Real-life MMD: Should I threaten a bad review to get better service?

jude_the_obscure

They may give you good service but how will they treat others? If you are anonymous you can give a more accurate picture. It wouldn't be fair to your readers. :think::think::think:

markdavey

How can you write an objective review if the staff know that their actions are going to be published? TBH its a ridiculous question...

happyinflorida

What a ridiculous question to have on this site.

What a ridiculous person has asked advice on this - may I politely suggest you stop blogging if this is the sort of person you are.

Your opinion isn't worth anything if this is what you are like.

silverswan

Definitely not. Let's know what the establishment is really like for ordinary mortals without forewarning them. I got really excellent service from a shop I'd never been in before, and returned the next week to thank the assistant. I told her she'd gone way beyond the call of duty and I just wanted to thank her. She folded her arms; glared at me; and said "Well it's like this - Duncan Bannatyne owns this shop, and every month he sends a mystery shopper and I thought you were it." Felt I'd been slapped in the face!

TimBear

Your reviews should be realistic, not based on 'enhanced' service because the staff were you treating you differently. The readers of your reviews wouldn't be too pleased, I'm sure, to go somewhere based on your recommendation, to find that standards weren't so high.

Besides, the staff should be nice and the same with everyone anyway.

TimBear

silverswan wrote: »

Definitely not. Let's know what the establishment is really like for ordinary mortals without forewarning them. I got really excellent service from a shop I'd never been in before, and returned the next week to thank the assistant. I told her she'd gone way beyond the call of duty and I just wanted to thank her. She folded her arms; glared at me; and said "Well it's like this - Duncan Bannatyne owns this shop, and every month he sends a mystery shopper and I thought you were it." Felt I'd been slapped in the face!

Wow what a bad response you got, to your kind gesture!

When I was a waitress, we had nationwide standards for everything - how to lay the table correctly, how to serve drinks etc. - so that customers going into our restaurants in any part of the country would receive the 'same' experience.

There were certain things we had to ask every customer ('Would you like any olives?', for example), and when we had a suspected mystery diner we would ensure that these guidelines were strictly followed, but aside from that it wouldn't affect my service to my customers!

I would have been delighted if someone came out of their way to tell me I'd done a good job!

marich

On a power-trip are we ?

Maybe needing a little ego-boost ?

I hope any place you try this on tosses you out !

Dilemma indeed ...

jazzali_2

Ridiculous question. Of course you shouldn't try to get yourself better service. Completely undermining the integrity of your blog and just turning it into a tool for bribery. And it wouldn't last long as your readers wouldn't be interested in a biased blog where you recommend rubbish restaurants to them because they gave you a free glass of bubbly to go with your food poisoning.

Talent

Absolutely not. Your service may 'pick up' but you are supposed to be writing a true account to help others. Don't be so selfish!

tallgirld

No I do not think you should. If I worked in a restaurant and you said that to me I would actually give you worse service!