The Monday Morning Belle's bowling league season will end in a couple of weeks. We started earlier than normal this past Monday at AMF Bowlero's request to accommodate Firemen who hold an event once a year at noon. So we finished early. When I left I noticed an empty tequila bottle three feet from my car door. It was not there when I arrived at 8:45 a.m. I picked it up, thought about taking it inside, but instead put it in my car and disposed of it myself.
That seemingly small piece of litter should haven't gotten to me; but it was just one more black mark against AMF's Bowlero. Their staff do as little as possible and I've had enough. I decided to write down all of the issues which then quickly turned into a rather nasty review of my experiences. Now, I could have written a letter to the management with my complaints, but quite frankly it would have never been noticed. In the past I have respectfully voiced my complaints with their staff but nothing ever changed. I decided an online review might get noticed. I posted the following to Yelp and Trip Adviser:
"Drive into the Bowlero parking lot and dodge pot holes;
standing water (ice in winter) broken glass and empty liquor bottles. Walk to
the door avoiding the vomit covered sidewalk, only to find the doors are
locked. Retrieve ball and shoes from locker to find the roof had leaked lockers
had flooded causing soaked bowling shoes, unfit for bowling. Argue with counter staff about providing
rental shoes only to find they are in such bad condition they also are unfit
for bowling. Spend $60 on a brand new pair of bowling shoes for one day. Plan
on wearing a coat inside establishment year round due to bad climate control.
Climate is typically too cold or on occasion too warm. Expect bowling ball to
come back with chips and scratches requiring repair at least once during
season. Call counter for missing balls returns, resetting pins, out of
alignment rack only to be ignored because no one is manning the counter. Allow
non league bowling in alleys next to league bowling when there are empty alleys
elsewhere in establishment. Race to bathroom between games only to find stall
doors without latches; toilets unable to be flushed; water faucet not working;
or empty soap or towel dispensers. Reward good league bowling with free game
passes or bowling bucks that expire a week or two later. Cancel league at last
minute; change start time; or move league to different lanes to accommodate a
group that comes in once a year. Misunderstand the definition of
"banquet" and offer to make up for the last minute league cancellation
by paying for bowling banquet consisting of pizza or sandwiches. Not returning next season."
It didn't take too long. Today I did receive a response from "Alice - Customer Service"
"Hey Carol- Please accept our deepest apologies for your negative experience at AMF. We strive to bring the best in bowling to every one of our guests and we are sorry to hear your experience did not live up to the values and standards that you've come to expect from AMF. Your comments regarding your encounter are very important to us and we've sent them along to our corporate operations team who will take appropriate action. Again, we apologize and thank you for bringing this to our attention and hope you will give us a second chance!”
I don't know who Alice is. Perhaps she'll introduce herself to me before our season ends. There aren't too many "Carols" in my league. Whatever - it isn't going to make a difference. Once the season ends at the end of April I'll not be returning to AMF Bowlero.
Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power by Mary Mapes
