Black Canyon Coffee Loyalty Card

[bangon04]

I have happily been using my Black Canyon membership / discount card for several years (forget exactly how long). 10 per cent discount, problem-free so far.

This Monday I went to one of my usual BC outlets:

Sorry Sir - your card now finished

Expired? - where is the expiry date? Nobody mentioned an expiry date when I signed up.

Sorry Sir - your card now finished. You want new card?

Yes please.

New card now you pay 150 Baht

But the card was free before (the price was only extra junk mail)

Sorry Sir - now 150 Baht for new card.

So have others had a similar experience, or was it a scam?

The net effect is that I now spend my 500 Baht per week at Coffee World, which is actually more convenient for me as I have moved home since I took out the BC card.

What price loyalty?

I can hear the chorus of "It's only 150 Baht" but there are more than enough choices of coffee shops in Bangkok.

[britmaveric]

Hmmm interesting I never paid for a card - they always give me one for free.

[scorecard]

Off my list of coffee shops totally.

- Shop in ground floor of CM airport is simply dirty, and no customer focus whatever.

- Shop in Silom complex is overrun with cockroaches.

- and more...

- Last straw for me was at swampy airport, the Manager at the front said 'YES', we have wi-fi. Couldn't connect then another staff member says 'sear (broken / not working), then tells the manager not working for several days. Manager then says 'can you come back tomorrow'.

As already mentioned there are numerous coffee shops with very reasonable prices all over Bangkok / Thailand, with good coffee and pleasant staff.

Just 20 metres from my office I have two coffee shops in opposite directions:

- Black Canyon which I don't patronize, the staff are arrogant and treat customers as though they are a nuisance.

- Tiny coffee shop, lovely atmosphere, staff are friendly and pleasant and make customers feel like a king, good coffee made with care, half the price of BC, free discount card, one free coffee for every 10 stamps.

[onnut]

Black canyon in silom comex has got to be the worst for service. I only went there once, never again.

Starbucks has good service, the staff go by the book and I like that.

[onethailand]

Why would anyone patronize a coffee shop in which the coffee comes out of packets? Don't believe me? Watch the next time you order coffee at Black Canyon.

Starbucks you pay a lot for the privilege. There are plenty of other coffee shops in the Silom area which will provide good coffee and good service for a lot less.

Edited March 25, 2010 by onethailand

[onnut]

I bought some great coffee beans from Emporium the other day. They came in a packet!

[bangon04]

Why would anyone patronize a coffee shop in which the coffee comes out of packets? Don't believe me? Watch the next time you order coffee at Black Canyon.

Starbucks you pay a lot for the privilege. There are plenty of other coffee shops in the Silom area which will provide good coffee and good service for a lot less.

I quite agree, and precisely because there are so many (better) coffee shops in Bangkok, I would have thought Black Canyon would be fighting to keep its regulars. So it must be another case of TiT. Personally I am better off without them. And they obviously don't give a bean about my custom. So everyone is happy.

[britmaveric]

Personally like BC coffee better, but service is not the best I admit.

[givenall]

Personally like BC coffee better, but service is not the best I admit.

I used to go to Starbuck then I decided to stop paying for overprice coffee. Now I make my own coffee and I seriously thing is the best coffee. I mix regular coffee with 30% Espresso coffee and brew it like normal come. It is great and much cheaper than all of the coffee shops. I can also adjust the flavor whenever I want too

[CHdiver]

Black canyon in silom comex has got to be the worst for service. I only went there once, never again.

Starbucks has good service, the staff go by the book and I like that.

Second that, Starbucks has the best Service all over Thailand. I also tip the Guy bringing me the Coffee to the table.

Its a Farang and he is working in every Starbucks I visit, think he is stalking me

[onethailand]

I bought some great coffee beans from Emporium the other day. They came in a packet!

About the size of a sugar packet, and already ground? For all you know Black Canyon is serving you instant coffee...

Re: the one in Silom, easy to avoid - nearby, in the same mall, on the same floor, are two coffee shops which serve fresh coffee, and downstairs is a Coffee World and a Segafredo inside the Tops.

BC used to have really good food - but no longer true. They have gone a long way downhill in recent years. The only thing I'll say for BC is that their coffee is not as burnt as Starbucks...

[kurnell]

Black Canyon coffee, food, dessert is awful.

The only decent coffee chain in Bangkok is Sagafredo.

[rak sa_ngop]

Personally I think Starbucks coffee sucks, and I think I know why:-

They brew the coffee, pour in half a cup and then then top it up with hot water. The result is a pretty tasteless watery cup of coffee.

Mind you I love their armchairs.

[Loz]

I had the salmon Steak in Black Canyon. Looked just like the picture in the menu. REALLY!! It did! I tasted the end bit, PERFECT!!! I thought "hmmmmm this will be good!" Then put my fork in the middle to take a big chunk, only didn't cos my fork wouldn't go in the middle, cos it was FROZEN!!!!!

I rejected it and explained why. THey said sorry. came back with the same peice in 5 minutes burned to a crisp. I rejected again and didn't visit for 2 years. Now I have the pasta and its ok. I still have trouble getting the wrong drink if I go with someone else, not alone. Someone pointed out in the the "trust" thread, THAIS ARE AWEFUL WITH CHANGE.

in comparisson there is a little shop (buds Ice cream) in the mall (Korat) which does Ice tea for half the price and the lady remembers which hand I drink it with and puts the cup on that side. remembers which brown sugar I take and puts it near me takes the lid off and gives it a stir. She is a gem and I tip her sometimes 100% the price of the drink because SHE IS WORTH IT OR MORE! I resent tipping for shoddy service at black canyon.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Loz

[tonywebster]

I am not a coffee drinker so I can't comment on the coffee side of things, but has anyone refused to pay the 10% service charge when it is added on the bill?

I have even though it was written on the menu (very small and at the back I might add). I asked them to take it off as I did not think the service was worth that gratuity, I told them I should be allowed to tip as I see fit and not what they see fit. Eventually after calling the owner they took it off. (this was at a restaurant and added 100 baht onto the bill for crap service).

I know it happens in many places, 10% service charge, how do others deal with it? just pay it even if the service was not good?

[griser]

Well, the reason your getting such bad service and bad food. ect. is for the simple reason that Black canyon coffee is a thai company

They could give a rats ass about customer satifaction.

I've had a few bad experiences with them myself. the last one, serving me cooked rotted meat was the last straw...

Never again!

Greg

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

I go to BC frequently with my boyfriend because we like the food there. So far mostly good experiences in Central World and Major Ekkamai, however the one in Central Bangna... .simply HORRIBLE.

Not only is a "well done" steak still dripping blood in the middle but also waiting for said steak takes 45 minutes - no BS and that is simply unacceptable. My boyfriend was done with his entire meal before mine arrived. Also, EVERY time we go there they are "out of salad" (i usually order some salad with the main course) and also ALWAYS "out of bananas" (as i also love a banana split after the meal).

And then - paying. Maybe they WANT people to leave without paying - or why does it take up to 20 minutes (!!) for the bill to come to the table, and another 20 minutes for the change?? And there were more than enough staff in the place, most of them standing idly or were busy chatting with each other.

That has happened several times in Central Bangna and now we won't go there anymore.

The one in Major Ekkamai is excellent, fast, efficient and the steaks ARE well done. Always got salad, always got bananas. Central World is also "out of salad" most of the time, i guess they are simply too lazy to make one if there's not many customers in there.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[Meridian007]

The food in BC Pinklao (both the Tesco and Major locations) is okay, and I find that the service is good in both places, but I won't drink their coffee. There is something in it that disturbs my stomach, so I usually get the ice tea instead. I don't know what it is, but I'm fine with all the others in the area, (Coffee World, Starbucks, Mezzo, even Chester's!), so I think they must add something.

I agree with the poster who said that home-made coffee is better. Right now I'm having a French roast with some VanHouten cocoa mixed in, delicious! I'm thinking of bringing my espresso machine back here, I'd much prefer it, (I have a French press here).

[Somrak]

[Somrak]

I can say nothing bad about BC. In Sawang we have one and there evererything was always O.K.. Realy good food and the coffee is not bad.

(I can not compare them with the US firm, as with G.Bush the son, i did stop to use there offer.)

Edited March 26, 2010 by Somrak

[bridge]

I started going to the Black Canyon at Tesco's Lamai when it opened. Was offered the loyalty card which was from memory about 100THB, figured I go most days and have a coffee or two so it would pay for itself more or less straight away. Occasionally I would have a sandwich too. Also got the card where you buy 6 drinks, 7th free.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, kept going for the next two months, nearly every day. On the Monday filled up my coffee card, next day presented it for my free coffee - "mai dai - expire yesterday". Even though I had been going nearly every day for the past two months spent in excess of 6000THB easily, the wouldn't honor my full card because it expired the day before (when they stamped it I might add). The manager had NO concept of customer service.

I went on to the Black Canyon website and emailed them my views on how they could improve their customer service and how they were about to lose a customer who would spend roughlty 30,000THB a year there.

Within one hour I got a call from a big boss from BKK apologizing. A week later I got an apology letter and a 250THB voucher.

Good customer service at the high levels

[Huey]

I would never go there again if there was no expiry date on the card.

[Jingthing]

I went to BC once. I saw the packet. It is instant coffee. How can that be good coffee?

[bangon04]

I started going to the Black Canyon at Tesco's Lamai when it opened. Was offered the loyalty card which was from memory about 100THB, figured I go most days and have a coffee or two so it would pay for itself more or less straight away. Occasionally I would have a sandwich too. Also got the card where you buy 6 drinks, 7th free.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, kept going for the next two months, nearly every day. On the Monday filled up my coffee card, next day presented it for my free coffee - "mai dai - expire yesterday". Even though I had been going nearly every day for the past two months spent in excess of 6000THB easily, the wouldn't honor my full card because it expired the day before (when they stamped it I might add). The manager had NO concept of customer service.

Loyalty works both ways. If they wanted me to keep drinking their (not too popular, judging by the replies here) coffee, they would be happy to "invest" 150 Baht .

By the way, my other half confirms that the card was indeed free the first time around.

[TAWP]

Been to BC at Esplanade, ate some 3 dishes between me and the gf and they where all nice, and then one of the staff-girls ran to get us ice-cream from another shop (as they don't sell it) at no additional charge...guess it helps that the gf is a regular. Can't complain about anything, but then again, I didn't have the coffee...

[onnut]

I bought some great coffee beans from Emporium the other day. They came in a packet!

About the size of a sugar packet, and already ground? For all you know Black Canyon is serving you instant coffee...

Re: the one in Silom, easy to avoid - nearby, in the same mall, on the same floor, are two coffee shops which serve fresh coffee, and downstairs is a Coffee World and a Segafredo inside the Tops.

BC used to have really good food - but no longer true. They have gone a long way downhill in recent years. The only thing I'll say for BC is that their coffee is not as burnt as Starbucks...

what I was trying to say is all coffee comes in a packet! Ground, instant and freshly roasted beans.

[MichaelBKK]

The little packets hold whole roasted beans. Watch carefully, you'll see they cut them open and grind them. It's supposed to ensure you get the freshest cup, although since it doesn't look like the packets are vacuum sealed I don't know if that's really true. This info is buried in their menu somewhere. I think the only thing made from instant is the iced coffee.

I prefer Black Canyon over Starbucks, but there is better out there.

[Loz]

News FLASH!!!

I took my folks to the BC (CaFFe Nero) in the Airport (Swampy).

OH MY BUDDA!!!

The staff there need there pay doubling and should be sent out on a road show to all the other sites! THEY HAVE NAILED Customer Service!

We sat down, waiter waited a moment, saw we were gonna need a minute so left. came back twice, paused to see if we were ready, finally when we were he was there like it was instinct! took the order, (two club sandwiches, one portion of toast and two coffees.

The club sandwiches were FRESH!!! Egg still hot!! the french fries were hot too! I care very little that the price is 40bht more cos its the airport, it was worth every stang! toast was also hot and when I asked for the bill it came quickly and descretely.

When I was brought my change I was not peered over while they inspect the tip. He left and returned when he could see it was ready.

All the time we were eating the staff would move around to the middle where they could see if anyone needed anything and them move back to the sidelines until they were needed.

THESE STAFF WERE ON THE BALL 100%

it was 6am too!! Even with service charge included I still tipped another 100bht for a 660bht bill. that is an expensive breakfast but given my parents are in their 70s and were about to take a long flight home, the fact that their last meal here was flawless meant so much to me. I only wish they knew how good they were and could find a way to share this best practice around to the other "slack" branches. KORAT in particular!

Never thought I would be singing their praises but, credit where its due. These airport staff were on fire!

...could it be they have been schooled by countless western customers making their expectations known...?