By Yonatan Lew
Tim Horton’s, a Canadian icon, seems to have a new strategy of hurrying people though the lines, trying to get as many people through the doors as possible.
Recently, I took my girlfriend out for what we thought would be a painless Tim Horton’s lunch.
We went in, waited in line then ordered, at which point they told me only one bowl of chilli was left. So I changed my order and paid.
When I went to pick up my food, though, they told me they were completely out of chilli! I was a bit miffed and my girlfriend was a bit hungry. They told me another batch would be ready in 10 minutes.
20 minutes later, we finally decided to complain and get my money back.
What I got was a hurried apology, my money and that was it. Nothing to make me want to go back there, that’s for sure.
Almost a week later, they sent my girlfriend a nicely phrased form letter saying, “I assure you that (the managers) will work together to ensure that your concerns are addressed.”
The next day they offered her a free lunch and a gift certificate, a happy ending for a hungry customer. What I’m wondering is, why wasn’t this done when the incident occurred?
My problem with Tim Horton’s, if you can’t tell, goes beyond this one ugly incident.
What has happened to this once great doughnut empire? Timmy’s, whose major shareholder happens to be American-owned Wendy’s, isn’t the warm and fuzzy reminder of Canada they would have us believe.
Their commercials promote the Canadian way of life and make the buyer believe that when they buy Tim Horton’s, they buy Canada. Actors travel abroad only to get home sick and then realize they only needed Timmy’s to remind them of good old Canada.
Tim Horton’s should not be touting itself as the great Canadian symbol. It is a corporation that cares more about money than people.
When 2,000 people on average pass through this Tim Horton’s doors each day, one would think mistakes would be made, no one is arguing against that.
But how the company treats you afterwards, that’s the key. Sure, I got my money back, but that doesn’t give me a reason to go back. The letter was a nice touch, as was their free lunch offer, but after that, what reason would I have to go back for horrible service and food no better than anywhere else? What incentive do I have to go back and get myself a doughnut or bagel? There’s nothing standing between me and Country Time.
What is happening to our society? The days where you could go in and get that nice leisurely lunch where the server actually wanted to help is over. In its place is the fast-paced environment of today, worried about time constraints, budget cuts and the bottom line, and Tim Horton’s is no exception.
A call to Tim Horton’s about their customer service policy yielded this cheery response: “The customer comes first!”
After investigating further, the customer service representative told me, “I think I better forward you to someone else that can answer these questions correctly; this isn’t something I normally do.” So now I can add this impersonal experience to my growing list of complaints about Tim Horton’s. Their on a roll!
The commercials would have you believe that Tim Horton’s is as much a part of the Canadian identity as hockey, but the truth is that Timmy’s is just another corporation, no different than any other where the words customer service means pacify and “Always fresh” means freshly defrosted doughnuts.