Restaurant coupon issue - how SHOULD I have reacted?
OhioGuy
entirely accepted properly. Here's what happened:
My wife knew we'd be a bit pressed for time after she got home from work,
so I called up in the early afternoon and made reservations for the food to
be ready at 5:50.
We have one of those GM Motor Club cards, which also comes with the
Entertainment Coupons online. I got on there and printed out a coupon for
Las Piramides Mexican restaurant. It said buy one of the combo meals, get
one free. Simple enough, right? My wife was demanding enough to just tell
me she wanted something with meat.
When I called to make the reservation, I explained up front that I needed
two of the combo meals, and then asked what the combinations were. The guy
I talked to could speak English, but I wasn't sure from his responses if he
entirely understood me completely. At the end of the conversation, he did
repeat my reservation for 2, the time, and the meals, though.
Anyway, when we got to the restaurant, I made sure to show them the coupon
up front, just like it said to.
The food was good. I had a Chile Relleno, some sort of salad with
quacamole on a tostada, plus rice and refried beans. My wife had chicken
quesadillas with a salad, rice and refried beans. The combo meals were all
supposed to be $8. I left a decent tip for what the full price would
normally be.
When they brought the bill, I noticed that my wife's meal was $12.95,
while mine was $8.95. Ok, I could see the $8.95 - prices had evidently gone
up a bit. I went up to pay, expecting to get the lesser of the two for
free. I explained that I had expected to only pay around $9, because I had
asked on the phone for two combo meals. She told me sorry - but the second
meal was not a combo meal - it was essentially a combo meal with the
addition of the chicken quesadillas.
Because the second meal was not a combo meal, she told me that the coupon
was not valid. At first she said I'd have to pay the full price of about
$22. I told them no way was I going to do that when I clearly asked for 2
combo meals over the phone, and expected to only pay about $8.
She then countered by saying she could take $5 off for the coupon, but
that it would not be "buy one, get one free" like the coupon stated, and
that they were just "being nice" since the second meal didn't qualify under
the terms of the coupon.
I grudgingly ended up paying $17 for the 2 meals - more than twice what I
had expected to. I'm not saying that the food wasn't worth it - it was
good. However, the whole issue was caused by a person on the phone who
evidently did not understand me completely.
When my wife got out to the car and we talked about it, she said her
Father never would have paid that much. Evidently her Father was well known
for paying cash, and paying only exactly what he expected to pay, then
walking out. She said I should have at least argued and negotiated with
them until they either accepted the payment I expected, or I should have
just laid down cash and walked out, saying that if it wasn't ok, then I
would never be back, and clearly laying the blame for the whole issue with
the fact that they have people on the phone who don't completely understand
English.
I'm not a confrontational person - but maybe my wife is right. Perhaps I
let people walk all over me too much.
Should I have done what my wife suggested - simply laid down a 10 spot and
walked out - explaining that they need to honor what I was told on the
phone, or I'd never set foot in their door again?
Al Bundy
OhioGuy wrote:
>
> When my wife got out to the car and we talked about it, she said her
> Father never would have paid that much. Evidently her Father was well known
> for paying cash, and paying only exactly what he expected to pay, then
> walking out. She said I should have at least argued and negotiated with
> them until they either accepted the payment I expected, or I should have
> just laid down cash and walked out, saying that if it wasn't ok, then I
> would never be back, and clearly laying the blame for the whole issue with
> the fact that they have people on the phone who don't completely understand
> English.
>
> I'm not a confrontational person - but maybe my wife is right. Perhaps I
> let people walk all over me too much.
>
> Should I have done what my wife suggested - simply laid down a 10 spot and
> walked out - explaining that they need to honor what I was told on the
> phone, or I'd never set foot in their door again?
You should check deep in the pocket of your wife's purse and retrieve
your testicles, but be sure to ask her permission first or she will
dope slap you.
Siskuwihane
Since you said you were not sure if the person on the phone entirely
understood
you, you should have made sure someone else did when you arrived
at the restaurant BEFORE you got your food, not after you ate it.
Shawn Hirn
> Should I have done what my wife suggested - simply laid down a 10 spot and
> walked out - explaining that they need to honor what I was told on the
> phone, or I'd never set foot in their door again?
I would have asked to speak with a manager. I would also report this
incident in writing to the publisher of that coupon book to let them
know their coupons are not being honored by that establishment.
Don K
> I grudgingly ended up paying $17 for the 2 meals - more than twice what I had expected
> to. I'm not saying that the food wasn't worth it - it was good. However, the whole
> issue was caused by a person on the phone who evidently did not understand me
> completely.
No the issue was caused by you. Your coupon said 2 combo meals. You
ordered something else. You can't negotiate for something different over
the phone with someone who does not fully understand what you're talking
about.
When you got to the restaurant you should have clarified whether the coupon
would still apply even with the substitutions, before you ordered. Then
you would have a case if they didn't do what they agreed to
IMO, be thankful you didn't overreact and make a fool of yourself.
Don
Al Bundy
> "OhioGuy" <n...@none.net> wrote in messagenews:feku21$h1v$1...@aioe.org...
Don, it's fun to talk about, but to some extent we may be wasting our
time. Ohio Guy is either a world class troller on this group or dumb
as a rock. He's always asking for us to find him potato chips for 1ยข
an ounce like he saw somewhere or some other foolishness. I replied to
his post about writing articles for money that he could make plenty of
money just writing about his life honestly because it surely must be a
trip. The deeper he goes into his lifestyle, the better it gets. Soon
it will be enough for a novel.
Don't stop, Ohio Guy. It's fun reading no matter what.
Zuke
> On Oct 11, 6:31 am, "OhioGuy" <n...@none.net> wrote:
> If you were note sure if the person on the phone entirely understood
> you then you should have made sure someones else did when you arrived
> at the restaurant BEFORE you got your food, not after you ate it.
>
>
You have lost the battle but not the war my friend. Find out their
busiest time. Sit yourself down at their best table. Order their
best steak. Eat 90% of
the meal. Find out your steak is not as you ordered it. Make a
scene out of the worst of the prison movie meal riot scenes.
Speak in a loud out of control voice, wave your arms frantically,
leap out of your chair, lose your balance and fall into a table
of eight upsetting all of their dinners. Restaurants love this type
of scene, it does wonder for the the enjoyment of their other
customers. Normally I wouldn't suggest such behavior but the
way your were mistreated gives you carte blanc in my opinion.
They are the ones who printed up those coupons, they were the ones
who misordered.
Was somebody holding down your wife so she couldn't
speak up? Point out to your wife that she lives in OHIO and not
AFGHANASTAN.
George Grapman
coupon when the meal is ordered. If you are truly getting two for one
they should not need to know you have it before it is prepared.
For a few years we had something here called the Gusto Card. The card
was given to anyone with automatic credit card billing for the San
Francisco Chronicle. At first it was linked to your credit card and
later could be used with cash payment. It was accepted at places ranging
from a high end French restaurant to a local taco place.
The cards expired every 6 months and it took repeated calls to get a
new one. Finally it was discontinued, seems too many places instead of
getting new business were just giving discounts to regulars.
Jeff
> Yesterday my wife and I went out to eat and used a coupon, which wasn't
> entirely accepted properly. Here's what happened:
>
> My wife knew we'd be a bit pressed for time after she got home from work,
> so I called up in the early afternoon and made reservations for the food to
> be ready at 5:50.
>
> We have one of those GM Motor Club cards, which also comes with the
> Entertainment Coupons online. I got on there and printed out a coupon for
> Las Piramides Mexican restaurant. It said buy one of the combo meals, get
> one free. Simple enough, right? My wife was demanding enough to just tell
> me she wanted something with meat.
>
> When I called to make the reservation, I explained up front that I needed
> two of the combo meals, and then asked what the combinations were. The guy
> I talked to could speak English, but I wasn't sure from his responses if he
> entirely understood me completely. At the end of the conversation, he did
> repeat my reservation for 2, the time, and the meals, though.
>
> Anyway, when we got to the restaurant, I made sure to show them the coupon
> up front, just like it said to.
>
> The food was good. I had a Chile Relleno, some sort of salad with
> quacamole on a tostada, plus rice and refried beans. My wife had chicken
> quesadillas with a salad, rice and refried beans. The combo meals were all
> supposed to be $8. I left a decent tip for what the full price would
> normally be.
You know that every Mexican restaurant is pretty much the same as
every other. If you order a #4 at El Gringo it will be the same as a #4
at Montezumas Revenge.
Those number meals are always cheap and are what I know as mexican
combo platters. As opposed to their house specials (which are all pretty
much the same also, but not numbered).
I'm sure they do this so that they do not have to retrain employees
after an immigration raid. If you've worked in one Mexican restaurant
you don't have to learn anything new to work in another.
Now, I don't ever remember seeing Chicken Quesadillas as a numbered
meal. I could be wrong but it looks like you caused a scene because you
did not read the menu!
Jeff
Goomba38
> No the issue was caused by you. Your coupon said 2 combo meals. You
> ordered something else. You can't negotiate for something different over
> the phone with someone who does not fully understand what you're talking
> about.
>
> When you got to the restaurant you should have clarified whether the coupon
> would still apply even with the substitutions, before you ordered. Then
> you would have a case if they didn't do what they agreed to
>
> IMO, be thankful you didn't overreact and make a fool of yourself.
>
> Don
>
>
I think it was certainly easier for OhioGuy's wife to act all bravada
and say what he should have done, considering she said it away from the
actual confrontation.
I think OhioGuy made the mistake of not clarifying the coupon issue
before eating...and wonder if he's so cheap (like his wife's father
sounded) and stiffed them on the tip too? Did he know to tip on the
value of the entire meal costs before the discounted coupon?
George Grapman
He summed it up himself when he said the phone conversation did not
make it clear.
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"Goomba38" <Goom...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:q_qdnSJGi497ypPa...@comcast.com...
op: I left a decent tip for what the full price would
normally be.
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"George Grapman" <sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote in message
news:p1rPi.3179$wF3....@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
> On a related note I never buy into deals that require me to show the
> coupon when the meal is ordered. If you are truly getting two for one they
> should not need to know you have it before it is prepared.
i've often wondered if they somehow skimped on the meals that ordered
with a coupon. or maybe they just wanted to be sure there were no
problems with fulfillment.
OhioGuy
> your testicles, but be sure to ask her >permission first or she will dope
> slap you.
Says the man who never talks to his wife before doing anything. Don't
bring me down, man, just for considering other people.
Seriously, my wife said that her Dad always did this sort of thing, and
even paid proportionally less if the food wasn't prepared to his liking.
While he NEVER let anyone take advantage of him, she said it also made it
rather unpleasant to go out to eat with him.
I'm just not that picky. If the food and atmosphere are good, I'm quite
happy to pay a reasonable amount. In this case, however, the amount I was
being asked to pay was twice what I was expecting.
OhioGuy
>speak up? Point out to your wife that she lives in OHIO >and not
>AFGHANASTAN.
Uhh ... I think women need to go to the bathroom there, too. We were in
quite the hurry so she could go to a lecture about the Wizard of Oz. I was
on the way up to pay the bill before I noticed the price discrepancy, while
she put some food in a doggie bag and went to the bathroom. When I left
her, even I didn't know about the price issue.
OhioGuy
other. If you order a #4 at El Gringo it will be the same as a #4
The difference is that the combo meals here are NOT numbered. You have
about 10 things to choose from, and you choose 2. Then you also get refried
beans and rice.
I think several things added to the confusion.
1) They recently changed their combo meals from 3 items to 2
2) They did away with the numbers
3) The guy on the phone finally repeated everything to me A - OK at the end,
so I thought I was getting two combo meals - specifically what I asked for,
so that the coupon would be accepted
4) We were in a hurry, and thus called ahead to make sure the food was
waiting when we got there
5) they kept changing stories at the cash register - first it was ok, we'll
take the coupon. Then it was "oh, sorry, this coupon is no good". Then
"ok, we'll give you $5 for the coupon".
As I said, we were already in a hurry, and I just wanted out of there by
then.
Yes, I did leave a $4 plus tip. I did work at a fast food restaurant
once, so I try to leave 20%. I remember what it was like, just getting
pocket change, no tip, or just a dollar or two.
And no, the only trolling I've ever done was out on Lake Erie, and then
again down in the Gulf of Mexico. I've also had a pet rock, but hopefully
I'm not as dumb as one.
Dennis
<der...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>"George Grapman" <sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote in message
>news:p1rPi.3179$wF3....@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>> On a related note I never buy into deals that require me to show the
>> coupon when the meal is ordered. If you are truly getting two for one they
>> should not need to know you have it before it is prepared.
>
>i've often wondered if they somehow skimped on the meals that ordered
>with a coupon.
Or maybe they added a little something extra ...
Dennis (evil)
--
"There is a fine line between participation and mockery" - Wally
Paul Cassel
>
> Should I have done what my wife suggested - simply laid down a 10 spot and
> walked out - explaining that they need to honor what I was told on the
> phone, or I'd never set foot in their door again?
>
Tell your wife that any time she thinks she can do better, she can jump
right in.
val189
ASCERTAIN beforehand what was covered by the coupon.
Lou
I don't think so.
I've never known anyone to order the food over the phone for a sit down, in
the restaurant dinner. Take out, yes, but not eat in. If whatever you
ordered didn't qualify for the terms of the coupon, you're not entitled to
the coupon price. It could even be argued that you didn't show the coupon
up front, since you ordered before you displayed the coupon.
A conversation, by phone or otherwise, requires at least two people who
speak a common language - the issue was caused by BOTH you and the other
person on the phone - apparently neither of you understood the other
completely.
As to your wife's father, I hope you've never told your wife how your mother
was so much better than she is as a housekeeper/wife/mother/whatever.
Meghan Noecker
>
> Should I have done what my wife suggested - simply laid down a 10 spot and
>walked out - explaining that they need to honor what I was told on the
>phone, or I'd never set foot in their door again?
>
Walking out without paying the amount on the bill would be considered
theft, and they coudl call the police on you.
Now, did you say on the phone that you had a coupon? You don't say
that you did, only that you asked about combos.
I have found that people often do not say the correct thing when they
are orderingm and we often have to guess. For example, where I work,
we have an express special and a supreme combo. A lot of people ask
for a combo, but they are referring to the express special. I have
learned to ask the customer for clarification, but many of the newer
employees do not. They start serving the supreme until it becomes
clear that the customer does not want that meal.
I'm not saying that the clerk couldn't have been more helpful, but if
he did not know you had a coupon, he probably assumed you were
interested in any meal that had had rice/beans with an entree.
I am also puzzled that you did not confirm prices when you called. Had
you been to that restaurant before? Were all of their meals the same
price before?
I think that had you told the person you had a coupon, he would have
limited his menu options to combos that qualified. And had you asked
for prices, you would not have been surprised by the higher price.
I think that once you skip that part and place the order, you are
obligated to pay for it. You could send a letter and complain if you
really feel justified. But I think it would be wrong not to pay
properly when you didn't confirm the price in advance.
OhioGuy
Book" coupons last night, with no problems. We ordered 2 meals - lasagna
and broasted chicken, with sides, and instead of paying $18, we got them for
$9 total.
Chloe
What did it cost you for the book itself?
Siskuwihane
> >Was somebody holding down your wife so she couldn't
> >speak up? Point out to your wife that she lives in OHIO >and not
> >AFGHANASTAN.
>
> Uhh ... I think women need to go to the bathroom there, too. We were in
Then you should have asked the Wizard for a set of balls.