Last Wednesday I needed lunch in a hurry, so went to Macdonalds (in Lausanne, right opposite the railway station).

I used their machine where you can order, pay by card, and then pick up your meal when the code on your ticket comes up.

The machine took ages to process my card (after I'd put the pin in), then gave me a ticket without a complete code.

I went to the pick up point and was told 'There's been a problem, your order hasn't been procesed you'll have to queue and pay for your meal at the tills like everyone else.' No apology.

I went to the McCafé, explained my predicament and pointed out that several other people seemed to be having the same issue with that machine. 'It's not my problem.'

So I left, feeling disgruntled but recognising I'd just experienced Switzerland's legendary 'customer service'.

I kept the ticket, but was relieved to note the following helpful message:

Ihre bestellung ist nicht bezahlt
Bitte begeben Sie sich zur Theke
Vielen Dank

Google Translate told me this meant:

Your order is not paid
Please go to the bar
Thank you very much

So the only 'damage' done was that I was determined not to go to Macdonalds again no matter how much of a hurry I was in.

Until this morning, paying my bills, when I noticed that there was a debit on my account from Mcdonalds Lausanne!

Needless to say, not impressed at all...

Any ideas who to write to to get my money back and hopefully an apology into the bargain?

Is this a matter for a police complaint, as the ticket clearly states I didn't pay?

I am not sure if this is about the PF Yellow Card or a debit / credit card.

I suppose you could write to PF ( through your E-Finance online ) and show them a scanned copy of the ticket stating it was not paid and ask for a "chargeback" ?

It is easier if it was a debit / credit card - send them an email with the scanned copy of that ticket at sc@cardcenter.ch and they will likely perform a provisional chargeback straight away.

If I were you, I'd show my disgust by never going to McDonalds ever again - that'll show them!

Just go in and talk to the manager. I'm sure he'll understand and happily give you a Big Mac Menu with extra Country Fries served with a medium Coke for free.

Mistakes happen. Especially when we eat too much junk food.

do you smoke crack on a regular basis ? police, really

if you have a charge then just contact your CC company. end of

A McDonald's receipt issued in Lausanne was worded in German?

And no, you can't go to the police. Dispute the charge with your bank/credit card issuer and it will be refunded.

And show your dissatisfaction by boycotting all McDonald's outlets that use non-local languages on their receipts. So there.

In my online banking if I open a transaction I have the option to dispute the charge, even if its debit not credit. I would just do that and then scan a copy of the ticket and send it to the bank.

Or take the ticket in with a copy of the charge and have them refund you.

Speak to the manager, I'm sure he would be happy to refund you, and it will be faster than dealing with PF or the bank.

Then just go to BK

Or don't eat junk food at all.

MacDonald's Swiss headquarters are just around the corner in Cressier and if you have the time I would go round there and protest in a very loud voice.

http://map.search.ch/crissier/ch.de-la-gottrause-10
McDonald's Suisse Restaurants Sàrl
chemin de la Gottrause 10
1023 Crissier


Phone: 021 635 69 55

Surely being british the correct response to this is to simply seethe, quietly somewhere, not too close though, in case someone notices...

Since you did not know at that time that you had been charged even though the receipt indicated you had not, I would surmise that the clerk indicated that you would need pay again at the till because as far as he knew you had not been cheated in any way (other than time and convenience, for which an apology would have been appropriate, as you said).

Had you been able to show proof of charge to the clerk or manager, I feel certain that their response would have been different, since, after all, they could not rectify a problem with the payment that at that time they (and you) did not realize existed.

Do return with your paperwork at a time that is not too high volume, and hopefully you will be able to sort out the situation to your satisfaction.

I don't understand the problem...

Surely not getting a McDonalds meal is a good thing...

Did you order their new "Healthy Eating" reduced everything menu??

Are you sure that you have actually been charged? Is the payment finalized? On e-banking, those that aren't yet are in red, and those that are finalized are in normal black font.

This has happened to me before when my Maestro didn't work at Aligro because their card reader was faulty. The charge stuck around in limbo (in red) on my account for a week or two until it disappeared. Nothing was charged.

Don't you still get a Diet Coke with that?

I wanted to get coffee right in that MacDo saturday early morning on my way to work..It's a giant mess. They installed the machines to speed up the orders, but it seems even more disorganized than before.

V, go talk to the manager. Tell him before filing a CC complaint, you would like to see if he can help you 1st.

oppppsssssssssssssssss

My understanding of 'lunch' in the traditional English way has now been completely destroyed.

McDonald's is a fine Scottish institution, didn't you know?

Apparently there are now nearly 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the UK. That's one for every 52,332 UK residents.

Switzerland has 191 Macca's (as we call them in civilised English). That's one for every 52,364 people living in Switzerland.

So apparently McDonald's is as Swiss for lunch as it is British (but the Swiss pay a whole lot more for the "privelege").

So that's why there's always a bloody queue.