Rants fuel Tim Hortons Facebook groups
Marianne White , Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, January 11, 2008
There seems to be more than coffee brewing at Tim Hortons.
Frustrated employees have banded together on the popular social networking site Facebook to give cranky customers the basic rules on how to order their daily fix if they want to get good service.
A trip to Tim Hortons is part of the daily routine for many Canadians, but it doesn't necessarily seem to be the warm and fuzzy experience the commercials make them out to be for people on both sides of the counter.
Canwest News Service
Facebook hosts more than 500 groups about Tim Hortons, some appreciative, some definitely not.
"This is for everyone who gets fed up with people who don't know what they want, and for workers who have to put up with this everyday. If people would just listen to these rules when ordering the world will be a better place," writes Janice Morgan, who identifies herself as the administrator of one group called Tim Hortons Rules of Ordering and More that has some 3,400 members.
The 80 rules or so spell out how to make your visit to Tims more efficient: "When you want a coffee with no sugar, do not say no sugar it sounds like your saying 'one sugar', " or "If you don't say you want anything in your coffee don't expect to get anything in it, we can't read your mind" and "Stop telling us to 'stir it well' there is no button on the cash register for that."
Although somewhat amusing, the rules are from people who identify themselves as Tim Hortons employees and who clearly wish customers would spend a day in their shoes.
"Almost everyday someone is rude to me and my coworkers," writes someone who identifies herself as Meghan Watts. "We try hard to get everyone's order right, but we do make mistakes from time to time. That's no reason to jump down our throats, yelling at us and trying to get free coffee."
In other Facebook groups such as Poor Souls Who've Worked at Tim Hortons, I Survived Making Ice Caps (iced cappuccinos) in the Summer (Tim Hortons employees) and I worked @(at) Tim Hortons and SURVIVED!, cranky workers share horror stories about testy clients.
A worked identified as Nick Bolarinho wrote that one customer threw his iced cappuccino in his face and yelled "this is ****!" Another says that he still has nightmares about his former Tim Hortons job.
But the coffee slingers are not the only ones airing their beefs on Facebook. Frustrated clients also have their support groups such as Tim Hortons Screws up my Order Every Time and Tim Hortons Service Sucks.
"Once I ordered a medium coffee, muffin and a bottle of water and I actually got two apple juices (in a bag), a large hot chocolate, a bagel and a muffin (not the one I asked for). They even charged me for what I did order...," complains a Kristine Julian from Halifax.
Someone identified as Rachelle Richards sums it up this way: "unhappy employees makes for ****ty customer service, and therefore unhappy customers."
But there is a silver lining for Tim Hortons employees. Many Facebook groups, like Addicted to Tim Hortons, are very positive and they seem to always have time for Tim Hortons.
The public affairs director for Tim Hortons didn't return calls Thursday.
http://www.canada.com/topics/technol...6-5a5bfd1875d3
