Do you ever wonder whether post-transaction customer satisfaction or feedback surveys get lost somewhere in the ether, and have no impact on the local branch of the company you’re dealing with? Thomas didn’t think that his feedback mattered all that much, but his local Domino’s surprised him with a nearly instant response to their Web feedback.

I had a negative experience flip into a positive one by venting my frustration to an online form I expected to go nowhere.

Yesterday, I ordered online from Dominos. I ordered a pizza, breadsticks and a 2-liter of Sprite. When the delivery guy showed up, the order was missing the Sprite. He apologized and advised me that the store had no more bottles of Sprite, so they substituted a Coca-Cola instead.

Rewind to about a year ago when the same thing happened to me at another location. At that time, someone from my office grabbed the delivery so I had to take the issue up by phone to the store. “I don’t drink Coke, so I don’t want this. I’d either like you to pick it up or not charge me for it.” That location declined both and the charge was taken up with my credit card company, and all was eventually corrected (I wasn’t charged for the incorrect order).

Back to the current story — I refused the delivery of the Coca-Cola. Since I paid with credit card, the driver offered to give me cash for the difference. Easily settled, he just kept the cash as tip and I proceeded to enjoy my meal.

When I returned to my computer after lunch, I noticed the online form on the post-order screen for Dominos — If you’re not familiar, it has the “tracker” to see your order being made to delivery. At the bottom is a form rating your experience and any feedback. I rated accordingly, noting my issue with not being contacted before the order got here to let me know a part of my order wasn’t available.

Thirty minutes later, the delivery guy was back with Sprite in hand. He was advised by the store to buy a bottle from a grocery store and deliver it to me at no charge. Already shocked by that, I then received a call from the store asking about the feedback I submitted online and ensuring my concerns were resolved.

I’m not sure if stores are rated by that feedback that most people, including myself, normally dismiss or if they were legitimately concerned with my feedback submitted. Either way, the minor annoyance that would have left me with some negative feeling about the transaction was flipped over into a really positive one.

Either things were very, very slow at that particular Domino’s that day, or maybe some restaurants are now using INSTANT FEEDBACK!

(Photo: KFreon)

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