No, I Don't Want any Friggin' Fries With That!

Waitwaitwaitwaitwait... I don't get it, why is everyone so friggin' upset about the woman in Florida who called the cops when McDeath's tried to rip her off? Am I missing something? Is no one listening to what happened here or is it just me? She didn't call to complain that McDonald's didn't have Chicken (sic) McNuggets, she called to report a crime. Granted it wasn't a life or death emergency but last I knew, 911 is what you use to report a crime. Any crime.

I will be the first to admit that I wouldn't have handled it the same way. If I ordered food (sic) at the big scary clown with the speaker in his mouth, paid for my gourmet feast at the first window and was told at the second window that a) They don't have what I ordered and b) No, I can't have my money back, ohmiGAWD... *ballistic* would be an understatement. It wouldn't be about the lack of McNuggets, certainly if I can convince myself that eating at McDonald's is a wise choice, there are a million other comparably wise choices just down the road. No, my angst would be all about the incredibly crappy customer service and the fact that they think it's acceptable to keep my money when they couldn't fulfill their part of the implied business agreement. It certainly shouldn't be that I have no other option but to choose something else from their menu of gastronomic delights.

I do understand that for most people this issue was not at a level that warranted getting the police involved. I certainly could have created more than enough, errr... "commotion" on my own inside the restaurant (sic) to have them willingly shovel large bundles of money and freebie coupons at me to "just shut the hell up and get out." I also happen to realize that not everyone is quite as willing as I to make a public spectacle of themselves in order to get satisfaction for what they perceive to be an injustice (whereas I tend to classify this sort of thing as "sport").

Latreasa Davis did take the first step in the "How to Bend the World to Your Will" handbook by going right to the top and speaking to a manager (never waste your time with a supervisor when you are trying to resolve a dispute with any company, last week they had the job of the person who is the source of the problem and you are bound to still be perceived as the enemy) and still did not receive a refund. She called the police and calmly explained the problem. Granted, she may not have been the most eloquent in her attempt to get the point across, but I certainly got that she wasn't complaining about McDeath's not having McNuggets, she was complaining about being ripped off. So, keeping these facts in mind, does Latreasa Davis deserve to be dragged over the hamburger grill by every media outlet in the nation and even worse, ARRESTED? I think not.

McDonald's is the guilty party here. To put it simply, they stole her money. They have even made a half-assed attempt to own the guilt by releasing the following statement:

"Satisfying each and every customer that (sic) 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."

Yeah, okay.

McDonald's not only owes Latreasa Davis a sincere public apology (apologizing for nothing more than her "inconvenience" effectively serves to discount the public humiliation this woman has had to tolerate as a result of their unacceptable actions), not to mention pay all her legal fees. If I were the one doling out justice, I'd also insist that corporate should have to eat only McNuggets for the next month as punishment, but that would be beyond cruel and unusual and even I can't go there.