Mistake in order on pub app

DullGreyGuy

Manxman_in_exile said:

This sounds like a contrived law student question.

Who would use Wetherspoon's app to order food in a Wetherspoon's and mistakenly order a pint they didn't want and wouldn't drink?  (Or couldn't give away?)

Maybe it was a local AA bash...

Went out once with a friend who decided, after a few too many, to order random drinks to random tables via such an app... many people refused them, most were then sat behind the bar for a while before then being sold to another customer. None were refunded (not that one was expected).

Did cause a few arguments though... a guy calling the woman he was with all sorts of names for being an idiot for turning away free drinks, one "bruiser" kind of guy not appreciating the pink cocktail being given to him infront of his equally scary looking mates etc.

As to the OP... you made an on premises purchase and so have no right of return unless an item is faulty or didnt conform to contract. As you are saying neither of these were true then there is no statutory right for a refund and it was ultimately your choice to give it back to the bar who may have resold it or thrown it away.

km1500

wonder what would happen if mistakenly ordered an extra pint at the bar - would they insist they take it ?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

km1500 said:

wonder what would happen if mistakenly ordered an extra pint at the bar - would they insist they take it ?

It's very unlikely that would happen as you'd have to actually ask for it.

These companies persuade customers to use technology as it saves them staff costs, given this the odd mistake like this covered by goodwill would be decent but of course as others said no rights to a refund. 

DullGreyGuy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

km1500 said:

wonder what would happen if mistakenly ordered an extra pint at the bar - would they insist they take it ?

It's very unlikely that would happen as you'd have to actually ask for it.

These companies persuade customers to use technology as it saves them staff costs, given this the odd mistake like this covered by goodwill would be decent but of course as others said no rights to a refund. 

Does it save them staffing costs? Someone still has to pour the drink but rather than deliver it 3 paces from the pump to where the customer is stood at the bar they instead have to walk across the bar, up the stairs and back again. 

You could imagine in a place that was online orders only and setup for that from the outset could productionise the drink prep with it being out of sight but most pubs are running the online orders from the standard bar.

Our local actively discourages use of the app but I belive thats also because the brewery take a larger slice of online orders

pinkshoes

You ordered it so they delivered.

Either drink it or offer it to a random drunk looking person!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

DullGreyGuy said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

km1500 said:

wonder what would happen if mistakenly ordered an extra pint at the bar - would they insist they take it ?

It's very unlikely that would happen as you'd have to actually ask for it.

These companies persuade customers to use technology as it saves them staff costs, given this the odd mistake like this covered by goodwill would be decent but of course as others said no rights to a refund. 

Does it save them staffing costs? Someone still has to pour the drink but rather than deliver it 3 paces from the pump to where the customer is stood at the bar they instead have to walk across the bar, up the stairs and back again. 

You could imagine in a place that was online orders only and setup for that from the outset could productionise the drink prep with it being out of sight but most pubs are running the online orders from the standard bar.

Our local actively discourages use of the app but I belive thats also because the brewery take a larger slice of online orders

The part where orders are delivered to the table is under the control of the business and can be ran efficiently, in comparison someone standing at the bar trying to remember what the other 5 people in their group wanted to order can take up a lot of time and in that time 3 other people who just wanted a pint could be served. 

People also tend to linger longer with apps and screen ordering, this with the menu options being easier to digest (no pun intended) can result in larger orders. 

There are several other aspects which make this way of ordering attractive to the business but for the consumer it is easier to accidently order something by mistake. When ordering at the bar you might get it wrong but you aren't going to blurt out "I'd like a pint please" if you don't want one. 

If the pub had refunded the pint out of goodwill it would have installed confidence in the app ordering system, instead the extra charge for an unwanted item is likely to see ordering at the bar in the future. 

k3lvc

When ordering at the bar you might get it wrong but you aren't going to blurt out "I'd like a pint please" if you don't want one. 

To be fair there's many a time I've stood at a bar and said 'I'd like a(nother) pint please' when I neither wanted nor needed one 

jimpwarsop

If the pub had refunded the pint out of goodwill it would have installed confidence in the app ordering system, instead the extra charge for an unwanted item is likely to see ordering at the bar in the future. 

Or maybe more care will be taken to avoid ordering something they dont want, and dont want to pay for.

Most people learn by mistakes, although currently their first thought might be to shift the blame to something/someone else.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

jimpwarsop said:

If the pub had refunded the pint out of goodwill it would have installed confidence in the app ordering system, instead the extra charge for an unwanted item is likely to see ordering at the bar in the future. 

Or maybe more care will be taken to avoid ordering something they dont want, and dont want to pay for.

Most people learn by mistakes, although currently their first thought might be to shift the blame to something/someone else.

Yes but this isn't a 4 year old that's bumped their head on the coffee table, it's a consumer and business relationship in a service and leisure environment where making the consumer "comfortable" will result in long term gains.  

DullGreyGuy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

DullGreyGuy said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

km1500 said:

wonder what would happen if mistakenly ordered an extra pint at the bar - would they insist they take it ?

It's very unlikely that would happen as you'd have to actually ask for it.

These companies persuade customers to use technology as it saves them staff costs, given this the odd mistake like this covered by goodwill would be decent but of course as others said no rights to a refund. 

Does it save them staffing costs? Someone still has to pour the drink but rather than deliver it 3 paces from the pump to where the customer is stood at the bar they instead have to walk across the bar, up the stairs and back again. 

You could imagine in a place that was online orders only and setup for that from the outset could productionise the drink prep with it being out of sight but most pubs are running the online orders from the standard bar.

Our local actively discourages use of the app but I belive thats also because the brewery take a larger slice of online orders

The part where orders are delivered to the table is under the control of the business and can be ran efficiently, in comparison someone standing at the bar trying to remember what the other 5 people in their group wanted to order can take up a lot of time and in that time 3 other people who just wanted a pint could be served. 

People also tend to linger longer with apps and screen ordering, this with the menu options being easier to digest (no pun intended) can result in larger orders. 

There are several other aspects which make this way of ordering attractive to the business but for the consumer it is easier to accidently order something by mistake. When ordering at the bar you might get it wrong but you aren't going to blurt out "I'd like a pint please" if you don't want one. 

Accept your first point on people forgetting/bumbling orders/didnt get table number... not sure the frequency of this is sufficient to offset the necessity for staff to be delivering orders. Certainly in most cases its one by one delivery of orders in our pubs and so certainly not efficiency of allowing orders to stack up and then deliver them en mass in the most efficient route around the bar. Plus you then also have to deal with those that put the wrong table number into the app etc too.

Increased order values may be true but not relevant to staffing costs. I wonder if having a clear and open pricing though it may result in some downgrading their order? In one pub I go to occasionally I'd go for a premium gin and tonic as the gin was only £1 more expensive however the app highlighted that they dont charge for tonic with their house gin and so is actually £3.50 cheaper and so now I spend less. Same could be said of special offers you may not know about at the bar but are clear in the app.

Whilst clearly not the thread to argue it on, I'd argue its easier to get the order right on the app as after everything has been decided on you get a summary which you can check at your leasure with your table. If I'm at the bar ordering for the table the barman may restate my order but often its not and its still soly reliant on my memory. 

And yes, I have blurted out "I'd like another pint please" when I didn't want one... typically as someone say's Bob's just arrived and so add another one to the order forgetting I'd already included them in the count