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Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:15 am
by pbb
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manh ... OksmbjrBhI

I saw this on the net this morning. Apparently, the battle of wills between the customer and the salesperson got out of control and ended up in the NY Post. I have to admit I am not a great Starbucks customer remembering to order sizes by their method but you would think salesperson would make the conversion or ask the question Our medium is Grande is that ok ?

The other question I have.......Who would order a bagel at Starbucks in NY ?

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:48 am
by MyLittleAngels
The article made it sound as though the confrontation was over the bagel being plain, because she refused to say she didn't want anything on it. Of course, if the article is to be believed, she's gone in there before with intentions of causing trouble because she doesn't like how they operate.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 12:26 pm
by CujoSR
Interesting Starbucks story...

I was in a Barnes and Noble once and noticed that they had fountain soda there. Since I don't drink coffee or anything else sold at normal Starbucks establishments I tried ordering a Grande Mountain Dew. In return I just got a puzzled look from the clerk who couldn't understand my order. I had to eventually dumb it down to "Take the big cup, put it under the third spigot and push the damned button." Some people are just idiots.

As for the article, people who are educated can still act like total tools. All she needed to say was "plain." Done deal. No she went in with the intention of starting trouble. Her quote about not needing to tell Burger King what she doesn't want on her burger is "stupid."

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:44 pm
by PatchOBlack
CujoSR wrote:No she went in with the intention of starting trouble.
Agreed. She was more concerned about having them admit she is "right", rather than any concern about folks using "proper English". Now, I'm all for the proper use of English, but I have no problem using Starbucks unorthodox method of assigning names to the different sizes of cups. Also, if wants a plain bagel, and is asked if they want cheese or butter, an answer of "Nether, please." would have been better than simply repeating "I just want a multi-grain bagel" louder and louder.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:17 pm
by GaTechGal
One would think that the SALE of items at a Starbuck's would be more important than using their stupid code words. If you can figure out what a customer wants and they are willing to pay for it, I'd fire any clerk that argued with a customer over something so stupid. It's all about making money stupid. That's what you're here for.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:44 pm
by MyLittleAngels
I'm definitely not saying the clerk was right - you shouldn't argue with customers, especially when you know what they want. However, her quotes make it clear that she's been in there before with her personal vendata, and she was back for more to prove an immature point. The manager should have told her to go, and that should have been it.

I don't blame the clerk for the frustration he must have felt when a simple, "None, thanks," would have sufficed.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:19 pm
by PatchOBlack
GaTechGal wrote:One would think that the SALE of items at a Starbuck's would be more important than using their stupid code words. If you can figure out what a customer wants and they are willing to pay for it, I'd fire any clerk that argued with a customer over something so stupid. It's all about making money stupid. That's what you're here for.
First, while customer service is important, and in general I would agree that a certain amount of accommodation should be made, I can also understand why the employee may have been trying to get the customer to answers in a particular way. My first thought is that the use of the terms "tall", "grande" and "venti", beside from sounding neat, may help to avoid confuse from customers who say "I'll have a large coffee", but what they think of as a "large" is actually the medium-sized cup. The second, and less logical reason, is that it is possible that there is a policy in place where the employees have to ask the customer to use the company's terms.

Second, as was stated before, this customer appeared to have it stuck in her mind that she was going to go in there and make them let her do things her way. Sorry, no, but if you don't like the way a company does something, you have a few options, including suggesting to the management a change in procedure or even not shopping there, but giving an employee heat over the way they phrase things? Nope, that's wrong.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 10:06 pm
by Zazu
PatchOBlack wrote:Sorry, no, but if you don't like the way a company does something, you have a few options, including suggesting to the management a change in procedure or even not shopping there, but giving an employee heat over the way they phrase things? Nope, that's wrong.
Don't be silly. If that were true, we wouldn't need to have this web site! :D:

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:59 am
by Freak
CujoSR wrote:Her quote about not needing to tell Burger King what she doesn't want on her burger is "stupid."
Uhhh yeah you do! If not you're going to get a burger with stuff on it you don't want. This lady is stupid. Way to make educated people look stupid, lady.

Re: Starbucks Customer Service.....Arrest them!

Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:09 am
by Lasolimu
Freak wrote:Uhhh yeah you do! If not you're going to get a burger with stuff on it you don't want. This lady is stupid. Way to make educated people look stupid, lady.
I still want to know what she's doing eating at Burger King... :p: only place worse than Mcdonalds...