All I wanted was a plastic spoon, Wendy's!

I own an Olive Garden Franchise and deal with customers with their
noses in the air, who are rude to my employees, and-or expect my
employees to grovel at their feet for no reason. I do not condone this
at my restaurant, and will stand behind my employees. However, if what
you said is true of this "supposed" manager, she would be fired in a
heart beat at my establishment.

You should contact the Franchise Owner of that Wendy's, and if you are
not satisfied with that response, call Wendy's HQ. I will bet if it
bet that far, you will receive an apology from the OWner and that
Maria will no longer be employeed.

WOW! You have a lot of time on your hands! If I were you I would be
trying to find something productive to do.

I have always enjoyed Wendy's and have found their customer service to
be much better than other fast food places. However, it seems like you
got the worst they have to offer with this visit. I hope they have
responded to your complaint.

Wendy's employees(at least every one I have been to) has dirty
employess with big gunky ear piercings and are very rude. I always
check my food..They always get it wrong. I onlu buy the chile,salad
and baked potato. Sadly they can still mess that up..Sorry about your
experience. Wendy's upper managers don't care and hire some(not all)
substandard people.
Why should we have to put up with this. They don't mind taking our
money, raising the cost of the food(a lot I might add) Why shouldn't
We hold them to a higher standard..OH I know why, because Wendy's
upper management doesn't care....

Ugh.....customer service at it's finest! Keep a few 'sporks' in the
glove box for situations just like this. ;O)

I would just like to say that alot of people will sit at the window
and look through their bags to make sure their order is correct or
even put away their coin purse ect so its possible they saw you still
sitting there but didnt think anything of it. With that being said the
manager was rude and I hope you get an apology!

Thats just hilarious! I feel your pain. Sounds like a typical visit to
just about any fast food drive thru. My hubby always calls them back
and complains if they tick him off. If they mess up his meals or give
him cold food, he demands it replaced for free the next time he comes
in. If the manager dares to be snooty to him, ooooh, he tattles to
their corporate office!
HE is and obnoxious customer! God I love it!! ;)

You sound like like an obnoxious person looking for trouble, dont ask
for the name, ask for the spoon, this is minimum wage people you are
talking too, but then again, you don't sound far removed from that and
wanted to get your fries back to your trailer.

The letter is well written and expresses a completely valid point. I
worked in retail for 15 yrs before I decided that I was sick of hating
Christmas and quit. I now work mon-fri 8-5 and love it. However; I
do expect a modicum of civility from any retail operation-whether it
be a clothing store or a fast food shack. The mgr (shift or
otherwise) has no business treating a customer that way. I keep
straws in my glovebox, just because I've been hosed so many times even
AFTER I asked if there were straws in the bag-only to discover no
straws. I would suggest that honking one's horn-would draw the ire of
even the most patient fast food employee. It's a good thing she
already had her food-otherwise; I shudder to think what may have
happened.

I think there may be more to this story than you saying. What was
your "real" attitude toward her? Everyone has a bad day. I have
worked with the public before and customers can be a pain to deal
with. The attitude of customers these days are rude and demanding.
When I had worked with the public, I very seldom received a thank you
or please. Just always, "give me, I need, can you, I want! I was
sick of it. Thankfully, I do not work with the public anyore. I
agree, that her attitide was uacceptable. I've been to fast food
places and not received, ketchup or plastic forks, knives etc. I just
park the car and go inside and grab a few. Sometimes, I have a couple
spoons and forks in my glove box.

Managers are the worst at customer service, they also talk down to
you.

That's pretty horrible. I would've been just as POed. I mean, I feel
sorry for them..I worked at Taco Bell for like...9 months, so its hard
to be customer friendly when you smell like burritos, your hot, and
you get paid like 6 bucks an hour. But at the same time...I would have
pulled MARIA through her little window, and slapped the s#$% out of
her, told her to give me the d@#n spoon, and then poured my frosy on
her head. Well, maybe not, but I would certainly call her home office
or whatever.

I worked in retail for 2 years. It can be stressful and hectic
dealing with the public but we were expected to behave as
profesionally as possible at all times. There would be times where I
would be helping 3-4 people at once. Some of the customers were nice,
and some were nasty. However, if for one second I rolled my eyes at
them or spoke in a less than professional way, my manager would show
me where the door was. It didn't matter how much a customer screamed
and yelled. If we needed to cool off or vent, you wait until the
customer leaves and you go in the back and out of view. You had to
leave your problems at the door. To me that is the way business
should be conducted.

Whether or not the letter writer was snotty or rude, the manager of
all people should be above it and do her job in the most professional
manner. In my opinion, the manager wasn't very professional. The
letter writer didn't appear to be rude at all. She got annoyed with
the manager's attitude, but so would most of us. I've been through
the drive through a few times and the person working there was very
quick to shut the window on me and move onto the next person before
finding out if I needed anything else. I too would have to sit there
and wait until I got someone's attention. Shouldn't be made to feel
like a nuisance because of it.

Being in any industry where you deal with the public can be very
challenging as I said before. Not everyone can do it. If you are
easily frustrated or quick with the mouth or have an attitude problem,
then that may not be the job for you. And yes, some customers can be
downright nasty but a manager of all people should be experienced and
professional enough to put that all aside and deal with a customer
without stooping to thier level.

I agree this is a well written letter. About . . .Wendy's?? "Maria" is
a manager. At a WENDYS. A WENDYS. Maria probably wants to kill herself
after every shift. I say forgive the woman a bad day and if it happens
again THEN get mad. Everyone has days where the are just pissy and
nothing is going right and they say things they regret later. Learn
not to take it personally.

I just wanted to say that I can't believe some of the responses to
this letter.

Can't you see it wasn't about the spoon? It was about the poor
customer service. I can't believe people are saying things like "all
this over a spoon" or telling her that if she had surgery she
shouldn't drive.

I think that this is a perfectly valid complaint and a well written
letter.

I actually have a Wendy's Frosty spoon in the backpack I carry back
and forth to work. I was given one I never used. But kept it because,
hey..they are good, hard, plastic spoons! And you never known when you
might run into a situation where you are on the go and order something
through the drive thru and they dont give you a spoon.

But....

I will send it to you if you really need one that bad.

I worked drive-thru for McDonald's for 10 years and you ABSOlUTELY
should have expected better service! You ABSOLUTELY should have
expected even better service from a manager!

Although I realize the customer is NOT always right, he/she must be
treated as if he/she is. And each one should be treated with respect
because the customer's return business is how the employee (regardless
of position) gets paid. No rear ends need to be kissed but if you
were reasonable and polite, there is no excuse for the kind of
rudeness you experienced.

I do hope that individual was a shift manager and not the store
manager otherwise that store will go downhill fast.

As far as demanding that the individual gets demoted, it won't happen
unless her boss witnesses her unacceptable behavior. She won't last
long there as she is obviously not very happy and has no respect for
her position, her surroundings, her customers or herself.

all too well, thank you. I've said it before. I, myself, work in a
service business. Our clients don't even pay us!! Our clients come to
us, quite often, in stressfuly or emotional times.

I know ALL ABOUT serving people, and I know full well that the way to
serve people is to simply do your job right in the first place.

This woman wasn't doing her job...and when I tried to simply get the
items she forgot, she grew more and more frustrated, finally rolling
her eyes and snapping at me. It's not my fault that SHE kept screwing
up. And no, I was NOT at all snippy with her...not until she rolled
her eyes at me and snapped. Nobody deserves to be treated like
that...and I wasn't going to just bend over and take it, either.

How is that ME pissing HER off?? I'd really like someone to explain
that to me.

When you tried to get the items she forgot? You never tried to get
them. When she came to the window, you never asked for a spoon,
instead you chose to act immature.

You should have been the bigger person, asked for the spoon, and then
wrote the letter. Therefore, it would have all been on her. But since
you both chose to act childish, you're both at fault.

I think you could have still asked for the spoon, as she did give you
the chance to. She most likely would have continued her attitude and
you still could have written this letter about the way you felt you
were treated. But you would have had your spoon.

The only thing I keep thinking after reading most of these posts
is....

ALL THIS OVER A PLASTIC SPOON!

They sell bags of them at the dollar store. You might want to buy
some. I saw where you said you dont have plastic spoons at home which
is just...strange. Do you not have ANY spoons that your kids could
have used to eat their Frosty at 11am?

Anyway, this is what I do. Whenever I get fast food I keep the
napkins, sauces, spoons, forks, ect. that i dont use and keep them in
the glove box of my car. Then, whenver I need them...there they are. I
dont have to stop and run in, I dont have to wait until I get home,
and I dont have to pitch a fit at the drive through window.

Agreed that the manager clearly must have had an, um, object tightly
wedged up her posterior region that needed dislodging. . .

But I can't say I believe you handled yourself any better by stooping
to her level ("Well, I only wanted one more little thing but you
clearly don't want to help me").

I hope Wendy's makes it right for you, but in the future, when you
have someone that you just cannot win the battle of wits with (since
"Maria" was CLEARLY unarmed!) just let it go. It's not worth it.

Good Letter! Well stated and written.

Actually unhappy customers DO go back.. only to complain and make a
scene more.

Rude employees seems to be the norm now. It doesn't surprise me
anymore when I run into them at stores. Most of the time there is
nothing that can be done. The management may "look into the problem",
but all that happens is a slap on the hand or nothing at all and then
the person is back to being their normal rude self.

For want of a spoon,
the Frosty was lost.
For want of a Frosty,
the appetite was lost.
For want of an appetite,
the customer was lost.
For want of a customer,
the profit was lost.
For want of a profit,
the business was lost.
And all for the want
of a plastic spoon.

There is never an excuse to be rude to customers. This woman is an
abomination but sadly, she isn't alone. I once went to a Subway's
where the woman behind the counter ignored me for several minutes then
finally looked up and said, "What do YOU want?" I was stunned (who
peed in her cornflakes?) and finally said, "nothing from you." I
walked out and i've never been back.

Most people are nice, but it only takes that one person to give your
business a bad reputation and when that person is a manager, it's
really bad. Remember, though, Maria has a boss and her boss has a
boss. Good luck.

Please don't get mad, but something seems odd with this letter to me.
First of all, at the Wendy's I go to, the fries are ALWAYS on top. If
not, they get smashed, that and most people go for the fries first.
That and the bags are ALWAYS packed. You were on your way home, yet
you had to have the spoon. Were there none at home?

She might have had harrassing phone calls and not wated to give her
name. They are not required by law to give that information out.

It is also possable she was not the one that took your order and did
not know what is was that you ordered. You don't know if something
was wrong in the back, or if there was and employ that was a
"no-show". She might have been busy tring to fix something or trying
to find someone to come in before it got busy.

It is also possable there was a rash of people scaming them and she,
mistakenly, thought you were too. I am NOT saying that you were.
Please don't think that. There are MANY sides to the same story.
Also, it is possale she was not as rude as you thought. Perception
(sp?) is different in every case and every person.

I know I am going to get some flack for this, but I just wanted to
give my feedback on what COULD have happened.

I do hope Wendy's gets in touch with you and gets this sorted out.

I agree with others, this "Manager" needs a Seminar in "People
Skills". I also hope you get an apology. These people get minumum
wage, or a little higher for being Management. I had a "fast food
manager" turn into a "witch" so I know how it feels.

I love your letter. I began reading a few of the replys and I decided
to stop. Speaking only of this post, I agree, the manager needs a
"wake-up call". Sounds to me like she has her head in the cloud.

I do hope you at LEAST get an apology from Wendy's. I know that
sometimes their employees are the nicest in Oxford, MS.

I think your complaint should be addressed. I can see how her
attitude, after the poor interaction from the time you ordered to the
time you got to the window fueled your frustration. Especially the hot
fries part- that would have sent me into a royal tizzy alone but I
admire how you handled yourself, how you got all the pertinant
information (time, date, location, manager's first name).

The way I see it, you were NOT unreasonable. You checked your order
while there, Maria could have just handed you a spoon (or ordered
someone else to) and the problem would have been solved. I think she
was more miffed that you wanted her name at that point and she clearly
wasn't thinking straight.

As someone else said, I feel sorry for those after you since she was
having an "off day" about a minute after opening time from what I
gather.
I do think you deserve a response.

Well, in my opinion if you had surgery as you said you did than you
probably should not be driving. (especially since it is hard for you
to even get out of your car and walk in the restaurant.) Anyways, I
agree her attitude was rude. Perhaps Wendy's does not have high
standards on being a manager.

As for the spoon, when Maria did not respond to you, the best
alternative would have been to drive off, at the rate they are going
you are lucky that your frosty did not melt and your food did not get
cold by the time she actually did something.

Wonderful letter! I've had encounters like this over the years and
have never complained simply because it was more of an inconvenience
for me. Even if Maria was having a bad day, she had no right to treat
customers like this. It was not your fault that she didn't give you
all of your order, and I don't believe you would have gotten upset at
all if she hadn't cocked an attitude. It's great that you did ask for
her name so that the owner can put a face to the incident if he ever
hears of this complaint.

If I went to the window and heard this, "Well, I only wanted one more
little thing but you clearly don't want to help me so I'll just be on
my way as soon as you tell me your name." I would be on the defensive
as well. Would it have hurt you to ask politely for a spoon at that
time? That is what you wanted after all. But no, you had to act
immaturely.

You could have also ran in and got a spoon. A minor inconvenience,
yes, but it would have been a better option than throwing a tantrum in
the drive-thru.

Very valid complaint. My only negative comment to your letter would
be the "I would like that Manager Maria to be given a position more
suitable to her skills..."

You're not the franchise owner; you really have no right to dictate
who does what job. It is, of course, very possible that she was
having an off day.

Good letter! Well-written, reasonable and valid complaints. I hope you
receive a favorable response.

I agree that the manager seemed to have an attitude that she shouldn't
have, considering your irritation was well-founded.

Just for the record though, let me say: Wendy's opens at 11:00 a.m.
Just because you saw other cars in the lot doesn't mean they were open
for business yet - those could have been employee vehicles. Most fast
food places don't start serving until THEIR clock says 11:00, so maybe
that's why you waited briefly in the drive thru. Oh, and since they
had just opened, that's why the fries were probably so hot/fresh -
start of the day and all.

And I'm glad you got the manager's name - I don't know if she was just
having a bad day or what, but her attitude is inexcusable. Also, for
you to be sitting at the window honking and not to have anyone find
out what you needed is wrong too.

Complaining to the corporation won't do any good. Go back to the
store and look around for something that identifies who owns the
franchise. That is who will take care of business for you.
I hope you get hold of the franchise owner and give him the down the
road. Copy this letter and show it to him.

It is none of your business what her name is, she may have given you
bad service, but it is none of your name what her name is. She
clearly did not want to tell you. She only told you because you were
holding up her other customers.

Many many moons ago, while in college I worked for Burger King. The
name may be different, but "Maria" sounds a lot like "Tiffany", the
Manager from Hades. *Seriously, that was how we referred to her.*

Kudos for keeping your cool. The other employees would most likely hug
your neck in thanks if they knew about this complaint. One great thing
about PFB is the way it brings attention to bad managers and store
tactics. Employees can complain about situations until we are blue in
the face with no results. Customers who complain, however, are golden.
:)

Not only did you give the precise location you gave a time for your
visit -- excellent.

You're right. This woman has no business being in a management
position. It sounds like no amount of customer service training could
help this woman out. She's just a "bad apple".

Great letter. It's long, but it certainly kept my interest up the
whole way though. Very well written.

And that manager, oh man. Imagine the chip on her shoulder she must
have. You're right 100% on everything.

Good letter. And kudos for not asking for freebies.

This woman sounds seriously disturbed.

Please come back and let us know if they respond.