Papa John’s wouldn’t let reader Adi redeem her coupon for a $9.99 extra-large pizza online, so she trekked over to the nearest store in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where she met the franchise owner from hell. The owner insisted that the coupon didn’t apply to online orders, so Adi asked to cancel her online order and re-order her pizza in person to get the discount. This prompted the owner to angrily throw the coupon at Adi, before throwing away her ready-made pizza. And was just the start of the fun…
Adi writes:
I ordered a pizza online tonight, and since there was no field to enter my coupon, I brought my coupon to the store. The staff member at the register was unsure how to enter it, so she got someone else to help me.
When I showed her the coupon in question, this woman informed me I couldn’t use it. I asked why and she said I ordered online. I re-read the coupon and when I pointed out there was no online exclusion she said it didn’t say it COULD be used online. I said that unless there was a printed exclusion, it should be acceptable. She refused, and I said that I would like to cancel my previous order and re-order my pizza using the coupon. Her answer was, “Fine. You can wait.” She threw the coupon back across the counter and I asked, “Isn’t the pizza already made? You’re going to throw it away and make a new one?” She replied that she was and after commenting that that was ridiculous, I stepped back to wait. She then yelled, “What do you want?” I began to answer and she interrupted me, yelling, “I can’t HEAR you.” I spoke louder and placed my order and she held out her hand for the coupon. I handed her the page of coupons and again she threw it back, saying, “You have to tell me which one.” I pointed it out for the third time, and she typed in the code and then threw the page away. I asked for the remaining coupons back and she snapped, “I’m not your secretary!”
At this point I asked if she were a manager and she informed me she was the co-owner. I was shocked a business owner would take part in such a display of such deplorable customer service. Of course, an employee would be fired in a minute for such belligerence.
When I got home I relayed the experience to my boyfriend, who insisted on calling and demanding an apology. After speaking to the owner, she refused to apologize and he informed her we would be contacting corporate. I realize she is a franchise owner, but I assume she is NOT the sort of person you want as the face of your company, and I suggest action should be taken, perhaps in the form of customer service training. I would also like to be compensated for my time and for the fact that I endured such vitriolic interaction.
I’ve been a Papa John’s customer for a few years, and have never had a problem before, but something of this nature makes me think about never stepping foot in one of your stores ever again.
(Photo: LiveU4)
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@Jay Slatkin: Hear, hear.
Although, fortunatly for me, I live in Stamford, CT, I swear if you open up the phone book to pizza and throw a dart, you are going to get a great pizza 99% of the time. It’s just uncanny how many good italian/pizza places there are.
Now if you get one of the three Dominoes in our little city…
You’re an asshole, and the employee reacted to your bitchy attitude… I can’t stand people like you! She would have done well in refusing you service, told you to go packing and banning you from the store for life. How much did you save with this stinkin’ coupon, anyway? Was it worth it?
@DeltaPurser: Relaaaaaax, step away from the flame button, slowly now. Theeeerrreee ya go.
The store was in the wrong, the only exception is the whole not taking the cuoupon out here self, while the owners “I’m not your secretary” response was classic, it could have been improved by adding the word “f*cking”, however, as the representitive of the buisness, it was utterly inappropriate.
I had a problem with Papa John’s coupon codes not going through too. I called their customer service and was told that coupons that are also on their web sight won’t go through. All you do is click on the special and order that way. I didn’t know they also had specials at the bottom of the page for you to click on. My local PJ also told me they don’t get information about on-line specials. This is a corporate error, not the retailer.
I have owned a business, and was surprised how customers can be. Any store that uses coupons asks the customer to notify them first. This is so the coupon can be used when the product is bought. All the grocery stores ask you to keep the coupon with each item, not give them the coupons at the end of the sale. That is how the computers are set up.
To do what the customer wanted in this case, the store had to cancel the order and then re-ring it again. Something tells me this custom is one of those who expects businesses to do what they want because the company wants their business. There were several customer we were glad we never saw again.
I would’ve have returned wearing nothing but a pair of BVD tighty whiteys and cowboy boots. My face covered in pizza sauce and twisted with the words from the good book. Rambling about the sins of mankind and the need for the blood of the lamb I would raise my bible over my head and begin slamming it down upon the countertop ’till they called the police or gave me my damn pizza at the discounted price.
1) I’ve seen it before – corporate marketing comes up with a brilliant marketing/coupon promotion to boost sales, but the cost is born entirely by the franchisee with no corresponding reduction in corporate fees. It creates franchisee/corporate tensions but it shouldn’t be taken out on the customer.
2) My local Little Caesars Pizza had a “Hot ‘n Ready 30 Second Guarantee” (“Pizza and a smile within 30 seconds”) on their wall. When I asked about it after waiting for 10 minutes their response …was to take down the sign. No smiles.
@Smorgasbord: Every grocery store with a electronic register can accept coupons in bulk at the end, atleast in NJ. Also in NJ, every grocery store has electronic registers by now.
Pathmark for example, you can scan every item, then at the end, your pathmark card, THEN 20 coupons, and it won’t even flinch. Ah, the joys of the computer age.
@MrsLopsided: Hell, I would have taken it down, then with a huge shit eatting grin, have said, “what sign?”
Yep, personal experience, having ordered through their website (PJ) I know get twice weekly spam PLUS at least bi-monthly paper mailers. The coupon codes on the paper mailers are not accepted on the website and have to be phoned in (the website uses “promotional codes”). So yah, completely retarded, in the true sense of the word.
@TurboWagon: The paper mailings are local ads, while the email spam is national ads. And you would be getting the paper ads if you had called up anyway.
Really people, wasting the second pizza would not have been needed…
Most of these places now fix / prepare the pizza where you can easily see everything…
Hence if the pizza was “tampered” accept it and take it to the nearest police station and count your windfall of 200,000 dollars…
The Dominoes in my area is near useless as well for online ordering..
The Online site retrieves the prices for the order from the store, different stores have differing prices, however the one by me is FAX only for online orders, that means that their online system does not ever show you a price for what you ordered, when you go to checkout, it swears that there is nothing in your cart as the total is $0.00…
I found this out after emailing the website master…
Is it me or has anyone else noticed how “corporate” seems to do things like Online specials and so forth without telling the local franchises???
It seems common sense to me that Corporate and / franchise owner would be all over that information… If they have a special on pepperoni pizzas, but the local uses sells sausage, you might run out of pepperoni???
It seems there needs to be more communication well in advance, for ordering purposes, so that franchises don’t get blindsided…
@macinjosh: Eh… It sounds like she is complaining to corporate through Consumerist. But it’s pretty unclear.
@twophrasebark: Eh… It sounds like she is complaining to corporate through Consumerist. But it’s pretty unclear.
CC’ing the Consumerist on EECBs is standard practice.
I have had the same runaround from various other establishments in regards to coupons. In other words….made up rules were suddenly applied when I attempted to use a coupon.
My fav was an ihop shift supervisor (not the manager) who decided I was using too many coupons (I’d use 2 a week [one coupon per order]). I later contacted Ihop headquarters & was assured that the supervisor was in the wrong & I was right & the matter would be taken care of… it was.
Miserable SOB.
@Randal Milholland: @Randal Milholland: Seriously, I moved from Weymouth to L.A. and I deal with substantially less crazy people and assholes. As soon as I saw, “Weymouth, Massachusetts,” I had a fair idea what was coming. But I’ve been on the other side of the counter in that town, as well.
When they’re good, they’re very, very good, but when they’re bad, you find yourself mentally setting them on fire.
As for, “amazing holes in the wall,” I can still name off a few there that should still be there. Actually, there’s a fantastic one just over the Braintree line in the Landing.
What a
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I’ve NEVER liked Papa Johns pizza restaurants — I don’t know what the problem is but they all seem to have some kind of attitude or something. After a couple bad experiences ordering from them in Arizona I decided to boycott them and haven’t ordered from them in over 10 years now. I don’t miss them, there’s plenty of other pizza restaurants to chose from and they need my business more than I need their pizza.
I blame both parties here.
The “co-owner” is a bitch.
The customer actually put up with her shit and then bought from the place regardless.
@dragonfire81:
“You likely caught someone on a bad day. If she really was the owner,
she’s likely been stressing a ton over money lately.”
If she was stressing out over money then why would she THROW OUT her
pizza?
I live in St. Louis too and all I have to say is… WHY does everyone insist that!? Then in the next breath they tell me that Imo’s is GOOD? Imo’s tastes like butt. I LOVE Papa John’s. (Bellacino’s pwns all though)
What would get a man fired, put under 72 hour psychiatric observation, or arrested in common behavior among woman – that no one wants to deal with.
Woman absolutely resent having to work. Combined with either their Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or self-loathing, and the general anti-man attitude of radical feminization, the situation in the workplace is volatile. Any wonder why any business is likely to fail soon after attaining a employee roster that is 50% or more female?
This was a pizza shop employee, if you really want to find woman in the “work” place with a mental/emotional condition and/or a real bug-up-their-ass attitude, go to any Government office, especially one with a woman in charge.
The links are very humorous, and very true: [womenintheworkplacetoday.blogspot.com] and [theproblemwithwomentoday-reality2008.blogspot.com]
You should check out [theproblemwithwomentoday-reality2008.blogspot.com] too.
Feminism is a hate movement that has made both men and woman miserable and has crippling effects on the economy.
Some people seem to be so caught up in ‘getting a sweet deal’ that they don’t see the forest for the trees.
When the manager began treating you horribly, why the f*** did you stay and wait for the pizza to be remade? I’d have walked out and bought my pizza or my dinner somewhere else…
Sometimes you have to be willing to let go when you see an item on sale or you have a coupon. Yeah, it sucks, and yeah, the companies and managers deserve to be vilified on the net and on the Consumerist…what they DON’T deserve is for you to stand there and take it and then have you still give them your money.
It’s not just corporate who pulls this bullshit. A local non-franchised “hole in the wall” Mexican joint near my house was offering coupons in the Entertainment Book. Not just once, but twice, the employee taking our order refused to honor the coupon. Needless to say, we don’t eat there anymore. It’s too bad because they had the best steak tacos. However, I refuse to be abused by a place where I’m spending my money (which is why I’ve boycotted Best Best for over five years now). If the owner can’t inform their employees about the coupons or explain to them how they work they clearly aren’t concerned about getting repeat business.
Ahem, that should be Best Buy. I hate that place so much I can barely type out the name.
@Smorgasbord:
I think a lot of people wait to whip out a coupon after they recieve the bill because they think the business will take the coupon & then ring up the bill higher to compensate. When I deal with contractors/mechanics…. I do this so they cant jack up the bill beforehand.
I have found that a lot of businesses HATE customers who bring in coupons.
Thank you consumerist.
It’s much better to see the blame falling on the franchise owner than the WHOLE company.
It’s refreshing to see the blame properly placed.
@jusooho: Full’o'win
@Preyfar:
I’ve noticed that many people don’t seem to think of driving somewhere as a variable or optional cost. Even at $4/gallon, they don’t seem to figure gas as part of the cost of a trip (let alone all the other costs of their car). Instead, people seem to behave as if the gas cost really occurs only at the time of filling up, and what they do in between visits to the gas station is effectively “free” since the tankful of gas is a sunk cost! Yes, it’s bizarre and irrational, but it does explain a lot of weird sh!t, like people driving across town to redeem a $2 coupon. There’s probably a social sciences PhD thesis in there for somebody…
@BrianU: Not gotten laid in a while, huh?
Oooh, there are no scams involving coupons. People never scan in old coupons and attempt to re-use them. And Ms Entitled is telling us the entire story.
The tell in this tale is “I’m not your secretary”. That should indicate Ms Entitled is leaving important bits out…just like a third grader.
Fill out your complaint online and on their toll-free number. I did this when my wife was told by a more-than-rude employee who told her to “clean out her ears”. My wife also spoke to the District Manager. Needless to say he was fired, and we got $60 worth of free food.
@exkon: Corporate *does* deserve some of the blame, if not for this incident, for the culture that allows shit like this to happen. Franchising allows corporate to create a willfull disconnect between themselves and the customers.
They love franchising because it passes on the really inefficient costs like supplies and staffing to the franchisees, and come up with marketing and discount schemes at their whim, and leave it to franchisees to nickel and dime and cut corners. And when something like this happens, they can simply shrug their shoulders and say, “How were we to know this independent business owner was a psycho? Here’s a $20 coupon for your troubles!”
Just as Comcast is complicit in the actions of its contractors, Papa John’s is partly responsible for the way its franchises treat their customers.
I’m not saying this is the way it is where you live, but around Grand Rapids, there are a lot of low-profile locally owned pizza places where you can get a one-topping for under nine dollars. They range from tasting relatively the same to outstanding, but at least they use real cheese.
Even Dunkin Donuts makes better pizza than Papa John’s.
“I live in St. Louis too and all I have to say is… WHY does everyone insist that!? Then in the next breath they tell me that Imo’s is GOOD? Imo’s tastes like butt. I LOVE Papa John’s. (Bellacino’s pwns all though)”
Try Blackthorn, just south of Tower Grove Park. Or Cecil Whitaker’s, which is sort of a chain…it’s Imo’s style, but with homemade sauce, decent toppings, and actual mozzarella rather than provel. Now that I think about it, it really isn’t like Imo’s at all…
@homerjay: I agree with you 100%. My comments weren’t to defend the local franchise. As an aside, I learned 2 weeks ago that in Texas, the Cici’s restaurant franchise fee is $600,000. How will you ever earn back that kind of money on $6 pizzas?
@twophrasebark: Consumerist, in addition to pulling public service as a consumer-advocacy site, also has side businesses that include group therapy, driving slowly along the freeway looking at car wrecks, and complaining about Best Buy. Everybody loves complaining (admit it, you do too). Consumerist is like a big basket of puppies, a few of whom are carrying blades. Way more fun than writing corporate (and waiting for a reply).
@badgeman46:
Thank you badgeman, for pointing this out. It reminds me of the time I visited Maine.
@BrianU: That’s hilarious since nearly all of my incompetent or brain-dead supervisors have been male. Don’t get me wrong, when I was in Weymouth, we had plenty of chicks who up and took off to FL right before they were supposed to work and then got their job back when it didn’t work out a week later.
But not only do I have a vulva, but I go to work and put in the best damn performance I can give and so do many other women.
Can you back up any of your allegations or that of your links with anything verifiable? Because otherwise, I’m just going to have to conclude you’re a troll, think you’re, “edgy,” or just a misogynist.
@ChuckECheese: It’s the buffet.
$7 a person (buffet plus drink 4.99+1.99), never shy of 40 people in the place. Open 12 hours a day, 360ish days a year. 7X40X12X360= $1,209,600, call in 1.2 mil.
Standard operating profit for a sit down restaurant is around 40% – leaves $480,000. Pay yourself 80K as the owner, and the franchise fee is recouped within the second year.
Your probably totally free and clear of all your loans after 30-36 months. Then enjoy your half-mil income.
@LostAngeles: He’s clearly an ass, which is why no one has responded to him.
However, I would steer clear of posts that start like yours. When you counter the argument with a “No, Males are worse” stance, it really weakens your overall effectiveness, and mitigates your outrage. Which, by the way, is completely justified.
Eh, probably best that you didn’t get the pizza. I hear that Papa John’s pizza in Weymouth is like eating a hot circle of garbage.
Ok, not that the the Papa John’s worker wasn’t completely in the wrong…. but how bad did the OP want the freakin’ pizza??? Come on, you make situations like these continue by actually supporting establishments that operate in this manner. What you SHOULD have done, is walk out without any pizza, and taken your business elsewhere… THEN called corporate and complained. What kind of self0-esteem issues do you suffer from that compels you to accept that type of abuse?
@RetailGuy83: I didn’t mean for it to come off like that. My best coworkers are actually sorted by shithead and not-shithead and not my gender. Thanks for pointing that out though.
@LostAngeles: “By,” not, “my.” Oy. I’m normally more careful.
@RetailGuy83: Hey, I responded to him. I pointed out that his perspective is distorted by his involuntary virginity.
@GrandizerGo: not happening with the shittier franchises. why? people actually go buy this stuff because of a coupon. the franchisee has to deal with the discount. they have to pay the franchise a royalty not based on the discounted amount. more money for the franchise, more win. :
@RetailGuy83: Oh god I laughed my ass off at your comment. Why and how you think that back-of-the-envelope calculation is accurate is unbelievable. The idea that a franchise would let you start a business with a loan for that much (honestly, if you don’t have that plus more in property/other businesses/money in general, even…), the idea that 40% is profit, the idea that the world is all perfect and gas isn’t $4.50/gallon and that (again) you can even get a loan.
God, my sides hurt.
@crazylady: Gas is 3.80/gallon.
@crazylady: Fair enough.
Sorry about the awful link (cici’s website is down right now)
CiCi’s Franchise Info
This site looks like it may not have been updated in a couple of years but, revenue is ~1 mil and adjusting for inflation, I’d say I wasn’t very far off.
Looks like CiCi’s is projecting profit at 20% though. So I was off here, however, I was guessing based on 600K startup costs. Looks like Franchise fee is 30K and liquidable required cash in the 100K area.
So paying everything back in the 2.5 to 3 year time frame is still VERY doable. Even if my rough math made you sad, I still was pretty close, and as you said, it was pretty much off the top of my head.
Sorry, found info about franchise fees and start-up requirements here
@theczardictates: Copy that, sorry missed you before
@crazylady: Sorry to keep adding things, but I have at least 2 friends that have started up companies with 1 mil+ bank rolls from VC’s and paid them back within 3 years. North Texas (just so happens where CiCi’s is HQ’d) is the small business capitol of the world. A solid business plan and half a head on straight can get you going around here. And, quite honestly, 40% margin is NOT crazy for the service industry. In many cases the low volume requires the margin to be that high or higher.