What do you do when the drive thru messes up your order?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by jleadbet • Aug 27, 2012.

  1. jleadbet

    jleadbetActive Member

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    What do you do when the drive thru gets your order wrong, and you've already pulled out? I usually check the bag before I leave. I don't always remember. Yesterday McDonalds gave me a regular coffee instead of a carmal mocha. In that case I didn't go back. I was about half a mile away when I noticed and didn't feel like it was worth it. My husband has called when it happens to him. Sometimes he just gets a sorry, but usually he gets a free sandwich or something on his next visit. Just wondered what others have experienced.
     
  2. niceness8000

    niceness8000Active Member

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    I usually check the bag before I pull off. I have had enough screwed-up orders to have learned my lesson about leaving without checking. I have gone back on occasion, but I hardly ever have to make a second trip now. I recently moved into a new neighborhood, and the local Mcdonalds has yet to get my order wrong. They have my minimal trust, but I still check the bag before I drive off. The few times I forgot to check, they did end up getting the order right.
     
  3. Adeal4u

    Adeal4uActive Member

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    I always check, but if they do make a mistake I'll just ignore it. I'm not going to make a scene for no reason over a coffee or sandwich. Everyone is human we all make mistakes, so I don't dwell on it too much. I've seen people that aren't so kind cursing out the employee when their food was wrong. I think that's just rude, and those people deal with enough stuff at work, so don't make their job harder.
     
  4. mountainside

    mountainsideActive Member

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    I will usually stop and inspect before leaving. If it is wrong I go inside then, to make sure it is correct the second time. I have stopped at a gas station on a highway, gotten gas, paid for it, driven off, looked at my gas indicator, no gas added. I completely turned around and went back to the station, asked the nut to put gas in my car before I call the police. People take you for a jerk or sonething and try to get over. I like to get what I asked for and paid for. No more, no less.
     
  5. savergrl

    savergrlMember

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    Depends on the severity of the mix up. I for a black coffee once from starbucks after paying for a $5 drink. I dont go often so when I do I want my treat. They fixed my drink and gave me a coupon for the next one on the house which was nice of them.

    If its sliced onion on my burger I'll just pick it off. No biggie

    I did get a completely wrong order once, it was something I had never tried and a more expensive menu item so I just went about my day. It was good and I ordered it the next time I went also. Not something I would have thought to try otherwise so I guess sometimes its good.
     
  6. Mrs. Rogers

    Mrs. RogersActive Member

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    It never fails for me. EVERY single time I go through a drive thru they screw up my order. I've gotten to the point where I just go in to save the hassle.
     
  7. Cornholio

    CornholioActive Member

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    I always check the bag before pulling out and if something is wrong I cut the line and go right back to the window instead of the walkie-talkie box. If by some chance I missed it then I return to the store later on with my receipt and tell them they owe me a sandwich. Sometimes I have to use the, "I am allergic to..." excuse and they really don't mess with you when you use that line.
     
  8. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    While it makes sense to check your order, please don't do that at a drive thru window - pull over and do that. Especially at lunch, I've gotten stuck at a drive thru lane I couldn't pull out of because of someone with a van full of kids who, on top of taking several minutes to place her order, decided to unwrap every item once at a time to check it. I was literally stuck in that line for nearly 30 min. Not only did I not get to have a lunch break (we only have 30 min), I was late getting back to work because of it. Or better yet, please go inside if you've got a lot of special orders and want to check everything twice.

    On the other hand - and I posted about this on another thread - check your receipts. I've been over-charged 3 times in the past month at McDonalds, and all three times they've been ringing up the items in a combo meal up separately instead of as a combo meal price. One time they tried to charge me $7 and some change one time for a chicken nugget combo meal and when I questioned it, the manager had the nerve to *charge* me the difference she was supposed to be refunding to my card that they over-charged me. I contacted corporate about it twice now because it happened again the other day at another location - they tried to overcharge me for a breakfast combo and when I questioned why, the cashier said it was because "it came with a drink". I would strongly advise against paying with a credit card there, because when they do crap like this, they can only pretend to give you a refund and make it worse.

    There's probably some scam going on where they're voiding out the receipts and re-ringing them correctly, and pocketing the difference. But it angers me because it's probably happened to me in the past, and to many other ordering at the drive thru in a hurry.
     
    #8Aug 28, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2012
  9. Brendan

    BrendanMember

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    I normally check the bag before I pull out. It really depends what they mess up on, whether or not I will make a big deal of it. One time, I got the WRONG order altogether. In that case, I gave it back. Turns out it was the car behind's me meal, and the girl working the window was new.
    If they forget to give me a straw or ketchup or something along those lines, I'll just leave & get over it. I am not one to make a big deal of things.
     
  10. Lena51

    Lena51Active Member

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    I always check now after a long wait for the order and just tell them right away before I pull off. Because I do not want to get home and end up with something I didn't order and be disappointed. So far I been right on time with them and let them know that I have the right or wrong order and then move out the way for the next customer so they can be happy as well getting there food.
     
  11. nash22

    nash22Active Member

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    I always check my bag, before I even pull off. Mcdonald's is always the one who messes up my order. I will sit there and go through everything, whether cars be honking or not. I don't care, they can wait.
     
  12. etc

    etcActive Member

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    When I drive thru I just order regular burger and soda and then gone, I don't actually mine if they put something else I will still eat it anyway. Months ago they gave me a bottle of water. Do they usually give free sandwich the next time every time they make mistake?
     
  13. fishyfinz

    fishyfinzMember

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    You have to check your order to ensure that they've got it right every time you drive thru. Most often they mess it up. I once found out that they gave me someone else's order but the good thing was that it was a lot more that I had ordered for and I couldn't really complain about getting extra burgers for free. ;) I'd hate if that had to happen to my order getting mixed up with someone else.
     
  14. melapie

    melapieActive Member

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    I don't have the habit of checking my order before I pull off, and they usually mess up my order. It sucks that you pay for it then you'll find out that they didn't include the fries or instead of a double cheeseburger, they gave you a regular cheeseburger. But I never really go back to complain or what. Although I try to avoid branches who always mess up my orders.
     
  15. kamai

    kamaiActive Member

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    I always check my order before I take off, I have never trusted any restaurant especially when it's crowded. This always happened to my dad since he always took off before and I learned from his experience. If they mess up when I order in the restaurant they will most likely mess up in the drive thru. I really like preventing such situations so always check our orders or products before leaving.
     
  16. Alexandoy

    AlexandoyWell-Known Member

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    Although it happened so many years ago, that wrong order happened to me twice in McDonald's. Making matters worse, my order lacked one burger meal that I already paid in the drive thru. Both mistakes were about missing burger meals and the mistake was committed by 2 outlets. So now I never fail to check when my order is handed to me in the drive thru.
     
  17. Nakitakona

    NakitakonaActive Member

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    Messing up order in a drive thru fast food is usually happening like the big and noted one. This is unavoidable especially when there are orders have been made. The crew usually unable to check it. He/she just hands it to the customer. He/she presumes that the order is complete. If it does happen to me, though I have short control of my temper, I have to reconsider the nature of the crew's job especially when everyone is busy. But yet, I have to suggest to the management that the crew should be careful to avoid the wrath of the affected customers.
     
  18. larryl332

    larryl332Active Member

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    It really depends on how much they mess it up, and if it is something small then I will just move on, but if it really means that I will not be eating what I want then I have to correct it, which is awful as we all know. This is why I just do not frequent the places at all these days.
     
  19. Squirrellygirl

    SquirrellygirlNew Member

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    McDonalds makes mistakes almost every time I go there. When I complained a few months earlier about one of their many mistakes they made on one of my orders, a manager named "Daniel" told me that they made too many mistakes on MY orders so it must be MY fault. He told me that when I called next time to complain to ask for him. I quit going to that McDonalds in Centerville OH (Dayton Lebanon Pike) for MONTHS, and it is the closest one to my house. Seriously. How do you blame a customer for your employees' many mistakes? This week, they put cream and sugar in my coffee that I ordered black. I couldn't drink it. I filled out their survey and reported it, and I have no intention of buying a sandwich to get one free. I just didn't want to talk to another rude manager and I wanted them to know their employees were making too many mistakes. Again this week I asked for extra ice and lemon in my tea and there was no lemon and hardly any ice in it. This morning I stopped at the other McDonalds down the road on South Main Street (Route 48), because I didn't want another coffee with sugar in it, and the rude little blond gave me a small coffee when I ordered and paid for a large (and yes, I know all of the coffees are one dollar, but I ORDERED a large and was paying for a LARGE. I was in a rush to go to work and didn't catch at the time she cheated me. I did have to ask her 3 times for the milk I ordered. I called the manager, and she wouldn't say sorry and was defending the employee and their mistake. She pointed out that the small coffee was the same price as the large. How incredibly rude was that? The only reason McDonalds is still in business after making these mistakes daily is people like me keep going back to them. But they want $15/hour. I have to wonder if they do it on purpose to be annoying. Those kids should be limited to so many mistakes, and then you are out of there! Fired. Let them find another job where they are able to make mistakes daily routinely...except for the political hacks that lost this last election. They can have classified emails and still keep their jobs!
     
  20. Aaliyah Montes

    Aaliyah MontesNew Member

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    Situations like this makes me feel bad at times and gives me a little bit discouragement on the fast food chain that had given me a wrong order. Well, I don't check my orders because usually I am on a rush to leave and I just cant manage to take a look at the meal. I usually just notice that its not actually the meal that I want when I get home. I admit, I get upset but I don't do anything about it like nagging or talking to the crew and staff. Its not really a big thing though.