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Reporting problems or issues at a store/restaurant

August 06, 2014 09:22PM
Not sure if this has ever been discussed or not...

Let's say you mystery shop at Panera from time to time. You went there, not on a shop, but because you like the place and the food. Something bad happens, like you get a hair in your food or whatever while on that visit (again, not on a shop).

Do you report it to the company? Does the fact that you mystery shop there sometimes preclude you from ever complaining even when not on a shop?

This was the debate I was having with another mystery shopper. She said she can never complain at an establishment if it's a place she mystery shops, even if she's not on a shop when it happens. In her case she found a fingernail clipping in her salsa at some restaurant she mystery shops once a month, but she wasn't on a shop at the time. I disagreed and said that if I'm not on a shop I am a regular customer and I have the right to complain if it's needed, and I damn well would have pitched a fit if I were her and that happened to me!!

Thoughts?

ShopperShel

MSPA Gold Certified
Undercover Essentials Video Certified


Have video equipment, will travel!
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August 06, 2014 09:52PM
I wouldn't "pitch a fit", however I would definitely bring it to their attention, if I was a "regular (kind of) customer".

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
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August 06, 2014 11:21PM
It depends on the shop whether you can or need to bring a problem encountered to the attention of the folks while you are there or just enter it into your report. Certainly if it happens when you are not on a shop you as a regular customer have every right to bring it to the attention of staff/management.

One series of shops I do does not want you to invent problems, but anything that is less than satisfactory should be brought to the attention of server or manager to report on how they respond. I am always a little concerned about that because it would make me more memorable for my next visit.
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August 06, 2014 11:23PM
Too many variables. Depends on what the issue was, how often I shopped there, how lucrative the shop was, how memorable it would make me, etc.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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August 06, 2014 11:27PM
if I have a problem I always bring it up,
stores get one chance to fix it themselves
then I head direct to corporate to address it.
No time for their games.

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August 07, 2014 12:36AM
I second what Techman01 says....
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August 07, 2014 04:44AM
One of the instructions for a restaurant shop says to be sure to report any problem with the food as soon as possible to the manager. You want to be sure that it does not happen again to another customer. This instruction came from their management, so obviously this good restaurant's management wants to know problems so they can prevent it from ever happening again. In the case of a split nail, that means someone is not wearing gloves when they handle food.

Just think of it this way: If you are the owner/manager of a cafe/restaurant, wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you be appreciative to the customer who informed you of what's wrong rather than to walk off and never come back?
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August 07, 2014 04:49AM
Are you sure it was a ~finger~ nail?

~
up, up, down, down, left, right,left,right, B,A, start.
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August 07, 2014 06:48AM
One of the instructions for a restaurant shop says to be sure to report any problem with the food as soon as possible to the manager. You want to be sure that it does not happen again to another customer. This instruction came from their management, so obviously this good restaurant's management wants to know problems so they can prevent it from ever happening again. In the case of a split nail, that means someone is not wearing gloves when they handle food.

Just think of it this way: If you are the owner/manager of a cafe/restaurant, wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you be appreciative to the customer who informed you of what's wrong rather than to walk off and never come back?
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August 07, 2014 11:15AM
If I discover a major health issue while performing a dining shop or as a regular customer, I would not want to visit that establishment again. There are a ton of other restaurants to choose from both as mystery shops and non-shops.

If the employee is not wearing their gloves, what are the chances that they thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom?

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August 07, 2014 01:07PM
Ok I clearly said while you ARE NOT on a shop, but DO mystery shops at that location from time to time. The incident did NOT happen while on a shop. So the comments about what's on the shop report are moot since this WAS NOT on a shop.

And yes, it most certainly WAS a fingernail. I guess it could have been a toenail but that's even more disgusting so I don't even want to go there! Ew ew ew....

ShopperShel

MSPA Gold Certified
Undercover Essentials Video Certified


Have video equipment, will travel!
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August 08, 2014 12:26AM
I was doing a reset with another merchandiser one time. We were handling lots and lots of product and putting it where it now belongs. Since it was jewelry, it probably had been handled a lot more than a can of soup, for example. We went to lunch together. I washed my hands very well. I don't know what she did. As we were waiting for our food, she asked to borrow my fingernail file, I kid you not. Resetting can cause hangnails, broken nails, etc. When I handed it to her, I was thinking how I would have to make sure that I cleaned it well later. Our food came. She continued to finish her filing--get this--over her food dish! I watched aghast. Yeah, I know, somebody is going to say "hope the filings tasted good".
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