Hi Everyone!

I usually don't complain about this, but I have a question for you all.

If you're on a restaurant shop and your food comes out lukewarm, are you going to send it back? I was going through notes of my shops in 1 of the MSP's I shop for and I found this little gem:

"Dear Shopper, for future reference, please do not send back food items if it was only lukewarm, only make note of this and try to not draw attention to yourself. Also, ensure that the server comes to you to process the payment, do not walk up to the hostess stand to pay your bill. Thank you!"

It came along with a little "no" next to the "Was the report unbiased?" box.

First of all, I have a name, this is the ONLY time I've ever been addressed as "shopper" in a report. In a mass email, I understand it, but in a report-really? I have a name, please use it. I don't care, Kyle or Mr. Bonnyman works (I get it from time to time from shoppers, but I prefer to be called my first name, so politely ask shoppers who call me Mr. Bonnyman to call me Kyle). That was just me ranting, over that. But this next part is what bugs me...

Sorry, as a mystery shopper and I not supposed to be a "regular customer"? I don't know about you, but when I go to a restaurant that I'm paying $25.00 for a pasta dish for, or any restaurant for that matter, I would like it served how it's supposed to be served...HOT! I mean, I only sent it back once, not for a second time because the forgot the flipping spice in the spicy sauce...so it was just sauce (NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!). How is sending luke warm food back "drawing attention to myself"? I do it all the time if it's not hot. Basically, I came to the conclusion that my dish took less time to prepare than the 2nd dish at the table, the kitchen started both at the same time, so mine sat out getting cold for probably 10 minutes. So, for next time, I'll eat a cold dish, risk getting food poisoning (since the dish may not have been prepared properly) and I'll be sending the company a bill for my lost wages

Thanks In Advanced!

Kyle

After years of shopping, I never think for a moment that any scheduler, editor, or owner of an MSC thinks I am a human being. I am a dispensible commodity that can be replaced.

After working for one MSC for over four years, I had a scheduler tell me that they didn't assign any work to me because they had never worked with me in the past.

Hello? My track record with your company should stand for something? Four years of loyalty and commitment doesn't mean anything?

No... it doesn't.

As a shopper, you are an independent contractor, and each job IS individually contracted.

Concerning your emotions over a report. Did the report ask if hot food items were served hot or cold items served cold? If so, then report that the food was not served hot. If not, then the company doesn't WANT to know that food is being served at any other temperature.

Dear Kyle,
When I'm on a restaurant or any other shop I'm going to follow the given directions. Some MSC want us to behave like any ordinary customer but obviously not this one. You're right, most real customers would have sent the lukewarm pasta back and asked for the spicy sauce that was promised. It doesn't sound like the MSC objects to you sending incorrectly prepared food back, so maybe the lackluster sauce would have been okay to return. Don't take my word for it, check with them. Did the review have an entry asking if the food was delivered as ordered? or were you a customer and not a mystery evaluator would you have sent it back? did you get a bang for your buck? If not, from the onset, I would have only noted it, even before the editor's request.You're right, even when waiters, as they usually will , ask how you liked the pasta, I'd be tempted to comment. I would think that the client would be interested and not see it as drawing attention to yourself but a matter of routine. Ordinarily, most people just smile, lie that the food was great and never dine in that restaurant again, most especially if they risk standing out. I can't imagine that a client would be so cavalier.

The name issue , in my humble opinion, which you asked for, is a bit of a stretch , at least to me since I'm not fond of intimacy with my contractors. Shopper with the capital S seems respectful enough. Did the editor share his/her name?

I do have a problem with the "report unbiased?" notation. What's up with that?

Wow, I guess I am not that picky. I eat lukewarm pasta all the time.

Kyle,

I feel you on this one.

Especially for the reimbursement only restaurant shop.

I get so mad when my only pay is a meal I could not eat and could not send back because I do not want to draw attention to myself.

Then I have to go home and write a lengthy report to boot!

This is why I am doing less and less reimbursement only restaurant shops for places I do not know. I also do not go out of my way to complete them, some money beyond reimbursement helps pay travel and time costs.

I am trying to make some money, not just work for food.

If the instructions told me I could not return it to the kitchen, then I would take it home in a doggy bag and reheat.

Would I be upset that I had a lukewarm dish? Yeah. But I would be more upset not to follow the guidelines and send it back into the kitchen, then not being paid because I did not follow the directions.

Solution: Do not shop for that particular company/restaurant shop.

We can be angry and feel so many things about a company that tells us how to follow their directions but bottom line: Do not shop for that company.

We all know alot of MS companies give us ridiculous instructions such as make a fool of yourself pulling coffee filters out of the baskets (what normal customer does this?--NONE)

So, for that basket pulling company I no longer take that assignment.

For you OP, don't take the restaurant again now that you know you can't return cold or lukewarm food back to the kitchen.

Is it still right? Not in our eyes....but the MS client has their own reasons why they don't want you to return lukewarm food.

That is my biggest gripe with restaurant shops and the reason I stay away from them. If a company tells me my pay is a free meal and then there are caveats which would prevent me from enjoying the meal, what the hell is the point and where the hell is the real value for me? They still get there value in a report for the crappy meal.

I've conducted lots of high-end luxury as well as more casual-type dining evaluations. As far as I know, the only time it is acceptable to return food to the kitchen is if an incorrect dish is brought to the table (e.g., you ordered chicken and the server sets down fish)--which is extremely rare--or if you find something in your food that would render it inedible (e.g., a dragonfly or a bandaid).

The client is paying for the evaluation. In an evaluation where there is a food reimbursement, the reimbursement comes from the client and so they are also paying for your meal. Dishes that have to be discarded and re-prepared because they were missing spicy sauce or weren't warm enough are pure loss for the client. As shoppers, we aren't out to eat for our own pleasure. We're out to eat for work and we're there to be reporters. We are there to capture a snapshot of the average dining experience at that establishment. At lesser establishments, it is taken for granted that the dining experience might, in terms of quality, be average or less-than average.

The only exception to this is when a MSC specifically asks that you return food for any reason as an evaluation of how the staff handles the request.

As for the name thing, maybe the editor was working from within a form-type interface and "Dear Shopper" was the default greeting. Why does it matter so much? I always try to be extremely cordial in my correspondence with schedulers and editors to build rapport with them. But if I notice that they don't respond ("Have you worked with us before?" after a dozen shops and three times as much prior correspondence), I stop.

And you have a choice. Nobody is forcing you to work for a company that does not reimburse you for your meal. But it just goes to show that when people are paying their own way on a meal, they're bound to inject bias and be demanding--as rightly one should when spending his own money. (Are you reading, MSCs?!)

You are not addressing the fact that the meal is the shopper pay and the shopper should be able to get the value (enjoyment) out of that pay. As far as the restaurant paying for the food, so what. It's not like a meal they charge $25 for is a $25 loss. It is about $6.25 to $8.30. If a restaurant is in a situation where one meal that is returned will be detrimental to their bottom line then they have many more problems than will ever be corrected with mystery shopping.

Having done restaurants regularly for years, I know NOT to make a fuss, customers may or may not send warm food back, but complaining is a no no.
Instructions say was temperture hot, answer the question. I once got food poisening at a FF mall, and didn't send food back, it was cold, but I did (oh yes) write that on the report, and got a 10. They want and need to hear that, but, timings will be off if you send it back. The part of your post about calling you by name (Kyle), is very subjective, and your being an Editor/Scheduler surprises me. Most of my smaller MSC's do always address me as Irene, when thanking me for a report well done, or asking me to do a job,
however, we have a nice working relationship, and after years of working for same MSC, seems normal. Those that call you shopper, I'd guess you don't have a working relationship, maybe you haven't worked for them enough, I wouldn't take it personally. I gather you Edit/Schedule more than you shop, so Kyle,
you should know the rights and wrongs of the industry. I gather your not scheduling for Star Scheduling any longer, something happen, your PM to me made
me ask.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2012 03:23PM by Irene_L.A..

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You are not addressing the fact that the meal is
> the shopper pay and the shopper should be able to
> get the value (enjoyment) out of that pay. As far
> as the restaurant paying for the food, so what.
> It's not like a meal they charge $25 for is a $25
> loss. It is about $6.25 to $8.30. If a restaurant
> is in a situation where one meal that is returned
> will be detrimental to their bottom line then they
> have many more problems than will ever be
> corrected with mystery shopping.


Yes and no, Lisa. You raise a good point that the meal is the shopper's pay and that we have a right to enjoy our pay and therefore our meals. But in this line of work, we approach with the understanding that not every meal might be worth its salt--please excuse the cliché--and that a hazard or risk for a shopper who opts to accept jobs where the meal, itself, is the pay, is that the meal might not be so good! As I pointed out earlier, nobody is forcing anybody to accept these particular jobs.

As for the restaurant's actual losses: It isn't really at our discretion to appropriate the restaurant's funds or attempt to determine their need of the profit or impact of their losses based on unfounded assumptions of the restaurant's business situation.

By the way, I'm speaking merely as an armchair, or uh--computer chair--ethicist here. I entirely sympathize with the frustration of having been burned on a job like this and the fact that restaurants do take a large cut on their meals. I'm merely putting this into an ethical framework.

As I'm on a forum and not writing a report, it is at my discretion to make that comment

The bottom line, an MSC should not calculate a reimbursement as part of the pay unless there is an opportunity to get real value out of it for the shopper. One MSC included $5 in a posted job which actually just paid for materials to mailed back to them. It was not the $35 job advertised, it was a $30 job. Same with restaurants, if you are supposed to get a meal out of it and the meal served is inedible, what's the point? The shopper still has to spend quite a bit of their time writing up the report.

It could all be handled quite simply by paying for the report and not making the meal the only pay. There are plenty of jobs that do just that and the pay can be quite reasonable. At a dinner at the bar shop, I was given a good reimbursement and the pay was $15. If the food and service had been poor I could have cut it off after the requirements were met, gone home and made $15. As both were excellent, I chose to stay and spend more than both the reimbursement and shop fee. So it can end up being a win/win situation

I dont do too many restaurant shops mainly because they take up too much time for my route shopping. If I do, I do them usually on a day im not shopping a route and I was going to go out to eat anyway. I like the high end steakhouses (Morton's, Michael Jordan's etc) and likewise shop them when I can.

If as a regular customer I would of sent the food back, then I do not see any reason why you cannot send it back unless the guidelines specifically say not to, and on the high end restaurants I have done I dont recall any of them specifically saying that.

Nor would I eat anything that could cause food poisioning. I'm certified by my home state in food safety and the couple times I have sent stuff back, I let the msc know that I'm certified and they have always been ok with it.(probably helps they can tell the client im certified).

Of course, whether or not to send food back varies among MSCs. I did a shop where a hamburger was undercooked to the point that it was basically raw inside. I sent it back, had some complications in returning it, noted this all in my report, and got a 10 score. It would have been weirder, I think, to not eat my burger, ask for it to go (to reheat at home), and have the server wonder why I didn't just return it. Then again, a burger isn't pasta...

Kyle, if it wasn't listed in the guidelines that you couldn't send it back, then that's a bit unfair of the MSC, IMHO.

OK, here's my question. It regards these two sentences the OP wrote:

"How is sending luke warm food back "drawing attention to myself"? I do it all the time if it's not hot."

How many of us send back restaurant meals "all the time?"

I've been dining out for 25 years, everything from Waffle House to Nobu, and can count the number of times on one hand I've sent a dish back.

Could there be something else going on here -?

Yes, I think the same is true for me. Last restaurant shop I had lukewarm broccoli. When asked if all ingredients were served hot, I noted that this side dish had not been. I guess I wouldn 't have dreamed of sending it back. That reminds me of going to lunch with my mother in law who made so many special requestes and returns that I felt like crawling under the table because I was so embarrassed!

Sir Kyle
The jury is definitely out on whether or not a meal can or should be returned if there's an issue. Shoppers should always ask their scheduler if it's not clear in the shop instructions.

With some clients, a returned meal always gets the manager involved and often results in a comped item or meal. And there's almost nothing that will get a shopper ID'd faster (and put on a longer than usual rotation for that client) than a comped meal on a submitted receipt.

That being said, even if sending an item back IS allowed, some shoppers' "technique" (not yours, I'm sure) of doing it might make them VERY memorable to the client.

@Ms.Baker-There was a question about being served properly (hot/cold). I answered no, explained my dish was lukewarm and that I just asked for it to be microwaved.

@marijaldm-This is what's really strange. The first dish, the pasta was hot (temp) and spicy. While the second on was just hot (temp). I mean, I could have sent it back a 2nd time, asked for it to be made right then fought so I didn't have to pay them for it...could have, but I didn't. There was a question about was food properly or something along those lines. I answered no and explained. As for the name thing-thanks for your opinion...I've just NEVER been addressed like that (except for mass email postings), nor do I ever address people like that. And I have NO idea whats up with the unbiased report...maybe because my food was lukewarm, I was furious at the restaurant and made everything that I possible could reflect poorly on the restaurant...because you know, I'm going to do that over a lukewarm dinner.

@spaztck-At home, I do too. But when I'm paying $25.00 for a small bowl of pasta, I'd like it to be how it should be. Also, it was at a temp that I couldn't tell if it wasn't heated enough of if it was let cool. I think it also depends on the type of pasta they you're eating, I think some sauces are better HOT while some are better lukewarm or cold...this was one that's better HOT

@galct-yes, it was reimbursement only. So I'd like it to be edible. I'll eat a lot, and I don't have too many standards, but I do enjoy my food HOT, in fact, I will either eat my food HOT or COLD, not inbetween!


@SunnyDays2-The instructions said to "be a normal customer", and nothing about not sending food back. So I won't be shopping for them anymore unless they're paying me for it. Also, you don't check coffee filters? It's the new in things. In fact, if the restaurant uses Folgers coffee, and you find the red coffee bean (it'll be a full one), you'll win coffee for life! I check them all the time. haha!!

@ListSTL-Thanks for your thoughts And I agree, I eat in the restaurant frequently...well, I did, then my other job told me they're sending me to Florida for a week for work...so now I'm saving saving saving for the SHOPPING there!

@hadrian-I've never heard that before...I agree that you should send it back. So, then technically I should have sent it back the 2nd time, because I jot got "Penne in Tomato Sauce", Not "(spicy past name which may give the restaurant away)". As for the dishes that have to be discarded, etc. My friend manages a similar chain of restaurants and she told me that their most expensive item on the menu costs them $3.00 to make, and that's a rather fancy pizza, for my simple pasta dish, it probably cost them MAYBE $1.00 to make, so I could have 25 dishes brought to me and they'd still break even. OH! Then there was the person I went with, her pasta was nearly $30.00 and it was maybe $3.00 to make, so they made $27.00 off her alone. As for the name, I never thought of that. But I have seen it in the past where editors will start off with an additional greeting. Like "Dear Shopper" was default, and they start with "Hi (Name)", so there are both. When I'm interacting with shoppers, I always use their first name, unless they request otherwise, or have a different name in their email signature. I feel that it makes a more personal connection, which in the long run helps me out. It make it feel person-to-person, not person-to-brick wall.

@Irene_L.A.-I didn't make a fuss. The waitress asked how things were and I just told her that my pasta was lukewarm and it wasn't enjoyable, could you maybe just microwave it? She took it with her and brought me back a new [and wrong] dish. I didn't whine the second time-that may have looked suspicious. But the report got it. And I always address shoppers by their first name, even if I don't know them, and even if they're just inquiring about it. Dear Shopper, seems so fake. It's just like when someone asks "How are you today? What can I do for you?", without a pause. Like do you even care or so you just say that to make yourself look good? I no longer schedule with Star. If you wish to discuss this more off forum, LMK and I can give you a few more details. I complete over 200 mystery shops a month, plus more when I pick them up. On top of that, I schedule nearly 200 a month, and assist with editing them when I need to. I've done over 3,000 shops in 2 short years with about 15 MSC's, everything from phone to restaurant to retail to bank. I've interacted with literally hundreds of schedulers/editors/MSC employees (PM's, Client Managers, etc.).

@techman01-Yes, that was my thoughts, the instructions don't say anything about not sending food back, just be a normal customer...multiple times in the instructions. I'm not saying it would have caused food poisoning, but it may have. IDK if the food was heated to the proper temperature or was it just brought into the danger zone and it sat at that temperature?

@Shopping In CA-Thank-you!!

@MissyH71-I think you misunderstood that, it was poorly written. If I get something that should be hot and it isn't, I send it back each time. I'm paying for it, it should be hot. I'm not one that walks all over wait staff or kitchen staff (I worked in a kitchen and my mom was a waitress, so I know what it's like and not to piss off the people who handle your food). Like I said, I could have got food poisoning, which I do not have time for.

@57Carol-A Lukewarm side dish and a lukewarm main dish (with no sides) are slightly different. They are both wrong-100%, but I may be able to eat 6 or 7 pieces of lukewarm broccoli, I don't think I could have ate this dish after about 5 minutes of it out, it was have been SO cold!!

Thanks everyone for their input!

@ Madame Joan

I wasn't intending to send my meal back. I've ate there a few times before with no problems. I didn't sit at home and thing...hmm, I'm going to send my pasta back, let me check to make sure that's okay. Also, I have never seen a meal comped after being sent back for it being warm. Finding a dragonfly or a bandage in it-quite possibly.

As for my method of returning it...I just threw it at the kitchen calling the liars because the menu said "Hot", then I was finding anything I could possibly throw- plates, cups, utensils, hot pans and a rather tiny waitress-around the kitchen, aiming all the sharp and hot objects (not including the waitress...haha!!) at the poor kid at the pasta station and the kitchen manager...nothing wrong with that is there?

Actually, I just told the waitress it was lukewarm and asked if she could microwave it.

@ Sir Kyle
ROFLMAO!!!!!

I'd like to say this. I've worked with a lot of companies and Kyle happens to be one of the most personable, thoughtful and fun schedulers you will ever get to work with

Aww Thanks Lisa!!

A couple of examples: The other night I was on a shop and ordered a steak. The steak was a little too rare for me. I had a few choices at that point. Say something, and have the steak taken back to cook more. Or, say nothing, eat of it what I could and take the rest home. I chose the latter.

OP: The client asked you: How was the pasta? You report "lukewarm." They are asking you to rate the temperature, look, and speed it came out, ect. They may not allow for you to have it sent back as that upsets the apple cart. Of course, to you, that upsets you and your wallet. But even when I go on dinner shops, I find myself in "work-alert-mode" from the time I sit down until I exit. There is much to capture in my 45-60 minute shop.

So asking the food to be taken back is not one of them (on a shop that is..)

Now, if they gave you Linguine instead of Stuffed Shells, then you have a right to ask for the correct plate. 99% of shops do ask you to correct an order that is WRONG.

Another scenario (not on a shop) I moved to Florida and there was something wrong with my food (did not taste right, or undercooked, ect) I asked the server to correct it.

My bf looked mortified. He said, "We don't do that here. We just EAT it." I said, "Well, I am not afraid to ask for this to be presented the way they promised it on the menu." I got it corrected and finished dinner.

But to be fair, I don't often ask for kitchen corrections...

One of the standard jokes about my husband and I in our dating years..

"Yeah, my wife was a cheap date."

Why? Because, every time we went out for dinner, *something* was wrong with my food.

I.Kid.You.Not.

Dating: Piece of metal in the food (3x's), steak cooked medium instead of rare (BIG mistake, must MOO when poked), food cold or dry or has peppers when specifically told not to (allergic). Too greasy.

Oh hell yeah. If I'm not doing a shop and I'm paying for the food. I expect it to be correct when I receive it.

On our shops - one restaurant we shopped we had pizza. The center of the pizza was so greasy it was complete mush. We couldn't even eat it. The crust was raw. And yes, it got returned. Another bar/restaurant we've done (Irene_L_A knows it), we got our favorite avocado rolls - they were BROWN inside. How the chef didn't see it was beyond me. Even the bartender saw it and she got the manager.

Normal dining for me is returning the food if it is not cooked right; and then complimenting the manager for good service and good food.

I have not once (yet) had any problem with returning food for any shops.




MissyH71 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I've been dining out for 25 years, everything from
> Waffle House to Nobu, and can count the number of
> times on one hand I've sent a dish back.
>
> Could there be something else going on here -?

@Kyle, I believe that maybe the MSP may be having a problem with the client. You schedule for a lot of companies and I don't know if you have run past this with any clients. Some clients do not want to get a bad review! They think that their place is perfect. I have scheduled some shops where we were not allowed to use some shoppers because they wrote negative reports?? I could see if the person always was negative, but I am sorry as a person who eats out on a regular basis, not every meal is perfect.

The client is paying for a report, but they do not always want to hear how they are doing. I didn't understand it, but when I was scheduling for one company, they did not want negative reports and re-shopped the shop until they got a positive one. The MSP was afraid of losing the account.

The one misconception that shoppers have and I had before I started to schedule was that on reimbursement shops it doesn't cost the restaurant anything. Sometimes it it a straight reimbursement from the company plus a fee to the MSP, but that is not the usual. Shops are bid at a set price that includes the reimbursement. The restaurant pays the $$$ for the shop regardless if the meal is comped, etc. The restaurant does not just reimburse what you had. Even if you spent under the reimbursement amount, the company still gets the whole fee...they win on that one.

I remember doing a restaurant shop where the restaurant owner happen to comp the whole meal. It was his way of giving us a gift for coming in all the time to the restaurant. I did not want to turn that shop in as it was not fair to the restaurant owner. The scheduler bullied me into doing the report. The owner who is gone now from that restaurant chain did tell me later he knew I had done the shop as he didn't get a receipt on the shop and knew exactly who he gave a free meal to that evening. He said he still paid the entire fee for the shop. I thought he got ripped off as he paid twice, once for our meal and then for the shop. He told me not to worry about it, but I was upset the MSP took advantage of the situation. I am very hesitant accepting shops from that company now...they lost a shopper over being dishonest.

Interesting that you have just confirmed something we have all felt, there are clients that do not want a negative report. That is a bad business decision and a total waste of their money. What I am still curious about, what happened to those reports and shoppers? Were the shops invalidated and a reshop ordered?

I never discounted the fact that the restaurant paid the MSC regardless. It doesn't change the fact that if an MSC is considering that meal as our "fee" we should expect an edible meal, not have to turn around and spend $10 at Mickey D's on the way home because we are famished and need the strength to write a two to three hour report

@SunnyDays2-It says nowhere that I can't send it back...which is what I didn't get. And I still don't understand why they would rather have me eat a lukewarm, and eventually cold, dish then have that bad taste in my mouth (both literally and figuratively), and writing a report mad at the restaurant...I just don't get it! I also understand that a steak being cooked too much/not enough is a not pleasant, but I think I could eat the pasta a bit under cooked or over cooked (and I have, we went on an Italian cruise line that couldn't make pasta...but that was basically the entire dinner menu-let's just say it was a FUN week), but lukewarm and eventually cold it not good in my books. Here's a comparison...would you eat an ice cream sundae all warm and melting?

@r@inyDayZ3-Oh my...nothing exciting ever happens to me. I only ever get bad servers who don't quite grasp the concept of refilling drinks is important at all times, especially when I'm eating something spicy!

@JuneRSS-I personally have never come across it. I have heard of editors and MSP's doctoring reports to make it look like the MS's are working, when in reality they are not. I was aware of the way that reimbursements work, and it does vary from client to client. One of my clients charges a "shop fee" plus the reimbursement, while another just charges a shop fee.

Dear OP: You are a "Independent Scheduler-Editor-Recruiter-Project Manager" and apparently a Shopper. What would be your response if I, a MS, was scheduled to do a shop for you and your experience happened to me?

Apparently, I watched too much TV. Rather in real life or shop life, I am afraid to send anything back. I do not know the attitude of the cooker/preparer. I would hope my food will be presented the right way first. Anything going back and forth deserve----> "GDI, what do they want?"

I noticed other "Independent Schedulers or Editors or Recruiters or Project Managers" have posted to your delimma. I think that is good b/c we all who do MS at restuarants need to know what is acceptable for pay and what is not.

I once seated myself b/c no body was availabe to seat me. The editor explained that I needed to "be seated", because they wanted to know how long it took for someone to seat me. It was a "bar / diner situation." ("You must order a drink at the bar but you must eat in the dining area not at the bar." (I was paid.)

If there is something "wrong" with my meal, I also do not eat, I will pick. The few restuarant shops I have done, the request was for Presentation, Sight, Temperature and Taste. I am expecting the server to return in a few minutes to inquire about the meal. If the pasta was too cool, then I would say, the pasta was a liitle cooler than I prefer but it is ok." If the spicy sauce was missing, I would ask for an additinal container to be brought to the table. Sending back is not my "personal" thing. I can show distaste in the tipping or the comment part of the receipt. I do not want to jeopardize my payment for the shop. I can always write in the report the negativity. (+ my carry out container will heat up the pasta to my satisfaction.)

As for name, I prefer "Dear Shopper ABCXYZ", call me by my first name if I have build a rapport with you but Shopper ABCXYZ will do. "Dear Shopper" means, mass media generated mail went out and everybody is being notified. "We will pay you now, but the next time......."

And for the last response, "Can someone explain this to me." Did you contact your Scheduler/Editor? As a Independent Scheduler-Editor-Recruiter-Project Manager" do YOU deserve better treatment than a "Shopper ONLY" from your scheduler/editor?

MissyH71 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, here's my question. It regards these two
> sentences the OP wrote:
>
> "How is sending luke warm food back "drawing
> attention to myself"? I do it all the time if it's
> not hot."
>
> How many of us send back restaurant meals "all the
> time?"
>
> I've been dining out for 25 years, everything from
> Waffle House to Nobu, and can count the number of
> times on one hand I've sent a dish back.
>
> Could there be something else going on here -?

The key word in his sentence is "if". IF the meal was not hot, he sends it back. I know Kyle well enough to know he's a direct person and he will speak truthfully if there's an issue. I'm the same way.

Kyle, I don't know if you were asked about your meal before asking it to be microwaved, but what I would do is when I was asked, I'd be honest and say it's not hot. That alone is enough to get them to offer to take it back to warm it up. When I've had food warmed up, I could tell it was the same food brought out by the cut of the meat or the amount of food missing that I'd already eaten. So your request shouldn't have been a big deal as long as it wasn't clearly stated in the instructions not to complain. It's not going to screw up timings because food's been brought out. It's been timed. I don't know of any report that wants the exact time of how long it took you to eat the food so what was the issue? No clue. It certainly wouldn't make your report biased by requesting your food to be heated and noting that in the report.

As for "Dear Shopper," that's unnecessary. I don't care how many freakin' reports I have to return, I *always* use the shoppers' names when I'm sending a report back for clarification. That might mean I have to scroll down and find their name on the report a couple times if I keep forgetting, but I *ALWAYS* use their name. It's only considerate, if you ask me. So I would not appreciate "Dear Shopper" for a personalized, just for me email. Take the extra three seconds to include my name. Thank you very much.

Thanks as alwys angie for your input. Yes how hard it is to use a name. We are all in this together and need to be considerate. Although I do think it is Ok not to adddress a scheduler if you are writing back and forth. That is just cumbersome.