ComplaintsforDouble T Diner

• Initial Complaint

  09/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I frequented this restaurant off & on for many years. I stopped about five yes ago because customer service has significantly declined. A few weeks ago, I was coming home from the hospital & while awaiting my prescription, I decided to call next door to Double T Diner. I ordered the spaghetti with extra meatballs & coconut cake. I asked several times whether the cake was frosted or whipped cream. The server assured me the cake was frosted. Well, I got home to discover not only was the cake whipped cream, but the spaghetti also BARELY had any sauce! I bagged everything up untouched & called the restaurant. The manager John was profusely apologetic then assured me that he wrote an incident report then instructed me to stop by for a $30 meal replacement at my convenience. I feel it is important to mention John told me I didn't have to save the food each time I offered but, as a business owner that aimed for transparency, I DECIDED TO SAVE THE FULL UNCONSUMED MEAL TO THIS DAY! Fast forward two wks later when I was ready to redeem my meal, I called the restaurant attempted to place an order. The owner was EXTREMELY nasty and criticized John for making such a decision. The owner kept saying he will honor the meal replacement this time but repeatedly lectured me. There came a point where I finally said never mind, just refund my money. I repeatedly told the owner John said I did NOT have to return the food BUT I TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO RETURN THE FOOD ANYHOW! Throughout the owner chastising me, he actually agreed with my point about how I no longer trust any restaurant to handle my food under such tension. The owner then discussed his experience and said, "you're absolutely right, restaurants are malicious with meal replacements when a guest complains." At that point, I reiterated my refund request and offered the FULL UNCONSUMED meal. The owner was vehemently opposed to my refund then REPEATEDLY advised that customers have to file a bank dispute because they don't do refund.

  Business response

  11/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/09/30) */ Complaint # XXXXXXXX External Inbox Franny ********** <*************************** Sep 29, 2022, 4:36 PM (15 hours ago) to me Dear Heather, Thank you for giving me the customers phone number so that I could complete my investigation into this complaint. I did contact and speak with Teresa ****** yesterday September 28, 2022. She stated that on August 22, 2022 she purchased a meal and dessert that was a carry out meal and was not satisfied with it when she got home, contacted the diner and was told it would be replaced. Several weeks later she called to order the replacement meal. This was late in the evening close to the time of closing and she was told that the diner would be closing soon by the person who was taking her order. This would be a correct and reasonable statement to the customer so the customer would know and be able to pick up their order prior to the diner closing. She wanted to speak to the manager and told the manager the server was rude to her, however the manager overheard the conversation and states that was not accurate. Miss Greene stated at that time that she wanted a refund instead of a replacement for the meal that she had gotten several weeks prior. The manager explained to Miss Greene and by her own account, he would still replace her meal but would not offer her a refund. When she would not accept his offer to replace the meal even after several weeks of time had passed, and her insistence that he refund her, the manager told her she would have to take that dispute up with her creditor. My investigation revealed that the manager had to end the call with her but that she kept calling the diner back repeatedly cursing him, threatening to take him to court, go on social media and to the point her repeated calls had to be ignored due to the disruption of the business. The manager stated that soon after two police officers came to the diner because Miss Greene called the police department. The manager stated he was told by the officers that Miss Greene called stating she was cursed and thrown out and that the diner would not give her her money back. I did confirm with the Police Department at the Perry Hall Precinct that they did receive a call from Miss Greene on September 7, 2022 at 8:34p.m. and that they did respond but there was no report written. I might add that Miss Greene never mentioned calling the police to me. When I spoke to Miss Greene on yesterday, September 28th, 2022, she told me she still had the entire unconsumed meal that she had purchased on August 22, 2022. I offered if she would like she could send the pictures to my phone and she did. Miss Greene stated that when she ordered the cake she was told it was frosted and not whip cream. I did confirm with the supplier that the cake is frosted with a non-dairy whip cream. While it was clear from the pictures that the meal was not consumed, it did not appear there was anything wrong with the meal even after more than a months time has passed. Miss Greene stated to me that she was given a bunch of white noodles with no sauce, however the photograph shows the spaghetti had sauce on it. I did speak with the owner who at this time is willing to offer Miss Greene a cash refund of $15.00 which may be picked up at the diner. If Miss Greene accepts his offer please contact me to arrange and assure the refund. Sincerely, Franny ********** Director of Human Resources Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/10/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) While speaking to the lady that claimed she was the HR director, I sensed that she was being disingenuous. Reading her response confirmed my suspicions. In response to her mendacious statement, I have irrefutable recorded conversations that show the owner AND the lady that CLAIMS she is the Human Resources director has not told the full truth about this hellacious ordeal! Not only did she state on a recorded line that she would ensure I received a full refund, she also put me through SIGNIFICANT scrutiny throughout the near one hour conversation! When the telephone interrogation started, I advised that my sister was on the other line and we were in the midst of final arrangements for a loved one. Despite my informing the supposed HR director that I had my sister on hold and even mentioned the hit and run victim was, Timothy **** who she might have heard about on the news (Google the name to verify); the HEARTLESS supposed human resource director LIED, claiming she was going to be brief. Not only did she use interview strategies to drag out the telephone conversation when I reminded her several times that I had a call holding, she then asked me to text her pictures of the unconsumed meal claiming she just wanted photos for the owner and training purposes! The mere fact that this woman had ZERO regard for my call on hold and went to such EXTREME measures to fight a $30 complaint let's me to see that this company is even more rogue than I realized. The supposed HR director also LIED claiming that I waited several weeks to report the incident when I actually called IMMEDIATELY after I arrived home and found out the spaghetti barely had any sauce as well as the cake was whipped cream which the manager John acknowledged his staff gave incorrect information regarding whipped vs frosted! The fact that she even scrutinized the whipped cream versus frosted when the more knowledgeable manager John already educated the staff on what constitutes as frosted vs whipped cream is another indicator that the leaders of this business are petty and unscrupulous. I mean they really putting a customer through such cruelty over a $30 meal that I proved was unconsumed just to avoid doing what is morally and ethically right! Furthermore, she claimed that I called just before the restaurant closed to have my order corrected when in fact, I LITERALLY offered this woman my telephone records to prove my call was approximately 42 minutes prior to closing! At this point, I am going to upload the recorded conversations to review sites just to show how much this woman twisted the facts! Most disturbing, I gave the restaurant owner an opportunity to resolve the matter by requesting the replacement meal that was promised to me. While the restaurant owner initially agreed to replace the meal, he was combative and adversarial much like the host that tried to persuade me to not place an order due to the restaurant closing in less than an hour. The supposed HR director was well aware of this even claimed she was disappointed to discover her staff lazy work ethics when it gets close to closing time yet, she left critical details out in her response! At a minimum, the leaders should understand that chastising a customer while agreeing to adhere to the mea replacement just sets a bad precedent and the average customer is likely to decline once it gets to this point. I also find it interesting that the supposed Human Resources director FAILED to acknowledge how the owner BOLDLY admitted that restaurants tamper with food when a guest complains AFTER I told him I no longer trusted him handling my food just refund my money! Most disturbing, the supposed HR director FAILED to address how the owner stated that I should file a bank dispute with my MILITARY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION as opposed to asking them to refund the money because "that's what we tell all customers to take it up with their bank, file a chargeback you won't have any problems since the amount is under $50." So essentially, the owner AND Human Resources director ideology is that I should commit fraud against the federal government because they want the government to pay for their errors and unethical business practices! Another example of the level of pettiness these folks exhibited over a $30 meal that the manager John said I did not have to return BUT I TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO SAVE THE MEAL BECAUSE AS A BUSINESS OWNER MYSELF, I WANTED SHOW THEM TRANSPARENCY!! The mere fact that the supposed Human Resources manager has gone to such extremes to challenge a $30 meal discrepancy on a meal that she acknowledged was unconsumed, shows she lacks rudimentary business acumen. As a near twenty year business owner myself, I understand when it would behoove me to consider the facts and make things right for any customer. Whereas, these folk stooped as low as having the supposed HR director impose her will on me during a call that I tried to be polite and give her the time she requested.....only to discover, she was playing mind games. So I reiterate, they would rather jeopardize their brand and make military financial institutions responsible for their unethical practices than to accept responsibility! As for my calling the police, I LITERALLY told the owner that I was ten minutes away and would be getting police involved due to his abusive tone! I also REPEATEDLY told the supposed HR director that I had my sister holding. Aside from the many facets to this ordeal, the supposed HR director asked me to pause a number of times throughout the interview so she could write my complaint out. Eventually, I recognized this lady did not care about my repeated reminders that my sister was on hold so I bought it to her attention that she is giving me the impression that she is not being sincere in WHYYYY she requested the pictures and further dragging this call out. While I certainly could have just hung up on the supposed HR director when I picked up on her poor attempts to convince me that she was empathetic, I was trying not to be rude and I simply wanted closure. On the most basic level, she should have acknowledged that I admitted having more pleasant experiences with the restaurant over the years but in recent years, I noticed the decline. Instead, she disguised herself as an innocent HR investigator that wants to ensure that I receive my refund. Based on her response, I now believe she is the wife of the owner because she fought vehemently to convince me to trust her only to play victim! Little does she know, she hurt herself more than me because I am prepared to take legal action as well as inundating review sites with the evidence! Primarily because the owner had the audacity to pressure me to let my military bank take care of the refund and he gave assurance that they would cooperate with a chargeback. All things considered, I am seeking FULL accountability and to expose their rogue mentality! Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2022/10/26) */ Dear Heather, Unfortunately the person who was supposed to respond in my absence was not able because of illness. Upon my return I did speak with the owner concerning this matter and he stated that he is not interested in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), mediation or arbitration.

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On or around June 16, 2022, I called Frannie, ***** *********, Double T Diner, concerning an incident that happened earlier in the day, when my underage niece visited the Laurel, Maryland location, and she was forced to pay for food she did not eat. Prior to calling Frannie, I contacted the Laurel location, and a woman refused to connect me with the manager. My niece returned an omelet that was not cooked to her satisfaction, and the restaurant's manager forced her to pay the full price of the meal. My niece was prepared to pay for only the potatoes and drink she consumed. However, she was told by the manager, "It sounds like a personal problem," and "How would you feel if someone returned food and said they didn't like it." This is a clear situation where a minor child was disrespected and taken advantage of. Had she been an adult that would not have happened. Since June 17, 2022, I have been texting with Frannie about my concerns and requesting a refund for the omelet. To date, and after numerous conversations (at least 10) with Frannie, via text and talk, there has been no reimbursement. Upon Frannie's request I have provided my home address, and the total of the full meal ($15), because she first said the manager would issue a refund, and later said the owner would issue it. Still, the disrespectful and unprofessional behavior continues. Essentially, my niece's money was stolen and it needs to be returned.

  Business response

  08/25/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/09) */ A refund of $25.00 has been issued and received by Miss ***** who has confirmed receipt of said refund. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/08/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you. The Business (Franny) sent a full refund, and also added extra funds. Great response, and they apologized for the inconvenience and the treatment my niece received. I am satisfied, and appreciative of Franny's help.

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 6, 2021 I purchased and was charged for a $50 Double T Diner gift card, which was supposed to arrive by mail to my address within a few days. As of December 31, 2021, the gift card has not arrived. I have contacted the Double T Diner at the payee's email address provided (**********************) on December 6, 18, and 22, 2021 regarding this issue and have never even received an acknowledgement of my correspondence. There is no indication that my emails were not delivered. The receipt Number is ****************. There is a transaction ID (thru TJL Inc.) as well: *****************. Also a Merchant Transaction ID: *****************. I purchased a similar gift card from Double T in 2020 and it was provided promptly with no problems.

  Business response

  02/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/01/24) */ Re: BBB Complaint Case# ******** (Ref#XX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XX-XXX) External Inbox Franny Z. Sat, Jan 22, 12:23 PM (2 days ago) to me Dear ****, A gift card was mailed certified mail on January 18, 2022 to Mr. ******* at the address you provided. We have not as of this date received the return receipt acknowledging that it was received. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me @ XXX-XXX-XXXX or my email address. Sincerely, Franny Z. Sent from my iPhone

• Initial Complaint

  10/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  We visited the Double T diner and the service we received was very rude. The Manager Sam at Glen Burnie was very unprofessional handling our large party. He yelled at us as if he was reprimanding us for being served cold and tasteless food. While eating, one of my kids jumped up and when I asked him what he was doing, he pointed to a spider coming out of the light over the table which landed on the food. We told Sam, he come over, inspected the spider, took it off the table with a napkin and threw it in the trash. he did not offer apologies or to remake the food. While checking out, he said to me "You will pay for the food!" I said to him how when you came and took the food and did not offer to remake it and neither did I eat it. He called the police and tried to assure them that they do not have spiders and said it was an insect. The servers were rude and when I asked for the owner, Sam said he was the Owner and became very aggressive.

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