Just a follow up about my Pizza Hut experience. For those that have not read it - here it is again! I got a reply to my email re delivery policy (dated: 17 March) 2 days ago. I didn’t know that Pizza Hut’s customer relations team are called “Yum Customer Relations”.
Email from Pizza Hut:
“Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Pizza Hut do not have a policy on delivery times, if however the order is late we do hope that our customers call up the order line to inform them of this and we then inform the store and find out where the order is. On some occasions we do transfer our customers through to store managers so hey can discuss this with them. If the pizza is heaps longer than expected it is then up to each store manager as to if they are going to discount this, this is why we like our customers to let us know so they store can resolve the situation.”
So in short: There is no delivery time guarantee, and it is up to customers to sort out an agreement with the store manager. I think this is a bit poor. When you deliver something, you expect some sort of a guarantee that it turns up on time. It doesn’t have to be given for free if delivered late, but perhaps a Pizza coupon (similar to the Hot 2 You guarantee they have) would suffice.
P.S.: Good on Ray (see comments from earlier post) for getting a refund from Domino’s Pizza. At least I got my pizza, he paid for it and it never came.
I am yet to buy a car, so I trialled the Safeway (or Woolworths) delivery service the other day. Safeway is located a good walking distance from my home, but I am the type of person who likes shopping once a fortnight, rather than doing it more regularly. Keeps my budget in check, and also allows me to plan my shopping. Which means buying loads of stuff, therefore transport is a problem.
I bought 16 bags worth of shopping yesterday, and tested out the delivery service. Here is what I thought.
The shopping itself Woolworths has a great website, where you can shop online. I am a huge fan of shopping online, and I regularly make purchases online (e.g.: eBay). However, shopping for groceries online is a bit of a hassle. Surprisingly, I found using the website difficult - not because of its design characteristics, but rather I find it much easier seeing my food before buying. I have not fully tested out the site, but I hope there is a functionality which allows for keeping tabs of your favorite products thereby reducing your searching time (or remembering your previous shopping list). The site does not provide photos of all the products at a glance unless you click on individual items, which can get annoying. Overall, a novel site, but not for me at this stage.
The delivery
After the purchase, I advised the “check out chick” that I preferred delivery. It was quite easy, all bags are tagged and bar coded. My contact details are given, and the lady explained that delivery will occur “before 5pm today” (and I get a card with delivery information). This gave me ample time to get back home, before the goods arrived. I live in an apartment, so would have preferred the groceries to be dropped off at my level. Instead, I was told to get them from downstairs. Fair enough I guess. My expectations are high, I know. The delivery time was 4.30pm - so punctuality was maintained.
The cost of delivery was less than $5. Now doing the sums:
* Cost of a tram ticket for 2 hours (Zone 1): $3.50
* There was no way I could have brought 16 bags by myself, which meant a taxi was required.
So delivery is an economical option for those without private transport. A big tick for Safeway for keeping things affordable.
Inside tips * When using the site, watch for the “specials” link at the top - which details all your savings. This is a great feature of the site.
* It gives you running totals, so you know how much you are spending. This is something you do not get while doing shopping physically.
*Delivery is a great option if you have loads to carry
* Watch out, delivery for purchases made online can be more expensive!
Suggestions
* I can see a major market for busy couples who would like their shopping delivered, particularly those living in inner city apartments. So make delivery to the door, rather than to the building.
* The delivery card does not have information on whom to contact if you do not get your goods, so this would be a good idea. You do not want customers left out in the cold when deliveries don’t come on time.
Rating - 8/10(delivery was a great deal!) I suspect delivery is subcontracted, and thank you for making it affordable. If you can deliver to people’s doors (incl. apartments) then it will really attract a lot of inner city dwellers. As for your website, things look good here - but consider incorporating pictures that are easily accessible instead of making us click on each product link.
Ok, let me keep this simple. 3 large pizzas, 2 garlic breads, 1 pepsi (1.25L). Cost: $47. Order time: 10.15pm, Delivery time: 11.45pm. Do I need to say anymore?
On my return to Melbourne (from India), I ordered a few pizzas to be delivered at 11pm. I got out of the airport about 10.10pm so at 10.15pm ordered and specified the pizzas to be delivered at 11pm. I got home at 10.50pm. 11.15pm -> no pizza! My stomach was telling me to eat something quickly. 11.25pm –> no pizza! I tried to ring 131 166 but they had closed. The call centre guy guaranteed that delivery will happen.
By 11.30pm, I ran out of patience and with no way of confirming whether I was going to get my dinner I made a quick visit to the local shopping centre (which closes at midnight) and bought some food.
I returned at 11.45pm, and saw the pizza guy driving behind me trying to find the house. He was very apologetic, and explained that he was the “only driver”. I explained that if he was running late, is there any reason he didn’t call me (my number given to call centre) and inform me so I was aware. He apologized once more, and said it was an “oversight”. I appreciated his honesty.
He rang his manager to ask if he can give the pizzas for free since it had taken so long. To my surprise (and the driver’s), I was entitled to only 10% discount. After talking to the manager (took 15 minutes of hammering my point) myself, I negotiated a $20 deal. The manager’s reasoning was that: “I gave you an extra 45 minutes to make sure you arrived from the airport”. My point: “I did not ask for extra time mate!”.
In summary
* Total time taken: 90 minutes
* Cost: $20
* 1 of the pizzas did not have a hot symbol (although I didn’t make a huge fuss about this)
* No phone call from driver to warn of delay
* No way of me contacting Pizza Hut to confirm delivery (hot line closed)
Suggestions
* 4 simple steps of avoiding is: 1) tell the customer which store is making the pizzas, 2) give the customer a way of contacting the driver (pager, mobile phone), 3) Pizza Hut informing the customer of any delays, 4) Do not unfairly argue with the customer.
Rating - 0/10 (when you argue with the customer unfairly, the buck stops!)
Here’s my question: am I entitled for the pizzas to be free considering it took them 1.5 hours from the order time? The answer: I do not know. Pizza Hut’s website does not specify any time limits, except to say delivery times to Mt Waverley is 30 minutes. They do have a “Hot 2 you” guarantee. What do you think? I will be interested to hear your comments. I have emailed Pizza hut for clarification and will keep you updated. I am not so much worried about the cost, but rather the approach the manager took. It’s a matter of principle.
My family organized a function at Taj Coromandel in Chennai during my trip to India. I did not organize it, so I cannot comment on this aspect but I will comment on the customer service, food, and ambience. From what I heard, all planning was done through email - which is excellent for foreigners.
The service Customer service has improved markedly over the years in India, and Taj Coromandel is no exception. It is one of the prestigious hotels in Chennai, and the Taj chain of hotels has an excellent reputation for customer service. But it does come at a cost. Our function for 25 people - buffet style Indian vegetarian dinner cost was Rs 38000 (approx: AUD $1027). Comparatively, it is quite cheap. A similar style buffet in Australia will cost a lot more.
There were 4 waiters looking after us, and were very friendly. The food was prepared on time, and was presented well. There was an issue with the bill, as we had been charged for 35 people instead of 25 people - but this was promptly fixed by the manager in charge and a corrected tax invoice was provided.
The food
We chose a South Indian style menu. There were other options, but ours was vegetarian. There were a few North Indian items, and also some pasta(my favorite). Finger food was also included, and non-alcoholic drinks were unlimited. The food was very nice, presented well - and with about 3 entrees, 6-8 mains, 3 desert, finger food, and unlimited drinks options - it was well worth the money.
The ambience When I go to Taj - I expect excellent ambience. Taj Coromandel was no exception. The lobby was dimly lit, with plenty of customer service personnel available. The marvelous stair case leading to the Willingdon Hall set the tone, and the lobby was brilliantly decorated with its own water feature, Italian tiles and Mahogany furniture. The European elegance was visible throughout the hotel. The hall itself was very spacious, with comfortable seating and coffee table arrangements. I included a small presentation and they accommodated my needs with space for a projector, screen and my laptop. The decorations, and furniture quality were excellent and second to none.
When you enter the hotel, you feel like royalty and I have not experienced this feeling in other 5 star hotels I have stayed or visited.
Inside tips
* As a general rule (anywhere in the world) - check your bill. This is true in India as well, no matter how expensive the place you visit is.
Suggestions * Do what you are doing.
* Ensure you bill customers correctly. I was a bit disappointed that I had to point out the mistake, but appreciate your prompt acknowledgment and correction. I suspect my experience was an exception, none the less you lost 1 point for this. I’m sorry!
Rating - 9/10 (Marvelous, but the billing let you down)
Taj Coromandel is a place I will be holding any future functions. I am very much impressed with their professional approach, and also the ambience of the hotel. Well done!
Sure enough, Beijing has the world’s biggest airport by size but Singapore (Changi) truly has an airport for the future. I landed at Terminal 3 (which opened in Jan 2008), and seemlessly grabbed my breakfast en route to immigration & customs. I had 16 hours here, so thought might take a trip to downtown. Free tours are offered by Tourism Singapore, sponsored by Civil Aviation of Singapore, Singapore Airlines, and Tourism Singapore. The free tour I took was the historial tour. It went for 2 hours, including a 20 minute boat cruise along the river in downtown. They have a very busy schedule, so timing is crucial. They get annoyed at passengers who don’t follow their “rules”. Essentially, they are baby sitting you for a few hours, and they act like mum & dad. Hey, its free so who cares right!
Terminal 3 is a sight to see! A funny thing happened though, some security guards thought I was photographing them specifically when I was in fact taking in the shots of the brilliantly designed Terminal 3. They questioned me and let me off, but then followed me until I went to the tourism centre. Trust me, 3 dudes with AK-47 or whatever following you is not a good look. Moral of the story, don’t muck with the guards. They take security very seriously.
After the city tour, we were dropped back to the airport and then I took the free shuttle bus to downtown. Again, I wish we had this in Melbourne. The shuttle bus drops you off, and picks you up from designated spots at fixed times. Again, they get annoyed at time delays so you really need to be punctual.
There are so many sites to see, but I stuck to three main areas: Little India, China Town, and Malay Town. There is plenty of shopping to be done, but Chadstone is enough for me. The airport itself has countless shops. Read the rest of this entry »
Store
221 Union Road
Ascot Vale, VIC 3032
Tel: (03) 9370 6666 Google Maps
Everything about this small pizza store in Ascot Vale was great. I rang up for a Family Size pizza, and half hour later it was pristine ready for my intestines. The pizza itself was great tasting. I felt like Vegetarian. The phone attendant, and the service person on the day were chatty, and relaxed. This is in stark contrast to Pizza Hut or Dominos who give a franchisees customer service. I have tended to enjoy smaller pizza joints in the last few days because of this. The pizza was authentic tasting.
The best thing about Pizza Minded is the prices are very competitive. A large pizza for $9.00 is excellent, and non a regular day would beat the big pizza franchises. They also have a Tuesday special of $6.00, or a happy hour deal (Wed-Sat 5pm - 6pm, family pizza for $9.00). The store is clean, and easy to find if you’re driving. Parking is an issue, and was even on a Sunday night when I ordered mine but I wasn’t too bothered by it.
EFTPOS facility is an added bonus, and the icing on the cake is the FREE HOME DELIVERY if the order is above $12.00.
Suggestions
* Even a great store like Pizza Minded can always have some feedback. I know your store is small, and I’m not aware of the volume of business you do but I would consider a website. Even if its a single page site with the menu (you could use Weebly to create it!). Chuck some Google Adwords and you’re business can improve sales. For domain name registrations I recommend Jumba.
Rating - 10/10 (perfect score)
Scoring a perfect 10 is very difficult with Mr Feedback, and Pizza Minded seems to do it so easily. Keep up the excellent work!
Dinner for two: entree, main course, non-alcoholic beverage = $60
I have been of plenty of Indian restaurants, and never have I witnessed such shocking food, service, ambience, and value for money. I went to Ballarat, and checked into Tandoori Oven restaurant situated in Bridge Mall. I was hoping for a nice, quiet Indian dinner but instead got “crap all” for the money I spent. Watch out for the loud phone! It’s bloody loud and annoying!
Food
My microwave can cook better than what I ate. I ordered a mattar paneer, and I could tell that it was reheated crap. The top surface was warm, but the the core was cold. The entree was just as worse, the samosa was served with soya sauce and vegetables but no mint chutney despite asking a few times on the night. Never mind asking for water, it just won’t show up. More in the service section.
Service
They had 1 waitress for 7 stables. The ratios were poor. The entree took 40 minutes to come, and the main took another 30 minutes to come. The food was just thrown onto the table, and the waitress didn’t explain which was which. Sure enough she had tons of other customers to handle. The restaurant should never have 1 waitress for dinner servings. The water never came, despite asking a few times. We just gave up, and eat hot curry without any water. We even saw the some random guy (presumably the owner) who brought his grand child into the restaurant and walked around trying to calm the child. At this point, I was quite amused!
Value
The bill was around $60 which one would think is a pretty good deal for a dinner for two, but in the context of my experience it was throwing money in the bin. Totally not worth it.
Suggestions
Here are just a few, owners pay attention:
* Put more serving staff, don’t be stingy!
* Keep the phone volume down, why is it so loud
* Make sure your staff explain the dishes, and also I suggest throwing of food is not appropriate
* Improve the lighting in the restaurant, it is very dark
* Keep your family where they belong, which is not in the middle of a restaurant
* Always ask for feedback from your customers: “how was the food tonight?”, “is there anything else we can do”
I could just keep going, but doing these things will bring you up to a pass level (and keep you busy). Then we will think about things further.
Rating - 2/10 (very poor)
I would never go there, nor will I recommend anyone else to go there.
I am yet to buy a car, so I trialled the 
Ok, let me keep this simple. 3 large pizzas, 2 garlic breads, 1 pepsi (1.25L). Cost: $47. Order time: 10.15pm, Delivery time: 11.45pm. Do I need to say anymore?
My family organized a function at 
Sure enough, 
