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Waitress poured hot soup on me, restaurant did absolutely nothing
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It's not about being a mind reader it's about doing your job. Good customer service helps get repeat customers. She took no initiative.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
You shouldn't have ghosted the restaurant and instead been more direct about how you really feel
Oh ho! I'd completely forgotten about OP's stance on all that. How funny.
Eh?
So cry on the outside?
So you gotta be a space alien to expect people to say what they feel and not be all anticlockwise about it?
No lol. It was an accident, I don't go into every interaction with a service person looking to get some free stuff.
This really is the long and short of it. She did nothing but offer the absolute bare minimum to account for her egregious mistake and it's baffling that people seem ok with such minimal standards of service
Subpar Spatula
Banned
It's not bad service to offer an apology. That sounds like good customer service: remorseful and willing to admit their mistake.
Like, y'all need to be a bit more humble and realize an apology and a non-defensive attitude is good customer service. I don't know where it got twisted where going above and beyond is now the bare minimum of good customer service. You're inflating your idea of service to make this look bad.
For all your "polite" talk you're kind of not that. You should have taken this big bad attitude to the restaurant with you that day and maybe you would have been comp'd.
Acerac
Banned
Why would the people at the restaurant need to be psychic to know that they poured soup on him when they poured soup on him? It's such an absurd statement that the fact that you proceed to be condescending afterwords really threw me off.
You wouldn't clap? Rude ass
No, they need to be psychic to know his "it's chill no worries" secretly means "it's not actually chill some worries." Obvs they knew they spilled the soup, sorry.
OP didn't complain to the restaurant, how would have they known to compensate him? The waitress was probably busy enough to not report it to the rest of the staff because he accepted her apology.
What? Nah, I would think they're just being polite and then do what I can to ensure that I have made up for the mistake.
Hell, that's what most should assume.
Because they fucking spilled soup on the customer?
Nobody in their right mind thinks: "Oh, I spilled soup on the customer, but he said it's okay! That's the end of it I guess!"
Night Angel
Member
If their policy to such an error (you know, spilling an entire bowl of hot soup on someone) is to say "oops, sorry about that" and do nothing else, they have bad customer service. Most other restaurants would have comp'd or at least discounted his meal. You measure customer service quality by how it compares to the industry standard. This was a weak response.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
How is apologizing and not being defensive about the accident make this bad customer service?
Like, how the fuck did being nice become bad customer service?
Night Angel
Member
So you're saying that the waitress not victim blaming makes it good customer service? Like, what the hell else could the server do to make this bad customer service in your eyes?
This server literally did the bare minimum.
Acerac
Banned
In customer service the goal is to leave the person being served happy. Even if they aren't openly upset, nobody would ever be happy about having soup spilled on them. Telling the manager, who would then compensate the customer, would lead to a free meal, which would be far more likely to lead to a positive experience instead of a negative one.
I think much of the problem in this thread is that people like yourself don't understand the basics of customer service yet you feel the need to be condescending and it comes out all awkward.
The waitress could have told the management who would then have comped him his meal. The fact that she didn't means that he received poor customer service. Sometimes poor customer service happens because staff is busy, but it is still poor customer service.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
She was rude, didn't apologized, laughed at him, etc.
Those are signs of bad customer service. Not getting a freebie isn't one of them. Those you bargain for or someone goes out of their way to comp you. Calling what she did bad customer service just shows how much you want to slant the scenario to make your argument look good.
I very much doubt her apology was just an "oops, sorry about that." People are a lot more genuine when making that kind of mistake.
I've never gotten compensated for any mistakes at a restaurant unless I spoke up about being unhappy, and only expect it when I ask for it. Lots of people here really need some ass kissing in order to eat.
Acerac
Banned
The fact that you insist that this is the problem shows that you are not even attempting to try to understand the situation.
Messofanego
Banned
Oh shit I just got this reference XDYou shouldn't have ghosted the restaurant and instead been more direct about how you really feel
We clearly have different standards of service.
Offering an apology for a mistake isn't bad customer service at all. However, the way you reference the situation by saying it's a mistake and she apologized, doesn't take into any account the offense of the mistake. She spilled soup on a customer. That should inherently warrant more than just an apology.
Uh, pot kettle black much? You're the condescending one here. Sorry that 'people like myself' are getting in your way milord.
*shrug* I've gotten my entire order wrong before and had wait staff furiously apologize to me, and I understand that shit happens. Why punish them for it? We make mistakes all the time.
Would you rather have your entire order wrong, which can easily be replaced, or have a bowl of hot soup dropped on you?
Subpar Spatula
Banned
What is the problem?
Let's break this fucker down:
1) OP has soup spilled on him by another table's server
2) The server apologizes emphatically (but it's now hurried and frazzled)
3) OP accepts the apology
4) OP says he is fine and never shows he is upset
5) OP goes home and asks NeoGAF if the restaurant should have known he was upset and should be comp'd
That's the problem right there. OP has said multiple times in this thread that he is 100% right and deserves to be comp'd even if he didn't speak up. He was not happy with his apology but he never told the restaurant that. As far as the restaurant knows, the customer left happy because he never chose to communicate with them.
Yes, it would be nice if every accident or transgression that occurs at a restaurant gets you a free comp -- I even had my meal comp'd because they accidentally put tomatoes on a wrap I ordered even though I said it was OK and I'd take them out. Those situations are 100% fine where the restaurant goes above and beyond. They do not have to, though. That is your expectation. Should people expect comp's for mistakes? No. You are not entitled to it.
This is key right here. Absolutely key. If you feel you were wronged and an apology does not suffice then speak up. This is your tool. Use it to get what you need. If you do not speak up and you still tip then the restaurant believes all is good.
He never spoke up. That was his mistake. Whether he learns anything from this is up to him. Clearly the OP knows speaking up will cause him to comp'd but he didn't. He would rather say they should know better when they don't have to.
OK, and? It's soup. Life goes on. Mistakes happen. She apologized and was nice about it. Nothing warrants more than an apology unless you ask for it. If you're visibly and verbally OK with an apology then you'll get just an apology. Don't like it? Speak up.
I don't want either of those things to happen to me. If someone spills shit on me and I'm not hurt, I'll either say "no worries, I'm fine!" or "this really sucks, can I talk to someone please?"
Acerac
Banned
I'm treating you how you treated the OP and you are getting antsy about it.
Telling.
That said, it does suck when people who don't know what they're talking about pretend they do, so apology accepted. Perhaps you can avoid repeating the mistake in the future.
It is done to create a positive relationship between customer and business. I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong to give poor customer service, it can often be more profitable to do so, I'm just stating that that's what it is.
Our disagreement comes from whether or not he "should" be comped. That I can not decide, I'm just saying he received poor customer service.
Earthbound64
Banned
Because you're using the inferior 50-posts-per-page setting.
For the record, I do think this sort of accident warrants a compensation, but you didn't want to make a "fuzz" about it and "sell out" the waiter to the manager (even admitted to this in the thread). Is it that far fetched that the waiter picked up on this during their profusely apologising when OP repeatedly reassured that it was nothing and proceeded to do business as usual?
No one is saying you should kick and yell like a baby to get the correct service, but don't put a halt to the process either so those who are meant to know and do something about it actually are informed. Like I previously posted the chain do give comps for similar issues in the past.
No one is saying you should kick and yell like a baby to get the correct service, but don't put a halt to the process either so those who are meant to know and do something about it actually are informed. Like I previously posted the chain do give comps for similar issues in the past.
I searched for reviews of said place on Yelp (there's four of them, not sure if it's the exact same store) and found this 4 star review from 2015, OP:
Sounds like they do give comps.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
They should really be able to take the hint though, just like when someone ghosts you.
Westbahnhof
Banned
I didn't, what is the reference to?
They soiled the guy's clothes, that's damage, it's pretty obvious to me he should be compensated.
I think people in this thread have had different life experiences, worked in different industries and companies with varying standards.
My first few jobs really impressed on me how important good customer service is, and I tend to hold other places to that.
LookAtMeGo
Member
I'll just go and add that I just asked a manager what would happen here if someone spilled soup on a guest and offered up an apology and the guest said it was fine and nothing else was done about it and the answer was that they would probably be suspended at the least. Fired at the worst. I guess some places just have higher standards than other places.
Shit you're right. I posted without thinking how it'd read. I'm sorry OP.
I do know customer service man; but I've rarely seen examples of unsolicited offers of compensation. That's why I asked if it was an American thing, I don't know if this is a cultural thing or a gap in my knowledge.
If he asked they should absolutely compensate him for damages. People don't receive compensation for not saying anything.
Night Angel
Member
But they do. All the time. At places with better CS.
You're arguing from a position that heavily suggests that all mistakes are created equally and an apology is always good enough as long as the other party doesn't cause a ruckus. If i take your logic and apply it to the server it reads to me that she would have had to spill the soup on him and apologize thinking that's substantial enough and, depending on how he reacts, is the only way she'll offer him a comp but that's only if he's angry or makes a fuss about it. She's doing the bare minimum and seeing what she can get away with. There's no initiative.
What should happen is that the instant she spills the soup, she offers him an apology and internalizes that something needs to be done whether it be comp the meal, a portion of it, offer dry cleaning or just give him a free dessert, whatever.....and all that should happen BEFORE she can even gauge his reaction. How he reacts, regardless of how polite or angry, shouldn't even factor into the equation. That's good if not great customer service.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Naw, you're asking for too much of someone. If someone wants to do that then they can. To want everyone to do that is just entitled. It's an accident. Y'all expect too much from a mistake.
Like, some of y'all are saying "get angry with the server" or "make a fuss" -- naw, just, ya know, be polite and say, "hey, can I get reimbursed for this?" You know what the restaurant will 100% do? "Sure, it's our fault."
But ya know what? You can stay silent all you want and that's fine but don't expect anything. An expectation is just that.
Like, it's fine if some of y'all expect to be comp'd. That's 100% fine. You have to realize that it's just an expectation and only has a chance of occurring, so yes, that's the answer to OP's "question", you can expect it but you might not get it. The most definitive way of getting what you want is to ask for it.
prag16
Banned
First world problems...
Night Angel
Member
No shit. We're talking about eating at a restaurant. Try to keep up.
The Shadow
Member
This whole thread is absolutely bizarre. I mean, he didn't make a big deal about it, said he wasn't going to make a big deal about it. Restaurant doesn't make a big deal about it. Customer doesn't make a big deal about it.
Customer is mad that they didn't make a big deal about it. Because he didn't make a big deal about it.
WTF kind of passive-aggressive BS is this?
Seriously OP. It's obviously a big deal to you. Stop pretending like it wasn't. If it was that big of a deal to you, you should have said something about it. You didn't, you accepted their apology, that's that. Game over. It's obvious you didn't say anything about it because you avoid conflict, but don't go on blaming them because they didn't read your mind, or pretend like you're some super nice guy about not saying anything, and then getting irate after the fact.
Snarky(HEART)
Banned
Maybe this is just from living surrounded by upper classs white people in one of the richest counties in the country, but if any resteraunt did this in Columbia, MD, heads would roll lol
prag16
Banned
Yeah, and the post I was responding to made it sound like they shit in his cereal or gave him 2nd degree burns.
The onus shouldn't be on the customer to start this conversation. What you're effectively doing is saying that it's ok for the server/restaurant to not offer some kind of comp or reimbursement from the jump as if it makes sense for them to assume that he wouldn't want one.
Getting soup spilled on me and ruining my clothes doesn't really seem like an insignificant thing to me
Subpar Spatula
Banned
I'm fine with this.
So are others.
Those who aren't fine with this speak up.
OP didn't speak up.
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