Not So Jolly at Jollibee.

One of my most favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon is to get some take out at Jollibee with Bubba. However, lately, I've been getting more and more disappointed with the service I am receiving from the drive through counter, particularly here in BF Homes.

I have made several complaints to the manager on duty, but I don't know if it's gotten any attention. My main complaint with the drive through here is that there are always people loitering around the drive through counter. Sometimes, it's kids selling sampaguita. Sometimes, it's worse. It's someone the counter person knows and is chatting with while you try to give your order. They (the "guests") even have the audacity to complain when you drive in. My worry is that one day one of them gets sideswiped by a car or something and it will be the drivers fault.

Another drive through nightmare I had recently was in Jollibee Santana Grove, which is a 24 hour branch. I drove in at around 3:45 am to get some fries for Bubba and a breakfast for myself as I was heading home from a long night. When I got to the window, there was no crew on site. When I peered in the window, I caught them monkeying around on the floor. The crew who was to take my order was busy pulling on the foot of the counter cashier. Yes, she had her hands around the shoe of the other girl. So I placed my order and to my dismay, she did not bother to wash her hands after holding on to that shoe before scooping up the fries! I was not able to react anymore. Add to that, when I got home with my Beef Tapa, it frustrated me that the girl forgot to put utensils in the bag! Then again, given that she didn't wash her hands, pwede na yun.

A friend of mine also share her own not-so-jolly story:

Almost 9 in the evening of Wednesday last week (Oct. 7) , I decided to have a late dinner at Jollibee-Katipunan. I ordered their beefsteak meal and looked forward to eating it since I was very hungry. However, as soon as I sat down to eat, the lights went off. As I sat in the dark, I waited for the branch’s emergency lights to kick-in but there were none. I waited for their generator to start. But after a few minutes, I knew this was not to be. I looked at the dark counter and waited for the crew to bring out candles for us customers but more minutes went by and no one approached us. I waited for portable lamps to be brought out to light our dinners but again, nothing happened. It was only after several minutes of waiting that I realized that I was supposed to eat my dinner in the dark!

Tired and hungry, I picked up my tray and carefully walked in the dark to the counter. There, I asked the crew with the supervisor present why there were no lights. The supervisor said that they had no generator. “Why not candles?” I asked. She replied that they were not allowed to have candles. “E paano na lang kaming mga customers ninyo?” I asked. The supervisor said that the customers can stay as long as they liked. “But how about me who has not eaten yet? How am I supposed to eat in the dark?” I asked in exasperation. This time, the supervisor had no answer. “Pasensya na po, Ma’m” the crew member who converted my meal to take out said.

But no, I have no "pasensya" to a fastfood chain that does not care about its customers. It is just simple customer-service-logic to bring out lights (portable lights if candles are not allowed) so that their customers can still enjoy their meal during a brown-out. The message by Jollibee to me that night was – “I got your money for the meal that you bought. I don’t care how you eat it in the dark! Bahala ka na diyan!” Salamat po, Jollibee, for this experience. It really has left a bad taste in my mouth.

We all know that Jollibee is one of the biggest fast food chains in the metro. I hope that this fact does not supersede the fact that customers deserve good service all the time.