The following was just sent to Papa John's customer feedback site:
"Dear Papa Johns,
I am writing to let you know that I have just received the worst customer service in my lifetime.
I ordered a pizza from my local Papa John's (2571 John Milton Drive, Herndon, VA) online. I paid for it with a credit card and added a tip of $1.00 to the card. When the driver arrived, he practically tossed the box into my hands and then turned to walk away. I said "thank you". As he walked up the apartment stairs toward the exit he said, "I don't accept your thanks." I was stunned and said "excuse me?" He repeated what he said and then added you "you've got to tip at least $2.00". Our conversation continued (he repeated the "I don't accept your thanks" line many times) with me explaining the meaning of the word "gratuity" and then asking for his name and the name of his manager, who I immediately called and complained about the incident. The manager apologized and said there were other complaints about this driver. The manager did not offer me anything in the form of compensation for my terrible customer service experience. I relate this not because I expect anything free from Papa John's, but because I know that if I were the manager of a store receiving this kind of complaint, I would certainly OFFER something.
I have worked in the customer service field. I have been an assistant manager at two restaurants. I have worked for 2 pizza delivery companies and was a waiter for 8 years. I have NEVER ONCE expected a tip or said anything remotely as rude as what was said to me today by the delivery driver. I am not writing this to receive anything in return. I have never lodged a complaint like this and am not doing so now for any reason other than to let you know of the terrible customer service I received and that I will never again order anything from your company.
Thank you.
-Otis Frampton"
****
UPDATE:
I just got this from Papa John's:
"Mr. Frampton,
On behalf of Papa John's Pizza, we would like to apologize for any
inconvenience you encountered with your recent order from Papa John's. We
are truly sorry the problem from the restaurant caused your order not to
meet expectations. Our goal is to provide not only a superior quality
pizza, but also a World Class Customer Experience to our consumers at all
times. Your comments have been sent to the Owners/Operators for this
location and someone should be contacting you soon.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the Internet Feedback form.Your
incident number is "_________"; please refer to this number in any future
correspondence. We want to encourage you to call your local Papa John's
whenever you have questions or comments, but if we can be of further
assistance, please visit us again at www.papajohns.com.
Sincerely,
Consumer Services Team"
Just so people know, I'm not posting about this in an effort to disparage Papa John's or to try to convince anyone else to follow my lead. But when I was in the customer service field, I always tried to maintain a high standard. I have never before seen such a LOW standard as I did today. I think this is worth writing about and following up on to see how it is handled by the store and the company.
-Otis
****
UPDATE:
I just got a call from the regional manager of Papa John's. The problem has been addressed and he apologized. I'd like to thank him and the store manager for addressing the issues I raised.
-Otis
