If you’re a reader of this blog very often, you know one of my pet peeves is bad customer service. I’ve told you about some of my own experiences and other’s experiences. I bring it up because in ministry, we can’t afford to skimp on the “customer service”. Ministry is a service to others and when we don’t treat people well it shows. And of all people to be courteous, it should be Christians.

You’d also remember that I am a big fan of NBC’s The Apprentice. Last week the episode had two teams with the task of going to Burger King, work out a promotion for a new burger, promote and sell it. At least one of those burgers was also advertised in commercials and out in participating stores near you.

In the Yahoo! group I’m a moderator of called Apprentice_Trump, a member posted the following:

I went to a Burger King drive thru, having been enticed by the Apprentice/Western Angus Steak Burger promotion, in conjunction with my not wanting to make dinner or even walk into a regular restaurant.

All around this Burger King were Apprentice style posters hyping the burger. See the photo [above].

I ordered the burger exactly as identified on the posters; a Western Angus Steak Burger.

The voice on the damn menu/scoreboard said “Angus ?” with a rising confused inflection.

I repeated, exactly the name of the burger.

Then he asked me which one, and mustard or ranch. It was getting weird.

I told him that I wanted the burger that was shown on The Apprentice, the one on the poster in front of me, and it didn’t look like mustard or ranch was part of it. I asked him if he had that Apprentice burger. He said yeah. And eventually I picked it up at the window.

Soon thereafter, but not soon enough as I had already driven away, I found out that he gave me what appeared to be a regular Angus burger. There was no cheese, and most obviously, no onion rings on the burger.

I went back, and back through the drive thru, (inside was closed). I told the voice on the menu/scoreboard the deal, and this time, apparently, it was was enough to give me the correct burger; it does have it’s own distinct wrapper.

For the time and aggravation of having to deal with their mistake, and the absence of an apology, free fry, coupon or other amends, I will not be returning for quite a while if at all. All that money spent on their Apprentice promotion, and not a nickel’s worth of common sense in getting it right the first time, or EFFECTIVELY correcting it the second time.

Promote it once. Insult me twice. See me never.

(And yeah, I know, what did I really expect from them anyway? And you’re right.)

Steve, Las Vegas NV

When I emailed Steve to ask permission to post his email here, he replied:

Your interest in my written BK experience is a fine compliment, and an interesting development to something which has it’s origin in slipshod service.

Slipshod service indeed!