McDonald's ran one of the more attractive promos in recent memory in the country--free coffee at participating stores from 4:30am to 10:30am. The promo ran from August 8 to 12. A week before that, participating stores started giving out coupons that customers can later use to claim their free cup of coffee.
Obviously, the promo was meant to promote McDonald's coffee (made from 100% Arabica coffee) to people who don't normally consume the hot drink in the morning or would otherwise have opted to try competing brands. Based on observation, I believe the promo did just fine.
I live in a condominium in Makati City that has a 24-hour McDonald's store at the ground floor so I practically pass by it at least twice a day (to and from the office). It was already a Thursday (the promo's 4th day) when I claimed my free coffee. I experienced no hassle. I gave them my coupon, they gave me my free coffee. Great!
But on the last day, a Friday, it was a bit of a mess. It was 9:15am when I went to claim my free coffee. As expected, the McDonald's store I frequent (Kingswood Branch) was filled with people claiming their caffeine kick last-minute.
While I was in line (there were four people in front of me), I can hear several people in the other lines being turned away because apparently McDo had ran out of coffee. I waited for my turn. I was told the same thing. This was when I had to talk to the manager.
In a nice manner, I asked why they ran out of coffee to give away. The manager, Chris Salazar, told me there was a problem with the supply, not just in their branch but in others as well. He told me they were overwhelmed with the number of people claiming their free cup of coffee.
Given that it's the last day for the promo, they should have anticipated the volume of people who will claim their coffee because, after all, they gave out hundreds (if not thousands) of coupons with this exact promise, I said.
After much discussion, Salazar offered free hot chocolate drink instead, which I found appropriate. But I made him promise to do the same for the other people claiming their coffee without them having the need to ask for it. In other words, I asked them to be more pro-active in offering an alternative since it is their fault they ran out of supply, anyway.
I got a yes from that request but I stayed for at least five more minutes to see if they'd keep their word. Indeed, they started offering free hot choco to succeeding customers who went there for the free coffee. But, of course, I could never know what happened after I left. There was another hour before the promo ended.
This whole experience made me think: Did we, as customers, have a right to demand for that cup of coffee even though it's offered for free? Personally, I say yes. But it would be nice to get an opinion from a more legal perspective. Any takers?
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