I bought this coupon book for the whole city that contains many different deals for the local area. One of the deals involved a coupon from Sonic Drive In.
The coupon said, “Free Sonic Burger of your choice with the purchase of a Sonic Burger of equal or greater value.”
So, I ordered a Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger with no tomato, and a second one free, along with a milkshake and tots. When the food came out and they told me the cost was over nine dollars, I questioned the order. They said that the coupon only applies to the SB, and they can’t give me a free SBC. Okay, so why didn’t they tell me that when I was ordering? They tried to say the wording only applies because it says “Sonic Burger” not “Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger” or “Sonic Cheeseburger”(SC).
I suppose I could live with that. Oh wait, what about the part where it says, “…burger of YOUR CHOICE…”? I was told that only applies to whether or not you want mustard or mayo on your SB. Then I inquired about the part where it says, “with the purchase of a SB of equal or greater value.” That would imply that there is another selection and that it costs more. They had no reply, but that they were just doing what they were told.
The coupon wording is not a new concept. With most restuarants, if you buy a menu item and get one free, the key is that you purchase the more expensive item and get the equal or lesser free. I suppose that was why she didn’t complain about me ordering the more expensive burger, yet the coupon said that I had to purchase a SB to get the deal, not a SBC!
Why is cheese so important that it completely changes the name of the burger, but mustard and mayo do not? You don’t order a Sonic Mustard Burger or a Sonic Mayo Burger! So, are they trying to tell me that the SBC and SC are not burgers from Sonic? –Which is what a SC is, by the way.
I then proceeded to call the 1-800 number for Sonic to explain the whole story. They guy on the phone initially questioned whether I realized that there IS an item named Sonic Burger. When I asked him about the additional wording related to the cost and choice, he said that he would just forward the complaint to the local manager in charge at the store where I ordered.
Am I missing something? Am I splitting hairs here? Is there some kind of Super Sonic Secret System to decipher the menu?
haha. i find this entry humorous. i purchased one of those books as well, so i am glad you had this experience before me so now i know. i think the fine people at sonic are just cheap. why give you something you’ve already overpaid for free? i’m sure that couldn’t be good for business.
Wow, this is a pretty interesting story. Most places are all about that mighty dollar. They are not concerned with good customer service. Customer service has truly gone down hill these days. Good customer service is like finding a million dollars just walking down the street…very unlikely to happen. What sonic did you go to, so I’ll already know not to go to that one. By the way, I don’t think there food is all that good.