A Strongly Worded Letter

I have threatened on many occasions to "write a strongly worded letter" to whomever is in charge of whatever I am upset/disappointed/irritated with, but I don't think I've actually ever followed through with that. It's an expression my husband and I use often, jokingly. That, however, changed today - when I redeemed some Speedy Rewards Points in an effort to be frugal while out and about and got way less than I bargained for. Here's the Strongly Worded Letter I just sent to air my grievances:

Hello,

I have been a Speedy Rewards member for many years now and have always been pretty happy with your system and the products you carry in your stores.

Today, however, I was EXTREMELY disappointed in the quality of the food items I redeemed a few thousand reward points on. Specifically, the Bacon Double Cheeseburger and the Cheeseburger, which I got for my son.

I can honestly say without any doubt or exaggeration they were the absolute worst burgers we have ever eaten. Completely disgusting, actually. And I highly doubt it had anything to do with "freshness". I would be very surprised to learn that there was ANYTHING resembling beef, or any type of meat, for that matter, in those burgers. The taste and texture were terrible! I had already left the store where I got them before I realized how awful they were and was in a hurry to get to my next destination, or I'd have gone back.

I am very disappointed that I used 2500 points on sandwiches that could only be called "food" in the wildest stretch of the imagination. This is the first time I have gotten any hot sandwiches at a Speedway store, and after this experience I don't think I will ever want to waste my points and take a risk like that again.

I would very much appreciate a refund of the 2500 points I used on those sandwiches today. And I'd like to encourage you to seriously consider a different supplier of hamburger patties for your hot sandwiches, preferably a supplier who actually uses ground beef instead of soy, which these very obviously were. And, in the interest of those who suffer from food allergies, clearly indicating on the label that there is a high amount of TVP in those "burgers" (or that they are 100% TVP, as I highly suspect is the case) would be very beneficial. I couldn't find the ingredients in the "nutritional information" on this website, and no longer have the wrapping to check and see if it is there. I do wish now I would have kept it.

I would also like you to know that I am a blogger, and will be posting my letter to you and your response, for which I eagerly await.  I am assuming that, in keeping with your President's statement of commitment to conducting its operations in accordance with both the law and the highest standards of business ethics and integrity, you will endeavor to ensure this long-standing member of your Rewards program is satisfied and my trust in your company's operations is not misplaced.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a very blessed holiday.

Sincerely,

Dawn Yoder

Of course, I probably should note that I am in no way attempting to disparage or libel Speedway Super America, but merely want to inform other consumers of the experience I had there as well as document their response to a very unsatisfied customer. This is the first time I have been so disappointed and dissatisfied while patronizing their establishments. I sincerely hope that they will grant my request of refunding the reward points I feel that I wasted today. Usually, we use those to get a lower price on gas for our van but today I thought I'd be frugal and not spend money eating out. Brilliant, I tell you...

And, as one who is trying to not eat "junk" as much as possible, I wrestled with the decision to get those "burgers" and decided once in a while won't kill us...probably. While we are still alive, I can honestly say I don't feel well at all tonight...not in a food-poisoning type of way, but more like I have just experienced an extreme chemical assault. If I had realized that "burger" on the label was merely a suggestion, not an actual representation of what was inside the wrapper, I never would have gotten them. I think I just discovered how we can win that war in Afghanistan...and where they've been hiding the WMD's...

I will follow up with whatever response I receive from Speedway Super America's Customer Service Team. Assuming, of course, my blog doesn't get shut down for mentioning "Afghanistan" and "WMD's"!

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UPDATE:

It is now Monday, December 20 and I have not yet received a reply to this message. I have sent another message, willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as anything can happen to an electronic message...including being accidentally deleted by one's spouse perhaps. I haven't asked my husband yet, but it is a plausible possibility. We'll see what comes of this...

Dear Speedway,

I sent a message on this site a week ago (Friday, December 10, 2010) and have not yet received a reply. I am hoping that something happened in the transmission of your reply, perhaps, or that my husband may have inadvertently deleted your email, because I surely do not want to believe that you are not going to address my grievance with the quality of your "burgers" and the the 2500 points I feel were wasted on them.

I realize that this time of year is a busy time for everyone, however, I believe that no reply from your company (if that indeed was the case) regarding a very unsatisfied customer is surely not in keeping with your claim to conduct your business according to "the highest standards of business ethics and integrity."

In case you have lost my previous message, I will copy it below for your convenience. And again, I eagerly await your reply and a resolution to this matter.

Sincerely,

Dawn Yoder
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Message originally sent on Friday, December 10, 2010:
(in the interest of space, you can read it above if you wish).

And the lovely message after I clicked submit was...

Thank You

Thank you for your interest in Speedway.
We will respond to all inquiries in a timely manner.

Perhaps we have a different opinion of what a "timely manner" means...

GREAT NEWS! Apparently, their response must have been deleted or missed somehow. I received another reply and not only did they refund the points I used, but also another 2500! That makes me very happy. Thank you, Speedway, for going above and beyond to restore this customer's confidence in you!