Do you ever complain to try to get something for FREE?

[beeayekay]

I don't complain to get anything free, but to rectify the problem. However, sometimes even that doesn't happen.

DH and I went to visit DD in Delaware and stayed in a national chain motel. The room was nice but the room refrigerator had live ants in it! I told the front desk about the ants, expecting the little critters to be gone when we returned. There were no more ants in the frig, but they forgot to vacuum the dead ones off the carpet. No free nights.... not even a movie. Never stayed there again.

My sister recently returned from Orlando where she was visiting her son. They all went to a national sandwich chain for dinner. My sister found the finger tip from a rubber glove in her sandwich!! When she returned her sandwich to the manager, he made the crew hold up their hands to see who was missing a gloved finger!! When no one was, he said, hmmmm, don't know where that came from and just made her another sandwich..... no comp there either.

Both incidents were justifiable for complaints and both were handled less than stellarly.

Babs

 

[ajk912]

My husband is a managing partner of a sports bar/restaurant, and his biggest pet peeve is people who have a problem, but wait until they get home to complain online. If you have a problem with your meal or with the service, ask for a manager immediately. Most managers are good businessmen and want to make it right for you, even if the problem is yours, not theirs(Such as you don't like what you ordered.). They want to keep your business! What bugs DH is when people have a problem, don't tell their server or ask for a manager, wait until they get home to fire off a complaint online, and then he has corporate breathing down his back as to why they weren't taken care of during their visit. He could have fixed it if he had known!! Granted, there are bad managers who are not willing to help, and then an online complaint is justified. But, if you have a problem at a restaurant, ask for help while you are still there and give the staff a chance to make it right for you.

I agree, I used to be a restaurant manager and I could have been fired or lost my bonus because of complainers like this. I worked for a corporate restaurant that wanted 100% table visits from the manager, and they saw it as the manager not doing their job if you got a guest complaint. If you are that unhappy, when I go to your table and ask how everything is (and I always did after you ate about 1/2 of your meal) TELL me, do not wait till you go home. You could be costing someone your job. I WANT to fix it, whatever it takes..but I can't fix it if you put my job on the line by complaining to corporate.

 

[ajk912]

The problem with that is there are too many stories of what the waitstaff or kitchen staff do to food of complainers.

I am far more likely to call a manager over to issue a compliment, but I will write a letter of complaint after the fact.

What's the harm in telling a manager you have a problem? You really think the manager is going to spit in your food? I have worked for 4 different restaurants for a total of 10 years or so..trust me, I have NEVER seen that happen IRL. Now, I don't know about a small town place, or a fast food restaurant. But in a decent, corporate place? Trust me, you get complainers/"I want free stuff" people daily..really, you just get used to it. I am not going to put my job on the line (I have a family to feed!) by doing something to your food. Even in my serving days, I never saw anyone do that. It's a health violation, really..complaints happen so much, you just get used to it. You fix whatever the problem is, the steak is overcooked/undercooked/don't like the salad..whatever..just just fix it.

 

[Chattyaholic]

No, I am not a complainer and I feel that those who constantly complain about things (about anything!) so they can get their food comped or get "free stuff" are just driving the prices up for the rest of us who realize that life is not perfect and little things, in the grand scheme of life, aren't worth complaining about.

Some of the things that have been complained about HERE on this thread truly amaze me.

 

[Karibeth19]

I agree, I used to be a restaurant manager and I could have been fired or lost my bonus because of complainers like this. I worked for a corporate restaurant that wanted 100% table visits from the manager, and they saw it as the manager not doing their job if you got a guest complaint. If you are that unhappy, when I go to your table and ask how everything is (and I always did after you ate about 1/2 of your meal) TELL me, do not wait till you go home. You could be costing someone your job. I WANT to fix it, whatever it takes..but I can't fix it if you put my job on the line by complaining to corporate.

That is exactly right! DH gets so mad when he does everything he can to make someone happy, or isn't made aware of a problem, and then gets called on the carpet by corporate because they complain. It's the same thing; upper management sees it as he didn't do his job if a guest feels they need to take their complaint to the corporate office. However, most of the time, those guests do not make their complaints known to him, even when he does a table visit and specifically asks, "Is everything OK?". He IS doing his job, yet he gets in trouble because people will not speak up and let him fix things right then and there.

And, honestly, you don't have to worry about anything being "done" to your food if you complain. Those stories are, for the most part, just that, stories.

 

[MushyMushy]

Flame me if you wish, but I'm hoping to soon. Our water company is working on the lines on our road which is going to affect us for FOUR MONTHS. So almost every day until evening (and occasionally into the night), we have only had a drizzle of water from the faucets and we're unable to flush the toilets at all. Then last night when we turned the water on, it was brown so we had to leave the faucet blasting for over an hour (they told us to do that) for it to clear.

Sorry, but this is quickly changing from a minor annoyance to a big inconvenience. They need to comp us somehow. I can't even imagine how much of a pain it'll be once the kids and I are done with school and home all day during the summer.

Aside from that, nope, don't complain much.

 

[JR6ooo4]

No, I usualy complain when I don't get what I paid for (are will have to pay for)

Mikeeee

 

[castleview]

I only complain when it's deserved.

I don't get people who try and get free things by complaining. I have watched my SIL get her way at the movie theater (gift certificates couldn't be applied to food) and to a catering business because they weren't honoring the prices on a three year old menu. My guess is that the employees figured she was so nuts, just give her what she wants and get her out of there. Oh, that ticks me off!

 

[missypie]

I complain when something is a safety hazard. For example, I have a mild nut allergy (a nut or two would not be fatal). When I ask if a food has nuts, I'm told that it doesn't, then it does, I always tell someone. The next customer could have a fatal reaction.

One time we were at a Mexican restaurant. We had won a small gift certificate for the restaurant at a neighborhood function - only enough to cover part of the tab. DH had a red twisty tie in his red sauce. He pointed it out to management but didn't really ask for anything. They took a large amount off our bill, so after we applied the gift certificate, we owed about a dollar. I was sort of afraid that the restaurant thought we put our own red twisty tie in the food when we realized that the gift cert. would not cover the whole tab.

 

[crz4mm2]

I'm not a big complainer either. Not usually anyway.
I did complain about one of the places we stayed (condos) on our last trip to Hawaii.
The condo did not have enough towels, or pillows. I called and asked for more. They were never brought (never). I called twice more and asked for more. When I called the LAST time I was told housekeeping had "left for the day"..... sigh. WE got more towels the next day, but never more pillows. I was told there were "extra" pillows in the closet (there were not).

There were ants all over the kitchen

The condo was not cleaned the third day...... (four day stay).

The person at the 'activities' desk would not call and arrange for us to attend the Luau we wanted to go to. She told me that Luau was overpriced and "her" recommendation was "better". We wanted to attend the one we WANTED to attend. She told me I could call myself...... ok...

I did write a letter about all of the concerns I had.

I received a reply with a three night free stay if we would return with in a year (we did not).

I didn't write to receive a free anything. I just felt that they should take things seriously.

 

[Kathi OD]

Not usually a complainer either, except when the same sort of thing happens over and over again.

For example, we moved a little over 2 years ago. In that time I can't tell you how many times our cable goes out. Sometimes it's just the TV, sometimes just the internet, sometimes both. Every time it happens, I just call to have someone sent out to get it working again. And every time, the service guy asks me why this is set up this way or why something else is done another way. Well heck, what do I know? I'm only the customer. I didn't set the system up, you guys did!! They all manage to get it working, and then bingo, for whatever reason it goes out again. I tell you it is maddening!

Finally, I really complained to the CSR I got on the phone. I just was so aggravated. I said something along the lines of knowing it isn't her fault, but asked her how she would feel if, in the 18 months she lived in her house, you needed over 25 "to the house" service calls? She was After she set up yet ANOTHER service call, she asked me hold on for a few minutes. When she came back, she informed me that we would be getting free Showtime & HBO to compensate us for our inconvenience. That's been close to 8 months ago.

Pretty much the only time I've received anything by complaining. Oh, and BTW, (whispers very quietly) we haven't had a service call since.

 

[julezdisney]

Pretty much the only time I've received anything by complaining. Oh, and BTW, (whispers very quietly) we haven't had a service call since.