This happens often on PlanetFeedback: a consumer writes a letter about how a particular product from [insert name of fast food company] made them sick and wants a refund. In a scenario almost as constant as the tide, someone from PFB will ask some variation of 'where is your proof?'.
Is it a ridiculous question or a fair one? Do you keep your receipt if you've gone to Mickey D's to pick up a Big Mac and a Coke? Maybe if you paid with a debit card, maybe not if you paid with cash. And how do you prove what made you sick ~ especially if you ate it all. Maybe all you know is that you felt fine before you ate there and now you feel lousy.
We're not in a court of law here ~ there is no burden of proof that needs to be carried. Frankly, we think when a consumer says that they ate something made them feel ill, restaurants should sit up and pay attention. It might not be food poisoning but a company should know that something in a food item disagreed with the customer ~ maybe there's just too much on this burger and it needs to be scaled back. They won't know that unless they listen to their customer.
We even think that if something like this happens, the first thing a restaurant should do is show the customer that they're valued ~ whether with a coupon for a free or discounted meal on their next trip or with a refund (no pun intended when talking about foods that make your stomach hurt). It not only shows that they stand behind their product but that they recognize that every customer has the potential to be a repeat customer.
We've told this story before on another forum ~ literally every single time we eat at this one BBQ restaurant, some server drops mustard on us. We don't quite know why but chalk it up to being a mustard-magnet (and we've learned to wear jeans and t-shirts when eating there). They always bring napkins, apologize profusely and send the manager out. He offers to dry clean our clothes, we refuse, and he sends out a free appetizer or dessert. Everyone stays calm and ends up happy with the outcome.
Whether it's falling condiments or tummy trouble, it's all about how the restaurant handles the situation. And in order to handle the situation, they must be informed. So "where's the proof?" really does little to advance the necessary discussion between customer and business. In fact, if businesses adopted this posture, we would venture to guess that it would become adversarial almost immediately.
And no one wins when that happens.
--Contributed by Deb
Comments