Comments on: Dunkin’ Donuts left a bad taste in my mouth

By: Don Werts

Don Werts — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:47:53 +0000

Read your “Dunkin Doughnuts” dilemma. When a Krispy Kreme is close by I’m a Krispy Kreme fan.
Dunkin has a good product.
I would be curious to see what feedback you’d receive if you posed a similar hypothetical situation to: Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut.
They could not be told until you got their honest response that it was strictly hypothetical.
I managed discount department stores from age 19+ then later supervised a C-store chain. That was back in a forgotten age, when the customer was “always” right. I recall authorizing my service desk worker to refund $15.99 to a lady who insisted she bought a pair of jeans in my store; Gaylord’s Department Store – New Orleans – 1976.
We kept a customer and maybe saved her from a heartache from stress and frustration. No business exists w/o clients/patrons/customers, but you will find very few companies that operate in a customer oriented mind-frame.

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:24:44 +0000

I can think of one time where something similar happened to me. I received a bat mitzvah present (in 1985)from Benetton and I wanted to exchange it for something else. My mom and I went to my local store and was told that I had to go to the original store where it was purchased. Somehow, they figured out that it was purchased in NYC (near my parents’ house). We had to go into the city to exchange the item. I remember thinking that was really ridiculous. I wonder what would have happened had it been purchased hundreds of miles away. I have no idea if the policy has changed. Hopefully!

By: Bobbie Carlton

Bobbie Carlton — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:18:42 +0000

I really really like Gary’s response — it’s looking at this as a golden marketing opportunity — which it was. Every time you make an unhappy customer happy they are more likely to sing your praises than the already happy (or simply satisfied) customer. Peter Shankman is a great example of this — he’s very publicly promoted one airline over another when they upgrade him or fix a problem he personally has. I continue to be amazed at how little business owners and managers seem to care about customer service.

Bobbie Carlton’s last blog post..Twitter Contests? Giving Away Tix for Waltham Food and Wine Festival

By: Gary Gile

Gary Gile — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:04:43 +0000

Well, I am not a coffee drinker. I read your blog because I am always interested in good marketing. I like what Bobbie said about the sign in a Starbucks store. That is good marketing.

What most of the replies above missed is the difference between good publicity and bad publicity. Yes, the first Dunkin’ Donuts store gave out a bad coffee, perhaps a rare happening. But the second store made a major marketing error. Sure they would have had to absorb the cost of fixing someone else’s error but they should have done it anyway.

No, there will not be a flood of people coming into their store to rip them off because they gave you a free cup of good coffee. Most likely they will create more business. Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Don’t go with the attitude that everyone is out to rip others off. It will happen and live with it. In the long run the business will be better off by making right the error of another.

Of course don’t allow the employees to hand out the free coffee. However, do instruct them to refer the customer to the manager who will do his or her best to satisfy the customer.

If it was my Dunkin’ Donuts store, I would have given the customer a new cup of coffee AND a donut of his or her choice and then suggested that they let all their friends know that our store is here to treat everyone that walks into or drives up to our store as VIPs.

Now that will bring in droves of paying customers and it may even get mentioned in several social media sites and on blogs throughout the land.

Gary Gile’s last blog post..How far will you go to live your principles

By: Bobbie Carlton

Bobbie Carlton — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:37:51 +0000

There are so many different angles to this as a consumer, a marketing person, a franchise owner and a brand owner, I won’t even attempt to answer the baseline question, which is, what should have happened?

Let’s instead talk about how to avoid it in the first place. (first, the disclaimer. I am a DD fan, have identified my fave individual stores but frequent other coffee shops too.) Recently, I noticed a sign in a Starbucks store that urged me to take a sip of my coffee before I left the store so they could “make it right” if it wasn’t. Preventative medicine for sure.

Bobbie Carlton’s last blog post..Marketing to kids? Understand COPPA

By: Boston Bob

Boston Bob — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:49:03 +0000

Well, your issue SOUNDS reasonable to a consumer, but think of the business owner and his attmept to manage his baseline employees. It must be hard enough to keep the kids from giving away the store to all of their friends and relatives. I would not want to give them another excuse if they got caught. Also, it wasn’t the Brighton’s guy’s mistake. The guy who screwed up got the money, and the guy who does it right loses money because he was the most convenient guy for you to find to complain?

Also–look at it another way. If I read the Boston Globe and hate the editorials, why shouldn’t the Herald give me a free paper? They are both Boston newspapers. Or say a newstand sold me one that was ripped in a middle page. Why should the next 7-11 I drive by give me one because it is more conveninet for me to just saunter in there instead of going back to where I bought it? They’d tell me to go back tot he newstand even thought they are both authorized dealers of the exact same product. It really is the same thing.

Moreover, I bet if you went back to the JFK Blvd shop the next day when it was convenient for you and nicely told them the story, they’d make it right by you because, after all, it WAS their mistake and they should make it up to you. You were their customer and not the Brighton shop’s, where you may never regularly go anyway.

I would suggest writing to the corporate HQ–they alone can give you a coupon or something that would get you free coffee. That seems like an appropriate response that does not ask the individual business owners to commit financial suicide over someone’s botched $1.80 purchase.

By: Rachel Levy

Rachel Levy — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:40:52 +0000

I see what you’re saying. But, if the coffee’s still hot, it’s probably a true story, no? :-)

By: Dave Spencer

Dave Spencer — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:49:45 +0000

Playing Devil’s Advocate, with no ability to coordinate this above the individual franchise level, there’s a door open for fraud. Sure, small-scale fraud, but in times where places are cutting out free refills and charging more for soda without ice, even that small threat might loom large for some business owners.

Not saying they shouldn’t take that chance, just saying I can see it from their standpoint as well. I wonder if you could return a Coke you bought at one McD’s to another. Same situation, no?

By: jenniferbarthe (Jennifer Barthe)

jenniferbarthe (Jennifer Barthe) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:32:41 +0000

Dunkin’ Donuts left a bad taste in my mouth http://tinyurl.com/b4ynch via @ShareThis

By: Rachel Levy

Rachel Levy — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:26:18 +0000

Thanks Tom! Curious… where on Yahoo did you find my blog??