Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 02:31:28 -0400
From: "D.Manchester" <vead@uconect.net>
Organization: D.Manchester
To: customerservice@adrus.com
CC: <redacted>
BCC: <some other folks who are watching, waiting to see, and act...>
Subject: Rudeness at Your Uncasville Store

To Whom It May Concern at Dunkin' Donuts Corporate HQ:

  Dear Sir or Madame;

  I would like to alert You to a serious breach of Customer Service
Etiquette.  I live in Uncasville Connecticut, and have enjoyed Your
Coffee on numerous occasions.  It is very good, and I enjoy drinking
it.  But some disturbing things have been occurring at Your Uncasville
location on Route 32, which I felt You at the Corporate Headquarters
should know about.

  A couple of weeks ago, a Friend of mine went in after they got off
work late (after midnight) to get coffee.  The practice is to leave a
bell on the counter, with a note saying "Ring Bell for Service."  My
Friend rang the bell, and one of Your employees poked his head out of
the back room, and gave him the finger. I don't know if he ever got his
coffee. (I would have left.)

  I only found out about this, this week when discussing with this
Friend another unpleasant experience I had there this past Tuesday. Here
is what transpired on Tuesday:  I was returning home with another Friend
when we decided to have some coffee.  Your store in Uncasville is on my
way home.

  I went in and ordered (after waiting for the Person to take care of
the Drive-Thru) some coffee and donuts.  Then, rather than sit at the
tables, I took the coffee and donuts outside, gave my Friend their
coffee and donut while they remained in the car. Some of my other
Friends were there, parked next to me in the parking lot in front
(Dunkin' Donut repeat Customers, all), and I began to have Fellowship
with them, enjoying the coffee and conversation.

  When I recieved the donut from Your employee, I glanced at my watch.
The time was about 12:35 am.  After about 15 minutes, two local Police
Cruisers pulled into the lot, and the Policemen (who were very polite)
asked what the disturbance was.  My Friends and I looked at each other
in perplexity...We had seen no disturbance.  And we told the Policemen
"We're all Friends here.  We haven't seen any disturbance."

  Confused, the Policemen went to the rear of the building to speak with
Your Franchisee's Employee's to find out what they had called them for.
After a few minutes the local Policemen returned, and the one who
appeared to be the Senior (there were 2) said (paraphrased) : "Ok,
here's the deal.  The Owner has ordered some 'No Loitering' signs, but
they haven't arrived yet.  Until they do, they have left standing orders
to the night shift to call Us whenever there are People loitering in the
parking lot.  So You folks will have to leave."  I glanced at my watch
again...total elapsed time since I was served: 22 minutes.

  With that, the Constables went around and wrote down everybody's
names, then let us go.

  Here is my concern:  Nobody came out and asked anyone to leave, before
calling the Police.

  Why?

  Is this the Official Policy of Dunkin' Donuts International?  To Call
the Police to Hassle Your Regular Customers?  To Routinely Insult anyone
who comes in after midnight to get a simple coffee and donut?

  This evening, I went by the store, to try to let the management know
of this problem, but no management was available to discuss it.  When I
got home, I tried calling, but the ...ummm...Person who answered said
that I should come back down, so they could, quote "kick my ass",
unquote.  I tried calling again, and the same Employee said that they
knew where I lived, and that they would send the Police to my house if I
tried calling again.  You have got a real hell of a way of dealing with
Customer Service issues, is all I can say.

  Is this the way Dunkin' Donuts really wants to treat their regular
Customers?

  You know, I enjoy Your coffee, but, as a Human Being, I will only put
up with so much before organising a Boycott.  Don't think that it can't
happen.

  I go to Dunkin' Donuts for a simple coffee and a donut.  I do not go
there expecting abuse.  And this is abuse.  No consumer should have to
put up with being physically threatened by one of (or an agent/employee
of) any of Your Franchise Holders. Or insulted, or being "flipped-off"
by Your employees while waiting for service.

  The other night Your employee should have simply come out front and
asked us to leave.  They did not.  Instead, they made the choice to call
the Police on some otherwise loyal and regular customers.  Without any
kind of sign in the parking lot to indicate any "no loitering" policy.

  This was very Un-Friendly.

  This behaviour is intolerable, in my humble opinion.

  I am placing this letter on the world wide web.  I will be happy to
post any response Dunkin' Donuts' may wish to send alongside it.

  While Your Franchisee may be perfectly within their technical "legal"
rights to conduct Your Business in such a fashion, please be aware that
being within Your legal rights is not always the best way to conduct
Your Public Relations.

  Also, I would like You to know that I, personally, do not appreciate
being threatened with physical harm by Your representatives, or those of
Your Franchisee's.  And neither do I, or my Friends who are regular
Customers of Dunkin' Donuts, appreciate being subjected to verbal or
other abuse while trying to get served a simple donut and coffee late at
night.

  If this is the Dunkin' Donuts way of doing business, good luck.
You'll need it.

  Do not think that I am unaware of the inherent dangers of Persons
loitering in the Parking Lot; ...I have run numerous businesses in this
area on the third shift, including Exit 74 Sunoco, Amoco (now Citgo) on
rt. 161 in Niantic, and three other convenience stores in Niantic on the
shore road.

  So, I know.  This type of behaviour on the part of representatives of
Dunkin' Donuts is inexcuseable.  There are more cultured ways to conduct
One's self, and maintain Good Will with One's Customer's.  "Our Valued
Customers", to quote the sticker on the door of Your Uncasville store.

  I hope You are able to redress this unseemly behaviour, and assuage
those whom Dunkin' Donuts has already sufferred to be insulted by Your
apparently ignorant, uncultured, and rude representatives.  I have sent
cc's to myself of this letter, and bcc's to various other parties, fyi.

  Thank You in Advance for Your Kind Response,

  David C. Manchester