FORT PIERCE — Told McDonald’s was out of Chicken McNuggets after paying for a 10-piece meal, a local woman called 911.
Three times.
“This is an emergency, If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one,” Latreasa L. Goodman told police. “This is an emergency.”
The McNugget meltdown happened last week at a McDonald’s in the 600 block of North U.S. 1 and ended with Goodman, 27, getting a notice to appear in court on a misuse of 911 charge, according to a recently released police report.
Goodman told investigators she tried to get a refund for the 10-piece McNuggets, but the cashier told her all sales are final.
“I called 911 because I couldn’t get a refund, and I wanted my McNuggets,” Goodman told police.
The cashier told police she offered Goodman, of the 2400 block of South 25th Street, a larger portion of food for the same price to make up for it, but said Goodman got “irate,” the report states.
Goodman reportedly yelled, “I don’t want a McDouble and small fry,” the cashier told investigators.
Dispatchers for 911 told police Goodman called the emergency number three times and on each occasion was told an officer was en route.
“Goodman maintained the attitude ‘this is an emergency, my McNuggets are an emergency,’” the report states.
McNuggets, introduced to the McDonald’s national menu in 1983, are sold in more than 100 countries and often are dunked in barbecue or hot mustard sauce. Goodman’s 10-piece selection has 460 calories and 29 grams of fat.
On Tuesday, Goodman said she agreed to get a McDouble in lieu of the McNuggets as long as she also got the difference in price back. Goodman said the only menu items she cares for are McNuggets and McDoubles.
Goodman claimed a McDonald’s worker wouldn’t give her the difference in money back, so Goodman decided she wanted a full refund.
McDonald's statement:
"Satisfying each and every customer that visits our restaurants is very important to us.
Regarding this isolated incident, we apologize for the inconvenience caused.
In the event that we are unable to fill an order, a customer should be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative menu items. We regret that in this instance, that wasn't the case.
We want to correct our mistake. We will be sending the customer her refund, along with an Arch card for a complimentary meal on us.
We never want to disappoint a McNuggets fan or any McDonald's customer.
What made me laugh the most, admittedly, was this random interjection:
McNuggets, introduced to the McDonald’s national menu in 1983, are sold in more than 100 countries and often are dunked in barbecue or hot mustard sauce. Goodman’s 10-piece selection has 460 calories and 29 grams of fat.
What I really don't understand, is why they didn't just give her a refund. Is the $5-6 dollars McDonalds took from her an emergency? Not really but, she paid for some goods, and didn't get them, she was due her money back, not some substitute that she had no desire in.
She over reacted that's for sure, but the cashier was just being lazy, and probably didn't want to have to deal with managment, after probably already being told they were out of McNuggets. Crap like that happens all the time.
Total agreement. She paid for something and they couldn't give it to her. It makes so sense that they wouldn't just give her the money back. It's not like the cost of a few McNuggets is going to break McDonald's. Calling 911 over it was not the appropriate way to handle it though.
And I understand the mandatory inclusion of facts, but bringing up the calorie count just seems way out of left field.
Total agreement. She paid for something and they couldn't give it to her. It makes so sense that they wouldn't just give her the money back. It's not like the cost of a few McNuggets is going to break McDonald's. Calling 911 over it was not the appropriate way to handle it though.
And I understand the mandatory inclusion of facts, but bringing up the calorie count just seems way out of left field.
I've been thinking about it though, what is the appropriate way to handle it? If someone pickpockets me and all I have in my wallet is $5 am I going to get a ticket for not using 911 correctly like she did?
I don't get how she paid for something that they didn't have, usually they [any restaurant] tell you they are out of something when you attempt to order it. I don't get how they get away with not giving refunds though, that's messed up.
Also looks like whoever wrote this read that article on elevators...
Master Tailor Toprem Spaztastic, level 75 Drizzlecaller of Karana. Member of Clan Ta Veren
I've been thinking about it though, what is the appropriate way to handle it? If someone pickpockets me and all I have in my wallet is $5 am I going to get a ticket for not using 911 correctly like she did?
No because in the case of a pickpocketing, the authority to appeal to is the police. At McDonald's, she should have first talked to the manager. If that doesn't get her money back, she should call the 800 number like Nymm pointed out (or otherwise contact regional managers higher up the food chain (/pun)). And if that doesn't work, contact the BBB.
I wonder if there's a heart attack victim somewhere in Ft. Pierce who's ambulance was delayed because this lady didn't get her McNuggets?
Only possible idea I can come up with as to why no refund...There may have not been someone around/on duty who could perform refunds. Not all fast food places leave a manager in charge at all times. Taco Hell does, Subway does not, don't know about McDonalds though.
I worked in a McDonalds for a couple years during high school, and the run of the mill employee cannot give refunds. You have to get a manager for that. However, there's always at least one manager in the store at all times, if not more. The only time I could imagine this happening is if the only manager in the store is in the back office doing paperwork and there's a big rush up front, then the cashier can't really leave and go get the manager.
But in that case, the manager should be up front too, helping out. Seems like both parties messed up.
1) McDonald's screwed up by not just giving the lady her money back. I would assume lazy employee. Give the lady her money back, problem solved, ta ta.
2) Arrest or fine the stupid lady for calling 911. This is not an emergency and is a blatant abuse of the system.
"Forums: You have to form your opinions immediately based on jack s*it then fight them to the death! It's like Highlander, but instead of swords we use ignorance."
According to the police report McD's offered her a larger portion of food than she paid for in exchange for the nuggets and it was their policy not to refund sales... (store not corp)
That's the platonic archetype of the bait and switch, how is this store not running a con? It may not be an emergency, but surely there is some recourse beyond a BBB complaint, which is roughly as effective as ranting on Livejournal.
I remember, when I was working in a department store electronics department, a customer was complaining about not being able to purchase a display model of a cordless phone that was out of stock at the time. She started threatening to contact the BBB on grounds of the store having the item on the shelf and refusing to sell it to her. We wouldn't sell it to her because we had more on order.
Finally, the manager gets tired of her complaining and gives in to her demand, agreeing to sell it to her for full price. (Whoever came up with "The customer is always right." could have used a swift kick in the pooper, by the way, as do the people that think that phrase is a US law.)
Of course, that didn't stop her whining. She then threatened (again) to notify the BBB because we wouldn't sell her the open item at a reduced price. This time the manager grew a spine and refused to give in. She left the store, angry and without the phone. We never did hear from the BBB.
According to the police report McD's offered her a larger portion of food than she paid for in exchange for the nuggets and it was their policy not to refund sales... (store not corp)
According to the McDonald's employee they gave her something of greater value so it should have been alright? Because the person who kept her money said so?
According to the article, the food they tried to give her cost less money on the menu than what she ordered, and they also refused to refund her the difference. According to the article, the store's claim that the policy was not to refund was corrected by McDonald's HQ, who said it certainly is their policy to refund sales. And if you believe the claim that that store normally, legally just doesn't have to give refunds because that store doesn't want to, I have some non-refundable forums upgrades to sell you.
Something I'm surprised to not see addressed is how many locales have shifted from having a normal number for calling the police, as most of us grew up with, to encouraging and promoting using 911 as the way to access police/all emergency services. For example in Philadelphia there are individual #s that exist for all stations of course, but anything relating to making a complaint has you call 911. I had to call a number of times last year and I'll tell you, it still made me nervous each time because of the way 911 was treated when I was growing up. But now, here, they tell you to call 911 for everything.
Does anyone have any info or input on that area? It's possible she got the ticket for calling back 2 more times and trying to argue about things, not the initial act of calling. I'd be curious to find out more.
A Mcdouble and small fry for a 10 piece nugget? Yeah, she's getting shafted there.
Is it 911 worthy? no. But That's just stupid management. they should have either given her her money back, or offered her something that was worth significantly more to make up for her trouble. (Like an entire value meal, with sandwich fries and a drink)
I sure as hell wouldn't be going back to that store if they took my money, and then tried to replace what I ordered with something of less value, that i didn't want in the first place.
what i think you are all failing to see here is that the woman was probably just trying to get free crap, which happens at least 10 times a day at any fast food place you go to. mistakes happen in fast food places you place an order knowing you have enough of something for one more order but the person on the other register places the order for that item seconds before you finalize your order. it happens, the lady was probably drunk or high on something hard. that lady needs to be institutionalized.
what i think you are all failing to see here is that the woman was probably just trying to get free crap, which happens at least 10 times a day at any fast food place you go to. mistakes happen in fast food places you place an order knowing you have enough of something for one more order but the person on the other register places the order for that item seconds before you finalize your order. it happens, the lady was probably drunk or high on something hard. that lady needs to be institutionalized.
You're wrong.
What sort of free stuff do you think she was trying to get after already PAYING for something, and then being told they were out and she couldn't have her money back? She had already turned down food. Did she some how know they were out of McNuggets, and ordered them for the express purpose of trying to get more than what she had paid for?
And if you bother to look for the 911 recordings she doesn't sound drunk or stoned, just pissed that someone took her money and wouldn't give it back, or the product she had ordered.
According to the McDonald's employee they gave her something of greater value so it should have been alright? Because the person who kept her money said so?
HALTOM CITY, Texas – A woman called 911 to report she didn't get as much shrimp as she wanted in her fried rice at a Texas restaurant.
Haltom City police on Tuesday released the taped emergency call, in which the customer is heard telling the dispatcher, "to get a police officer up here, what has to happen?"
The customer also says: "He didn't even put extra shrimp in there."
The upset customer had left the Fort Worth-area restaurant when an officer arrived Monday afternoon.
Restaurant workers say the woman had been denied a refund after leaving with her order, then returning to complain.
Cook June Lee says nothing was wrong with the meal, and that "some customers are happy. Some are not."
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Information from Fort Worth Star-Telegram & KDFW-TV:
i saw a story about this on the a news channel last night. There has been three recorded cases of people calling 911 about food(atleast they only showed 3), and I loved the 3rd one the most. The 911 operator got sarcastic with the lady. it was something along the lines of "Lady, I'm not sending a squad car" the lady says "Why not, I thought you were supposed to protect us?" the operator "What am I protecting you from, a wrong cheese burger??" and a bitch fest insues.
