Dunkin Do Not’s
Since most meetings with clients are setup near or around Clifton, we tend to meet at Dunkin Donuts (near Forum). So far, I’ve seen 3 customer tantrums:
1. Customer Upset that after ordering and paying a value combo meal/deal, she is informed by the staff that one of the items in her deal is NO LONGER AVAILABLE i.e. out-of-stock and they won’t refund her the amount she never consumed. Why? “Ma’am the computer has already been fed the information, its not in our hands.”
Naturally she asked them politely over and over to do the right thing and either give a discount or substitute the missing item with something else of equal or semi-equal price. Again, they refused firing the classical ‘its not my job I don’t care stance’. It was only when she lost it that the manager took her seriously and added a ‘complimentary munchikin box’.
Two takeaways. Someone has to sell DD a new software system that understands and accomodates human error. Secondly, the DD staff will only bend to your way after threats and screaming…but not if you ask nicely. Nice message!
2. You stand in line for a few mins like a civilized human being and some random customer entrant walks in and cuts in front of you. The DD staff take the order of the line cutter and not yours. What do you do? Well this chap lost it, lamenting a short lunch-break time and a mass disappointment in the DD service. The cherry on top was when the DD employee (I think his name was Rizwan or Faizan Ali) said “The other man had a bigger order so we had to”. So basically if you stand in line like someone cultured and someone else cuts in front of you ordering 12 dozen super size donuts, you are no longer an important customer. A standing ovation for the branch manager is in order.
3. Lack of seats? Well this one was partially the fault of seated customers. Suppose you and a friend go to DD for a bite and the only seat collection available is the one with accommodation space of 4 people. Being a considerate person, you say to yourself, “I’ll sit here for now, when a seating arrangement for 2 is free, I’ll shift there”.
Ehhh… Not so much in this case. A group of 4 (with a big order I might add) came in and couldn’t find a place to sit. There was a seating arrangement for two … looking around they could see 2 guys in seating in an arrangement for four. They approached THEM 1st to please shift so they could have a seat. No luck. They asked the staff. No luck. They asked the branch manager. No Irish.
And finally last weekend, a colleague of mine and I were there … never had a problem with the service before, but reading this you can guess it wasn’t a pleasant experience. We both ordered the same value meal and asked for Water instead of a soft drink. The order taker entered the latter instead. Look at the excuse in #1. Long story cut short, it was only after threatening the men with undeniable proof that they would die in the next 15 seconds, did we get our ordered water. I don’t like tantrums, just simple gestures 
Just an added note, the DD on 26th Street is THE BEST ONE THERE IS, in my opinion. I’m not so sure why, I don’t visit it often, but when I do, its always great service and food for me. They even turn off the TV if you ask for it, which is rare in Slackistan. One possible reason suggested by a colleague is that the 26th Street branch is the only one with a SMS feedback system in place that allows customers to send praises and criticism directly the marketing team. The Forum branch has no such system despite (possibly) being the largest in the city.
How has your experience with Dunkin Donuts been and which is your favorite branch to date?