Another Casualty from the Product Line

Almost by accident, today I learned that the Tim’s Yogurt Parfait has bitten the dust. I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t know when this happened. This product used to be a favorite of my Wife’s – she is an infrequent Tim’s customer. What is interesting to me is that we used to have many issues trying to order this. It was frequently sold out, or simply unavailable. It was actually quite unique in that it was very healthy when compared to mainstream Tim’s product offerings. This fact really resonated with me when I put together my posts over the last couple of years – Tim’s is selling so much fatty crap! Oh, I know that is somewhat sensationalist, but let’s review.

Is there a consistent choice for non-white flour bread products? No. Many locations don’t carry 12 Grain Bagels. I am also having difficulty finding any information on what bread products are available for sandwiches – I think they may have a whole wheat bun, at least they used to. I find it interesting that the ‘Melts’ sandwiches are still listed on the Tim’s website for nutritional info even though they are no longer available. When I asked about why they were discontiued, I was told that they didn’t carry the bread for them any longer.

Is there a readily available choice for non-fatty sauces or condiments? No. Peanut butter and Jam aside, butter and mayo based condiments are the norm. Still no mustard, no margarine. Seems like the healthiest thing going on at Tim’s is a scoop of Quinoa and some rice in the Loaded Bowls.

Side note – not surprising to see a Tim’s employee walking across the parking lot to a waiting vehicle carrying three Flatbread Pizzas when I was in the drive through yesterday. I wonder how long before they start cheating on how they prepare those in order to get them ready faster..

PIZZA!

Ok, we finally tried the Pizza since Tim’s took away my son’s favorite meal item, the Grilled Cheese sandwich. He tried the Bacon everything and then the chicken parm a few days later. I tested bites of each. So, they don’t totally suck. I must confess I only tried a bite of the bacon one the next day – I wont comment on the cardboard nature of the flatbread crust as I understand it should be eaten hot and fresh. I was kind of blown away by the $9 price tag though. I estimate the size of these pizzas as being roughly 1 1/2 times that of a slice of Pizza you could get from any pizza place – the ready made ones which are usually from a large or X-large size pizza. Pizza store slices usually go for about $3 – 4. So two of those would get you more pizza for less money. And with a proper dough crust, I think they would be more filling as well. The baon one seemed quite sparse for toppings – probably a judgement call on the part of whoever is building it – or is there a pathetically small scoop the Tim’s person uses to measure out the bacon bits? Knowing RBI and their penny pinching ways – probably. The chicken parm one smelled parmy smelly – I don’t think the cheese quality is fresh italian parmesan, but it was tasty enough. The bread was actually good when hot and fresh, soft and chewy.

I just don’t get Tim’s trying to do foods they should leave alone. Potato wedges should be deep fried – are they still available? They aren’t as bad as the so called hash browns (Tim’s breakfast offerings are just lousy) – but they are lame. Pizzas should be made with dough, and there seems to be good reasons why pizza stores specialize in it. Not sure where Tim’s gets sauce and various other ingredients for their pizzas – probably best to remain a mystery. Finally, these new baked pastry offerings just look awful. I have tried the Savoury ones – the goo in the middle is pretty scary. I have not tried either the Twist pastries or the newer Pinwheels – they both look appetizing and expensive for what you get. The whole Bowl offerings line looks to be an attempt at providing a healthier alternative – I would settle for some decent whole wheat an/or multigrain breads offering – now that the ‘panini’ bread is gone, it looks like a white flour festival in the vast majority of baked goods.

Quick update – wedges are now ‘Sea salt wedges’ and have been given a jagged cut shape – presumably to try and produce more crispness which will never be realized with a baked treatment. I will continue to get my breakfasts from McD’s – whole eggs and deep fried hash browns make a Tims breakfast seem limp and soggy in comparison.

R.I.P. Artisan sandwich line

Ok, too long away from the Blog causes it’s own set of problems. Sooo many little things that didn’t seem to warrant their own entry now have built up to a mess of many.

I will probably work backwards, starting with the latest Tim’s irritant. WHY (and When) did they get rid of the Grilled Cheese sandwich?!! I couldn’t understand why I was not able to find this item on my app – but figured that was just the app being glitchy as per usual. I asked yesterday and was told it’s no longer on the menu – apparently they don’t carry the panini bread (what the Tim’s person said) any longer. So, no Ham melt, Turkey melt, or grilled cheese. WHY??

Is it because of the new flat bread pizza’s? Too much bread to stock at the store? The two types of cheese required? Was it the extra 30-45 seconds it took to run it through the panini press? My son loves those grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches – now gone. What does he ask for now? The $8-9 flat bread pizzas. (which take considerably longer – maybe 3 mins in the oven? 4?) Time to talk of Pizza now…

Another App limitation

My sister says she likes to get a half dark roast and half hot chocolate sometimes for the drive home after a night out. I only found this out when I asked her what could I get for her when I was on my way to rendezvous with her in order to pick up my son from her – they were downtown at a function together and meeting up was the best way to pick up my son without her going well out of her way. She was doing me a favour, so I wanted to treat her for her long drive home. Do you think it’s possible to order such an animal over the app? NOooooo. Why did I want to use the app? So I could pay and she could pick it up enroute to where I was waiting. We settled on the tactic of trying to delay the order so she could tell the counter staff at her pick up location what she really wanted. Didn’t work, she had coffee instead. The muffin I ordered for my son was out of stock as well, he wound up with some cookie he didn’t really want. Oh, and I remember being very frustrated that I couldn’t use my request for ‘Nearby Locations’ to give me a list so I could choose one closest to her route – instead I routed her to one that was in my Favorites – that list is getting quite long because its the only way to reliably choose locations. Has anyone else experienced the frustration of watching that little red ‘wait’ circle going around and around… with no result? Yes, my location access is turned on but it doesn’t seem to matter. Tim’s is more interested in building word games on the app than making its core functions work properly. Oh, and one last editorial sour – in Redeeming points, it used to be possible to get a grilled cheese with bacon – now you can only get the grilled cheese, you must pay $1 extra for the bacon – after all, you’re only redeeming 1300 points – which cost $130(!) for you to accumulate – how unreasonable to expect that sandwich to come with bacon as well…

Timmy two times

I decided I really needed an XL Dark Roast with an espresso shot the other day after a couple of hours at work – I hadn’t had a chance to get my regular pickup on the way in. I figured I would cash in some precious points and get myself a bagel as well, a little Thursday morning treat. I finally managed to get out of work and drove to my nearest Tims with the order all queued up in my app – but when I pulled into the lot I saw a substantial lineup in the drive through. I parked up and switched my app to pickup before heading in to beat the line up (or so I thought).

When the I got to the counter, the lady checked my order – I confirmed my name and asked them to triple toast my bagel please. She then informed me that they had no ‘Dark Roast Beans’ there this morning. I was floored, this was definitely a first. I said, ‘You’re a coffee shop and you’re out of coffee?’ I felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld. I couldn’t get my head around it. I was going to say – ‘Just brew a fresh pot’ – but realized she meant NO Dark Roast. Why did she say beans though? Isn’t the DR at Tims pre-ground and measured up in foil bags like their regular blend? Of course I couldn’t dwell on this because the Tims lady wanted to know if I would be okay with regular? Umm, heck no! I have been drinking the Dark Roast since it came out, the other stuff tastes like dishwater to me now. Do I want the bagel anyway? Again, no! I will be going to the next nearest Tims to get what I wanted in the first place. ‘Give me a refund please’

Enter the Manager, who cancels the bagel and starts the calculus required to generate a refund. How did I pay? Why, with the credit card linked to my Tim’s app of course. Tap the card for a refund – it’s in the car. I try Google Wallet, that doesn’t work. ‘Can I just get a cash refund?’ No, of course not – payment by credit card mandates a refund to the same. I trudge back out to my car, fish out the wallet and go back in for my refund. My ‘quick coffee and snack’ are turning into a serious hassle. Never mind, I am determined to get my order filled – I have been thinking of little else for the past couple of hours.

Tims 2 was its usual nightmare – I usually avoid it because it has a very congested tiny parking area with drive through traffic entering from different directions – aggression rules. It took several minutes just to get into a parking space. Finally! Fire up the app, place the exact same order again and head inside to the Mobile Pickup counter. My bagel arrives so fast I cant even ask for a triple toast, but my coffee is nowhere to be seen. There are at least 4 people working the drive through station, but coffees for Mobile are supposed to be made by the other two front counter people (I guess). I’m waiting, waiting… finally the guy who seems to be in charge of the operation asks me what I am waiting for and I tell him my coffee. He barks at the front counter staff and an extra large cup finds its way under the Espresso spout….and then sits there for several minutes as my espresso shot cools – he engages again, and proceeds to berate the counter staff ‘what the hell are you doing? Mobile orders get priority!’ He then finishes my coffee himself, overfilling the cup and making a mess. I watch him jam a lid on it, and prepare myself to ask him for a new cup but he double cups it and hands it to me. Subsequent scarfing was less than satisfactory as the bagel was cold by then. However on the bright side of thingd – I now have more blog material.

I understand the concept of Just in time Inventory, but how can a Timmies run out of COFFEE! Has anyone else ever experienced this, or am I specially blessed? End of rant….

Omelet Bites Review – Not!

So my Personalized Offers included a deal for a medium coffee and Omelet bites for $4. Most of you would know I like these Offers as a way to try new products and many products that I feel are priced too high. (It is already well established that I am ‘thrifty’ ( to put a positive spin on it) or ‘a cheapskate’ (if we’re speaking plainly). I have been waiting for an opportunity to use the deal to write a review. I have had this product before once long ago when they were launched, but thought it was time to try them again for a review. Yesterday was lousy weather and a coffee and a snack seemed a good idea seeing as I was going to spend the next two hours driving around in icy foggy conditions.

Placed the order – one of each variety as they come two per order – and drove up and announced myself at the drive-through box. Can you guess the result, good reader? Yes, Denied! ‘Sold out’ I was told at the window with several cars behind me. Sigh. When will Tim’s give the retail locations the ability to communicate and administer real time inventory for each store? Or maybe, WILL Tim’s EVER give stores this ability?

They seem to not give a hoot about the customer service aspect of this, not to mention the grief that their employees face as a result.

I would love to hear from anyone who has worked at Tim’s to know how often this occurs.. Broken espresso machines that stay out of service for weeks, baked goods that mysteriously are absent from the app menu until after 6 am (but can be found in the display case if you want to go old school and go inside) – and Hockey Cards that are SOLD OUT!

This blog is a living testimonial to the fact that a disappointed/irritated customer likes to tell at least 8-10 people about their negative experience. These issues are continuous and ongoing. I have said this before, how about thinking about the app as a way to build customer satisfaction instead of frustrating us all regularly with its many failings and defects.

Tonight’s CR’App

Okay, today’s Timmy’s experiences need commentary. Morning routine was fine, regular ladies who know me and most of my preferences. Mid-afternoon I decided to cash some precious points to get some lunch/dinner item. I troll through the offers to see what might be there and would love to grab an Offer as well as a Rewards redemption, but I seem to recall they have a one claim limit – ‘don’t be silly, you cant use points and then expect a discount on a coffee and muffin combo!’ (Why not? Points are mine, I earned them and can spend them. Why penalize me for wanting a combo offer as well?) Pretty sure there is still a 15 minute limit on consecutive orders, so can’t beat the system that way.

Soo.. I change my rewards to the 1300 point level which should get me a ‘Grilled Wrap’ (or Craveables, Artisan Sandwiches and Chili). This not being my first rodeo with this process, I try and load items into my cart and see if the elusive little red ‘Reward’ notation will appear along with the all important zeroing out of the cost. Hmmm, that Chipotle Steak Loaded Wrap looks good, I’ll have that. WRONG! Apparently it’s not considered a Grilled Wrap. Let’s try the Habanero Chicken Loaded Wrap…. Bingo! We have a winner! (Did you notice that apart from the protein and sauce difference, they are both Loaded Wraps with no mention of Grilled – which is really just a quick striping in the Panini press)

‘You may have your reward for this more modest item, lowly customer. Don’t try and get the most bang for your buck, only the cheaper items are eligible. After all, you only spent $130 (!!!) to get the 1300 points you just blew to get our chicken.’ Am I being unreasonable to expect that the $1.00 difference between these two items should not be a problem? I went looking in the rewards section for additional detail that may have informed me about this and came up short. The whole above process took several minutes and could have been much longer with more items which are likely not eligible as well (I knew the chicken would work as I have ‘pointed’ for it before). I will now have to dive deeper into the land of fine print to see if I can ferret out how Tim’s decides what qualifies and what doesn’t. I have plowed this path before, and as a cheapskate of the first order I usually want the biggest bang for my buck. Yes, I consider price when I am spending my hard earned points. I only use them on items I consider too expensive to actually pay money for and want to max out my cost benefit.

I have been burned before by choosing a “Special” muffin (probably made to soothing music with ultra premium ingredients, the dough mixed with Gold implements and sprinkled with Fairy Dust) as a combo item with my coffee and missed out on the combo deal. Fair Game, Sir Tim – your description specifies ‘Classic’ muffin - my bad. For Rewards, is it too much to ask you to clearly state what qualifies and what doesn’t so I don’t have to spend extra time messing with your Cr’App?? I bet there have been some choice discussions by customers who thought they used points and then had to pay… Call items ‘ Classic’, ‘Ordinary’, ‘Regular’…. vs ‘Special’, ‘Premium’, ‘Limited Edition’ or just ‘INELIGIBLE FOR REWARDS’ items, but make it clear please.

By the way, I’m sure you’re burning to know.. the wrap was actually not bad – till the end. The last 4-5 bites were like glue as the sauce and other moist ingredients took over and bullied the chicken coating into pasty submission.

COMING SOON – Tim’s Financial, and Have they really started putting games on the App?

Pizza?

Seen in a Tims in Windsor middle of Dec. ’23

I saw a while back how you could get a Pizza from McDonalds if you knew how to order..I’m curious to know if anyone has experiences with these Tim’s Pizza offerings.

Why Windsor? Is it a special trial there, have any of you come across this offered anywhere else? Who has tried it, is it any good?

My son and I tried to go and get some after his night hockey game there a little late on Saturday and the Tim’s I had seen the sign in was closed.

Any thoughts as to RBI adding pizza into a Tims menu? As far as I know it has not been offered around the GTA

I will certainly try it as soon as I can to give a product review, please join in with any thoughts or information – or, just let me know what you think

Positive Experience (for a change)

I want to compliment Tims on the Hockey Card trading nights that they run. My son and I attended one in early November and it was a terrific experience. The Stanley Cup was in the Store, available for photos. There were numerous contests and giveaways. The very best part were the mature collectors who were there giving away all their extra base cards and helping kids to complete basic sets where possible. It really made a strong impression on my son that people would choose to attend in order to share out extras they no longer had use for. I will leave this post clean with the positive only – I do have some criticisms of the Hockey Card promotion to be covered elsewhere.

Double Trouble @ Drive Through

Just the other day I used the app to order a coffee and muffin. When I drove up to the ordering box, I was asked for my order number – if you have read any of the preceding posts, you know I find this just a little annoying…. So after the verbal dance where I state my name several times, spell it, explain it by using it in context… We finally agree that I am who I say I am and have an order in the queue – I am informed that the chocolate chip muffy I ordered is unavailable. Meh, I will take a fruit explosion instead – no problem. Except when I get to the pickup window I am informed I must pay 20 cents more for the substitute. I have long grown resigned to products being out of stock despite the app allowing me to order them, and pay for a nonexistent item…The graceful way of handling these circumstances is to offer me a similar product, or even a small upgrade – I.e. A ‘special’ muffin instead of ‘classic’. This was a first – never before have I been asked to pay the difference. I told the girl (in all fairness I think she must have been quite new to the job….) that she could either give me a fruit explosion instead of my chocolate chip or refund me for the muffin I already paid for. She checked with someone more experienced who immediately grabbed the Fruit muffin in its bag and handed it to me. Why does this have to be reinvented? Should inexperienced workers be handling the order window and payments? Even for Tims, this was exceptional – They managed to annoy me twice in a single transaction.