Should I Go Back to Cabalen Trinoma?
That it’s too late to apologize
It’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize
It’s too late
-One Republic Ft. Timbaland
Is it too late to accept an apology? I don’t think it is. I am a very forgiving person. I forgive, but I don’t forget.
Around lunch time yesterday, my phone rang and a woman with a very apologetic tone of voice said hello and asked me if I was AJ. She told me she was the Branch Manager of the Cabalen branch in TriNoMa and she has received my email about the unfortunate incident that transpired inside their branch last week.
After apologizing more than ten times, she introduced herself as Jenny Montero, then continued to apologize some more. By the tone of her voice, I sensed that she was sincere, but I also sensed an urgent damage control tone of voice. I have been working in the service industry for quite some time now and I knew where she was gonna lead me to. Initially though, when I heard the word manager, I half-wished it was that “manager” Anne.
Jenny asked me to narrate to her what happened during that unfateful day and I gladly and calmly recounted what happened. At every negative turn of the story, she would gasp and react sympathetically. She informed me that corrective measure has already been done on the behavior that was displayed by Annabel Pangilinan (aka Anne), who turned out to be a Duty Supervisor and not the Manager. Jenny said that it was her rest day and she delegated the tasks of welcoming the bloggers to Anne. The event, as Jenny said, would have been good marketing and publicity for them.
I told Jenny that unfortunately for them, the opposite of what she would have wanted has already happened, and still is happening - online. I added that no one has the right to treat customers the way we were treated. And one lesson learned is that even if people are there to dine for free, they shouldn’t be treated any differently from the paying customers.
I think it’s about time they knew the power of bloggers and the power of the Internet. I am not saying that bloggers have all the right in the world to complain about every single thing they want to. All I’m saying is that if it is with good reason and you were really offended, then go ahead and spread the word.
Jenny then invited me to go back to their branch anytime I want to and bring some of my friends and she would personally take care of us. She said that Anne’s behavior was very unprofessional and is way below the standards that Cabalen expects from their employees. Jenny said that she would personally attend to me and the friends that I bring so that I can experience the real Cabalen treatment. She also offered to give me discounts in case I plan on throwing a party or holding a function at Cabalen. I asked her how many friends I can bring with me and she told me it was up to me, but maybe around 5? or 6?
I told her that her apology was accepted but I’d still think about her offer.
What do you think? Should I go back to Cabalen, Trinoma?
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That’s really your choice. Do what works well with you. But if it were me, the apology though is enough and I will blog about it. I don’t think I’d want to go back especially since I’ve eaten there before and tried their service. But that’s just me.
noemi’s last blog post..Boracay and The Dream
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 8:38 am
noemi »
true! An apology is enough. But since theyr’e offering it for free, it would be nice to go (but I won’t write about it, lol!). How was boracay?
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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Yeah. I think you should go back Bakla. See, take advantage of those discounts! Haha. Well, it’s still up to you though in the end. Pero feeling ko lang, go for the discounts. Akala ko pa naman, libre ang food pag bumalik ka dun.
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 8:38 am
atomicgirl »
libre daw food ko and the other friends im bringing! hehehe
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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You should go back for our follow-up video entitled “We Love Anne, Not”! The possible scenarios are endless! Haha!
Coy’s last blog post..Episode 28: We Love Trinoma! (A Video Spoof)
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AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Coy »
True! hahahah! We love anne!
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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@AJ- Nothing extraordinary except I experienced their ati atihan and went out for snorkelling or rather Lauren did.
noemi’s last blog post..Boracay and The Dream
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AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
noemi »
I read your “Boracay Dream” post and was amazed at what happened! Freaky in a good way!
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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I’m thinking in line with the free movie tickets we must all still have and the free dessert card we got from Bubba Gump. Dahil sayang, malamang babalik tayong lahat dun. A nice itinerary would be to have buffet lunch, have dessert, and watch a movie.
Why not increase your companion threshold to 50-60 and feign not hearing 5-6?
Biro lang!
Fritz’s last blog post..Trinoma Bloggers? Food Tour gets fritzified
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Fritz »
Lol! Good luck naman sa kanila diba if it’s 50-60! riot! hahaha
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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if that were up to me, i would go back - but offer to pay.
jayvee f.’s last blog post..Reflections on the Gizmodo scandal thing at CES 2008
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AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
jayvee f. »
True! I’d pay up first and once I get my change, that’s when I’m gonna tell them that it’s me! hehe
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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nah, AJ, better that you don’t go. there’s the chance you get called a sell-out, to put it bluntly.
the jester-in-exile’s last blog post..Who Are You? (Who? Who? Who? Who?): A National ID System, Why Not?
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
the jester-in-exile »
I actually wrote that in the draft, I didn’t wanna sell out! You read my mind! Lol! Imma go back there and order and not say it’s me.
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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ok i was waiting for this entry (parang telenovela) lol. seriously, it’s your choice. pero kung sa akin, hindi na. siguro i’ll tell the manager that i’ll just visit some other time like the usual restaurant visit and pay (like what jayvee f suggested) kase hindi totoong serbisyo yung ipapakita nila sa yo (at sa mga kasama mo) kung tatanggapin mo yung offer niya. siguro at a time more unexpected mas maganda yung ’surprise visit’ just to make sure they do good customer service all the time since that incident happened– that is, if you still want Cabalen food.
PS. ang kukulit nyo sa “we love trinoma vlog” ah. si coy madaya, hindi man lang yata lumabas sa cam.
aajao’s last blog post..week start
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
aajao »
Tama! I don’t need no extra-special treatment kaya I’ll just go there and pay up and not tell them it’s me. Or just tell them it’s me after I’ve paid up!
Sabi ko nga kay Coy dapat meron din siyang testimonial pero ayaw niya. hehehe
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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Wow! At least the manager is humble enuf to ask for apology. Kudos to Ms. Jenny. Positive point. Pero still mas nagmarka yung negative point that were shown by the duty supervisor. Well, baka naman may mga iniisip din sya that time or may problem, pero still, its not an excuse. Customers are customers, be it a revenue or non rev. They should be treated equally.
If I were you, I will definitely go back to Cabalen Trinoma, but I won’t tell them when and I’ll pay for my bill. Then saka ka na magpakilala after. Baka may special treatment eh pag nalaman kaagad na kayo yun.
bleue’s last blog post..Trinoma Food Tour Special: Reviews
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
bleue »
I agree, I will go there (I hope they don’t recognize me) with my friends and pay up then see what kind of service is real Cabalen service. I hope they’re not reading this! LoL! I don’t want special treatment. make that I don’t want extra-special treatment just because I complained.
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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lol. for all you know, meron na silang photo mo dun sa kitchen nila (hooked from your “we love trinoma” video) tapos inaabangan na nila ang pagpasok mo. parang WANTED person. then they’ll know when they’re giving extra special service. hehehe
siguro you need to make another effort: disguise. LOL.
PS. i doubt kung hindi nabasa ni manager Jenny yung blog entry mo at ipinakwento pa nya ulit yung buong pangyayari. kung ako sa kanya, aaminin kong nabasa ko yung entry mo and in effect yung ‘damage’ na nagawa sa imahe ng restaurant ko. but then again, let’s give her the benefit of the doubt. isa pa, kung hindi naging maingay sa blogosphere yung issue, baka hindi ka rin pansinin ng Cabalen. my two cents.
peace tayo manager jenny! ;;)
aajao’s last blog post..week start
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 15th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
aajao »
She said naman na nabasa niya kase in my complaint email, I included a link to my blog. And by the words she used to respond to my verbal narration of the story, mukhang nabasa niya nga! hehehe. Salamat sa pinoy blogosphere naging maingay na bakla ako! bwahahah!
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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OMG AJ, seriously? I am now loving the “We love Anne. NOT!” video. I think she just said that to appease the mataray na gerlaloo in you. I don’t think Anne’s facial expression would change that much even if we go there the second time.
poyt’s last blog post..We love Trinoma Video Spoof
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:02 am
poyt »
Sige Let’s go and reshoot! my treat (and hindi eto yung ililibre sa aking ng Cabalen ha)! I’ll free up my sked lang muna
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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If that happened to me, I wouldn’t go there anymore. However, it’s also good to go back there some other day just to see if they made improvements in their customer service. Also, I think you’d want to see their faces when you tell them that it’s you and you’re back. Hehe. Especially if they’ve given another bad service and realize that they did it twice to you. Ahaha. Baka hindi lang manager ang mag-apologize hehe.
Prudence’s last blog post..On New Lappie and WiFi Hotspots
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Prudence »
i’m planning on doing that nga eh. But I will not set them up for failure. Tipong regular customer lang going on a regular day. tapos i’ll see what kind of service they will give me…
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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Supervisor lang pala. Weird. Manager doesn’t sound like supervisor. It doesn’t even come close! Hmm…
There’s no excuse for rudeness. I mean, they could have chosen not to participate in the Trinoma experience if they thought that bloggers were just dirt under their slippers (an exaggeration, perhaps — but still)
I wouldn’t want to see her face after that horrible attitude she so blatantly displayed but as they all said, it’s up to you
And maybe it’s worth it to see the satisfaction on her face when she sees you again. LOL.
Tiffany’s last blog post..I wanna be Cinderella
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Tiffany »
I don’t think she can remember my face. Unless she has very good photographic memory like mine! lol. Manager, supervisor or wait staff — there’s no excuse for bad service!
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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Haha! In case mangyari man ang sinasabi ni Prudence na bad service, the second time around, I suggest you do a “Susan Roces”, make a scene and shout, “You did it to me, not once! But twice!”, with matching hand gestures. hehe!
bleue’s last blog post..Trinoma Food Tour Special: Reviews
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:07 am
bleue »
Or pwede ring ala Melanie Marquez: You can fool me once, you can fool me twice, you can fool me thrice but you can never fool me four! (or something like that!) lol!
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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AJ, why don’t we go back as “real customers” like everyone is suggesting then make the big REVEAL after YOU (ikaw talaga. haha!) pay the bill. Tapos may HIDDEN CAMERA tayong dala to record their shocked reactions. LOL!
Kung anu-ano na lang iniisip ko.
Sana andun pa rin yung isang tindera. Bibigyan ko ng award. Haha!
Coy’s last blog post..Episode 28: We Love Trinoma! (A Video Spoof)
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Coy »
Yan din ang nasa isip ko. Sige let’s shoot another video there one of these days. (my treat at hindi yung treat na bibigay ng Cabalen). Free up lang ako ng sked. I’ll let you know pag okay na.
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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AJ, why don’t we go back as “real customers” like everyone is suggesting then make the big REVEAL after YOU (ikaw talaga. haha!) pay the bill. Tapos may HIDDEN CAMERA tayong dala to record their shocked reactions. LOL!
Kung anu-ano na lang iniisip ko.
Sana andun pa rin yung isang tindera. Bibigyan ko ng award. XD
Coy’s last blog post..Episode 28: We Love Trinoma! (A Video Spoof)
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Gah! Nawala ung comment ko!
Coy’s last blog post..Episode 28: We Love Trinoma! (A Video Spoof)
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Coy »
Napunta sa Akismet spam yung comments mo. ayun okay na, nailipat ko na at may reply na.
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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I was waiting talaga for the progress of this ish. I dunno kung ganito lang talaga ako umasta towards people who wronged me but I personally think your attendance to her VIP offer will make you appear like… SOMEONE. I mean, it kinda makes sense that Ms. Jenny wants to make everything up for Anne’s mistake but you don’t need to comply, IMO. Hindi na kasi magmumukhang ‘real Cabalen treatment’ because of her intention for you to blog a retraction. Napatawad mo na po ang Cabalen Trinoma branch so yeah–RAK ON! At least you blogged about “forgiving” them.
I don’t insist you NOT to return to Cabalen ever. (at least not the anticipated VIP treatment) but I would gladly see you experience the really REAL Cabalen treatment when you’re wearing sheep’s clothing. Imbestigador, ba?
Neil’s last blog post..another online casinos directory for you
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Neil »
tama! I agree, i don’t need no special treatment and I won’t write a retraction. Tama na yung I accepted their apology and posted it. Kahit paulanan pa nila ako ng sisig at lechon, no retraction na. Apology accepted, yun na yun.
AJ’s last blog post..We Love TriNoMa! (A Video Spoof)
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yes.. pls do go back.. even though halatang damage control nga.. natatakot sa power of blogging..
but big discounts and vip treatment is okai by me. hehe
chase’s last blog post..Sinulog buzz!
[Reply]
AJ Reply:
January 17th, 2008 at 8:05 am
chase »
I will surprise them na lang. hehehe
AJ’s last blog post..Daybreak
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