No wi-if = no freeloaders hogging up tables where paying customers could sit.....

That's going on at Panera around here, guys working from home will camp out, buy one coffee and hit the free refill while holding tables, even through lunch.

People running around looking for free wifi so they don't have to pay

A better solution would simply to have powered the wifi router down. Problem solved.

The real customers may have been pissed. .

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more than one four-place table occupied by somebody using wifi with a laptop and no evidence of any Dunkin' Donuts product on the table.

Why not just sit at that table? What will they say? “Hey, I’m using the free WiFi and hogging this table.”?

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Originally posted by Icabod:

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more than one four-place table occupied by somebody using wifi with a laptop and no evidence of any Dunkin' Donuts product on the table.

Why not just sit at that table? What will they say? “Hey, I’m using the free WiFi and hogging this table.”?

Yep. Works every single time. If you really want to be daft, sit right next to them.

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Originally posted by HRK:
That's going on at Panera around here, guys working from home will camp out, buy one coffee and hit the free refill while holding tables, even through lunch.

People running around looking for free wifi so they don't have to pay

The Panera near my house has implemented a 30 minute max on WiFi even for paying customers. Still annoying when people camp out at lunch time with a cup of coffee for half an hour hogging a table other people would like to use to eat their lunch.

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

The Panera near my house has implemented a 30 minute max on WiFi even for paying customers.

I'm curious. How do they enforce this? Is there a timeout on the connection?

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Originally posted by jhe888:

She is within her rights to be sure. But what a stupid position to take. Wouldn't the infinitesimal marginal cost for the wi-fi be worth providing it free as long as the customer isn't squeezing out a paying customer?

Now, if the store became a haven for freeloaders, that might be another thing.

Yeah, DD had the 'right' to eject the non-paying WIFI user. That doesn't make it a smart move.

It never ceases to amaze me how so many franchise managers manage to screw up so badly in this 'social media era' in which we live. Let her have her free WIFI, and avoid having your store targeted and/or boycotted. How about that?

Also, I don't have a problem with the customer's stance, IF facts are as stated. Unless they post a sign that SPECIFIES "Free WIFI with purchase," then they can't get butt hurt if people use the free WIFI. . . If they say "Free WIFI" without stating conditions, they can't complain.

Now, I ALWAYS buy something when I have used WIFI in the past at these places. It's the decent thing to do, but I don't fault the customer here (again, IF events happened as reported).

Of course everything has to be race when the "victim" is black.

My Honda dealer has a waiting area with ample free seating, free large screen TV, free Wi-Fi, free doughnuts, free rest rooms, free drinking fountain, free lighting, free heating and A/C, and free parking. I think I’ll sell my home and take up residence at Honda. "I know my rights." Or does that only work in California?

New sign: We reserve the right to refuse service or perks to anyone at any time.

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Originally posted by HRK:
That's going on at Panera around here, guys working from home will camp out, buy one coffee and hit the free refill while holding tables, even through lunch.

People running around looking for free wifi so they don't have to pay

The last time I was at our local Panera, there was a guy sleeping in a chair in front of the fireplace. Book in his lap....snoring away

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

The Panera near my house has implemented a 30 minute max on WiFi even for paying customers.

I'm curious. How do they enforce this? Is there a timeout on the connection?

Overseas, the shopping mall implements a 1 hour max.

I can imagine the router records your MAC address of your device. And, after an hour it prevents your device from connecting to the network for the rest of the day.

In my recent travels to different states, I found establishments sporting signs of no loitering and max stays of only one hour including WiFi. I’m sure the rule is applied unevenly but as needed appropriately.

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Originally posted by jhe888:

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by jhe888:

She is within her rights to be sure. But what a stupid position to take. Wouldn't the infinitesimal marginal cost for the wi-fi be worth providing it free as long as the customer isn't squeezing out a paying customer?

I don't know what the situation is with Dunkin' Donuts stores in your area, but around here, seating space is at a premium. Many times I have wanted a "pick me up" and have stopped in to a DD location around here, not a seat to be found, and more than one four-place table occupied by somebody using wifi with a laptop and no evidence of any Dunkin' Donuts product on the table.

I walked out without a purchase. Every time.

Then she is justified in throwing him out.

Dunkin Donuts isn't all that popular here. I don't know how crowded they are.

From what I could tell, the manager has had previous problems with people loitering.

Wifi at commercial enterprises ain't cheap. It may cost a few bucks at a home, but it's many times that at a business. Now some speculation-if she pisses off people 3rd hand in a news report, how bad is she in pubic? Bad enough that paying customers leave?

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Originally posted by HRK:
That's going on at Panera around here, guys working from home will camp out, buy one coffee and hit the free refill while holding tables, even through lunch.

People running around looking for free wifi so they don't have to pay

Yet another reason I hate that place. Can't get a table because everyone is using it as their home office. I have a cell phone, I don't need freaking wifi, I just want to have a place to eat my food that has a clean table.

I don't have that problem since I seldom am in one of those businesses, but I think it would be appropriate for the place to post a sign "Free Wi-Fi for food customers only" and perhaps also a "You will be asked to leave when you are finished if others are needing a table"

flashguy

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Originally posted by flashguy:
I don't have that problem since I seldom am in one of those businesses, but I think it would be appropriate for the place to post a sign "Free Wi-Fi for food customers only" and perhaps also a "You will be asked to leave when you are finished if others are needing a table"

Exactly.

If the business doesnt like people hogging their wiwi, then POST A SIGN. If they start evicting people on a random basis, then they can expect this sort of social media backlash. . .

If I hadn't been raised right, and I was using a business's free wifi without buying anything, and then the manager asked me to either make a purchase or leave, I'd either make a purchase or leave. I wouldn't try to claim that the only reason I'm being asked to leave (which I wasn't - I was given two options) was because my eyes are blue or that my height is not correct, or any other totally unrelated reason. Sheesh - the first thing some Black people do is play that freakin' race card even when race has absolutely nothing to do with it! It sickens me.

Some of you guys are crazy. You even called her a customer. She isn’t a customer if she doesn’t purchase anything. She is a squatter.

You can argue all day about the economics of whether in today’s social media driven society if this is smart business. Who cares though? Will this DD really go out of business because of this? Doubtful. Plus, the owner was 100% in the right. You may not like it but who the fuck says you have to post a sign stating the obvious? WiFi for customers only, and oh yeah don’t piss on the floor either.

Buy something or leave. Simple.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

The Panera near my house has implemented a 30 minute max on WiFi even for paying customers.

I'm curious. How do they enforce this? Is there a timeout on the connection?

Its handled automatically by their network equipment, but exactly how it works, I have no idea.