the clock on the radio I noted that the time was now 2:10 PM, and my order had not been taken. My son asked if we could leave and go to BK Burger, to which I apologized, and told him it would be just a few moments till they took our order. A young lady finally spoke to us and asked to take my order. It was now 2:13 PM. After giving her my order I pulled to the window and handed my Debit Card over. She scanned the card, and handed me my card and the bottles of water, ordered. Several minutes later she returned to tell me that the 2 small Chilli’s I had ordered, would not be available did I want a substitution. I replied no, just please refund me. That clearly was an issue, as they had to call a Manager back inside from her car to find out how to do the refund! Then I was told it would be a few day before the money would show up in my account! It was now 2:30, I had spent 1 hour of my afternoon and had nothing to show for it. We left Wendy’s, went exactly 2 drive ways down Madison Blvd pulled into McD Burgers, placed our order and were back on the road in 10 mins flat. As I am sure you have CCTV, I encourage you to review the footage for opportunities during my visit.

I started this email with an explanation of who I am, and what I do for a living. After all these years, I still don’t consider myself an expert on Customer Service. I do consider myself an expert on Bad Customer Service. This experience was a classic case of Horrible Customer Service. No excuses, it should not have happened and it can not continue to happen, if Wendys plans on staying in business. Im not looking for anything comped, Im not looking for a phone call, Im not really looking for a reply email. I am looking to share the experience.

Thank you,
Ron Rose

Order# 349222
Store# 00001358

[Saucey]

ONE HOUR!?!?

Man I consider myself lucky for my 15 minute wait times.

[Cigarguy]

Yeah that's awful. 15 Min wait is max for me then I would have been gone or raise one unholy stink. Fortunately wait 2 weeks and chances are you'll get better service when the old employee is gone and a new one begins.

[Medessec]

Geez...

I have zero problems with the Wendy's stops out here- usually when I order at the Drive Thru, I order at the com, then pull up to the money window, hand them my money, they tell me "good day", then I pull forward to the food window, and they immediately hand me my food(unless I do a strange order, like 5 chicken sandwiches) and that's it. It's even better inside if they're not busy... By the time I'm paying, they're already making my food, and when I'm pouring my drink they tell me it's ready, handing me the bag, seconds after I ordered.

This is all the way in Cali, to be fair. But it sounds like you did have a genuinely intolerable customer experience, and I know you already have this idea... but I wouldn't give them my business for at least a month after something that terrible. I remember this Pizza place my friend recommended- my roommates and I went there and asked if we could order a half-meatball combo and half-vegetarian cheese large pizza... and they said they couldn't do that. After my roommate inquired about it they got a bit rude, to which I asked to speak with the manager, and they ended up giving us a free pizza. But I wouldn't call the experience anything close to positive... so I don't plan on going back. Was good pizza though.

Really sorry to hear Wendy's put you through that. Especially with your kid there... you should never keep a kid waiting to eat. That's dangerous.

[DDraper]

Never had a problem with Wendy's but that happened at Mcd's once, it totally depends on that particular member of staff.
Hope you get some coupons out of that at least.

[killer]

Wendy's sounds like a fast food outlet. Please stop me if I am wrong! McD is a well known world-wide (except North Korea) supplier of something that people have said resembles food. I don't know and couldn't possibly comment. Their architecture has a certain theme and could be considered more tasteful than their menu. I won't judge.
The big question from me is why on earth people eat from fast food takeaways that take ages when you can buy a piece of beef, chicken, or an egg, from a shop and cook it with fresh vegetables from your garden (or a shop) in only a few minutes?
I have a 30" waist. I had a 30" waist when I was 21 ... a few decades ago.
The reason is because I eat at home. Very occasionally I eat at pubs or restaurants where the food is freshly cooked and locally sourced.
So, if you are obese, hungry, or dissatisfied then the answer is to do what nature intended and feed yourself.
Don't whinge on here if Wendy lets you down. Take your money home and eat well.

[Medessec]

Welp, I eat out mostly to save time... we do have the ingredients to eat at home, and we can buy meat, but sometimes I just prefer eating fast food. It's hard to cook every day when college demands that you consume all of your life to "learn".

Wouldn't be surprised that McDonalds is found everywhere... I personally hate their food too. Their breakfast isn't bad, but at 11AM, McDonalds goes from being a not-so-bad breakfast and morning venue, to one of the worst fast-food places anywhere. Sure, their food is cheap, but god...

[Temetka]

I agree, McDonald's is junk. But then again so is all fast food. Unless it's prepared with fresh organic ingredients it's crap and you're fooling yourself if you think there is even a modicum of healthy ingredients in fast "food." Heck even the salads are prepared days before, then shipped and refrigerated for more time before being served "fresh" to you. I go fast food places for drinks on the road, not food. Either I will bring my own or hit a local deli.

[RealBlackStuff]

The only 'fast-food' places I like are the fish-and-chippers in Ireland (and the UK).
All you can get there is FRESH fish, done the way YOU like it, and deep-fried chips (or "French fries" as they call them in the USA).
Fresh Atlantic haddock is one of the best and tastiest fishes you can eat.
One of the big advantages of these fish-and-chippers is, that none of them are drive-through!

The world would be much better off (and less obese) if they close down all them junk food joints like McDonald, Wendy, Burger King, etc.!

[Saucey]

Well working at Starbucks, drive thru does bring a different crowd than a non drive-thru store...
@RBS, deep fried chips? Never knew they were called that, then again I never went overseas.
I think the worst thing I ate heath-wise was a deep fried pizza!
I downed it with 2 dark colas! I didn't want to pay $3 for a small bottle of water, a Dasani one at that.

[pianowizard]

I agree, McDonald's is junk. But then again so is all fast food.

And so are all soft drinks. I used to drink lots of them but have been cutting way back since a couple months ago. They may even be worse than the worst fast foods.

[killer]

@pianowizard: Most soft drinks are full of sugar or saccharin. They are rubbish and will kill your liver. How about a glass of water, real beer (not chemical stuff), a cup of tea, or a glass of milk? Fruit juices squeezed from fresh fruit are wonderful. Ribena is great too, but probably only available in UK and Ireland. It is made from blackcurrant juice and needs to be diluted with water. Lime juice diluted with water kept the Royal Navy going for centuries. Very refreshing and cools the blood in hot climates. (Also alleviates dehydration associated with drinking too much grog.)

@RBS: You are right. Haddock is the tastiest fish ... but don't tell too many people about it or they'll all want some. There are plenty of fish in the sea, but not enough if the whole world changes to haddock. Chips these days tend to be too soggy. Nothing worse than a soggy chip.
Mushy peas are fun but create more methane than is good for the climate, if you catch my drift.

Apart from fish and chips, keep off the junk ... it is not worth the damage it does to you.

[Temetka]

I agree, McDonald's is junk. But then again so is all fast food.

And so are all soft drinks. I used to drink lots of them but have been cutting way back since a couple months ago. They may even be worse than the worst fast foods.

Where did I say my drink of choice was soda pop? I typically will get an iced tea. It's rare for me to get a soda from a drive through. Now if were at a burger joint like an old school diner, I might get a root beer float for desert. But typically it's iced tea or water.

[pianowizard]

Where did I say my drink of choice was soda pop?

And where did I say I thought you liked to drink soda? I was just expanding on the discussion.

@pianowizard: Most soft drinks are full of sugar or saccharin. They are rubbish and will kill your liver. How about a glass of water, real beer (not chemical stuff), a cup of tea, or a glass of milk? Fruit juices squeezed from fresh fruit are wonderful.

These days, I pretty much only drink water, soy milk, and fruit juices. I quit coffee 4 years ago, soft drinks 2 to 3 months ago, and I've never liked tea or alcohol.