Starbucks WT*
I avoid Starbucks when at home and typically go local. But I have been traveling a lot this summer, so I typically hit up Starbucks a couple times a week. The real draw for me is their Lemon Pound Cake- love it! A couple times I've gone mid-afternoon and asked fore a certain type of coffee based on the carafe behind the counter and the counter person just said they were out and offered what was available. No problem, I'm in it for the caffeine and could understand if a carafe ran out mid-afternoon and they were slow to make more.
Today I hit up a Starbucks in Western Colorado shortly before 11am and asked for a Sumatra (based on carafe) and the counter person said they ONLY serve Pikes Place after 10:30am. I was about ready to belt-out are you effing kidding me, this is a coffee shop!!! But I was polite. But if that's a nationwide practice, seems like a horrible business decision. Anyone else come across this?
In the last week I visited a McDonalds on an interstate where the bathrooms were locked and the counter person had to unlock the bathroom. Probably just a franchisee decision, but I hope its not a national trend.
Recently used AirBNB to book a condo stay. Afterward I received the ubiquitous customer service survey and rated the property 4 (on a 1 to 5 scale) in a couple areas. The host initially reached out to receive further clarification and there were a couple rounds of back & forth. At that point, I thought he was fulfilling his "Superhost" responsibilities. Finally, the host sent me a note saying I must not travel often (I do, over 60 days in the last year) and not understand the AirBNB rating sytem. Included with the note was canned one pager that hosts could provide customers. The one pager had multiple bullet points letting me know that I was destoying the properties and his repuation in AirBNB's view by gving a rating of anything less than a 5. Don't get me going on the worthlessness of a 5 point rating scale. But if a 4 is such a "jerk move" by the customer, why send out surveys? If this one-pager was the work of this one host, I would have written it off. But the document was obviously passed around among hosts and viewed as a gospel.
Has anyone else come across bizarre "business practices" in their travels this summer. I feel companies have lost their "Customer Focus".
Rant Over!! No Cubs tonight to give me purpose
Today I hit up a Starbucks in Western Colorado shortly before 11am and asked for a Sumatra (based on carafe) and the counter person said they ONLY serve Pikes Place after 10:30am. I was about ready to belt-out are you effing kidding me, this is a coffee shop!!! But I was polite. But if that's a nationwide practice, seems like a horrible business decision. Anyone else come across this?
In the last week I visited a McDonalds on an interstate where the bathrooms were locked and the counter person had to unlock the bathroom. Probably just a franchisee decision, but I hope its not a national trend.
Recently used AirBNB to book a condo stay. Afterward I received the ubiquitous customer service survey and rated the property 4 (on a 1 to 5 scale) in a couple areas. The host initially reached out to receive further clarification and there were a couple rounds of back & forth. At that point, I thought he was fulfilling his "Superhost" responsibilities. Finally, the host sent me a note saying I must not travel often (I do, over 60 days in the last year) and not understand the AirBNB rating sytem. Included with the note was canned one pager that hosts could provide customers. The one pager had multiple bullet points letting me know that I was destoying the properties and his repuation in AirBNB's view by gving a rating of anything less than a 5. Don't get me going on the worthlessness of a 5 point rating scale. But if a 4 is such a "jerk move" by the customer, why send out surveys? If this one-pager was the work of this one host, I would have written it off. But the document was obviously passed around among hosts and viewed as a gospel.
Has anyone else come across bizarre "business practices" in their travels this summer. I feel companies have lost their "Customer Focus".
Rant Over!! No Cubs tonight to give me purpose
