A bad experience at McDonalds

anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 20:28
Last edited 04/11/2015 - 11:20

Hello OZB! how have ya all been? just wondering what are your thoughts on this experience. So it happens, I had few Monopoly tickets left from McDonald's and today was the last day to use it. On the tickets, it says must be redeemed by 3/11/15. I went to a Macca's store and ordered a small Sundae and presented the ticket. I was told these have been expired. I told her no they are not. Today is the 3rd and it clearly says redeem by 3rd Nov. She went to ask her manager and he said these are expired. We are not accepting any tickets today.. I tried to explain it to him that with any voucher or ticket the date it should be redeemed by is included. The manager just wouldn't agree and he gave an example of when you buy a food and it says use by #date, you are not suppose to use it on that date. I am pretty sure when you buy food and it says, for example, use by Mar-16, it would mean you can use it until end of march right? So because of what he said, even though I was 99% sure he is wrong, I had that 1% doubt and I walked out. I checked the website on my mobile and it clearly says Promotion ends on 11:59pm on 3rd Nov 2015. I went back in and showed him the website and he still wouldn't agree and said "I have been told to do so." There was also other people arguing about the same thing with that manager. One thing I did notice was that store was pretty busy and I do believe they were doing it to stop free loaders. At that point I had enough and I assured him I won't be coming back to this Macca's any more and I am not trying to get a Sundae after all what happened, but I just wanted you to know you are wrong. So I just walked out and went to a different Mcdonalds and they happily accepted the ticket, no questions asked. Has this happened to anyone else? What would you guys have done in this situation? Would you have walked out or argued with the manager until you got what you deserved?

Source:

PROMOTIONAL DATES
Promotion starts at 6:00am on 09/09/2015 and ends at 11:59pm on 03/11/2015 (the "Promotional Period").

https://www.maccasplay.com.au/terms-and-conditions.html

EDIT: After popular demand, I have decided to name the store:

Springvale

Cnr Springvale & Heatherton Roads, Springvale, VIC

Food & Grocery

Related Stores

McDonald's
McDonald's

closed Comments

  • dylanando on 03/11/2015 - 20:31
    +71

    every experience at maccas is bad

    • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 20:34
      +25

      I really wanted that Sundae :(

      • PVA on 03/11/2015 - 22:28
        +20

        tweet it to Maccas twitter page, they will answer you for sure.

      • Terra Australis on 04/11/2015 - 17:06
        +3

        You need to be persistent. If that were me, the store would be owing me a big mac meal by the end of it.

        • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 20:02

          You obviously don't understand the urge that takes you to McDonalds for a sundae :P

      • BanannaMan on 05/11/2015 - 10:16
        +1

        just complain to maccas head store or tweet, I'm sure you will get a free sundae
        https://mcdonalds.com.au/contact-us

    • echelon6 on 04/11/2015 - 12:01
      -2

      edgy comment but what does this add to the OP's question?

      • Hirolol on 04/11/2015 - 14:11
        -2

        What's the point in this comment?

        • smartazz104 on 04/11/2015 - 15:52
          +6

          Same point as this one.

        • echelon6 on 04/11/2015 - 18:19
          -1

          The point was to call out edgy joke comments that are useless but get upvoted to the top - frankly I'm sick of this trend, it happens all over the internet (e.g. reddit) and is happening here now too. People need to either stop posting joke replies and/or voting joke replies to the top. Sick of it!

        • dylanando on 04/11/2015 - 19:33
          +4

          @echelon6: Dude, Chill out. Maybe you need a sundae!

        • Hirolol on 04/11/2015 - 19:37
          +1

          @echelon6: its not voted to the top though. he commented first thats why it has the most votes.
          most of the people probably just read what OP has written, then read the first comment then leave or write a comment themselves.

          as far as i can see it doesnt look like there is an option to set it to sort by upvotes, unless its in account settings.

        • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2015 - 23:45
          +2

          @echelon6:

          ;) i still think it's funny

        • echelon6 on 06/11/2015 - 16:53

          @googleyahoo69:

          It's not funny!

    • sa5ha on 04/11/2015 - 18:28
      +1

      Agreed. Macca's is awful. They did the OP a favour by not serving them their awful "food".

      • smartazz104 on 05/11/2015 - 12:30
        +8

        It's not that bad :( Then again I forgot the amount of food snobs in this country who get their culinary expertise watching Masterchef and MKR.

        • jonathonsunshine on 05/11/2015 - 18:05
          +7

          While eating McDonalds

        • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2015 - 23:44
          +1

          Macca's awful? Unhealthy yes… but definitely one of the most consistent meal i could have ever get, no matter which part of earth i am on. and taste surprisingly well. yes. the create your own menu is definitely a highlight.

          I have seen/heard many snobs (especially the youngsters straight out of uni, first year into a proper job) bagging out maccas (along other quick meals… oporto… kfc… and the like) saying they taste crap and so on, and boast about their "fancy" cafe food…

          "burger project by NEIL PERRY" … sorry… he's better known for Rockpool… but even Rockpool (the bar & grill and the restaurant) is just as average… comment again after you've had a meal at Fat Duck… or a casul 9+ marble full blood Kobe wagyu in Japan…

          or "the "bourke street bakery" … no… that's just a bakery… maybe try a real French baguette fresh made in a small town in France…

          it's okay that some have an acquired taste to the trendy cafe (supposedly fancy)food… just dont pay out the "cheap" food… alot of cheap food are pretty tasty…

        • syousef on 06/11/2015 - 13:40
          -1

          @googleyahoo69:

          Consistent? Yes. Consistently inconsistent. Consistently bad. Consistently sounds like a submarine is going down in Hunt For Red October when they have more than 2 orders.

          Go to the local GOOD takeaway. Get a burger with the lot. Pineapple. Egg. Ham. Beetroot. Lettuce. Tomato. Onion. BBQ sauce. REAL fresh mince. I'm drooling just thinking of it. At my local it's $7.95. Now put it next to a $10+ gourmet monstrosity from Maccas or one of their standard burgers that look like they've been run over repeatedly. I know which one I'll pick.

          There's one exception. I truly do like their Big Mac special sauce. Everything else is just okay but that sauce is one addictive poison that I do crave.

          Maccas has convenience on it's side. But you definitely get treated like dirt. Last time I was there I was turned away at 10:25 for breakfast because they'd stopped serving it already. Not 10:30. Phone had the correct time.

    • bargdebarg on 04/11/2015 - 21:41

      Especially the food

    • newozbargainermelb on 05/11/2015 - 13:24
      +2

      Time to support local fast food with good customer service?

    • xlimit on 06/11/2015 - 12:48

      The service(s) are better at hungry jacks

  • boonanza on 03/11/2015 - 20:31
    +40

    Name & Shame the store

    • centrelink on 04/11/2015 - 12:43

      doesn't really make a difference, it still always going to be busy. The manager could probably go into work naked and be the biggest jerk and still be busy. Just like my experience in extremely busy Hong Kong restrurants. They know they good and have 2 hour queues out the door everyday… I'd ditch customer service as well if I were them.

      • kolorijo on 04/11/2015 - 15:41
        +2

        naked manager, busier store :D

        • ProjectZero on 06/11/2015 - 12:39

          Yeah… with cops trying to make an arrest maybe…

  • subywagon on 03/11/2015 - 20:34
    +8

    Complain, name and shame. I'm sure you will probably at least get a free Sundae out of it.

    • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 20:39

      Haha don't really care about the free Sundae. I will name and shame after I hear the thoughts of other people if it's a legitimate mistake or not.

      • subywagon on 03/11/2015 - 23:50
        +9

        It's obviously not a mistake, just the manager and staff being a holes. It might seem small as it's just a sundae, but it's more about their level of customer service. A good manager would have given you the sundae anyway just for the misunderstanding even if you were wrong (which I'm sure you weren't). Maccas isn't doing so well these days, they wouldn't be too happy about snotty staff pissing off customers over a sundae I'd think.

        • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 23:59
          +10

          Yes I agree. I have never had an experience like this at any other McDonalds store so I am not going to blame the whole franchise, but if you are keen, the store I went to is in Springvale.

          Cnr Springvale & Heatherton Roads, Springvale, VIC

  • Findo on 03/11/2015 - 20:44
    +7

    It is macca's fault. Burn that store down!

    • Scrooge McDuck on 04/11/2015 - 09:49
      +2

      That's a bit extreme.

      I'd just order a few hundred (free) packets of ketchup and write "REDЯUM" all over the walls.

      • Lucky13 on 05/11/2015 - 06:58
        +1

        All work and no sundae makes anonymous01 not a dull boy

        • allegiance86 on 06/11/2015 - 18:52
          +1

          Live in a dark hole beneath the black sky
          Live like a martyr and draw my last breath
          Feel like an old man with a knife in my chest

        • Lucky13 on 07/11/2015 - 02:06
          +1

          @allegiance86: Mudvayne Dull Boy, nice :)

    • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 20:53
      +24

      Yeah but it's not about a free shake. It's for standing up for what is right. I understand he could have mistakenly made the mistake, because the reason he gave was that promotion ended at 12:00 am last night as soon as 3rd started. I understand his point of view, but when he was proved wrong and shown the website, he should have admitted his mistake and not try to hold on to his ego. It is just a shake from my point of view, but from the stores point of view, they would have rejected hundred+ customers because of that mistake, and they did nothing to fix it after they were proven wrong.

        • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 21:05
          +42

          So if a bank raises their interest by 0.2%, you will just stand there and take it and think it's only couple of extra dollars from my pocket? You remind me of a quote I once read: "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing."

          Sorry but it was never about the shake. If today you let people rob you of 5 cents, tomorrow they will rob you of 5 dollars and the day after tomorrow they will rob you of 500, and you will stand there and say "I have more important things to go into battle for than getting my 500 dollars back."

        • anonymous01 on 03/11/2015 - 21:15
          +30

          @Mattwilko: Sigh…. like I said.. it's not about the sundae. It's about the principle.

        • Ughhh on 03/11/2015 - 21:22
          -3

          @anonymous01:

          This needs to be taken to court!

        • indium on 03/11/2015 - 21:32
          +14

          If you choose to be part of a franchise you should follow the companies promotions. They are the ones who do all the advertising for the stores and all the behind the scenes work.

          I thought the oldies would be more resilient to letting people walk all over them, if you allow people to get away with this kind of thing they will just continue to do it. Although I agree with you that you should not waste time arguing directly with them, offer your explanation and if they choose not to accept it that's their problem.

          @OP, just send a quick complaint through the Mcdonald's website explaining the situation. I had a similar thing happen at a subway and they rectified the situation. That's all you can do as well as choosing not to shop at that particular maccas anymore.

        • PVA on 03/11/2015 - 22:31

          @Mattwilko:
          not if they do it to hundreds of customers, then maccas have save a on of money by not giving the freebies out.

        • mooney on 03/11/2015 - 23:19
          -2

          @anonymous01:

          "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing"

          You might have lost perspective if you think this quote is in any way relevant to your search for free fast food. I'm guessing you're pretty intense.

        • MITM on 04/11/2015 - 08:50
          +8

          @Ughhh: The food court

        • Terra Australis on 04/11/2015 - 17:09

          If you do it right, you can usually get $25 store credit or something like that, because you start to get doggy about the fact you've been there for 30 minutes.

        • snook on 05/11/2015 - 13:18

          @Mattwilko: i got a sundae last night and it was $3.40

        • syousef on 06/11/2015 - 13:44

          @anonymous01:

          You remind me of a quote I once read: "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing."

          I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that wasn't inspired by a bad experience at Maccas.

      • tetsuma on 05/11/2015 - 04:13
        -5

        Can't really complain about someone else's ego when you made a forum post to feel vindicated.

        We get it. It was a shite experience. Lodge a complaint via their website if that makes you feel better and move on.

  • gooddealmate on 03/11/2015 - 20:48

    Make some signage proclaiming how bad their customer service is and spend the day protesting outside the front of the store. Preferably on public land so they can't get you moved on. That'll show 'em.

    EDIT: Seems like you're not the only one.. Lots of people complaining about the same issue on their FB page - https://www.facebook.com/McDonaldsAU/

  • supnigs super skids on 03/11/2015 - 21:08
    +4

    Far out.. Just reminded me. I forgot to redeem my free Mc Muffin! Bugger

  • jason101 on 03/11/2015 - 21:18
    +4

    Probably worth logging a note to help guide future training on promos:

    https://mcdonalds.com.au/contact-us

    I had a bad experience, logged a complaint via that URL about a month ago - no response. But I can only hope someone read it and helped re-train the store manager. At the end of the day "reasonable" customer complaints do help build a better business.

    • kronicmacstigator on 04/11/2015 - 01:19

      mcdonald's never respond through their website it seems!

    • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 10:33
      +2

      someone read it and probably forwarded the issue to the store manager, who promptly deleted the email and got on with his day. this is why maccas is such a shithole these days. It used to be they cared so much about customer service, now they have a lot more competition, and only seem to care about the bottom line.

  • Nutrino on 03/11/2015 - 21:31
    +4

    Threatening not to come back to the store again?? Lol

  • [Deactivated] on 03/11/2015 - 22:04
    +2

    Use the contact form on the McDonalds website or another contact method and complain. Hopefully they will give you an apology and a voucher to make up for your problems. Hopefully they will also investigate the store and manager in involved in the dispute. Well done for your perseverence.

  • Randxyz123 on 03/11/2015 - 23:33
    +3

    I reckon you should send a complaint to their twitter page and/or the contact us page mentioned above.

  • GameChanger on 03/11/2015 - 23:44
    +14

    Should have done it in drive through.

    Saying you not moving until they give you free sundae and when you receive it throw it on the ground as they probably spit in it.

    • mmd on 03/11/2015 - 23:59

      +1
      Only raise an issue after the food is delivered/ served!

    • kronicmacstigator on 04/11/2015 - 01:20

      Bin it, that way you can't get done for littering :)

  • mmd on 04/11/2015 - 00:38
    +1

    Everyone has a different interpretation of information. In this case, the manager has misinterpreted the T&Cs. Did it seem that the manager may have come from a background where English is the second language?

    I picked up some cheap beer past the best before date at a major liquor store. I drove to the next branch, but the manager flatly refused to sell me those, saying it is illegal to sell beer past the best before date. I pointed out that 1. I just bought the same beer with the same best before date from the other store, and 2. Best before date can still be sold after. It is the 'Exp DD/MM/YEAR' that should not be sold.
    He still said no, and there was no point arguing further, as it will waste my time and get everyone involved frustrated.
    So i just went to the next branch and got even a better price!

    No point getting into a verbal barrage with the Manager/ staff. Abuse comes in many forms. We see physical abuse commonly, but the far less known and reported one is verbal abuse.

    Tell the manager you will complain to head office. If there's no response, go to another store.
    But make sure you file a complaint. You might get a freebie out of it.

    Perhaps this manager needs to undergo further training/ or get fired. The only way they can improve is from customer feedback.

    From the other side's perspective:
    I used to manage in retail land many many years ago, and had a few customer complaints. Most of them get resolved promptly, but there was one instance where the customer demanded a refund and wouldnt leave until so. You can only remain calm for so long and after explaining numerous times why we couldn't, I lost my cool and told the customer I would call security if they didn't leave. I got so angry that I still remember the events til this day.

    • kronicmacstigator on 04/11/2015 - 01:21
      +3

      This is why I don't understand why businesses hire retarded managers!

      • eatwell365 on 04/11/2015 - 10:18

        Retarded managers always act smart in front of the bosses. Coward but act bully in front of staff.

    • burningrage on 04/11/2015 - 08:16
      +2

      Dont know why you got downvoted.

      • mmd on 05/11/2015 - 00:44

        Maybe by the disgruntled manager lol.
        Cheers for the support. I don't know why I was negged too.
        It's probably due to my refusal to refund customer experience.
        Some might assume the ACCC laws/ consumer rights are set in stone (this guy tried that!), but there are a few exceptions.
        I'm happy to tell you what field I work in and why we can't refund, if you send a pm.

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 11:29
      +3

      No his English was perfect in every way, and his accent was pure Australian. I think he was just being a moron to customers to save money, and too stupid to understand the terms and conditions on McDonald's website, and too arrogant to admit he was wrong.

      • Spooked on 04/11/2015 - 21:50

        What's so hard to understand about use by, it's not use before, it's use by 3rd November. It means you have to use it BY 3rd November. No wonder other people were arguing with you. It's common sense!

        • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2015 - 19:02

          Probably plenty of customers realised they had to use their voucher by the end of that day and came in to redeem them causing the stores to not be very profitable that day. They sure are happy to get the extra sales with the promotion, but damned if they have to hold up their end of the bargain with the freebies in some cases.

  • Mysterious Laptop on 04/11/2015 - 01:59

    Never understood why OP never wants to name and shame. But if you're not, at least have the balls to write in or call in to make a complaint, so the store knows next time not to make that same mistake. Would definitely help instead of whinging on an online forum.

    • burningrage on 04/11/2015 - 08:25

      This is probably what big establishments are counting on.

      Unfortunately if you dont persist they will incline to do it again. If most people do that then there is no real incentive for the establishments to wise up

      Yesterday i did the same at McDonald Doncaster Westfield. I got told only one person one claim per day. Naturally I brought in my kid and he shut up. Clearly that sort of attitude is designed to piss people off because he knows and I know I can always come back 5 minutes and there is no way he could have remembered me or someone else could have been serving me.

      So I do feel for you OP

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 10:55
      +1

      I have already named the store in above comments.

      The store I went to is in Springvale.

      Cnr Springvale & Heatherton Roads, Springvale, VIC

      • Google Chrome on 04/11/2015 - 13:06

        I redeemed a few last night at the springy store around 10pm, they didn't seem to fussed about it.

        • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 13:36

          You must have had a different manager!.. or may be too many people complained and they changed it… good on you.

  • samdong on 04/11/2015 - 03:30
    +4

    If some populatr guy on OZB would have posted the same question….90% of these negetive and unsupportive replys would be Positive and supportive….

    • gimli on 04/11/2015 - 07:30

      Proof?

  • Viderzo on 04/11/2015 - 06:36

    It could have been worse you know, you could have lose your reputation :)

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 04/11/2015 - 07:45
    +1

    I can tell you exactly what I would have done…

    I'd have weighed up the pros and cons.
    I'd have thought wasting half an hour complaining over and over to a manager, writing to head office and whinging online would be a considerable waste of my time and moved on with my life.

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 11:00
      +4

      Except the whole thing took only 5 minutes, not half an hour. Writing in this forum to complain took longer than arguing with the manager, and after hearing all the supportive comments, it has been worth every penny.

  • dinersty on 04/11/2015 - 08:52

    Terrible customer service - sounds like they just don't want to admit that they are wrong!

  • IdBuyThat4aDollar on 04/11/2015 - 09:12

    I was actually considering using some of my monopoly things past the expiry date.

    When I worked at fast food places in my teens, I was told to accept expired coupons but just let the customer know this is a once off.

    Not liking my chances now!

  • DarkOz on 04/11/2015 - 09:13
    +1

    They don't understand the difference between "redeem by" and "best before". Redeem by is end of day of the expiry date. Best before is self explanatory…

  • Brainwhacker on 04/11/2015 - 09:16

    It's similar to the Big 4 Banks, McDonalds is doing that because their perspective is we need them, rather sad to be treated that way, the Sundae is not what's at stake, it is the way the customer is treated - it must be an owner/manager

  • Live Dimension on 04/11/2015 - 09:38
    -8

    I'm not sure what the point of this thread is.

    It should be pretty common knowledge now that different stores run things slightly differently - even if they are a part of the same brand. This is because in the end each store is managed slightly differently. It doesn't make McDonalds or brand A/B/C bad, just that store. Complaining to head office and avoiding the store usually helps that store fix itself up in the long run (especially the complaining bit).

    You yourself said that you got the Sundae when you went to a different store which proves it's probably not McDonald's policy in error, but just another bad manager that is trying to save a penny while shitting on good will.

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 11:09

      Yes I understand every store can have little differences (i.e. Pricing, Menu, Opening/Closing hours) etc, but they can't just make their own rules different from Terms and Conditions specifically listed on their own franchise website. If this was to vary between different stores, the terms and conditions would have an Asterisk * and would have listed the stores which are not participating for this promotion or times or terms & conditions might be different for some stores, but there is no such thing on their website, which implies every store is bound by same rules.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 09:44
    +11

    Lodge a complaint on their website.
    I've done it many times and they have always offered me a replacement meal - though I never have successfully claimed it.
    Once I tried to claim it and they said "that manager is no longer here so we can't honour it"
    So I went online and complained, and they apologised and offered again!

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 11:02

      LOL what??? That is horrible.. You should switch to different store.

  • eatwell365 on 04/11/2015 - 10:16

    Get the guys name and call up Maccas head office.

  • cupcake on 04/11/2015 - 10:52
    +1

    That's not very nice of them to not comply with their own promotion.

  • yacman on 04/11/2015 - 11:16
    +3

    It's simple really, you made your point, call head office, make a compliant, they will reimburse you the Sunday plus compensation, the manager with get a grill from head office and hopefully won't do it in the future, name and shaming the store helps as well because to me that behavior is unacceptable.

    Some pople think because it's maccas the service doesn't have to be good, I disagree as this promotion is designed to make you spend and bait you to going in the store and purchasing more then just a Sunday or a cheeseburger for a trip you probably wouldn't of made if the promotion was not on.

    Giving one bad experience at the expense of a Sunday that probably cost them 30 cents to produce loosing a customer they could make 80% profit on would not make head office happy or yourself from wanting to purchase again.

  • ronnknee on 04/11/2015 - 11:30
    +1

    Yea, the manager was wrong. Any dates which are listed are inclusive unless stated otherwise. A lot of people don't understand this, which is why I wouldn't leave redemptions till the last day in case of these misunderstandings happen.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 11:44

    Why do you people even eat McDonalds? You're doing yourselves no favours by eating food fit for wild dogs and scanvengers.

    • anonymous01 on 04/11/2015 - 12:06

      No favours from no flavours, but free is free :/

    • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 12:15
      +2

      you've obviously never been stupidly hungover and eaten an octo-cheeseburger before.

  • ebonyeyes on 04/11/2015 - 12:06

    I was at McCafe yesterday (3/11) and they tried to tell me it "expired yesterday" but she gave to me in the end (actually she left the coffee in the edge of the counter without telling me it was ready). Personally I wouldn't argue in fear they do something to my food.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2015 - 12:14

    I find the mcdonalds at maroubra to be quite rude

  • richmond12 on 04/11/2015 - 12:22
    +1

    I redeemed a voucher this morning. seemed to work no problems…

  • Uprising14 on 04/11/2015 - 12:26

    Fill out the customer service form on their website, replies have always been very quick and helpful when I've done it. Even got a $10 voucher in the mail once because they were sorry, it's better than trying Twitter or Facebook.

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