WHO: Domino’s Pizza
WHAT: Domino’s overcharged reader Robert for some pizzas and were rude to him when he pointed this out. Upon complaining to Domino’s corporate, Robert’s complaint was kicked back down to the people who were rude to him in the first place.
THE QUOTE:“Because your Domino’s Pizza store is independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative. Please be assured your comments will be taken seriously and considered to help Domino’s Pizza improve our operations.”
Domino’s writes to Robert:
January 22, 2008
Mr. Robert [redacted]
Dominos Case #: [redacted]
Dear Mr. Robert [redacted],
Thank you for taking the time to contact the Domino’s Pizza Customer Care Team. As a valued Domino’s Pizza customer, your comments are extremely important to us.
I want to apologize for the situation you encountered at the Cambridge location. Domino’s Pizza takes great pride in providing the quality products and service you have come to expect and trust.
Because your Domino’s Pizza store is independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative. Please be assured your comments will be taken seriously and considered to help Domino’s Pizza improve our operations.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. Your business is very important to us.
Sincerely,
Arnaldo
Domino’s Pizza Customer Care T.E.A.M.
Robert replies (to Domino’s):
Arnaldo-
After I sent my previous message (the one which you are replying to) I attempted to contact the Cambridge location again, and no one would assist me. They still have my money, and now that I’ve returned home there’s little chance I’ll get it back.
While they might be an independent franchise, they share your name, and their actions damage the reputation of your entire company.
To reiterate-
1) We placed an order for pizza’s you guys had on sale, and we were instead charged full price, which ended up being twice what we thought it would be.
2) When my friend called, he was treated rudely and told it was his fault that the sale price wasn’t given.
3) When I called, I was told the manager would return my call as soon as she could, but that it was our own fault.
4) After 3 calls to the store, we were finally told there was no manager on duty, but that she would call us the next day.
5) At no point did any of of the staff return my calls as they said they would.This entire time we were treated horribly by that stores staff. For you to tell me that you’re forwarding the complaint on doesn’t help much, since I’ve already called them and complain and was treated badly for doing so. All I wanted was a refund of the overage I was charged, and I was clear with the staff that I understand mistakes happen. I saved up for college by working at a pizza place, as did my sister (who actually worked at a Domino’s in Springfield, MA) and I know that sometimes it can be frustrating when a customer calls up with a complaint. As such, I went out of my way to be as polite as possible and simply wanted a return of my money. Instead I received attitude and frustration.
Please look into this a little deeper than just a form letter to myself.
Robert [redacted]
PS- I am CC’ing this email to The Consumerist, which is an excellent customer advocacy site.
(Photo:Tyler Durden’s Imaginary Friend
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I used to think that the Internet was serious business. Now I see that it’s the businesses that are the most serious.
Whats with their resurgence of the 30 minute guarantee thats not a 30 min guarantee? Its all very confusing. Bring back the noid if nothing else!
A Domino’s delivery guy driving a beemer? I need to switch jobs.
Domino’s isn’t exactly what I’d call pizza. IMHO, it’s more like cardboard with so-called “sauce” and assorted crap on it.
“taken seriously” is on the fast to the overused phrase of the year already. It’s a favorite of lawyers because it does not admit fault. It’s basically a slightly less brusque form of “no comment.”
@LionelEHutz: Blasphemy! That’s like saying Olive Garden isn’t authentic Italian cuisine!
@GitEmSteveDave: Red Lobster isn’t fine seafood dining?
Thank the Lord for credit card disputes!
The real shame is that living in Cambridge, the guy has access to dozens of excellent (and probably cheaper) local Greek pizza joints and still, bafflingly, chose Domino’s.
@nick_r: i was thinking just the same thing!
here in seattle, there’s about five local places that are just as expensive/cheap and much better than domino’s. if i want cheap i like pizza hut, but if i want cheap i’ll just move my lazy arse down to papa murphy’s and take and bake that sucker. mmmmmm, seven doller gutbuster pizza, six with coupons!
@LionelEHutz:
Domino’s Pizza started out in the midwest…nuff said.
@SOhp101: Yep. Chargeback is the proper response here (I’m assuming this was on a card).
@ClayS: Nothing good comes from the midwest… Nothing.
Domino’s is another example of how,when a company gets too big and arrogant,they bear no resemblance to what made them successful…When I was in college,they were a helluva value and the service (at least in my town) was exemplary.A shortcut here,a “corporate policy” change there and now they’re just another crappy pizza joint with an damn near inedible product.Remember “Fast,Free Delivery”?…Now,they tack on a delivery charge that almost guarantees that the hardworking driver will get a lot less in tips than before.(They are also one of the most expensive pizza places in my hometown.) I haven’t ordered from them in years.
I got Domino’s this weekend. 10.99 for all the toppings you want?! Sick…
@silencedotcom: @ClayS: Booo.
@silencedotcom: We don’t get the ridiculous ripoff prices that the coasts get.
@GitEmSteveDave: That’s exactly why I can’t get delivery from my Domino’s anymore.
A few months ago we ordered a couple pizzas from them. They had a deal where you buy any large pizza and get the second free. I placed the order online, printed out the confirmation page and the confirmation email. 40 minutes later the delivery guy showed up with one pizza. He didn’t really speak English so it was difficult to argue with him when he kept insisting we only ordered one pizza. We showed him the confirmation I had printed, but he couldn’t read it. I pointed to where the TWO pizzas were listed, and he finally got it. He told us he would go get the other one and we picked up the one he brought as he walked away. 5 seconds later we had to chase him down because the one he had given us was all squashed over to one side.
At this point we had already waited the 40 minutes and I was starving. I was hungry before we ordered, and I was 8 months pregnant. We called the manager to explain the situation and seek compensation. Her response was, “But you got the pizza within the guaranteed 40 minutes.” WTF? It had been 40 minutes and we still had no pizza. She did not offer us anything, so we told her what we wanted – the entire order free, half off at the very least. She countered by offereing free breadsticks and $5 off. Exasperated, we accepted.
A few minutes later she called back and said that because we had paid by credit card online she couldn’t take $5 off. The delivery guy arrived with the two pizzas, 40 minutes later, and no breadsticks. He got no tip, so now we can’t and won’t order from them.
I should have learned my lesson when an employee at another location stole my credit card number and used it to order $30 worth of pizza from that location – and had it delivered to his home.
THIS is NOT how you deal with complaints. You DONT basically tell on the customer who complained, to the person/business that was compalined about. That’s a PERFECT way to get spit or other disgusting things on your next pizza.
Delivery drivers are NOTORIOUSLY vindictive when it comes to complaints or what they consider a bad tip. I had a pizza place (Pizza hut) refuse to deliver to me anymore because some delivery driver thought that I didnt give a big enough tip ONE TIME. One complaint by some little snot-nosed delivery driver & me standing my ground evidently got my workplace put on some “delivery blacklist” at this pizza joint. I never even bothered complaining.
Pizza hut has Lost business now because of one little indignant deliveryboy who wanted a big tip for shit service.
Dominos now gets my (and my whole office’s) business from now on. They havent overcharged me yet (as far as I can tell).
I also had a problem with IHOP a few weeks ago, they refused a coupon (after I had been a loyal customer for years, stopping by once a week). I fired off an email to Ihop corporate, recieved a personal call from customer service & she acknowleged that I was treated unfairly & said it would NEVER happen again & to call her IF it did. THAT is how you deal with customer complaints. Bravo Ihop corporae cusomer service!
And I am not a hard customer to get along with…. actually i am usually the complete opposite & very polite. Most times I just let it go, dont complain & just try & forget about it.
The franchiser can only take a limited amount of responsibility for the actions of a franchisee. It all depends on the franchise agreement, of course, but the level of involvement they’re likely legally able to take may be very small.
The rest of the complaints are fairly valid, but (1) above is not. It is the consumer’s responsibility to ensure that the price quoted matches the price they’re expecting. Not all franchisees participate in all special offers, so you have to ask about it when you order (this is, obviously, why the offers typically state that you need to ask for them when you order).
@public enemy #1:
He’s actually working a second job to afford either the BMW or an overpriced house.
Dominoes hiked up prices near where I live. The only reason for getting Dominoes is because my friends and I didn’t have the bling to cover a Papa John’s (in college, three bucks makes the difference between pizza places). Once they were the same price, we quit ordering Dominoes, ordered delivery less often overall and now enjoy healthier figures, ftw! Oh and, Dominoe’s sucks.
I’m wondering why people continue to get delivery with crap service instead of hitting up their pizza place of choice and picking things up on the way home, or after shopping or whatever.
If/when I have a delivery complaint (wrong order, something forgotten, etc) I ALWAYS tip the delivery person BOTH TIMES. And thank them up and down for making the additional trip. After all, it’s my lazy ass that didn’t drive down and pick it up, and it’s NOT the delivery person’s fault for missing some of your order (if it’s damaged, that’s a different story).
Now, if I put the Domino’s logo on a barrel of toxic waste and put that image online on my web site, they’d send the lawyers after me to scare me into pulling it down, ignoring right to parody, etc.
They’d say things like “in order to protect our trademark” and “not to confuse consumers.” Yet, here an “independant” company bearing their trademark can act in a way to cause similar damage in the eyes of consumers and they don’t care.
Interesting.
@howie_in_az: The only reason we ever order from Domino’s is that they’re open later than everyone else. Sometimes we eat really late, and when I was pregnant even more so. Otherwise I prefer the local Italian places.
The Domino’s near my place once took slightly longer than the promised 30 minutes to deliver our pizza. Without us asking, they sent us an apology and something like a $3 off our next order.
Photo attribution has a typo in the spelling of the flickr name – Durden not Durdin – attribution url is ok, just the name is off.
Thank you.
-the photographer
Support your **LOCAL** independent pizza guys who are 999 times out of 1000, way better anyways.
I can think of 6 local places with better pizza than pizza slut/dominos/papa johns and only 1 worse place. And they’re not worse by much.
Our local Sports Bar has better pizza (and better looking wait staff as well).
@weakdome: The ‘damaged’ pizza was the reason we didn’t tip him. I realize he just delivers what he’s handed, but I expect it to get to me in reasonably good condition. He also copped an attitude with us until he realized we had actually ordered two pizzas. But yeah, I never hold people responsible for things I know they have no control over – I’ve worked enough retail to know what that’s like.
@nick_r: Yay for the “I won’t touch it if it’s not from a whole in the wall” crowd. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with small places, but there’s nothing wrong with eating big ones’ food either. No need for the smear.
The 30 minute guarantee is a joke. Just wait for the first lawsuit from a delivery driver who gets in an accident in order to get the pizza delivered on time, and gets a whopping $2 tip. With all the lawyers in this country, you know its coming. I’m sure Papa Johns will resort to 30 minutes or less, too. None of these delivery guys get any respect. They use their own vehicle, their own insurance, risk their own life on the road, deal with unreasonable customers who try to scam free pizzas, etc. No wonder the turn over is so high. But with the economy the way it is, I can see a guy in his 40′s with a mortgage, wife, and kids having to deliver at night to make ends meet. And who in their right mind would use a BMW to deliver pizzas?
@howie_in_az: Because they’re drunk?
Just a thought – that was usually the only time I ordered Domino’s (when I was still in an area where better places stopped delivering earlier, too – thank goodness for New York, where I can get independently-owned crappy pizza delivered at midnight)
@weakdome: What if it is the delivery person’s fault? What if they were supposed to pick up 2 boxes, but in their hurry only grabbed one? Just sayin…
@Buran: I’m with you on the sentiment. But Domino’s is a case where the smear is valid.
@howie_in_az:
Becaue there isnt always a fantastic choice of pizza places where you are. I dont live/work in new york or chicago where there are a bajillion of independent pizza places around every corner. Where I work… its a bit “economically depressed” … meaning the area is a crime-ridden shithole where all the decent independant businesses left long ago. Leaving only the big pizza chains. And not every place delivers, or delivers late, or to bad areas. Not much of a choice at all.
I have also found that the small independant pizza places are often insanely expensive compared to the chains….. especially the “boutique” pizza places.
I guess this makes up for all the times I just made up coupons when I ordered Domino’s.
Me – “Yeah, I have a coupon for $12 for 1 large 1-topping, 1 medium 1-topping, cheesy bread, and a 2-liter coke.”
Dominos – “Umm…I don’t know that one. What color is it?”
Me – “Blue”
Domino’s – “Ok…you’re total is $12.72 + tip…”
@Whoyaa: If I remember right, this is why they eliminated the 30-minutes-or-it’s-free guarantee. Drivers were getting into accidents.
Back in the day we used to get free pizzas from Domino’s, having them deliver to a friend’s house where it almost always took them 40 minutes. Those were the days!
I saw an ad on TV today. Domino’s is doing the 30 minute delivery again. Ya think the drivers have to sign a thick “agreement” before they can start delivering?
May I recommend you get pizza in Cambridge, MA from a better source? Domino pizza is horrible. Ma Magoos on Alewife Brook Parkway (BTW, try their Derek W. Delight if you get the chance).
Seriously, support your local (better) pizza shops.
I’m trying to muster up sympathy for someone who orders from Domino’s, but it just ain’t happening. You get what you overpay for — shit pizza from a huge corporation founded by an anti-choice, intolerant douchebag.
@sleze69:
ROFL!! I sooooo do that too!!! Or use expired coupons, they NEVER ask for it. As long as it’s not too ridiculous they shrug it off.
fyi- the 30 mins or less guarantee was on hiatus for a while because there were so many accidents, they just recently brought it back in their new ad campaign (at least in my area in md/dc/nova)
@JPropaganda: “Sick” is right…I remember when Domino’s tasted like Pizza instead of the food equivalent of a 5th generation mix tape of songs recorded off the radio. Not that it was ever that great, but it used to resemble pizza.
Why all the problems with Pizza?
Mistakes happen.
But every time a mistake has happened my local PizzaDominoPappaHut has gone so far above and beyond to correct the mistake that I wonder how they can stay in business.
Maybe it is small town America. Maybe it is the customer treating the vendor’s employees properly.
I’m sure the 30 minute delivery was brought back due to the poor economy. I’m in Texas. Must be a national ad campaign. Just in time for Superbowl Sunday!
@silencedotcom: Heather Graham comes from the midwest… MIlwaukee specifically. So you are WRONG!
@silencedotcom:
Nothing good comes from the midwest… Nothing.
Where the fuck do you think virtually all of your food comes from?
Douchenozzle.
This readers first mistake was calling Dominoes.
The same thing happened to me at my local Domino’s (in the Kingsbridge area of the Bronx, NY. They sent me half-raw garlic bread that was (presumably accidentally) coated in cinnamon and a pizza with about half the toppings left off. Of course, I didn’t discover this until after I had paid and the delivery guy had left. I too complained to corporate and they kicked it down to the local place who never got back to me. Since then I have never placed an order with them, and I never will, not even in another state. Corporate Domino’s requires absolutely no accountability of their franchisees. They’re like a model for how NOT to do business!