The Customer is Always Right!
Just the other day my friend Danielle and I went to brunch at Spoon in NYC and it was delicious! I had yummy baked eggs in a skillet and a spicy Bloody Mary. I would recommend it if you’re in New York. Anyway — we checked in using Foursquare to see if there were any deals. In fact, there was a discount of $10 off when you spend $10! Score! Or so we thought…
Turns out they “had to update our Foursquare deals” and we were told it didn’t apply anymore. Buzzkill! Isn’t that false advertisement? Anyway — this post is not to gripe…it’s to bring attention to a thing called customer service. We told the waitress we were disappointed — she apologized and we finished our meal.
A Bloody Mary and Mimosa later…she brought out a complementary cupcake! I didn’t 
want this baked good and neither did Danielle — but it was the thought that counts. It’s what turned this blog post from bad to good! 🙂 It’s the little things that you do that can make all the difference in how you do business and how you live life. Our waitress made me smile and we will be returning to that restaurant despite the Foursquare snafu.
But not every server is always as gracious — and that’s why you need to read Danielle’s new blog “The Customer Service Revolution!” It’s less than a week old but she’s been gathering material for years! I’ve never seen anyone get more free stuff, exclusive deals or “I’m sorry cupcakes” than Danielle. We didn’t have to do much at Spoon to be treated right — but sadly that’s not the norm. Danielle has great tips and tricks to get better customer service everywhere, every time! Please check it out.
Update: Spoon contacted me via Twitter to further explain (and apologize) that they had previously reported the $10 offer as fraud after other patrons also presented it on their phones. Interesting concern for Four Square. If the integrity of their technology is compromised, what does that mean for the future of the app?
You and I have different views on that “consolation cupcake.” I feel strongly that it was Spoon/Tbsp’s responsibility as a business to uphold the advertised offer and then take up their claim with Foursquare.
Also @spoonfednyc has an active twitter account, but they still haven’t replied to my tweet on this topic so in my book, that’s strike two!
On the plus side, those eggs espana are delicious! This place is worth checking out, but proceed with caution if “check in.”
I see your point! I just like that they didn’t ignore the fact that we were disappointed. Would I have rathered the 10 bucks — definitely. We didn’t even eat the cupcake — but it’s the thought that counts!
So excited about your blog!!!