I'm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the PlayTime Inc. team just finished an incredible event for e-Builders. (see additional post adding e-Builders to our client family!). We stayed to meet with new potential clients and do additional research for a big program in Nov.
It's Super Bowl weekend and my cohort and I are huge sports fans. Now I'm a tad embarressed to say that I left the planning to my cohort. His local contact said that Hooter's was the BEST place to watch the Super Bowl in Fort Lauderdale. Now, I risk sharing this story with you (mainly on having my wife see the story) because the lesson we got here was SO VALUABLE! In addition, I have NEVER been to Hooter’s before and on many principles, would not want to step into a Hooter’s prior to this experience.
We got there early and thought that we'd have to fight for a table. To our surprise, the place was nearly empty. I let Adam pick the seat and he takes a fine table with the best view of the 35” TVs. What, no big screen? My cohort is losing points fast. Next, we get an ICY reception from our Hooters waitress. Hey, I thought they were supposed to friendly? I get such a bad vibe from the place that I demand that we move. My cohort checks out the other sports bar and finds out they have been reserving tables months in advance and the only table is in a far corner with no TV view. The place is packed and full of screaming fans. I submit to my cohort to stay at Hooter’s and watch the game. We try to buy one of their beer specials and find out the manager says the beer special doesn’t begin until 6:30 p.m. Internally, I’m screaming customer service bloody murder.
Our story begins here, as we get hit up for a 2003 Hooters golf tournament shirt for $10/shirt with free golf tees, a pin and a key chain. I recognize that they are dying to get rid of the shirts and immediately set in my mind that I’m going to get 2 shirts for $10 (1/2 off). I ask and she says that I can’t do that and walks away. She returns again, I ask for a discount, she says I can’t do that and walks away. Here’s where the story gets interesting.
She returns and this time she says she will give us 2 for $15 and will get Hooter girls to sign the 2 shirts. I put my cohort in charge as the decision maker and he holds fast for $10. She says she can’t do it and walks away. She returns 2 more times and my cohort refuses 2 more times.
Finally, at half-time, my cohort leaves to make a cell phone call and I really want to get the shirts for my cohort and I. So the Hooter’s girl is about to leave her shift and I tell her that I’ll take 2 for $15 with signatures. She tells me ok and will meet me at my table. She returns and says the manager who authorized my deal has left and that the new manager refuses to honor the deal. She leaves with no cash and I have no shirts. I’m totally cool with that, it would be just one more polo shirt in my closet, one more thing to carry home on the flight.
Our waitress, who has barely warmed up to us and continued to NOT ask my cohort for another beer (she must have lost at least 3 beers worth of sales by not asking), asked me how my shirt deal went. I tell her that the shirt girl said that the previous manager left and the new manager won’t honor her deal, she looks at me cockeyed. The Hooter’s Waitress says, “That can’t be, we’ve had the same 2 managers here for the entire time you’ve been here.” Now I’m pissed. I’m 98% sure I’ve been lied to. I demand to see the manager now!
Manager 1 shows up and starts trying to be friendly. I launch into this whole story and with a huge grin, tells me that it wasn’t him, he never authorized the deal and that he won’t honor the deal. I ask him, “So what I think you’re saying is that she lied to me?” He says she didn’t lie, she just “stretched the truth”. Yeah, sure, that’s what they did at Enron, stretch the truth. He suggests the other manager might have made the deal, I demand that Manager 2 comes to my table.
Manager 2 shows up and Manager 1 has failed to communicate ANYTHING about my story. I have to retell the WHOLE story (and I draw it even further out now because I can tell I have the head manager now) wasting both of our times. I’m fuming on the outside (and laughing hysterically on the inside on this botched customer service job) because of how much effort I have to waste, no longer on these shirts, but on the principal of integrity. After listening to my repeated pleas, Manager 2 straight tells me that there is no deal, that the shirts are $10 each. I counter with, “So what you’re saying is that she lied to me?” This went over like a ton of bricks and says that he paid $10 for the shirts and he’s just trying to recoup his costs. I counter again with, “So you’re willing to lose a customer over $5?” He said no deal on the shirts, no honoring of her word, but hey, let me buy you a beer and call it good. My cohort, who walked ½ way in, orders a Coors Light and I order a Corona. Net value easily $5, net cost maybe $.35 if you’re lucky.
Let’s step back for a moment and examine what happened. Hooter’s shirt girl promises something and then take it back. Later on, I find out that Hooter’s shirt girl could NEVER have kept that promise according to her managers. What was Hooter’s shirt girl going to do when she comes up short at the till? Hooter’s Manager 1 & 2 both would not back up their employee or do what was necessary to make the customer happy.
My cohort and I talked on the walk home after one of the most exciting Super Bowl’s in history, marred by this incredibly bad customer service event. We see a lot of team building and team dysfunction in our careers and this is a simple issue of trust. My definition of trust is very simple, “Do what you say, clean up if you mess up.” If you want to create INSTANT mis-trust in any team, just DON’T DO WHAT YOU SAY. It’s really simple. After about the 3rd time, sometimes as soon as the 1st time, you will have trained everyone around you to never believe a word you say, no matter what your intentions are. If you want to build massive trust, just DO WHAT YOU SAY.
In addition, for anyone in customer service, let me reiterate an age old axiom. An ecstatic customer will tell 5 people about their incredible experience. A satisfied customer will probably tell no one. BUT, an angry customer will tell, on average, 20 people about a bad experience. It’s just good business to meet and exceed your customer’s expectations.
In summary, if you want to build TRUST, remember now, do what you say and clean up if you mess up.
Who could have thought so much enlightenment could come from Hooters?
PlayTime Inc. and CEO John Chen personally recommend you STAY AWAY from Hooter's AT ALL COSTS for multiple reasons!
Follow up to this article. I forwarded this to every email at http://www.hooters.com and I received NO reply from corporate. Lame, lame, lame, DO NOT VISIT THIS ESTABLISHMENT EVER!!!!
Posted by: John Chen | February 27, 2004 at 12:13 AM