I'm done with Quiznos - Subway it is.

I was once a die-hard Quiznos fan, at one point eating lunch there at least once per week. I would alternate between my 3 favorite sandwiches: Cabo Chicken, Turkey Bacon Guacamole, and everyone's favorite, the Mesquite Chicken. Both my wife and I signed up for their e-mail distribution and looked forward to getting regular coupons for a buck or two off their sandwiches.

However, something has gone wrong with Quiznos rapid franchise expansion, at least in the neighborhoods I frequent. I first had problems with my orders, particularly orders "to-go" where I would come home and find that a key ingredient was missing - for example, the bacon might be missing from my Turkey Bacon Guacamole, or the guacamole missing from my Cabo Chicken, etc. I finally lost my cool one day when I "dined-in" at my nearest Quiznos and dealt with an indifferent employee who had clearly made my sandwich wrong and then refused to fix it. Luckily his manager intervened and provided me with a free sandwich, ensuring I got the correct one, but the event still left a sour taste in my mouth.

The next problem that began to occur was with coupons. I used to frequent 4 different Quiznos, 2 within 3 miles of my home and 2 more located near my parents home. Quiznos ain't exactly cheap, so even a $1 off coupon is useful. We used to have no problem using coupons from the local paper or coupon mag from the mail. Then Quiznos began to differentiate between the coupons - saying the coupon we presented was not good at their location, only at the other location. Of course, they tell you this after already making the sandwich and as you are trying to pay. This happened at ALL 4 LOCATIONS. And when we complained, the staff were polite but basically told us tough luck.

As if that weren't bad enough, we noticed that our local Quiznos decided to raise prices. Then they stopped accepting the official Quiznos coupons that came via e-mail every month from the Quiznos e-mail distribution list, claiming that people were copying and abusing the e-mail coupon offers. Listen, if you start dealing in internet coupons, people are going to figure out a way to get more than one and of course people are going to use them. While we don't participate in such activity, it's not really our problem that others do - that's the company's problem. And the quickest way to piss off your customers is to start telling them they can't use their coupons, particularly when the coupon comes direct from your company. And that was the last straw.

So despite how good their sandwiches taste, I am done with Quiznos. I have had it. They have so thoroughly alienated myself and my family that there is nothing they could do to bring us back. Subway sandwiches lack the meatiness and flavor of Quiznos, but they are healthier, accept coupons, and at least you get to decide how your sandwich is made - zero risk of getting your order wrong since you are the one who told them how to make it. Equally important, the staff at my 2 local Subways are friendly and outgoing, often greeting me by name and asking if I want "my usual". Not so with Quiznos.