The #JusJoJan for today is “Revolt” as suggested by Sandra at “What Sandra Thinks.”
This is an easy one for me as I just had an experience that made me revolt against the system.
My husband and I went to dine at Outback Steakhouse after a recent procedure he had for which he had to fast the night before. (He has those occasionally and we always end up going out to eat right after, no matter how groggy he is from the anesthesia – LOL). At any rate, Outback is right down the street from the Surgery Center so it was an easy decision.
Since it was between lunch and dinner, there was no line and no waiting. We got seated at a table and ordered drinks which were perfectly made. My husband even went over to the bartender to tell her so.
Next we ordered our meal, which included the appetizer blooming onion. When we ordered this our server (name withheld to preserve anonymity) immediately picked up the Ziosk machine that was at our table and put in the order for the onion.
We paid the bill, made sure to give her a good tip (it wasn’t her fault the company was pressuring them) and I even wrote on the receipt that she gave excellent service. My husband gave the bartender an extra tip. Obviously we did not have a miserable time there. However, because it really made me mad that Outback would have such a policy, I immediately got on my computer at home and sent off emails to both the local Outback and to corporate headquarters. By this time it was late afternoon on a Friday and Monday was the holiday so I didn’t expect to hear anything right away.
Yesterday I got an email from the Managing Partner at the local Outback. She apologized for our “less than perfect” experience at Outback and said that while the staff is trained on using the Ziosk machines, they should not “force the tablet” on us or make us “feel bad for not using it.” She wanted to invite us back as her “personal guest for the experience we deserved.”
I thanked her for her response but wanted to make sure that our server in NO WAY got in trouble for our comments. I said that clearly the servers were being pressured by corporate to use the systems and that I did not feel they should be held responsible for the customer’s actions and that I felt it was a bad policy. I gave her our mailing address so that she could send us the invite or whatever she is sending. We’ll see what happens.
So, that was my revolt against the system. What is your opinion? Do you use the kiosk machines on the tables at restaurants? Have you had your card numbers stolen? Make sure to visit the other participants in #JusJoJan to read their revolting stories – LOL.
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Mary actually enjoys using the Ziosk at Chili’s, but they don’t make a major deal out of it if you don’t. Something tells me that someone at Outback (maybe the server or whoever was in charge that day) heard things incorrectly, or maybe the server didn’t know how to work the register in the back. I’d have asked to speak to the manager.
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Yeah, it was kind of interesting that she specifically said they weren’t supposed to use the register in the back. I will see what happens if we go back with the managers voucher. I’m still not using them.
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I saw one of those at Chili’s a few years ago. We liked paying there, as my husband hates waiting for the check! But you’re right, can be hacked, just like gas pumps. Our bank actually warns against paying with cards at restaurants or hotels where someone takes your card into another area. They may write down the numbers and sell them. I really think there’s only so much you can do, people get robbed no matter how careful.
I’ve had my card replaced twice in the last ten years, cause fraud. The bank detected one, I detected the other.
Absolutely with you on splurging on a yummy, high-cal meal now and again 🙂
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Yes, I agree about having them take your card away but I think I’d have better recourse because the server’s name is usually on the ticket. With the machines, the company could “disavow all knowledge” of the hack. We are lucky that both our bank and our credit companies are great about getting in touch with us if they notice unusual activity, even if the activity is really ours!
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I’ve never seen one of those machines. I think I would not like to use one. As you said, too easy to get screwed.
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No one is watching them all the time so anything can happen.
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Very interesting, and I’d never thought about those machines not being totally secure. We only go to one place that has them. Sometimes we use it, but most times not. I’d rather the server came and collected in person, myself.
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I did use one once and that’s all it took to have my info stolen. Never again.
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I hadn’t thought about issues with tampering, but I don’t like the machines either. One reason is that I fear for jobs as companies start to automate everything. I enjoy human interaction and those people need to pay their bills so I avoid using automation as much as I can. The other reason is the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the screens. Yuck!
But, I do have to warn you about feeling too comfortable about giving your credit card to a server and having them take it out of your sight. I did this a few years ago and my credit card number was stolen (I’m pretty sure by the server) and used to pay for all sorts of goodies.
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Agreed on both the lack of human interaction and the cleanliness, especially if they have let the kids play games on them! I also agree about the danger of letting the server take it away but I think I would have more recourse if it got stolen that way since the server’s name is usually on the bill. In the case of the machines, the restaurant could claim they had no knowledge of tampering.
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We have one of those restaurants here. I haven’t been yet. I used one of those machines once but my choice is to pay the server directly. I’m glad you revolted, more power to you.
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Thanks! You should try the restaurant. The food is delicious!
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We went in Denver, it was good.
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I actually like the kiosks, but in nyc they’re mostly at fast, casual restaurants, not sit down places with waitstaff
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Well, perhaps those wouldn’t be quite so bad because of all the traffic? I just think that in the sit down places there is more opportunity for people to tamper with them since no one is watching all the time.
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We have text alert on our credit cards so we know right away if someone tampered with them. We try to be careful…but it’s so hard….next week I am writing about a policy at my daughters dentist…
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We are lucky with our credit cards and the bank notifying us of unusual activity. Several times I’ve gotten a notice and forgot it was me who used the card! I look forward to hearing about the policy at the dentist’s office as I worked in medical offices for most of my career.
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😀
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