Customer service in Calgary - thoughts?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by HarryH93

It doesn't take a scientist, but I highly doubt you can tell the difference between a TFW and a new Canadian citizen at Tim Hortons.

No, he's right on there. Tim Horton's is TFW land and entire crews get replaced at once semi regularly.

I'm fine with TFW's in fast food personally, the ones at the Tim Horton's by me are super nice and do a good job. It did make the "So Canadian" hats they wore at Stampede funnier than intended though.

[saillias]

I find it's pretty decent here. The only time I notice a decline in service is Christmas time at retail places, which I can forgive

[Jbo]

I will agree that Tim's can be a nightmare. I have actually started bringing coffee instead of stopping in the morning, as the Tim's on 58th is just brutal in the morning. Usually okay following the lunch rush. Otherwise places like McD's now rely on a combination of "order yourself" stations and one person on a till.

I'm not sure it will get better in the fast food market space, as these companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs and maximize technology to replace workers.

As pointed out, you vote with your wallet. Tim's no longer gets my business in the morning as it is not worth the hassle and honestly, the only reason I was stopping before was my laziness in the morning at home. Since my wife set me up with the Keurig and Tim's cups, I'm fine.

[flamesfever]

In my experience, the TFW's, for the most part, are trying their best and doing a pretty good job in the fast food chains. However, admittedly you have to exercise more patience with them at times. I think most companies have become dependent on TFW's, as there are not many Canadians willing to do their type of work for the same pay.

In my home town area in Ontario, they have to bring in planeloads of Jamaicans to pick apples in the Fall, as no one in the Community will do this type of work. Every once in a while the odd Jamaican will marry a local girl, and end up staying in Canada. Within a year, that Jamaican will no longer pick apples. It's obvious he has become "Canadianized".

I think we have to keep in mind that many things in Canada would be much more expensive if it wasn't for the efforts of TFW's.

[rd_aaron]

I don't get Tim's very often, but when I do it's usually either the one on Barlow just north of 16th Ave NE, or the one just off QE2 by Crossfield. I actually can't believe how fast they are. I usually stop at the Crossfield one if I'm heading north (usually about 8:30AM) and the stop only slows down my trip by maybe 2 minutes total as I'm through so fast.

The one on Barlow is fast too. They did screw my order up last time through the drive-thru (I got a large coffee and a breakfast sandwich) and they handed me a medium with no food. They accidentally offered the girl ahead of me my coffee & sandwich and she took it, even though she didn't order food, so I blame that partially on people being dishonest pricks. They fixed it right away for me.

[flamesfever]

The only fast food place I go to is A&W at Westhills, where my wife and I have our once a month teenburger, fries and rootbeer in a frozen mug. The service is excellent. I generally don't have to wait longer than a few minutes, and the staff seem to be a mix of Canadians and TFWs, which may be the answer to avoiding some of the delays and screwups that the OP is talking about.

[FireGilbert]

It's been a couple years since I've been in Calgary but generally have found that Calgarians are polite, hard working, and give excellent customer service.

Of course there are a few exceptions such as during the boom when waiters/waitresses/bartenders would get angry if they didn't get a 25% tip (likely not a problem anymore!). Also, there are language issues with foreign workers but as long as you have a bit of patience and aren't a racist ahole you still get good service.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Sliver

By you or some objective measure somewhere?

Based on customer comments sent to McD's head office.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by nik-

springs1 was banned

edit: or maybe not? I was sure that he/she was lifetime suspended after the last tirade.

It's clear that this conspiracy runs all the way to the top.

springs1 wasn't banned. *******YOU IDIOT!!!!********

Holy man, man: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...26#post5761226

She even has an Encyclopedia Dramatica page: https://encyclopediadramatica.se/Springs1

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Ok so not sure what your point is? That I'm racist because I find there is bad customer service in Calgary and part of that reason is TFW? I never said it was the only reason but don't expect someone like you to understand that. It's racist to even think I even thought of the colour of their skin. They could be from Australia for all I care.

And yes it's very easy to tell someone is a TFW or not. Maybe I'm just really good at being a racist

You want to know why people are labeling you as a racist? It's because in your rant about poor customer service, you went straight for TFWs as the cause.

Not because of other obvious groups which may have contributed to poor customer service such as:

- Millennials (whom i assumed you were going to make this thread about until i saw TFWs)
- fast food lifers, who cant give a crap about the job anymore because they're lifers
- recently laid off O&G workers who are working the fast food industry

nope, according to you, it's just the TFWs

but carry on, this is gold

[Dion]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

springs1 wasn't banned. *******YOU IDIOT!!!!********

Holy man, man: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...26#post5761226

She even has an Encyclopedia Dramatica page: https://encyclopediadramatica.se/Springs1

Shut up! Mentioning her name is what brings her out of hiding

[d00little]

I hardly ever get my Timmy's order wrong, obviously due to my superior ordering and communication skill compared to the OP.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Maybe calgaryblood IS puckluck!

This was confirmed in May this year.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

The worst customer service in Calgary? To me, it was 2005 to 2008. Not enough staff for places to man the stores, restaurants closing early or even during dinner rush. Those who were there were overworked, stressed or just didn't care. It's been better since then for sure.

When I started in the restaurant industry in Calgary in 1997 at the MacLeod Trail Jack Astor's, we were getting over 100 job applications per week, basically through the end of 1999. Kitchen guys were maxing out at $11.00 per hour, and you needed many years experience to get that pay. Years later, in that 2005-2008 range, I remember seeing the marquee sign at Classic Jack's on 17th asking for dishwashers to start at $15.00 per hour. Cooks with no experience were being hired at $20.00. Many restaurants were hiring anyone who would show up for a shift.

It also coincided with the rise in oil prices. Many of the better servers (both in terms of quality or work, and attractiveness) were being hired by oil companies, PE groups, and law firms. Quality of service went down. I have a theory that you can tell how the economy is doing by the inverse relationship of the quality of servers in restaurants.

[Northendzone]

I think that working in fast food can be chaotic and more difficult than it appears.

As customers we expect to have choices and flexibility all at low prices and to have it prepared accurately and quickly.

The restaurants appear to be set up to deliver food that is prepared to a certain format, if you deviate from that, then it throws things out of whack. Throw in workers who are not the most engaged group and customers get frustrated. Perhaps someone who has worked in fast food can comment on this.

For the most part, I don't have a huge problem when I go grab something to eat.

I will say that I have noticed that over the past few years there appear to be less WASPs working in this industry

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by rd_aaron

I don't get Tim's very often, but when I do it's usually either the one on Barlow just north of 16th Ave NE, or the one just off QE2 by Crossfield. I actually can't believe how fast they are. I usually stop at the Crossfield one if I'm heading north (usually about 8:30AM) and the stop only slows down my trip by maybe 2 minutes total as I'm through so fast.

The one on Barlow is fast too. They did screw my order up last time through the drive-thru (I got a large coffee and a breakfast sandwich) and they handed me a medium with no food. They accidentally offered the girl ahead of me my coffee & sandwich and she took it, even though she didn't order food, so I blame that partially on people being dishonest pricks. They fixed it right away for me.

That Barlow Tims drive thru is by far the fastest one in the city.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

The restaurants appear to be set up to deliver food that is prepared to a certain format, if you deviate from that, then it throws things out of whack.

Chain restaurants have trained any problem solving abilities right out of their workers and if it deviates from the pictograph flowcharts for every procedure then you get the deer in the headlights look.

[Street Pharmacist]

There is literally nothing more pathetic than a person getting angry at a $10 an hour employee about their constitutionally entitled $7 meal.

Walked out of a restaurant when my in laws did it.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

The only fast food place I go to is A&W at Westhills, where my wife and I have our once a month teenburger, fries and rootbeer in a frozen mug. The service is excellent. I generally don't have to wait longer than a few minutes, and the staff seem to be a mix of Canadians and TFWs, which may be the answer to avoiding some of the delays and screwups that the OP is talking about.

Agreed. The service at my local A&W is excellent.

[Igottago]

In general I don't think the service is any worse than it ever has been, certainly not a widespread problem. Seems like the OP is complaining about fast food chains. Sometimes they screw up, its low cost high paced environment, occasionally you will get the wrong order. As for the TFW's, I think most of them actually do a very good job.