"Your chicken's getting cold."

I'm telling all my CSRs to use that phrase from now on....

"My laptop is broken."

"Your chicken's getting cold."

I used to live in Los Lunas. Though I never went to KFC, I had a very similar experience at Lotaburger in Belen. Jerks shorted me two chili bowls, then called me a liar when I called them on it. They kept insisting I must have left them in the car - Hello! Idiot, trust me I would not be arguing with you if you had given me what I paid for. The manager was very rude until I threatened to do a chargeback on my credit card, at which point she told me to come in to pick them up. I ate, was full and went back for the chili bowls. Yeah right - like I'm really going to eat them now! I picked them up off the counter and "accidentally" dropped them both on the floor, causing quite a mess. The bitch of a manager was livid. Best $6 I ever spend.

Blaming the OP here.

You always have problems at this KFC. Problem number one: you don't bother to get out of your car, go inside, and watch them make the meal and actually talk to them face to face. It's amazing how often face to face changes things.

You always have problems at this KFC. Problem number two: you don't bother to check your order before leaving.

You had a specific problem at this KFC. Problem number three: you went back over and STILL didn't bother to actually get out of your car and go inside to straighten it out.

You know, when I have a problem with my bank, I don't go to the drive through to straighten it out.

If you're SO lazy you can't be bothered to get out of your car, even after numerous problems at this location and especially after a specific problem, and you're trying to fix the problem AT THE DRIVE THROUGH, while sitting on your butt....

@afrix: You certainly are blaming the OP. I can't figure out why, though. You're acting as if this is some huge deal that needed to be 'handled' as if it were actually a bank transaction. Drive through -- KFC forgot biscuits -- Oops, I'll just go back through and get them. This should not have been a big deal whatsoever. The only thing I'd likely have added is perhaps a comment to the snotty worker like, "Hey, If I was gaming this system, would I have just spent more money in gas driving back here and waiting in my car than the biscuits cost?"

I would have gone inside, too. They're less likely to mouth off at you and give you a bad time in front of a house full of other customers. They can say anything they want to if it's only drive-thru.

A lot of little problems all add up to one big problem. This is a known problematic restaurant.

Getting OUT of the car to avoid and/or straighten out a problem is just not a big deal, but so many people just refuse to do so--and then whine when the world doesn't go perfectly as they sit in their cars.

Frankly, yes, saying "oops, I'll just go back through THE DRIVE THROUGH, where they have cars in line and a protocol for taking money in order and giving out food in order, interrupting that, and messing with the $3.50/hour employee who will be thoroughly confused by some random car coming up and asking to straighten out an order that happened half an hour ago"--yeah, that's a big deal. The drive through isn't prepared for that, and isn't the appropriate place AT ALL for something like this.

People, get out of your cars. When you go to a place that you KNOW is problematic, get out of your car. Go inside and watch them prepare the food--it's right there for you to see. Stand there at the counter and check your order before leaving, and get it straightened out there.

When you KNOW the place always gets something wrong, you have an obligation to check it out before you leave. If you don't, you've given up the right to whine about the results.

It's like Taco Bell. Just come to accept whatever they hand you in the bag at the drive through. It's probably not related to what you thought you ordered, but what's the difference? Just accept it. It's probably close enough.

In fact, EVERYTHING at Taco Bell is close enough. I'm not sure why they even have a menu. The wrapper is either soft or hard, the meat is either brown or white, and there are some veggies and cheese involved. Whatever. Just give me two foods and a drink, thank you very much.

step one to getting good customer service is being a good customer in the first place.

Did you antagonize the manager when you initially placed the order? and I'll second afrix

I must agree with the others, check the order before you leave. Even when I'm behind folks in the drive through, it doesn't aggravate me when you check your order before you pull through. (It does aggravate me when you can't be bothered to hang up your cell phone and order. If you don't know what you want, don't sit in front of me and stare at the board while gabbing on your phone.)

Our local KFC has done nice things for me in the past, and have been quick to correct any problems which may occur.

I really hope you didn't actually eat those biscuits! lol

Everyone blames a customer for bothering to ask for the full order, and expecting civil employees? The consumer expectations have really been lowered here.

Why would you eat something as disgusting as a dead, fried bird, and insist upon accompanying it with biscuits that have the nutritional value of cardboard?

@afrix: Afrix, please review our comment code. To wit: "Please, suggest alternate courses of action, or add important information that might help others or that we missed. Don't attack people."

In other words, make helpful suggestions - don't call the consumer names (e.g. lazy).

Now check to make sure they didn't pee in your biscuits...!

If it was too late, then the drive-through may have been their only option. I agree with checking your order before pulling away, if only to make things easier on everyone when they screw up.

And they will screw up. Have you ever seen fast food employees in the back. I mean, actually studied them working? You really can't tell the difference between them and the mentally handicapped employees (and there's often at least one to compare against).

Let KFC corporate know. They may not care, but it all vanishes in the noise if they don't even know. Now is also a good time to experiment with new eating habits.

@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz: I appreciate moderation being used to ban outright abuse of all kinds or trolls trying to hijack threads, but he did offer a suggestion here - that the OP not use the drive-through.

I can't help but feel like any comment that is remotely critical of the OP is now subject to wrist-slapping. I know there's a large gray area, but the point is to engender a thoughtful, helpful discussion right? This type of thing feels a bit stifling.

Hate to blame the consumer but, "Now, every time we'd tried to order there in the past, there was always something wrong."

You lose, good day sir!

In all seriousness, to avoid this in the future, just check the bags before you even pull out of the lot. That way there is less likelihood of being accused of grand theft biscuit, and it saves you time and heartache.

@iMike: Dead fried bird is amazing. Where in the world are you from?

Like others, I'm really flabbergasted that anyone would try to fix an incorrect drive-thru order by going back to the drive-thru instead of going into the store. Maybe I'm a jerk, but that decision really indicates an extreme level of laziness to me. And yeah, if you've had problems at a drive-thru every time you've ever gone there, why would you not double-check the order before leaving the parking lot?

That said, even extremely lazy, illogical people deserve good customer service (even if their asses are permanently attached to their car seats), and the manager's reaction was completely out of line. I find the best way to put the kibosh on drive-thru errors is to simply check what they give me before I drive away. Even if you have to check 20 orders, it'll save you a lot more time and/or disappointment then discovering the mistake once you're down the road.

@afrix: it makes you wonder why they acted like jerks. it might have something to do with their frame of reference being so much higher than the people in their car.

if i towered over someone complaining, i doubt i would give it much concern, especially if they were concealed from the rest of the general public.

To quote Joe Pesci (one of the Lethal Weapon movies), "they always screw you at the drive-thru."

Everyone has had this happen to them. So, even if you get stared at, stop and examine the food before driving off.

I've had mixed experiences with stuff like this. There are three KFC's within driving distance of my house. At one I've gotten ill each time I've eaten there, all three times. At another, they get my order wrong every time, in the store and drive-thru, they get my order wrong. I eventually stopped going to both locations and so far have good experience with the third.

There is a better way to handle stuff like this. I once drove off from a McDonalds without a part of my breakfest and didn't realize it until I got to the office. I decided to stop by at lunch and see if I could get a refund. They were nice about it, even remembered the order and discounted my lunch by the amount that I'd paid.

I even had a good experience at the Starbucks near that old office. I'd had two orders incorrect on the previous two days. I had only mentioned it because I wanted them to be sure that they got this one right, and they instantly gave me the order that day for free.

It doesn't take much to make a customer happy.

my local kfc/taco bell never has chicken. i dont think they like to cook it. after about 4 times of this we just quit going. its great if you want a burrito though.

Commenters: Yes this situation could probably have been avoided but the same could be said for most situations. The OP should have received the proper order from KFC without any special prodding or enhanced ordering techniques. Yes, mistakes happen, however, reporting the problem from the drive through, phone, or in person is no excuse for being called a liar by an employee. Blaming the OP in the comments is usually nothing more than an obvious observation and does very little if anything to help shed light on the topic

@selectman: Telling someone going through drive through that they should have gone inside and watched the food being made is a little beyond the pale.

@jumbo pongo: Definitely don't eat the biscuits. Pretty simple rule to live by, don't provoke/fight/argue with the people who handle food you plan on eating, no matter how irrational or obstinate they may be.

It sucks, but they have a upper hand that you just can't counter.

I thought it was standard operating procedure that you ALWAYS settle order issues by going in to the counter. In fact, one of the reasons I often don't use the drive-thru is out of certainty that I'm probably going to have to park and go in anyway when they screw up my order. And they will screw up my order.

Blocking the drive thru and yelling "We want our biscuits!" at the employees also should be avoided. You gotta keep your cool.

I have always disliked this trend of whining about "blaming the consumer." Sometimes the consumer shares a porton (or majority) of the blame. If you want to take a crack at people blaming the consumer, I would kindly direct your attention to

For one, I wouldn't eat that biscuit if I were you but I guess it's too late for that. Who knows, he might have added "special ingredients" to them just to get back at you. So did it taste good?

KFC has a horrible time with forgetting items it seems. I thought it was just a continuing problem with the KFC on Gandy in Tampa.

@Troy F.: lost part of my post...I would kindly direct your attention to the thread about the bad WaMu CSR in which some commenters rip the submitter for showing up 5 minutes before the branch closed - a fact which has little, if anything to do with his actual complaint and appears to be only mentioned as one of the reasons that caused his need to call customer service. That's blaming the consumer.

Definitely go inside. I know you think you are screwing KFC by blocking their drive through and making other customers drive off, but really you are just making other people frustrated who have their own problems.

I guess Leo Getz was right....

"They F--- you at the drive thru!"

I agree that you should contact corporate. Corporate should offer compensation, likely in the offer of a coupon for a comparable meal and then will contact the Franchisee. One would hope that the Franchisee is somehow pinged for each complaint by corporate.

While I don't blame the OP, this bit from the letter sort of irritated me :

"Proper customer service does not include telling irate customers they are wrong, simply because others are liars. "

It seems as though she thought she should get her way because she was an irate customer. Anybody who ever worked a lousy job with the public knows that the liars and scammers also get irate, and many customers are irate regardless of how well you do your job. Being an irate customer in no way entitles you to anything. The OP wasn't lying, but from the point of view of the person working at KFC, you were just one irate customer in a long line of irate and condescending customers, many of which are liars and scammers trying to get freebies.

This posting so totally begs for blaming the OP.

1. You acknowledge that they always get your order wrong, but you don't check your order at the window when they hand it to you.

2. Calling the store, nicely, after getting home, [Gee our biscuits were missing from the order], would have been logical. Then they customer would have likely be given reasonable instructions [This is Bob, ask for me when you come back]

3. The fact that lots of people scam a store for free product IS relevant. A store has to set policies appropriate for the market it serves. Given a customer missing product while they are still at the window or shortly thereafter is not unreasonable. Someone showing up unnanounced in the drive-through line is a bit much.

4. And in the OP's own words: "..we were yelling, "We want our biscuits"- Finally, after at least twenty minutes..."

I used to always go inside for drive through errors, but the last time I had my 3 year old in the back seat, and he would frequently take a long time to get into the car seat (Its gotten a lot better with some strict discipline, but we were still working on it then).

The staff at the drive through was great at fixing our food at the window, but I will admit to not leaving the parking lot.

My wife always checks drive through orders (and her complicated burgers or sandwiches are frequently messed up), but my orders are very rarely messed up, so I usually don't bother (and suffer the consequences when it is messed up). At the very least, I pull forwards to allow them to help the next customer while we check the order, which makes corrections more difficult.

those dang biscuit-scamming THIEVES!!!!!!!!!!

lol

Its pretty messed up for a fast food place to accuse you of lying when they forget something in your order.

And I dont see anything wrong with going back thru the drivethru when an item is forgotten. I've done this lots of times & never once gotten any guff. I tend to check my order while still at the window (a quick look) or just after I have pulled away. I have even had them give me free stuff when they realized their error (arby's & BK)... which was pretty cool IMO.

There is one KFC that I used to frequent on the way to work (before I moved) that routinely ran out of items (which is just about unheard of from my personal experience). Really frustrating.

And to those who say "dont frequent a place that is known for having bad service".... when its the only KFC on your way to work or closest to your home.... you are not going to drive way out of your way to go to another one. ANd I dont know of any other fast food place I can buy mashed potatos at around here.

Note: I only had one fast-food drive-thru attendant kinda accuse me of scamming them when I paid for a meal with a twenty & got change back for a ten. SHe said something like "Did you REALLY pay with a twenty?" while she gave me the stink-eye.

Note: I've noticed you get treated more poorly customer service-wise when the fast food place is in a bad part of town.

Cooking at home sometimes instead of eating out [might save some $$ and some gas too] could have saved poor Dana from building all of the little problems she's had in the past to one big problem.

<<< prefers to cook at least 5 out 7 days /weekly and don't like much of chicken .......yes KFC is nice n all but will save my $$ and head to Quiznos or somewhere else...where they value my biz..rather than going to same place where I have been previously offended ...just my $.02

If the manager is the owners son, he's probably not properly qualified for the job, thus explaining some of his and the employees behavior.

However, I don't think either party handled the situation correctly.

@selectman: I'm not saying that afrix's comments were wholly without merit, but simply that they go too far. Again, helpful comments are fine, but that doesn't give one an excuse to insult the consumer.

Not every consumer is going to act perfectly in every situation. It's okay to point out how they might have handled it better. That's helpful What's not okay is to go even further and say "If you're SO lazy you can't be bothered to get out of your car..." That is not helpful.

The KFC employees did not handle this correctly, but I agree with those who say that the OP would have done better if she had gone inside instead of going through the drive thru. The dynamics of standing face to face are just so much different than shouting through a window.

Unlike some folks, I've almost never had problems getting my orders right at the drive through (or at the counter) so I'm not overly concerned with using the drive through for fast food purchases, but I do agree, once you spot a problem it's usually more productive to walk in and sort it out in person.

Especially in this case, walking in makes it much more likely that you can eat your biscuits without worrying about how they might have been manhandled by the cranky owner's son.

So yeah, the store really needs to work on it's customer service, but the OPs handled it in a less than ideal manner. If the manager/owner's son wanted to really be an ass, he could have probably called the cops on them and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other customers (especially any stuck behind them at the drive through) wouldn't have sided with him. If you need to complain about service or an incorrect order you do it in a controlled manner, at the counter, without making a huge production out of it. Once they resorted to yelling at staff about their biscuits, they probably crossed a line.

I know if I was sitting there and cops asked me what had happened I'd have probably said "These two people showed up and started yelling about biscuits and acting kinda crazy" (IMO standing outside a fast food restaurant for 20 minutes yelling about biscuits does meander into the realm of "acting kinda crazy" ;)

@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz: Alternate course of action: get out of the car and deal with the people personally, and watch the food being made and validate the order--especially since this is a known problematic restaurant. Or at the very least, given this is a known problematic restaurant, check your order before driving off.

Consumers should be prepared to change their normal routine to handle abnormal circumstances, such as a problematic restaurant. An example of such a change would be not to use the drive through but to go inside.

If you know through personal experience that a drive through frequently screws up orders, three suggestions:

Stop patronizing that establishment. Vote with your dollars and don't reward poor performance money?

Check your order before leaving the drive through window, eliminates and potential for dispute or controversy.

Pull foward (to avoid delaying those behind you) check your order and immediately go inside to get the order corrected. Protesting 2 minutes after the date printed on the receipt is far more credible than half an hour later.

Bonus Tip: Don't yell

[First suggestion should read: Stop patronizing that establishment. Vote with your dollars. Why reward poor performance with your money?]

Back to the original question the OP posted: How to go about filing a complaint. I work in franchise law and usually the way you have to go about it is this...

1) Call and speak to the manager at the KFC you went to. If they don't take your call or hang up on you, try again another time or two. When you do speak to the manager, calmly explain what the issue was and tell them what you would like them to do (IE free meal), if anything at all. If you don't want anything from them and plan to never go back (which doesn't sound like a bad idea), just tell them that you felt you had to bring it to their attention.

2) After calling the manager and not getting any resolution, or not receiving the resolution (IE free meal) that you both agreed upon, contact corporate headquarters at the phone number provided by Jay. Again, calmly explain what the issue was and tell them what you would like them to do. Ask the CSR if there is an ID number for your complaint you can reference if you need to call back again.

3) From clients I work with, this information gets sent to the franchisee/store owner and they are told to rectify the situation and report back to them the outcome.

4) If nothing comes of the complaint after 1 month (I'm being generous), call back and reference your original complaint ID. Let them know that nothing has been done.

Hope this helps some, good luck!

@afrix: KFC should have not mistreated the customer and should have not forgotten the biscuts. The customer is not at fault and going into the store does not change anything. You're really grasping at straws here.

I hope the moderator lays the smackdown here 'cuz I'm sick of hearing this nonsense.

@Legal_Eagle_In_Training: Wait, Legal_Eagle_In_Training, you forgot the Consumerist Required part where you blame the OP for wanting someone to do their job correctly!

I guess they didn't put the biscuit in the basket

Fast food resturaunts do have a problem with people trying to scam fast food. Although I assume this consumer's missing biscuits did happen, how should a resturaunt address this issue?

Deny everyone who makes a missing item claim?

Give food to everyone who claims missing product?

What are fair and reasonble procedures, given the facts that mistakes WILL happen and some people WILL try to scam for free food?