The roar of enthusiastic basketball fans can be heard in Eagle Bank Arena when you go to the games. Green Machine is roaring and everyone is decked out in green and gold. During the games, there’s a chance for everyone in the stadium to win a free Chick-fil-A sandwich IF the opposing teams misses their fowl shot.
I was fortunate enough to be at a game where free Chick-fil-A vouchers were handed out to those who had attended. On the voucher, there were two locations where it could be redeemed. Me, ecstatic at the thought of free food, got onto the George Mason Gunston Go shuttle bus that took me to Fair Oaks Mall, where, on the voucher, it said I could redeem it.
I spent a good 15 to 20 minutes actually looking for the Chick-fil-A because there isn’t a simple food court in this mall. All of the restaurants and fast food places are spread out around the mall (which is very big and easy to get lost in). After I found it, I waited in a line that was very short for about 10 minutes. I got up to the counter only for the lady behind the cash register to tell me that this Chick-fil-A was no longer accepting them.
I was very upset to be informed that they were no longer accepting them even though they were clearly listed as one of the only two Chick-fil-A in the area to accept them. Especially since their location was the only one I could get to, due to the fact that transportation is limited. I contacted Chick-fil-A directly about the coupon, seeing as I could not find the owner of the Chick-fil-A’s information. This is what they responded with:
Photo courtesy of Zeairah Webb
Instead of offering to solve the issue, say with a gift card with the amount of a Chick-fil-A sandwich, they attempted to say that my coupon wasn’t valid because I tried to use it past the ‘please use by date’…except I didn’t. I attempted to use the coupon 3 weeks before it expired…which would have been December 31, 2017.
They still hand these vouchers out at basketball games. Should they continue to hand out these vouchers and falsely advertise to their customers? Or is it the owner’s responsibility to get their names taken off of it now that they are no longer participating?