Thursday, December 16, 2010

Pat & Oscar's ... A No Response Company

For many years, I had the pleasure of dining at Pat & Oscar's Restaurant chain in the San Diego area. The food was always a cut above, the service excellent, and it was just a fun place to go.

In the beginning, it was just Oscar's, before Oscar added his wife Pat to the name. And for all those years, it was a gathering spot for myself and my employees for luncheons, catered meetings, informal business dinners, carry-out meals and family meals. I brought clients to "P&O's" as I came to call them, because they were a great place to go. A highly responsive organization and great food.

But something changed. A recent experience soured my last perhaps fifteen or more years experience with this chain. Following what I considered a very poor take-out order, I contacted them twice via their site, and they never responded. I attempted to contact them via their office phone, which was not answered; it simply invites you to leave a message.

In short, all those years of business has come to a halt. Although they are close by, we'll no longer do business. There are way too many fast food places available to simply be ignored by a company when you have a valid complaint about an order. And, it's the first complaint in all those years.

It's not that I was unwilling to "give it another try." It's that I feel as if the company doesn't care about their customers. Nobody can tell me they don't get nor read their e-mails that originate on their own site. It doesn't go to spam. It simply tells me they just don't want to be bothered with consumer issues.

And they wonder why you don't come back? The restaurant business has long been one with a difficult survival path, with about 30% failing in the first year. Pat & Oscar's has had a remarkably successful run, and I sure wish them continued success. But I won't be one of their customers anymore.

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