Really, who’s gonna move a walker? This territory marker up the street wins at the #parkingchair game.
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Tag Archives: Dormont
The venerated Yinzer parking chair.
If you live or work in the ‘Burgh, I’m sure you’ve seen it; The lonely lawn chair sitting in the middle of a parking space. I always thought this was a phenomenon used most heavily on the South Side… but as time goes on, I realize that it’s all over the city… Especially when we have ridiculously snowy weather. I’m sure other cities have this phenomenon… but I’m just talking about Pittsburgh.
Looks like they even have a Wikipedia entry, and a Google search pulls up a lot of seemingly relevant links.
As you can see from andybotpgh on Twitter, the “parking chair” can be anything that takes up a space that you labored to liberate from piles of snow. By the way, the #parkingchair hashtag is genius.
While the parking chair is certainly visible throughout the year, my focus will be in the winter months, and well, really during the last couple of days… during the Snowpocalypse 2010 storm.
Like most of you, my wife & I labored for many hours on Saturday & Sunday to clear our sidewalk, steps, and to dig out our cars from the mess that is on-street parking in Dormont. We cleared the sidewalk, only to have a place to put the snow from on top of & around our cars, then to shovel the sidewalk again… lifting snow on to the now approximately six foot high pile of frozen white pain in the ass from above in our tiny front yard.
To appreciate the insanity that surrounded or cars…
It was chaos. If you’re interested, check out the more photos of the surrounding neighborhood & nearby park here.
To put the ensuing rant in perspective… I fully realize that this is not a life-threatening problem, and that I’m not the only one with storm related issues. There were and are a bunch of people in Southwestern PA without power for extended amounts of time. They have problems. This is just a slightly more than mild annoyance.
It was about three hours of work shoveling the cars out on Sunday. It was quite labor intensive… but if it wasn’t done, the cars were obviously not going anywhere. Well, mine might have broken out thanks to the AWD… but I risked damaging those around me, so I decided to shovel.
Of course, work was to be attended on Monday. I had stuff that needed to leave that day, so I needed to be there. I drove Bethany to work, & then went on to my job. After normal working hours, I drove to pick up Bethany who had made it to the nearby Giant Eagle to do some grocery shopping. After we rounded out the last few items, checked out, and headed home… we arrived to find a white Toyota SUV parked in the spot that took about an hour and a half of hard manual labor to clear.
As you can imagine, I was angry. I don’t get angry all that often. I’m generally a pretty mellow guy. I was quiet angry. Quiet angry isn’t good… just ask my wife.
After circling the block, it was evident that there was nowhere else safe to park. Of the spots that had been shoveled-out, they were all filled. Some spots hadn’t been shoveled, but they were filled with about 3 feet of snow, in a pile about as big as a small car… or with the car still under the pile. Apparently not everyone had to be somewhere yesterday.
There were some other factors that added to my anger. If the Toyota who had parked in my space backed up about 3 feet (which there was plenty of room to do), we could have pulled Bethany’s car up, and had plenty of room to park my car. In my house, we call this (excuse the language) “asshole-parking”. Really, there is no more apt a description. There are no lines on the road, so your only hope is to park relative to the other vehicles. Some people ignore this, and park with a half a space in front of and behind their vehicle. Perhaps this is because they’re not good at parallel parking, or perhaps it’s becuase they don’t want anyone bumping into their precious automobile. Either way, they’re still an asshole. A typical conversation would go like this… after I walk in the door visibly winded…
Bethany, “Wow, were you running? Do you have to pee or something?”
Me: “No, they’re all asshole-parked out there. I had to go to the bottom of the hill & park.”
The bottom of the hill? What’s this, you ask? Well, there’s a little parking lot on the cross street at the bottom of our block that belongs to the park. People use it for overflow parking in the neighborhood… because there never seems to be enough space to park.
Why not just park there last night? Well, for one, it wasn’t plowed out properly… and by “not … properly”, I mean not at all. It wasn’t even attempted. The people parked there are in their own separate snow bunkers, not near any of the other cars at all, and one winner even parked in the entrance lane to the parking lot… effectively stranding everyone in the second row of the normally 3-row lot.
I dropped Bethany & the groceries off at the house, then circled the block a few more times… fuming the entire time. I finally settled into a space on the cross-street at the bottom of the hill that no one had bothered to shovel. There was about a car-length of snow about a foot high, so I went for it. The Subaru handled it without a problem, and I got a little rush from driving in the snow.
I didn’t like parking where I finally ended up, because I was the first object on the side of the road road after coming down a poorly plowed and salted hill. I might as well have painted a bulls-eye on the back & side of the wagon.
But, my thoughts were focused on that damn white Toyota SUV that was asshole-parked in the spot in which I spent hours clearing. I wanted to write a passive aggressive note. Something to the effect of… “I’m glad you were able to use the space that it took three hours of shoveling to clear”. I even thought of typing it, and including a photo above. Seriously. These thoughts went through my head. I thought of piling snow on the car, buckets of water… all the tricks. Bethany posted her frustrations on Facebook, and it was instantly echoed by many sharing in our anger and frustration, suggesting what we ought to do to the offender… and even to the extent of my friend Dave saying he’d come over and take care of the problem.
I noticed a bunch of parking chairs stools, and even a saw-horse on the next street over as I circled the block. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Again, Facebook being a great tool for the need at hand, I asked for some thoughts.
The problem is that we don’t own the street in front of the house (and neither does the landlord). I understand this. It’s public on-street parking, and even we need a permit to park there during certain hours, and we have a visitor’s parking pass. This is the other problem… the Toyota had said pass for our zone, so technically, they had just as much right to that space as I do… even if it is directly in front of my residence, and we spent time maintaining it due to weather issues.
Still, on a karma level, it’s a bitch. The general consensus is that it’s not a nice thing to do… but still, it happens. Some people out there are only concerned with themselves. They needed a spot, they took it… end of thought process. Perhaps they didn’t consider that it was hand-shoveled and that I was coming home from a long day with a car full of groceries? Perhaps they did, and still didn’t care.
Here’s where the “what about me” kicks in… Why didn’t I put out a parking chair? Other people do it. It’s a known and oddly respected practice in neighborhoods all around the ‘Burgh, and apparently even on the next street over. Or is it respected? I don’t think I’d park in a chaired space… simply for fear of what may happen to my vehicle. Surely though, if a situation escalated to the point where a chair was removed, the space occupied, and there was some sort of retaliation… the chair placing retaliator would surely be at fault.
Do you respect the chair? Do you use one? Do you move them and park in the space knowing the law is on your side?
Snowpocalypse / Snowmageddon / snOMG 2010 Photos
I got some photos from around the neighborhood Friday, yesterday, & this morning (Feb. 5th, 6th, & 7th 2010), so I thought I’d share. Click the thumbnail to see the full size image, thanks to PhotoBucket.
I told you that Kuhn’s was disgusting.
I’ve written before (although indirectly) about the foul assemblage of half-rotting food that is Kuhn’s Market on Banksville Road. You may recall my description of Kunh’s as relayed to Giant Eagle while requesting that they carry some La Choy Teriyaki Sauce. If not, here it is again..
I actually make special trips to the Shop ‘N Save by WAL★MART in Heidelberg or I actually set foot in Kunh’s Market on Banksville Road to get the La Choy Teriyaki Sauce. Have you BEEN to the Kunh’s on Banksville Road? I’ve gotten moldy peppers from that place, as well as ‘turned’ sour cream, …and melted ice cream. I don’t want to go in there. But, I do. Why? To get the La Choy Teriyaki sauce, my friends. It’s THAT GOOD.
I know I’ve told countless others. I know my mother-in-law looks at me in disbelief because apparently the Kuhn’s on McKnight Road is just awesome.
But, I finally have some validation…
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVmyF8xjtSQ
See? You can read the full story on KDKA’s website. Yes, I get that the point of the article is the union trying to organize there… but they wouldn’t be trying to organize if conditions were good. If I had to guess, I’d say that store owners keep the coolers and freezers on lower settings to save a buck or two… but at what cost? I really haven’t ever heard anyone say anything nice about the place. We’ll buy canned or boxed stuff there occasionally in a pinch, but we’re always looking closely at the expiration dates. As far as the meat & produce & even the dairy products… I’ll go out of my way to another store, or just go without.
Edited – Discussion was happening in other forums, decided to re-post some of that here…
From: http://www.facebook.com/AiXeLsyD13?v=feed&story_fbid=276026441617
Eric Carroll
Nice: http://bit.ly/9MqDcy I KNEW they weren’t keeping stuff cold enough at Kuhn’s. That place is filthy too.
January 28 at 7:20pm via Selective Tweets
Dave Warren
I almost never buy anything remotely perishable there.
January 28 at 7:40pm ·
Nunzio Martin
Dude that place smells I never go there
January 28 at 8:00pm ·
Dave Warren
I will go out of my way to find a Giant Eagle just to avoid Kuhn’s.
January 28 at 8:06pm ·
Andrew Welsh
walmart* is cheaper
January 28 at 8:20pm ·
Dave Warren
Wal*Mart is cheaper, when they have the items that I require. They usually do not.
January 28 at 8:22pm ·
Andrew Welsh
dave i have to correct you, it is no longer “wal*mart” it is now “walmart*” the corporate logo moved the star to the end.
yeah luckily for me walmart* carries all that i need, and is always cheaper. but that’s just me.
Kuhns is great for running to the store quick since it’s 3 minutes from my house.
January 29 at 1:11pm ·
Eric Carroll
Didn’t it used to be a ★?
Wonder how much time and money they wasted coming to that decision?
Sun at 12:40pm ·
Eric Carroll
Ah: http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/8412.aspx
Sun at 12:41pm ·
Eric Carroll
And… http://wp.me/pwqzc-5b
Sun at 12:45pm ·
From: http://www.facebook.com/AiXeLsyD13?v=feed&story_fbid=274668168996
Eric Carroll
Kuhn’s Market on Banksville Rd.
Favorited on http://www.youtube.com
I keep telling people that this place is filthy. No one believed me. Ha ha. I know they don’t keep the coolers cold enough… ever. I have brought home melted ice cream. From KDKA, full news story & video here: http://kdka.com/local/Banksv…
January 29 at 12:20am via YouTube ·
T.J. Freeman
BWahahahaha fuckin bird! …. alright well if thats a violation then you need to close the foodcourt starbucks and everything else dealing with open food in robinson mall cos i’ve seen many o bird flyin around that bitch. All that aside … that Kuhn’s is about the only place around there to get food unless you wanna travel to bridgeville or parkway center or south hills…. fuck the union … if yer worried about it then just dont buy produce or deli foods there.
January 29 at 12:28am ·
Cody Starr
man i don’t care how dirty kuhn’s is ……i would eat those deli pizzas they make with dust bunnies for toppings….they are the bomb
January 29 at 5:01am ·
Jeffrey Guerriero
eric, my aunts family owns those stores, I used to shop there when we lived in Dormont.
January 29 at 12:51pm ·
Bethany Pastorius Carroll
Kuhns on Mcknight Road is wonderful however this one on Dormont is a shithole. We will only buy canned goods or boxed stuff and that’s only if its an emergency. We have bought sour cream- molded. A green pepper- mold in the inside. Ice cream- melted by the time we got home. We will go completely out of our way than go there. Disgusting place.
Sun at 12:17am ·
Eric Carroll
Yeah, they put the “ew” in Kuhn’s down here on Banksville. http://wp.me/pwqzc-5b – There are two Giant Eagles very close by too… one in Parkway Center and one on Cochran Road.
Sun at 12:37pm ·
From: http://www.facebook.com/AiXeLsyD13?v=feed&story_fbid=296660212120
Eric Carroll
I’ve had a lot of people weigh-in on Kuhn’s on various forums. I urge you all to reiterate or expand here: http://bit.ly/cb9WJX Thanks!
Yesterday at 3:56pm via Selective Tweets ·
Andrew Welsh
i still fail to see the big deal, the health department said these “aren’t earth shattering and were corrected quickly”
Yesterday at 6:42pm ·
Michael Perdue
I’ve always remembered Ferris’ in M-ville to be particularly bad.
Yesterday at 7:15pm ·
Eric Carroll
Andy… The big deal is that I was right about them not keeping stuff at the right temperature. I like to be right. Ha ha ha.
Mike – you’re right… both old Ferris weren’t quite right.
4 hours ago ·
Eric Carroll
See: http://wp.me/pwqzc-5b
4 hours ago ·
From: http://www.facebook.com/AiXeLsyD13?v=feed&story_fbid=282997407055
Eric Carroll
“KDKA-TV’s Paul Martino did an independent review of Allegheny County’s inspection of seven Kuhn’s stores last year. There were some violations, including salad stored at unsafe temperatures, contamination from raw meat, and more temperature problems.”
I told you that Kuhn’s was disgusting. « World (and Lunar) Domination
aixelsyd13.wordpress.com
I’ve written before (although indirectly) about the foul assemblage of half-rotting food that is Kuhn’s Market on Banksville Road. You may recall my description of Kunh’s as relayed …
Sun at 12:43pm ·
Adam Rahuba
Foodland, Shop & Save, Kroger, IGA, Sparkle, Kuhns are all dirty. Can’t stand em.
Sun at 2:12pm ·
From: http://www.pittsburghbeat.com/mb/viewtopic.php?topic=17308&forum=21
AiXeLsyD13
I got a lot of comments on this on facebook… both in my status, and when I “favorited” the YouTube video… None when I posted the link to the blog though.
Post Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:22 am
Mike_Hype
I have to disagree with you entirely on this one. I love that Kuhn’s and I stop there almost every Sunday night on my way home from hockey to pick up produce alone. Their apples are awesome, their bananas are always the exact amount of ripe to take home and store for the week. I have not yet found a Giant Eagle that even comes close to the quality of produce that I get from Kuhn’s. I was just there last night as a matter of fact. Rotten apples from Kuhn’s: 0, from Giant Eagle: 5. What’s worse than finding a rotten apple? Finding half a rotten apple.
Post Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:44 pm
Dave NT
The Giant Eagle Market District pwns n00bs.
Post Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:04 am
Mike_Hype
Sitting here eating one of the best apples that I have ever eaten, it happens to be from Kuhn’s.
Post Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:55 pm
AiXeLsyD13
While finding half a rotten apple is indeed disgusting, I try too look at stuff before I bite into it… although I’m admittedly overly paranoid about food in general.
I’d have to say, I’m fairly confident that if we set up an independent study of the produce at several grocery stores surrounding the Dormont/Banksville area… Giant Eagle would come out on top.
Post Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:28 pm
AiXeLsyD13
I need to figure out how to get paid for random useless shit.
Post Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:37 pm
McReadverspamtismentply
You may remember, a while ago I wrote to McDonald’s about the sandwich-which-can-not-be-named. I got an envelope in the mail the other day from my McFriends, and I thought “Sweet! A reply about the McGang-Bang! A real letter!”
Well, I was wrong. It was some sort of reply/advertisement/spam all rolled into one. I was very disappointed. Then, I noticed that the letter wasn’t to Mr. AiXeLsyD, it was to Mr. Carroll… it must have been about the McDonald’s on West Liberty Avenue’s disgusting restroom? They never did follow up on a local level like they said they would. Instead, I get this advertisement for the Mac Snack Wrap and the breakfast dollar menu? Seriously?
At least now I have a contact name. I’m going to have to resort to snail mail to get a response for a real live person, I believe… anything other than the stupid “we can’t take unsolicited ideas” form letter would be awesome.
Oh well, the advertisement letter & a scan of the two coupons is below… I popped a “void” on them in hopes that Photobucket doesn’t delete the damn things. They’ve removed old coupons on me before… I usually always blur out any numbers or barcodes that might make them usable.
Wow, I’m so honored to be contacted with such an auspicious reply! I’m glad that my contact in 2009 gave them an opportunity to better understand my needs and expectations! …that were never properly addressed. I’ve already seen the Mac Snack Wrap commercials and billboards, so I’m now sure how this letter makes me among the first to know… perhaps there are some people in Appalachia and in Alaska that aren’t familiar with the concept of snacking on “a whole new level”. I’d like to see some sort of chart on the levels of snacking. Are they the opposite of Dante’s levels of hell? Or, perhaps… one in the same? [Insert your own joke about gluttony here.] I”ll perhaps have to address this in future missives.
In the mean time, I’m making a call to all of my readers… if you can make me a chart of the levels of snacking, it would be greatly appreciated! I’d love to share it with everyone.
Maybe next time, I’ll go with the angle that I find the proliferation of “Mc” to be disturbing to those of us with Celtic heritage…
(Another) Message from McDonald’s USA [ref#:6502666 & ref#:6521333]
I never got a reply from McDonald’s going any farther than the original “we’ll forward it to the appropriate party” email. So, I decided to reply. Nothing to lose, right? Well, I couldn’t directly reply, because of the incredibly blunt “No ‘replies’ can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com” part of their email. So, back to the McWebform I went! I even included the fancy ref#:6502666.
Well, it apparently worked!
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 5:09:19 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USAHello Eric:Thank you for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center. I’m sorry you have not yet received a local response regarding your recent McDonald’s restaurant experience.
Please know we take your comments very seriously. I will immediately re-contact the franchise owner of the restaurant you visited and request that he or she follow-up with you as soon as possible.
Please be assured your complete satisfaction is our top priority. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center.
Jimelle
McDonald’s Customer Response Centerref#:6521333
————————————————————————————————————–
Please do not “reply” to this email response. No “replies” can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com
————————————————————————————————————–
Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Even the person with everything gets hungry. An Arch Card makes a great holiday gift. For more information visit your local McDonald’s restaurant or our website at http://www.mcdonalds.com/archcard.
You wrote:
Hello,
Regarding my last message from Ashley at McDonald’s customer service… ref#:6502666
I was told not to reply to the email… hopefully that reference # can refer you to my earlier message.
I think it’s a very poor setup that you have… not being able to reply to emails.
Your message to me said “Because most McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited. Please be assured that your comments will be investigated and, if appropriate, corrective action will be taken.
Secondly, although we did not completely meet your expectations, please know that our restaurant employees strive to maintain the highest standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value and it’s certainly nice to know that their efforts are appreciated. We want to recognize your complimentary comments and thank you for your kind words.“
Was anyone at that McDonald’s contacted?
Will I get a reply?
And, then, it was followed up by this…
From: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 7:07:00 PM
Subject: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue RestaurantFrom: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Subject: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant
To: [complete@misspelling.of.my.email.address]
Dear EricI am the Customer Service Representative of the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant. I unfortunately did not receive your first e-mail. Please fill me in on the situation. I am located in the Pittsburgh area and will address all issues to the supervisors of this restaurant.Sincerely,Sandra Jaeger
How cool is that? Ha ha ha. An actual response! Funny that it “didn’t get through” the first time. Very funny. Also funny that it went to a complete misspelling of my email address, those of you who have it will find it amusing. There was a “.” where a “_” should be as well, as a few incorrect letters. (Not transposed, incorrect.)
So, of course, I had to write back…
From: me@my.email.address
To: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 10:00:58 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue RestaurantHello Sandra,Thanks you for the reply! I have always wondered if the emails that you get in reply to webforms at sites like the McDonald’s one are anything more than a standard form letter. In reply to my first message, the response said “I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited.” I had wondered if this really was the case… Apparently not, until I took the time to reply with a second message asking if it had really gone any further. I’m glad I took the time to follow up!
I find it amusing that my original comments did not make it to you. It makes me wonder how many emails remain unanswered daily when filtered through the McWebform. This is not your problem though, as you are obviously concerned and addressing this issue now.
My original comments were regarding a visit that I had over a week ago now, in an evening stop at the McDonald’s on West Liberty Ave. in Beechview or Dormont or whatever the neighborhood may be there.
My original message was…
The crew in the place tonight seemed to be operating well, were friendly, and quickly as far as the food was concerned, but the parking lot was full of cars for the bar next door, and the men’s bathroom was disgusting. Please see this link for a review & photos: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346713/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/McDonalds-Pittsburgh
That pointed to a review that I posted on UrbanSpoon.com, which you can read here…“Sadly, had the best service there tonight in years…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (98 reviews)November 29, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Small crew tonight, decent night-time crowd, stopped for a late dinner, was served relatively quickly… fries were a perfect golden color and hot… burgers were OK, super-greasy but it IS McDonald’s. We were out at an event earlier, on the way home… had to use the facilities… but they were trashed. Stall #1 had no TP dispenser, the roll was on the back of the commode, and the bowl was chock full of the stuff. Stall #2 had a broken doorknob/lock mechanism. One hand dryer was stuck on, the other didn’t work, and both urinals were full of urine. I know they can’t control flushing… but periodic checks/cleanings and some repairs might be in order. Just when I thought this place had their stuff together for once… My advice? When stopping here, use the facilities somewhere else. 1 person likes this review…and these are the photos referenced:
I understand that the fact that at that time of night, there’s perhaps a smaller than usual crew, and that the West Liberty Ave. location is seemingly always busy. I have been through the drive-thru at this time of night before, and it always seems slow, though it’s thankfully not as slow as the Wendy’s right down the street. Those people have a whole different set of issues. My friends and I call it “The Slow Wendy’s”.
I was just wondering what kind of cleaning & maintenance policies that you have in place? Does management or ownership do any kind of inspection or follow-up? Do inspections my the corporation ever occur? I mean, surely you can’t think the photos above are an acceptable presentation of your restaurant chain?
I don’t know about you, but when I “gotta go”, it’s urgent! The urinals looked filthy, si I opted for the stalls… one was stuffed, and one had a door that wouldn’t close. I like to do my business in private, no interruptions. Closing doors are a good thing! Also… the lack of a TP dispenser, & the roll just being on the back of the thing… I cannot imagine what would have happened had I needed to use that. I mean, how uncomfortable would it be to reach behind yourself like that after… Well, after doing your thing?
Thank you for your time, and the follow up. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to inquire about the issue.
Sincerely,
-Eric
Maybe I should have included a link to the Wendy’s incident? Not yet, my friends. Not yet. I can’t wait to see what kind of response I get this time. I love when it gets down to a real live person in charge of something.
Message from McDonald’s USA [ref#:6502666]
Heh. McDonald’s wrote back about my brief stop and UrbanSpoon.com review (posted with pictures) the other night.
Here’s the message below, that rides the “impersonally personal response” line quite well.
Someone got rid of the pictures at UrbanSpoon.com… perhaps they were flagged as inappropriate? I can see that. Oh well, no reason I can’t show them here.
Here’s my review…
“Sadly, had the best service there tonight in years…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (98 reviews)
November 29, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Small crew tonight, decent night-time crowd, stopped for a late dinner, was served relatively quickly… fries were a perfect golden color and hot… burgers were OK, super-greasy but it IS McDonald’s. We were out at an event earlier, on the way home… had to use the facilities… but they were trashed. Stall #1 had no TP dispenser, the roll was on the back of the commode, and the bowl was chock full of the stuff. Stall #2 had a broken doorknob/lock mechanism. One hand dryer was stuck on, the other didn’t work, and both urinals were full of urine. I know they can’t control flushing… but periodic checks/cleanings and some repairs might be in order. Just when I thought this place had their stuff together for once… My advice? When stopping here, use the facilities somewhere else.1 person likes this review Recommend
And here’s their response with my message submitted through the McWebform following below…
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
To: eric_aixelsyd@yahoo.com
Sent: Tue, December 1, 2009 5:14:49 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USA
Hello Eric:Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center to bring your recent experience to our attention.First, I hope you will accept my sincere apology for your disappointment in McDonald’s. I can assure you that we want you to be completely satisfied every time you visit one of our restaurants.Because most McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited. Please be assured that your comments will be investigated and, if appropriate, corrective action will be taken.
Secondly, although we did not completely meet your expectations, please know that our restaurant employees strive to maintain the highest standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value and it’s certainly nice to know that their efforts are appreciated. We want to recognize your complimentary comments and thank you for your kind words.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s and giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. Customer feedback is very important to us as it helps us improve. McDonald’s is number one because of customers like you.
Ashley
McDonald’s Customer Response Centerref#:6502666
————————————————————————————————————–
Please do not “reply” to this email response. No “replies” can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com
You wrote:
The crew in the place tonight seemed to be operating well, were friendly, and quickly as far as the food was concerned, but the parking lot was full of cars for the bar next door, and the men’s bathroom was disgusting. Please see this link for a review & photos: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346713/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/McDonalds-Pittsburgh
Rarely is this kind of stuff ever followed up by the local chain. I don’t know if that’s indicative of stores nation-wide, or just in our area. Then again… it gets me wondering… I put my address in that webform… and my photo is up at UrbanSpoon.com.
Bad idea?
Wendy’s in Dormont (Pittsburgh, PA) – W. LIBERTY #5
Heh. This is an older amusing one that wasn’t covered in my post about past W(aL)D insanity.
This one isn’t really completely in the W(aL)D category, as it’s a legitimate complaint… but still, it’s ridiculous enough to share. Below is the my initial email regarding the incident, and I actually broke my “no calls” rule to talk to a regional manager who was not amused.
You can see what she had to say as it all played out in a thread at PittsburghBeat.com.
At any rate, it pays to make problems like this known.
Enjoy!
-mE.
.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI
Forwarded Message —-
From: Eric Carroll <me@myaddre.ss>
To: dnstech@wendys.com; dnsadmin@wendys.com
Sent: Mon, January 26, 2009 11:45:04 AM
Subject: Wendy’s in Dormont (Pittsburgh, PA) – W. LIBERTY #5Hello,
I’d like to share with you a review of my experience at a local Wendy’s (W. LIBERTY #5 according to the Wendy’s store locator), also posted on UrbanSpoon.com. I don’t have very many “bad” reviews up, but this Wendy’s location has gone slow and messed up my order countless times.
I’d like to know how Wendy’s as a corporation feels about restaurants like this, and what (if any) measures are taken by corporate to see that this kind of thing doesn’t go on.
The full text of my review can be viewed here: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346715/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/Wendys-Old-Fashioned-Hamburgers-Dormont-Pittsburgh
But I will also post it here for your consideration:
“Dave Thomas would be ashamed…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (63 reviews)
January 26, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Seriously. I know I”ve said these words before about McDonald’s… I get that it’s only fast food, it’s cheap, and that I shouldn’t expect much… but holy cow, is this consistently one of the slowest “fast food” restaurants that I’ve ever been to. Of course, like an idiot, I keep going back hoping that it might someday be an actual convenience. Let me share with you my latest adventure…
Sunday morning, my wife & I were on our way out to my Mom’s house in the ‘Burbs… so we thought we’d get a quick bite to eat. It was nearing the 11:00am mark, so I knew we were going to hit the breakfast/lunch changeover. We skipped the McDormontonald’s because the drive-thru line looked like rush hour in the Liberty tubes. Thankfully, Wendy’s appeared to be a ghost town. There was hardly anyone inside, and there was one car ahead of us in the drive-thru but they were all the way up at the window.
As we pulled up to the speaker to place our order, I asked if they were serving breakfast or lunch, & was informed that they were serving both. So, I ordered the breakfast chicken sandwich combo, and the wife ordered the #2 bacon panini combo.
After receiving the order in what would be considered a long wait in a normal fast food environment but translated to remarkably quick at this location, I pulled into a nearby spot to inspect the goods. (Sadly, a must any more.)We discovered that my order was fine, but the wife had received a sausage panini instead of the ordered bacon panini. I checked the receipt to see if I had mis-ordered the # of the combo. Nope. The receipt clearly stated BACON in that nifty dot-matrix receipt font.
My wife’s not a big fan of sausage patties, and she was reluctantly leaning toward just eating it because time was of the essence. I know I like to eat what I ordered & paid for, so I went inside to get what I thought would be a simple swap-out.
Oh my, was I wrong.
My first encounter was with the young girl at the cash register. I politely stated that we had just gone through the drive-thru and that I wanted to exchange the sausage panini that we had received for the bacon one that we ordered.
I was told that breakfast was over & that hey couldn’t make a bacon one. After a slight pause of disbelief and bewilderment, I told her that I had just been handed the sandwich less that a minute ago through the drive-thru window… and it had been made just seconds before that.
She then yelled for her manager, and I stepped aside so she could help the next customer.
Now, while never working at a fast food establishment, I do understand that changeover time is changeover time… something to do with eggs on the cooking surface and kitchen setup and all sorts of things that are surely beyond my comprehension as the average fast food consumer.
After a wait the manager (coincidentally the very same person who handed me the order through the drive-thru window) came over and I again explained my situation… and he looked at me. Yes. Just stared blankly at me. For an awkwardly long time. I actually started to wonder if he understood English & was capable of hearing. Compelled to break the silence, I even showed him the receipt that clearly said BACON. All caps. No confusion!
Again, I was met with “we’re serving lunch now, we can’t make that”. OK. I understand. I get that. The point now is what can you do for me?
I asked if I could get something else as compensation, and/or get my money back. (I think I was growing visibly frustrated by this point.)
I called the wife, explained to her the complexity of the situation, and she decided upon a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. So, I asked for one of those… and waited… and waited… While a guy who had gone in line in front of me had ordered during my exchange with the manager was waiting too.
After a while he exclaimed with multiple expletives that it was a ridiculously long wait, and how it was un-f’n-believable that a fast food restaurant with 3 people in it and a packed kitchen could go so slow.
I could hardly contain my laughter as I was also driven to the limits of my patience.
After what was surely sufficient time to cook & assemble 20 Jr. Bacon cheeseburgers, I received that, AND my money back for the sausage panini (which was now in the trash right behind the counter). So, I guess I got a free cheeseburger, hash browns & a drink.
I never did get any kind of apology, or admittance that they had messed up the order. (Which bewilders me that one can read bacon off of a screen and put down sausage… but I’m certainly not above making mistakes… so I can’t fault anyone for that.)
I just find it amazing that they weren’t apologizing from the start and presenting a solution instead of waiting for me to come up with one.
You’d think they’d have a “keep the customer happy” policy in place. Don’t they teach you any of this when you go to school to be a manager at Wendy’s?Take mom n’ pop shops… if they screw up an order or take too long, they’d give you a discount or a free drink or a coupon for next time… and they’re certainly taking more of a profit hit than a chain that would do the same thing.
At any rate, don’t go to Wendy’s in Dormont if you’re in a hurry, or if you actually want what you ordered.
I like Wendy’s. I grew up eating at the one in Murrysville, I frequent the one in Canonsburg for lunch. You have decent food for a cheap price, and I generally feel that the quality is better than that of other fast food chains.
I’d love to be able to eat peacefully and grab a quick bite to eat at the Wendy’s closest to where I live.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on my experience, and I look forward to your reply.
Thank you for your time, and listening to my story.
-Eric Carroll
me@myaddre.ss
Insanity.
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