How Does the Bawang Chaji Negative Review Policy Relate to S.O.E Coffee Standards?

Reports said Chagee caps store negative reviews at three per ten thousand orders, with salaries of all staff at a store affected if exceeded. The brand responded that the claim is untrue, but discussion of its assessment continues. Stores are graded A, B, C and D, with rewards for top grades and penalties below, and repeated low ratings can affect contract renewal.

Because the negative review rate carries near-decisive weight, staff reportedly offered free drinks, remade beverages and called customers to request deletion. In July, a Chengdu man said a Chagee employee visited him the day after he left a critical review of Huatian Oolong. The case reflects how tea beverage chains, expanding quickly, treat customer reviews as a core management metric.

Recently, there have been reports that Chagee has set a strict upper limit on the number of negative reviews for its stores, with no more than three negative reviews allowed per ten thousand orders, otherwise the salaries of all staff at the store would be affected. Although the brand has responded that this claim is untrue, discussions surrounding its assessment mechanism continue. From store tier classifications to employee performance deductions, from visiting customers to plead for review deletions to paying teams to handle them, a series of practices reflects the extreme sensitivity of the tea beverage industry to customer reviews amid rapid expansion. This article will sort out the sequence of events, employee revelations, and official responses, and explore the management logic and controversies behind this assessment approach.

Recently, according to Shell Finance, reports have emerged that Chagee has strict requirements for the service quality of its stores, stipulating that the number of negative reviews among ten thousand orders must not exceed three, otherwise it will affect the salaries of all employees at the relevant store.

It is understood that Chagee classifies store levels into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Grade A stores receive rewards, while stores rated at lower levels face penalties. If a store's rating consistently fails to meet standards and it repeatedly receives low ratings, it may even face the consequence of being unable to renew its contract.

It is reported that although the customer negative review rate is only one sub-item among the many aspects of Chagee's store assessment, it is a factor that can play an almost decisive role.

Under this high-standard assessment mechanism, store managers and staff have no choice but to adopt various measures to reduce or eliminate negative evaluations given by consumers. For example, offering free drinks to dissatisfied customers, remaking beverages, and calling to request deletion of negative reviews have become routine operations.

In July of this year, the hashtag #ManSaysHeWasVisitedAfterLeavingNegativeReviewForChagee# trended on social media, drawing attention from all sides.

At the time, a man in Chengdu posted a video saying that he ordered a cup of Chagee's Huatian Oolong, found the taste unsatisfactory, and left a negative review. Unexpectedly, the next day, a Chagee employee visited him without prior contact to request deletion of the negative review.

In response, Chagee's customer service stated that the store hoped to communicate amicably with the consumer and understand suggestions for improvement. The store manager involved said that because they could not reach the consumer, the employee chose to visit in person to discuss the negative review issue.

This incident is by no means an isolated case. According to netizens claiming to have worked at Chagee, headquarters stipulates that a store is allowed only three negative reviews per month. If this is not achieved, the store's performance commission becomes zero. Therefore, when negative reviews occur, refunds, remakes, and even giving away merchandise are the store's "service principles."

Some employees also said that as staff members they really feel humble, speaking in soft voices all day. Headquarters rules that exceeding three negative reviews results in point deductions, and all employees have money deducted. During the anniversary celebration month, they were so busy their hands developed calluses and they were exhausted to the point of breakdown, yet that month's salary was the lowest, all because of negative reviews.

It is understood that when a store receives a negative review, each employee's performance pay is deducted at payday. For example, if employee A had a bad attitude toward a customer, the ones who have money deducted together are employees A, B, C, D, and E at the store. Even the customer service staff who call customers to handle complaints have their performance pay deducted.

In this regard, some Chagee employees have pleaded online for customers to go easy on them. If there is anything unsatisfactory, they can request a remake. As for reviews, a five-star rating is not necessarily required; customers can also choose not to leave a review. They hope customers will not take out their anger on the entire store because of a few employees with bad attitudes.

It is understood that many Chagee stores even pay specialized teams that delete negative reviews to handle them. Some Chagee employees believe that the current assessment of stores by Chagee is no longer an assessment of store operational management level, but has evolved into an assessment of which store deletes negative reviews more efficiently.

On September 23, Chagee responded to reporters that the rumor was "untrue. The company has corresponding operational assessment mechanisms for stores and franchisees. Consumer satisfaction is only one item among them. It cannot be as simple as described in the above message; there will be a series of dimensions for evaluation."

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.