Well first off I shouldn’t go anyway, I should stay away from fast food in general. Unfortunately it is a bad habit. Yesterday on my day off I decided to grab lunch and wanted something different. Checkers has the best fries and chocolate milk shakes so I decided to zip through the drive through. “Zip” is definitely not the term I would use to describe my experience. When I pulled in there were about 6 cars a head of me (3 of them already having placed their order). No one was going in the second lane because if you don’t have a passenger in the car it is not very convenient to lean over to pay and get your food. I remembered that this is always how it is when I go to Checkers. I took me a good 20 minutes to get through the line. See it isn’t that their is a long line of cars, you would think that meant people really loved this joint. In the case of Checkers it just means “slow” food not “fast” food.
When I got up to the speaker box I ordered a meal, the number 7. I noticed that it was $5.39. I was asked if I wanted medium or large. I chose medium and substituted the drink for a milkshake. I was told my order was $7.40. I thought to myself as I moved towards the window, “WOW I’m paying an extra $2 for a milkshake?” That sounded kind of steep, considering the meal already included the price of a soft drink.
So I asked when I got to the window how much the milkshake upgrade was and was told it was $1. So of course I asked then why was my bill $7.40 because the sign said the meal was $5.39. He said that was the price for the small and I got a medium. Hello? The girl asked me if I wanted the medium or large she never mentioned a small so I assumed they only came in medium or large. The correct question would have been would you like to upgrade to a medium or large? The way it was presented to me was which size would you like and I was given two choices.
I paid for my order and left and I know it is only a $1 and not a big deal, but for me it is the principal of things like this, it really gets under my skin. If they do this to 10,000 customers then they have made an extra 10,000 dollars. Why can’t this world be just a little more honest?
Alison says
Wow I wouldn’t have thought the regular meals came in just the small as standard. Other places it’s the medium as standard. But yes they should have said maybe “Would you like to make that a medium or a large”.. maybe that wouldn’t have worked either haha.
We don’t have Checkers up here and I’m kind of glad, I’ve heard some bad things about them.
Meghan says
Like they say in my business “You don’t need a Harvard degree to work in fast food”… you are lucky they got your order right.
I deal with the people in fast food every day…it’s a wonder I don’t drink really. :>)
At least the food was good right? 🙂
Alicia K says
yea i agree. its like they’re cheating you
Karen Glatt says
I think that they should have told you that the drink was a small drink and that the upgrade would cost more money! I think that this can be considered deceptive! Checkers is getting more money out of people without telling the customer that they are getting charged more. I would not pay for the extra amount. Make sure next time that this does not happen!
Linda Henderson says
It’s getting to where I hate going through the drive through. If I don’t check before we leave invariable we will get home with either the wrong order or part of our order is missing. It’s so frustrating.
HilLesha says
That would have peeved me off, too. I probably would have called and complained to their manager, though. ~lol~
Billie says
I’ve never been to Checkers, but I would have been annoyed at the way it was phrased as well.
Leilani says
That’s annoying! I hate buying things for my husband at McDonald’s for this very same reason. The people that work there aren’t very smart. I once tried to order an iced mocha and was told that the mocha machine was broken. But my first order of a hot mocha went through. Isn’t an iced mocha a regular mocha with ice? So why couldn’t they just add ice to a hot mocha?
Emily @FamilyNLifeLV says
I hate when companies do that!!
Tricia Nightowlmama says
wow tht’s rotten. We don’t have any more of these in our areas. I encountered the same treatment at Mcd’s lst week. the girl didn’t even want to give me what I ordered. I actually had to explain it to her 3x’s!! rediculous
Mom Foodie says
IMHO medium should be the size of a standard meal. Very deceiving.
Jo-Ann Brightman says
I agree with you. They should have made it clear – either by telling you or in the ad – of the difference in the prices.
Elaina- A Time Out for Mommy says
I totally hear you!
Michelle F. says
Always happens to me at drive thrus I always feel like I pay more than advertised.
Notorious Spinks says
Honey they’ll lose a customer over a dollar. Just foul.
Donna says
Doesn’t sound like an honest way to do business… and I know they’re not the only ones. Many fast food restaurants pull this. 🙁
Lisa @ljenator says
I hate it when this happens. Makes me wonder just how much money they make off people on the already inflated prices. Anywhere really.
Marcie W. says
Customer service goes such a long way! Kudos for blogging about an everyday experience Colleen.
Louetta Carpenter says
It seems to me they were doing their best to make a little money. You are right she should have asked if you wanted to upgrade, but they do what they can to cheat people to make a little extra cash.
Penelope (NYC Blogger) says
I notice this type of pushiness a lot in sales lately, recently at Lord & Taylor’s and Fairways, pushing things I didn’t want.
Christi says
They know what they are doing! They are taught to up-sale the customer. I think it is ridiculous and out right rude!
Maryann says
That kind of stuff really chaps me. I end up not going back to places like that because of greed. It is sleazy and you don’t want to participate, right?
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I think the push for sizing up is not singular to them. It makes fast food places a lot of money, as you just demo’d. I automatically ask for small all the time to avoid that!
Colleen says
I know it is sad that we feel we need that much food. I prefer the ones that just have all three prices listed, not sure why they think they need to be deceptive. Most people purchase what they want not based on price.
Danita Vojta says
I too am addicted to fast food,but one fast food restaurant I wont ever go back to is KFC in Puyallup,WA because the chicken was so greasy that the grease was literally poring off the chicken,and the customer service was awful and slow to boot,but they think its ok and its not!!
Colleen says
Oh yuck that does not sound good at all!
jrudder says
I agree with you, companies should be up front about the options and prices.
Denise Weatherly says
Customer service seems to not be important in this day…
Marty Harris says
I hate the extra prices at fast food places
Colleen says
Probably good reason NOT to eat there as much.
donna harris says
You know better next time! lol!!! That would get under my skin too. I would have said something to them like, well you didn’t tell me it was a up grade, so either give me the medium at the small price or change my order to a small. If they would give me a hard time I would have told them to cancel my order. Really I would have a few choice words in there if they were rude to me. I’m tried of getting stepped on, I guess that goes with getting older. I don’t go to them places because I always get the wrong order. So if we do decide to eat there the other half goes. Good Luck next time!!
Colleen says
I mentioned when he said that was the “small” price that no one asked if I wanted a small, in fact it was made to sound like I only had a choice of medium/large. But I did get the food and leave.
mei ling liu says
I just do not like them to increase prices(from mei ling liu)
Rachel @ Following In My Shoes says
Yeah… that would TOTALLY irritate me!
Toni says
All the ff restaurants around here are like that so I am used to it lol. I love me some checkers though.
Lindsay Lee says
Yeah I hate when I a restaurant asks if you want sauce or medium or large in your case and then they end up charging you $.50 to $1.00 so that item. I’ve never been to Checkers before but lots of resaurants do that now days.
Blessie Nelson says
i KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. i AM APPALLED WITH THE WAY FOOD IS SERVED HERE TOO!