Reader Nathan writes:

Here’s a story about how Cinnabon gave me some free churros:

I went to a Cinnabon store at the airport (on a Sunday) and tried to order two churros. When I got there, there was barely anything stocked in the front trays – basically, they looked closed. There was, however, a tray of churros on the oven behind the cashier. When I gave my order, the cashier said that they don’t have anymore churros. He told me that they only make churros one time in the morning and that they weren’t allowed to make them in the afternoon (it was about 3:00 PM). It was very clear to me that the employee didn’t want to make any churros but what do I know about some weird company policy.

I emailed customer service about my experience and here their reply (they sent it to me on Monday morning):

Thank you for contacting us about your experience on 3/29/2008 in Ft. Myers, Florida. We appreciate our guests taking the time to inform us about their experiences.

As we understand it, the product you wanted to buy was not available at the bakery because the bakery had run out. We at Cinnabon are committed to giving you the value and variety you seek, so we take your feedback very seriously. We appreciate your willingness to tell us about your experience as it will enable us to follow-up with the bakery and correct the problem for you and other guests. Because Cinnabon’s bakes all products fresh throughout the day and cannot always predict which products will sell, we sometimes experience temporary delays in product availability. We can assure you that the management team will work hard to prevent this from happening again.

While it certainly won’t erase your past experience, we hope you’ll give Cinnabon another try at our expense. We are sending a gift certificate for your use on your next visit.

If you have any other concerns or comments, please do not hesitate to share them with us or with the management at your local Cinnabon Bakery. We are committed to earning your loyalty.

Thank you again for your past business. We hope you will give Cinnabon another chance to serve you in the future, as your satisfaction is important to us.

Sincerely,

Chris
Cinnabon Guest Response Line

I wrote back saying, “I don’t really care to go on about it but it’s just not true that they had run out. There was a tray of churros right behind him on the oven. Besides, if that was the case, then why didn’t the employee tell me that? Instead, he lied and told me that they are not allowed to make them in the afternoon.”

Well, I just received another email this morning (Wednesday):

I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN OF YOUR RECENT SUBSTANDARD EXPERIENCE AT OUR FT MYERS CINNABON UNIT. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT “CHURROS” ARE SERVED FROM MORNING UNTIL CLOSING. I WILL INVESTIGATE THIS INNCIDENT TO SEE WHY YOUR NEEDS WERE NOT MET. CINNABON IS SENDING YOU A COMPLIMENTARY COUPON TO HELP US APOLOGIZE FOR THIS INNCIDENT. I HOPE YOU WILL VISIT US AGAIN WHEN IN THE FT MYERS AREA.

Thanks Cinnabon!

For some reason we love Cinnabon’s second all caps “yelling” reply. Perhaps we’ve been doing this job too long.

(Photo:martyz)

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