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Jack In The Box Complaint - Worst Drive-thru experience of my LIFE
Complaint
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- This complaint tells a story about ineptness and idiocy and customer devaluation, about the everyday tension between respectable hardworking customers and those paid to serve us at the fast food window. Although I do not desire to demonize anybody or play the 'blame-game' but an honest recollection of events has no other possible outcome.
It's the morning and the boy and I are coming back from our boys weekend getaway in San Antonio. We needed a quick stop for some breakfast. Now I wanted Taco Cabana but the boy wanted Jack in the Box which ya know I gave in cause I'm that kind of nice guy.
We placed our order for two steak breakfast burritos and two large drinks. Then we rolled up in line behind two other cars. Now this particular drive-thru there is no escape except for backing-up and that option was quickly eliminated by the customer behind us.
Twenty-four minutes later the car in front of me drives off making it my turn at the drive thru window. Ya know 24 minutes is a hell of a wait but eh we're almost done so I'm cool. The lady takes my money and gives me our drinks. About three minutes later the manager comes to the window and says "I'm sorry but we're out of steak breakfast burritos would you like your money back?". Odd she didn't ask me if I wanted to change my order. So I said yeah sure. She refunds me my money for the steak burritos but not for the sodas we're drinking.
I first said this isn't a total refund which she replied I have to charge you for your drinks since you've already taken drinks from them. I said, 'NO, wrong answer'. I need a refund for the drinks as well. You can certainly have them back if you'd like but it seems senseless since you'll just throw them away and two free drinks seems fair since we've been stuck in your drive-thru for half an hour for basically nothing. Now I need my refund.
She said no again because of the drinks and again stated I can't give you a refund. I said you can and you will. This is just silly. Give me my money back and I'll be on my way. It's just that simple. She was obviously getting stressed and upset but soon enough she saw the light and gave me the rest of my money back albeit without a smile or an apology.
I drove down the road a bit to Taco Cabana where I got my food, my satisfaction and a smile in less than five minutes. Awesome.
So the moral of this story is never take a 14's advice on where to go for fast food in San Antonio.
It's the morning and the boy and I are coming back from our boys weekend getaway in San Antonio. We needed a quick stop for some breakfast. Now I wanted Taco Cabana but the boy wanted Jack in the Box which ya know I gave in cause I'm that kind of nice guy.
We placed our order for two steak breakfast burritos and two large drinks. Then we rolled up in line behind two other cars. Now this particular drive-thru there is no escape except for backing-up and that option was quickly eliminated by the customer behind us.
Twenty-four minutes later the car in front of me drives off making it my turn at the drive thru window. Ya know 24 minutes is a hell of a wait but eh we're almost done so I'm cool. The lady takes my money and gives me our drinks. About three minutes later the manager comes to the window and says "I'm sorry but we're out of steak breakfast burritos would you like your money back?". Odd she didn't ask me if I wanted to change my order. So I said yeah sure. She refunds me my money for the steak burritos but not for the sodas we're drinking.
I first said this isn't a total refund which she replied I have to charge you for your drinks since you've already taken drinks from them. I said, 'NO, wrong answer'. I need a refund for the drinks as well. You can certainly have them back if you'd like but it seems senseless since you'll just throw them away and two free drinks seems fair since we've been stuck in your drive-thru for half an hour for basically nothing. Now I need my refund.
She said no again because of the drinks and again stated I can't give you a refund. I said you can and you will. This is just silly. Give me my money back and I'll be on my way. It's just that simple. She was obviously getting stressed and upset but soon enough she saw the light and gave me the rest of my money back albeit without a smile or an apology.
I drove down the road a bit to Taco Cabana where I got my food, my satisfaction and a smile in less than five minutes. Awesome.
So the moral of this story is never take a 14's advice on where to go for fast food in San Antonio.
Comments:
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
Well you really can't expect superior service and sound customer service decisions from a FF joint now can you? No reason to be so hard on the worker bee that I can see by what's written here.
Moral of the story: eat a healthy breakfast at a diner, or better yet, if you really want it your way, cook your own.
Moral of the story: eat a healthy breakfast at a diner, or better yet, if you really want it your way, cook your own.
Posted by Andrea13 on 2011-01-24:
24 minutes? Holy smokes. Moral of the story: Never, ever use the drive-thru.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
JC, I wasn't hard but rather firm in expressing what I desired. I never raised my voice nor showed the least bit of anger. AS always I presented a front of calm assertiveness.
And secondly how the heck am I going to cook my own when I'm almost 400 miles away from home? Sometimes fast food is a good option... ya know so long as it's not jack in the box north of San Antonio.
And secondly how the heck am I going to cook my own when I'm almost 400 miles away from home? Sometimes fast food is a good option... ya know so long as it's not jack in the box north of San Antonio.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
That is the truth hothead13.
Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-01-24:
Roth, good review with one exception...LEAVE ROOM IN FRONT OF YOU CAR IN A DRIVE THRU FOR ESCAPE!! You are a sitting duck. Lowlife walks up to you car with the intention of robbing you...what do you do, cash in hand, purse/wallet on the seat? No choice, but to shoot or surrender if you are blocked in.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
"She was obviously getting stressed and upset but soon enough she saw the light.." ...I'd say based on that statement, authored by you the OP, is enough proof that you were too hard on her. She's not paid to make decisions, she's paid to bag and shovel food out the window.
You didn't say you were 400 miles from home, you said you were coming back...for all I knew that could have meant you were 10 miles from home. Maybe if you included all of the details, I could respond appropriately.
You didn't say you were 400 miles from home, you said you were coming back...for all I knew that could have meant you were 10 miles from home. Maybe if you included all of the details, I could respond appropriately.
Posted by ript on 2011-01-24:
Now that just makes me cry.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
JC, as stated in my review the person I was speaking to was the manager. I do believe they are paid a little bit extra to make decisions.
How is being 400 miles away from home relevant to this review? Am I to believe that the level of service one receives is dependent on the proximity of the FF joint to ones home?
jktshff1, That's something to think about.
How is being 400 miles away from home relevant to this review? Am I to believe that the level of service one receives is dependent on the proximity of the FF joint to ones home?
jktshff1, That's something to think about.
Posted by shayen on 2011-01-24:
I thought this review was well-written and that the letter writer received poor service. I do agree with the advice to always leave enough room between you and the car in front of you to make an escape.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
Good grief...how many FF complaints are posted here daily about poor manager interactions?! They may be paid a bit more, but I think the proof is in the pudding..bag and shovel, bag and shovel.
You asked how you were to cook @home considering you were 400 miles away...that's why it's relevant. Pay attention, sheesh!
You asked how you were to cook @home considering you were 400 miles away...that's why it's relevant. Pay attention, sheesh!
Posted by MRM on 2011-01-24:
Only Justice-4-All would write a post like this.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
Well JC, I'll never enable bad FF employee behavior by remaining silent when confronted with unacceptable service. The FF service bar got lowered to where it is today because of weak personalities and general customer apathy. Sorry but life is too special to encourage mediocrity in others and as god as my witness so long as this wheel can squeak it will squeak.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
MRM, Wrong answer.
Posted by littleshorty on 2011-01-24:
I love Taco Cabana. I always go there when I'm in TX. They opened one up here in AZ, but it lasted only a year. Now it's a Carl's Jr. True story
Posted by ontario_girl on 2011-01-24:
I completely get your frustration, Lord, and I can say I would be irritated as heck as well. But I do have to add that if a customer told me, "No, wrong answer," it would get my back up. No customer needs to tell me how to do my job. I, of course, would not have hesitated to give you the drinks for free to begin with, just for the ridiculously long wait in the drive-thru.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
"Sorry but life is too special to encourage mediocrity in others and as god as my witness so long as this wheel can squeak it will squeak."
Finally...I am convinced to give this the thumbs up. Took long enough.
Finally...I am convinced to give this the thumbs up. Took long enough.
Posted by bhskittykatt on 2011-01-24:
I agree with ontario_girl. You could have been a bit less confrontational. Politeness begets politeness, and rudeness begets rudeness. That being said, I think you definitely deserved a full refund. Being trapped in a drive-thru for 24-minutes is ridiculous, especially only to discover they don't have what you wanted. Comping the drinks would have been small recompense for your trouble and would have cost them less than the loss of future business from you.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-24:
I assure you I was not rude in the least. It is not rude to assert what you want, what you expect and what you consider unacceptable. It's a shame that in today's world all too often calm assertiveness is mistaken for 'rudeness'.
Posted by Wally86 on 2011-01-24:
(VH)HR, you were right to ask for a full refund since you waited all that time in line right thing to do.
Posted by yoke on 2011-01-24:
You were correct in asking for a full refund.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
I don't believe for one second Lord was rude and neither should anyone else.
Posted by dan gordon on 2011-01-24:
at Jack in the Box I ordered a combo with regular fries. They said they were out of them but had curly fries. I said sure and then they wanted to charge me extra for the 'upgrade'. I had the same reaction. If your out of something switch me to something else but don't expect the customer to pay cause you don't have any to sell.
Posted by mrnmrsweibel on 2011-01-24:
I'm sorry but I have to disagree with some of this. While I do agree waiting 24 minutes is uncalled for, and hopefully they apologized for that. I do not think you should have gotten a full refund. If you were willing to pay full price for your order without wanting a refund for waiting why would you want a refund for the drinks you were already drinking just because they gave you a refund for the food you were not getting. Had you asked about getting you meal for free because of the wait before they offered you a refund for the meals they couldn't supply? Although, I too don't understand why they wouldn't have asked if you wanted something else before offering a refund.
Posted by madconsumer on 2011-01-24:
great review.
very helpful.
very helpful.
Posted by momsey on 2011-01-24:
I also believe you can assert yourself for what you think is right without being rude. I would think if he was rude, he would have gotten a different response, other than just the standard "well, you have the drinks, so you'll pay for them."
mrnmrsweibel, I don't think the wait was as much of an issue until he found out that he would get nothing for the wait except for drinks. They certainly knew they had no steak burritos long before he was informed. It's just plain good customer service to give the drinks for free for his inconvenience.
mrnmrsweibel, I don't think the wait was as much of an issue until he found out that he would get nothing for the wait except for drinks. They certainly knew they had no steak burritos long before he was informed. It's just plain good customer service to give the drinks for free for his inconvenience.
Posted by ChuhBaca on 2011-01-24:
I agree that a full refund was due. Calm assertive; like Cesar Milan.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-24:
Lord, the FFWBW. love it
Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-01-24:
mrnm....they should have gotten the drinks.
Posted by cevicherick on 2011-01-24:
LR, I would have been ticked off too.
Shame you had to match wits with the poor, hard working employee to get a total refund.
Oh, the perils of the drive thru never end.
Shame you had to match wits with the poor, hard working employee to get a total refund.
Oh, the perils of the drive thru never end.
Posted by singsing on 2011-01-24:
It seems this waiting thing happens all the time at these places. Good you were able to convince them to give you all your money back. For the couple of bucks, I would have been happy with the drinks, especially if it was my morning coffee, but everyone has their limits.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-24:
They probably didn't ask if you wanted something else in place of what you ordered because it would hold them up even more. Sounds like they just wanted to refund those in line, just to clear the line up and start all over again.
Yeah, they should have at least offered you the drinks for free since you had to wait for nothing. When I went to McDonalds, they asked me to pull up for my order *Yes, Dirm...the Basher pulled up :)*, it wasn't even a two minute wait, when the guy came out with my Sausage bagel, he told me he included a free hashbrown for my wait.
Yeah, they should have at least offered you the drinks for free since you had to wait for nothing. When I went to McDonalds, they asked me to pull up for my order *Yes, Dirm...the Basher pulled up :)*, it wasn't even a two minute wait, when the guy came out with my Sausage bagel, he told me he included a free hashbrown for my wait.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-24:
JC, The FFWBW?
Would that be the Fast Food Wanna Be Whiners? LOL!
Would that be the Fast Food Wanna Be Whiners? LOL!
Posted by Wally86 on 2011-01-24:
Its not uncommon for a fast food joint to give u a freebie if you had a long wait or were inconvenienced in anyway I have had it happen plenty of times.
The people at jack in the crack went the wrong way about it.
The people at jack in the crack went the wrong way about it.
Posted by Alain on 2011-01-25:
I enjoyed this review, LR. We don't have Jack here so I won't have to face this type of mess. Hope your trip to San Antonio was fun, though!
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-25:
DB that would work, but I was thinking Fast Food Worker Bee Whisperer.
Calm, assertive like Cesar Millan.. the Dog Whisperer
Calm, assertive like Cesar Millan.. the Dog Whisperer
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-25:
Aha! I see!
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-01-25:
I would have just expected a refund for the food and not for the drinks. I would have been pleasantly surprised if I received a full refund.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-25:
That's easy for you to say Venice09 it wasn't you stuck in a drive-thru lane for 30 minutes.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-25:
Lordy Mercy...stop your Exaggerating...you said it was 24 minutes, now you say 30!
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-01-25:
It wouldn't have mattered. If I was already drinking the soda, I would expect to pay for it. I wouldn't refuse a refund if it was offered, I just wouldn't expect it.
Posted by singsing on 2011-01-25:
Let's just make it an even 60 minutes.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-25:
Basher please refrain from negative speculation that might cast doubt upon my review. Thank you now drive thru.
PS
Also you might want to read the review and do the math.
PSS
Love ya!
PS
Also you might want to read the review and do the math.
PSS
Love ya!
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-25:
Ok...24 + 3 = 27 minutes.
PS
Love ya more than you love me!
PSS
And that just makes me sad!
p
PS
Love ya more than you love me!
PSS
And that just makes me sad!
p
Posted by barbie39 on 2011-01-25:
You were correct in demanding a full refund.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-01-25:
Venice09, The original order was for two large sodas and two steak breakfast burritos. My order was taken even though the order could not be fulfilled. I know this because the manager told me she had informed the staff earlier they were out of steak breakfast burritos. Information I was entitled to know before ordering.
The two large drinks came to about five dollars. Okay I was willing to pay that price for the sodas for convenience but make no mistake about it there is now way I was willing to pay that price for the drinks alone. Especially considering it took 24 minutes to receive the drinks and seeing that I could have got the same drinks for half the price in one fourth the time at the convenience store next door.
I'm not ashamed to say that I get my way most of the time and honestly what's wrong with that?
The two large drinks came to about five dollars. Okay I was willing to pay that price for the sodas for convenience but make no mistake about it there is now way I was willing to pay that price for the drinks alone. Especially considering it took 24 minutes to receive the drinks and seeing that I could have got the same drinks for half the price in one fourth the time at the convenience store next door.
I'm not ashamed to say that I get my way most of the time and honestly what's wrong with that?
Posted by justcuz on 2011-01-25:
"make no mistake about it...."
Boy does that sound familiar.
Boy does that sound familiar.
Posted by ript on 2011-01-25:
Soda for breakfast. You must have a castiron stomach. Now THAT'S something I might be able to envy.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-01-25:
POP!!!!!
Ript...my Coke is the first thing I reach for in the mornings, it IS my breakfast. I rarely EAT breakfast, but even when I do, it isn't until after I've had my Coke.
Ript...my Coke is the first thing I reach for in the mornings, it IS my breakfast. I rarely EAT breakfast, but even when I do, it isn't until after I've had my Coke.
Posted by jimbo4315 on 2011-03-06:
Jack in the Box always sucks in St. Louis as far as speed of service. The restaurants are managed by teenagers
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-03-06:
My son is a teen, and he'd be a great manager. On the other hand, I've seen adult managers who shouldn't even be working in retail.
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