I dine out … a lot… mostly because as a single guy it’s usually cheaper to go for a $20 dinner, where I’ll take half of it home and have it for lunch the next day, then going out and buying food that will eventually go bad in my fridge.

Anyway, four times during the ten days I’ve been out to eat and been plagued by bad service. Here are two examples:

1. I’m chapter president of the local Association of Fundraising Professionals and attended a luncheon celebrating philanthropy recently at the Waterfront Banquet Center in Plains (That’s sort of Wilkes-Barre for those of you not from around these parts).  This room was filled with 250+ fundraisers (people) with significant (if not final) decision making ability about where more than 200 organizations in this region will hold their fundraising events. Well, they won’t be doing so at this location. The room was not set right, there were cleanliness issues with the plates and silverware, the staff was rude and abrasive, and lunch showed up 20 minutes late. The sales rep from the site even said, “We can pull off a $60,000 wedding but not a $6,000 luncheon.” I already know of at least two events that have been cancelled there as a result and the management’s offer of $1,000 — while nice, didn’t cover the cost of the $500 worth of ice cream that was not served, the $240 vegetarian meals that came out as chicken, and the $400 worth of coffee service that ran out after 40 cups were filled and never restocked.

2. I went out with SEO Jeff to the local franchise for Chili’s last night – the table was covered in grease and honey… like someone had wiped down a spiill and then subsequently used that cloth to wipe down this table. Our server wiped it down again.. .still gross. Then, after we had eaten, we went to pay the bill. The server had to finish chatting with his friends for 5 minutes before we got it.

The total bill for both of us was $22. I paid $14 in cash, Jeff put $12 on his Visa. Well, Jeff’s card was charged $22 and the waiter presumed that $12 was his tip. I mean really, that’s a pretty good tip at 63% … for nachos and chicken fingers?! Bad Service = $1.00 tip.

As e-commerce merchants or marketers, remember… We’re in the heart of our busy season and if we can’t follow through, it’s better to let the customers know that orders will be delayed or services will be slow.

Several folks at Solid Cactus are in the same boat. With the recession in full-swing, when you go out to dinner, to a retail store, or anywhere that customer service is involved… if you get bad service, there are probably hundreds of other shopping sites and the comparison shopping engines have made it very easy to go somewhere else.

Remember, shoppers are a click away from giving you their business… or moving to your competitor’s site! Now Chili’s I will give another chance because it might have been an off night, and dinner cost was $20. But The Waterfront Banquet Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA? That’s another story.