I was having dinner on my way home at an Applebees, and got their fajitas. They gave me 5 tortillas, and tons of fillings. I got done with the tortillas, and needed maybe 2-3 more to complete my dinner. I flagged down a waitress, and asked if I could get a few more tortillas.

Yea, but that'll be $0.90.

You're kidding, right? I can buy a pack of 16 in the store for $0.80.

Not at all.

Well, fuck that. I'll eat this stuff plain then.

What is it with customer service these days? When people say that companies are pennywise and pound foolish, this is exactly what they mean. I felt upset about a meal I ate at Applebees. Now, I'm more likely to associate that with their name, and I'm more likely to mention it to my friends. I feel they think that I should have put more stuffing in my tortillas. That, or they don't give enough, and it was a common enough issue they thought they should charge extra for it. If so, why not give an appropriate amount to begin with? Is it really worth my business to try and gouge me for tortillas? I mean, they're not even very good tortillas! And I paid $10 for the damn meal, just for one plate, not to mention drinks, appetizers, and becky. I brought someone there to pay even more money. But you're gonna split hairs over a few tortillas? Get bent.

Someone needs to send the people running businesses these days back to business school. Don't they realize that customer loyalty is worth more than a buck in the till these days? I mean, they spend a dollar figure to attain every customer that walks in the door. If they're gonna gouge someone, it should be for an amount greater than the cost of customer acquisition, because they risk losing the investment if they anger the customer. Am I right here, or was everything I learned about business wrong?

PS: The waitress wasn't amused when I asked if it would cost extra to split the bill.

There is a special level of hell designed for companies that jack customers around. Actual gripe from today.

I go to see "The Longest Yard" with . (offtopic: opening sequence totally the most amusing way to violate federal probation ever.)

I break with tradition and get the two pops and a popcorn thing rather than just sneaking in beverages and snacks as usual. I pay $10 freakin dollars for two pops and a popcorn. (and that was on a "deal"!). Anyhow, so they ask me if I want a bucket rather than a bag for $0.25 more. I asked why it mattered. "Well, because the butter leaks through the bags.". Okay, so you're selling me a defective product to begin with, but I digress. I say fine, and roll my eyes. They then ask me if I wanted to pay $0.25 for butter. Visibly irritated at this point, I say that since I paid for the stupid container to hold it, I might as well. They ask me if I want extra butter for another $0.25. I decline. They hand me the slip for my credit card for my signature, without a pen. I looked up and angrily asked if I had to "pay another quarter to get a fucking pen".

Well, I thought it was funny anyway. The clerk didn't seem amused by it. Oh well. For what I was paying, I should have been able to swim in butter. I ended up paying almost as much in refreshments as I did for the movie.

I'm usually really nice to clerks. But it must have taken a lot of training to be able to ask those questions with a straight face.

Have a great memorial day weekend!
(Edit: changed accidental ? to a ! above to imply a direct order, rather than an inquiry. You are to have a great weekend. That's an order.)

doh!

I really need to read the gas gauge more often. The cool part about having mobile internet, and a cell phone is, that when you DO run out of gas on the side of the freeway, you can call a friend and get some help getting more gas. And while you're waiting, you can just dink around on your livejournal and read work email.

Thanks to unnamed coworker for his (coming soon) help. Doh.

Happily telecommuting from the corner of 11 mile and southfield road. 🙂

Blue Zesty!

Blue Zesty!

Just because I am not in google's first results for those terms. I like blue, zesty things.

Actual content:

This weekend owned.
Thanks to all who made it not suck.

Damn, actually hanging out with friends makes work almost suck, because I'm not hanging out with friends. But it was good to have a day of peace and quiet today. I spent most of it napping, since I've not had sufficient sleep in a week or so.

PS: Even though my friends rock, I still like my job just the same. I think you all would affect my productivity.