On July 4, 2008, my guy and I decided some KFC extra crispy was in order, so we visited our local store. Now, every time we'd tried to order there in the past, there was always something wrong. Either they didn't have any extra crispy at all or they were out of biscuits— lack of preparation it seems to me. I convinced my guy that this time it would be error-free. I was so, so wrong.
After ordering our meal and driving to the window, we were informed that lo and behold, they were out of certain cuts of extra crispy (thighs and legs I think). But, the manager on duty was quick to supply extra pieces of original as compensation. Cool. At home we discovered there were no biscuits. We were both starving, but since we lived so close to the joint I thought we could just drive though with our receipt, get what we paid for, then go and eat.
At any other establishment, we could have done just that, but this guy was unprofessional and irrational and would not give us the biscuits. At no time did he ever concede that his crew could have made a mistake. He insisted they "remembered" our order and had given us the biscuits. He was rude and tried to make sarcastic comments like, "Your chicken's getting cold." What does that even mean?! Of course I would rather be at home eating it, you jerk. He told us we could have other people at home that we're trying to get biscuits for and that we would be surprised at how many people come through there looking for freebies. Proper customer service does not include telling irate customers they are wrong, simply because others are liars. Besides, the way we were treated those people were most likely telling the truth! Anyway, we refused to leave without what we paid for, he ignored us, customers were leaving the drive thru, we were yelling, "We want our biscuits"— it was ridiculous, man.
Finally, after at least twenty minutes, he shoved the biscuits at us saying, "Here. This is just so you'll get the fuck outta here."
I was livid. And my question to you is: What sort of chain-of-command exists in franchises? Are the owners the end of the line? This manager was the owner's son, so I'm thinking there's really no punitive action there. What kind of supervision do these franchises have, or can they just operate in whichever neglectful manner they please?
I would appreciate some help with this, Consumerist, because this was unacceptable, and I just want someone with authority to help them understand that.
Thank you.
If you can directly contact the owner, that would be a good first step, but there's no telling if he would blindly support his son or be extra-tough with him. Occasionally, we've noticed that when some customers go up the chain-of-command at food joints, there is sometimes a person who actually seems to care a little. If this happens, consider yourself lucky. You can also fill out a customer comment on KFC's website here. Additionally, they list their "Customer Satisfaction Number"—perhaps, it should be the customer dissatisfaction number: 1-800-225-5532. Good luck!