Bad experience at Chesapeake Bagels

[Doc]

The following message was forwarded to me. I have removed the contact information for the lady that wrote it. Looks like SMIB customer service at its finest:

All~
Please get the word out to your fellow co-workers not to buy bagels from the Lexington Park Chesapeake Bagel Bakery on Route 235.

This morning, I went to buy bagels for my co-workers. I called the order in yesterday afternoon to give the bakery enough time to prepare. The person who prepared the order had absolutely NO customer service skills to say the least. Needless to say, the order was wrong...I asked (politely) for it to be corrected, twice. After the employee threw the bagels around, she threw the bag to me and said "here". I (politely) said "thank you" (expecting nothing in return, which is what I got).
Very intimidated by this woman, I waited until I got to my car to count the order (didn't want to upset my anxious "bagel-day" co-workers by forgetting someone's order). Well, just my luck, the order was wrong. I already expected this woman to have a bad attitude, so I went in simply saying "there are 11 bagels here, I paid for 13". She took the bag, threw the bagels around again, this time slamming even more abruptly. I had enough. (I started loosing the politeness...) Long story short, she cussed me, I cussed her...she came around from the counter pointed her nasty long dirty fingernails in my face...and eventually shoved me into the counter. I didn't know what to do. No witnesses. I simply said they lost our "happy bagel-day Wednesday" business and left crying and shaking like a leaf.

A couple substitute bakery choices are McKay's and Shoppers Food Warehouse.

Have a nice day, thank you for "spreading the word".

 

[RoseRed]

Originally posted by Doc
I have removed the contact information for the lady that wrote it. Looks like SMIB customer service at its finest:

Maybe she was pissed for being called a SMIB.

 

[RoseRed]

I understand that. Just looking at it in another angle. Sometimes attitude creates attitude.

 

[vraiblonde]

Let me be the first to throw the flag -

I don't believe for one minute that this incident took place as reported. With NO witnesses? Not any other customers or even another employee? I have been to the Ches Bagel Bakery in Lex Park many times and have never seen it manned by one lone counter person.

 

[SxyPrincess]

Originally posted by Doc
I simply said they lost our "happy bagel-day Wednesday" business and left crying and shaking like a leaf.

 

[Oz]

This would not be admissable in a court of law, but someone can convict a business with cr@p like this posted on a message board. And, there is nothing that the managers at the bagel shop can do about it. If I were a businessperson, I would simply ignore junk like this, and hope that most reasonable people would do the same.

 

[RoseRed]

Maybe she should have been more assertive and called the bagel police

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by RoseRed
Maybe she should have been more assertive and called the bagel police

She could have stomped on the other girl's foot and called a toe truck.

 

[Darlene]

I simply said they lost our "happy bagel-day Wednesday" business and left crying and shaking like a leaf.

Hmmm, if this really did happen, I wouldn't be the one shaking and crying, she would of been eating bagels without teeth

 

[RoseRed]

Originally posted by Nodnarb


She could have stomped on the other girl's foot and called a toe truck.

Maybe she should have just lobbed them at her so she would have chased her out the store into the street where she was then hit by a car. But then again, she may caught them on her nasty long dirty fingenails and flicked em back like a booger.

 

[Sharon]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Let me be the first to throw the flag -

I'd like to hear from the employee about how some irate beeech came in ranting because her order wasn't exactly the way she wanted it.

 

[RoseRed]

Originally posted by Sharon
I'd like to hear from the employee about how some irate beeech came in ranting because her order wasn't exactly the way she wanted it.

Thanks Sharon. That's what I was thinking or perhaps she came in with a superior attitude against the (bad word - SMIB) and maybe that's what started all this.

 

[Ken King]

We get bagels from them every Monday and Thursday for the folks out at ATR. Never have we had a problem like mentioned.

It is probably just more BS from someone who doesn't want to be in this area that is too chickens**t to move.

 

[Doc]

Originally posted by Nodnarb
This would not be admissable in a court of law, but someone can convict a business with cr@p like this posted on a message board. And, there is nothing that the managers at the bagel shop can do about it. If I were a businessperson, I would simply ignore junk like this, and hope that most reasonable people would do the same.

Presumably folks are smart enough to decide for themselves how much faith to put into a statement like this. If the business in question is a well-run one that generates lots of customer good will, then they have nothing to worry about. I figured I'd pass it along and see if it sparked any similar stories. It didn't, so maybe it's just an anomaly--one incompetent worker. Or maybe the writer of the anecdote was, despite her assurances that she was polite, overly bitchy.

My customer service experience in Southern Maryland hasn't been universally awful, but I must say that overall I've seen a higher fraction of rude and incompetent people here than anywhere else I've lived. And that includes a short stint in France, so that's really saying something.

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by Doc


Presumably folks are smart enough to decide for themselves how much faith to put into a statement like this. If the business in question is a well-run one that generates lots of customer good will, then they have nothing to worry about. I figured I'd pass it along and see if it sparked any similar stories. It didn't, so maybe it's just an anomaly--one incompetent worker. Or maybe the writer of the anecdote was, despite her assurances that she was polite, overly bitchy.

Who would say "you lost our happy bagel day wednesday business?" People are cussing at eachother, but it ends with that? People don't talk like that! This is silly...

-ANYTHING- like this immediately has no credibility because there is no name, and nothing can be verified. If you left the name of the person sending you this email, then there is some merit to the information. Or, that person would be more careful about the things they write after facing the consequences of such a story.

I find it totally irresponsible to forward this around kind of junk around the web, anonymously.

 

[RoseRed]

Originally posted by Nodnarb


Who would say "you lost our happy bagel day wednesday business?" People are cussing at eachother, but it ends with that? People don't talk like that! This is silly...

-ANYTHING- like this immediately has no credibility because there is no name, and nothing can be verified. If you left the name of the person sending you this email, then there is some merit to the information. Or, that person would be more careful about the things they write after facing the consequences of such a story.

I find it totally irresponsible to forward this around kind of junk around the web, anonymously.

One ringy-dingy, Two ringy-dingy.... Anyone want to start a rousing game of telephone line? We can start a story and pass it on and see how it changes? Remember that back in grade school?

 

[Doc]

Originally posted by Nodnarb


Who would say "you lost our happy bagel day wednesday business?" People are cussing at eachother, but it ends with that? People don't talk like that!

Don't know many people, do you? I've worked with several women who not only would talk like that, but would react pretty much that way in a similar circumstance. (And, of course, I've worked with plenty whose response would have led to a headline in the newspaper: "Bagel store clerk found with entire bag of bagels shoved into her ###".)

It was precisely those odd details that make me tend to believe the story. If someone's pissed because their bagel wasn't toasted just so and they wanted to make up something to get back at the bakery, I figure they'd make up a way better story than that.

 

[Doc]

What the hell? I can't say "###" in a post? What about ####, ####, ####, piss, or ####?

 

[vraiblonde]

@ Doc! You can't say ####, ####, ####, or ####, either. Apparently you can still say piss, though.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by Ken King

It is probably just more BS from someone who doesn't want to be in this area that is too chickens**t to move.

I'm not quite sure how that relates to the story, but oh well..


I have heard others stories about the bagel bakery (none as severe as the one posted here). But after experiencing some of this "St. Marys customer service", It would not surpise me that something like this could happen.. I doubt it was as severe as mentioned, and I doubt she was as nice as she claimed, but I can see something along these lines happening (and not just in st. marys)

I also got forwarded the original e-mail from the person in question.. There was contact information including a phone number, so I assume if you want to verify it you could.

But this is the joy of living in a small town.. If something bad (or good) happens, the word spreads very fast.