McDonald's built one of the most downloaded food apps in the world, and the customers using it describe a crime scene: orders charged and canceled with no refund path, deals that vanish at the register, rewards that fail to scan in front of a line of strangers, and a privacy policy that says the company may profile their psychological trends and behavior. In this zoomed in episode, Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden investigate how an app can be a business triumph and a customer experience disaster at the same time?

Links:
WFTV Action 9 investigation on canceled orders and refunds: https://www.wftv.com/news/local/not-lovin-it-mcdonalds-customers-have-mobile-app-complaints/Y3ASQYX6XNDDFPCTS56U6S3YZA/
Tasting Table on the disappearing app deals: https://www.tastingtable.com/2099096/problem-mcdonalds-mobile-app-according-to-customers/
BigGo News on app surveillance and two tier pricing: https://biggo.com/news/202510090122_McDonalds_App_Privacy_Concerns
Daily Meal on what the app knows about you: https://www.thedailymeal.com/1455292/mcdonalds-app-tracks-activity/
McDonald's Privacy Statement: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/privacy.html
McDonald's app page with the August 2026 terms update: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/download-app.html

Hosted by Brian J. Crowley & Eve Eden
Edited by Kelsey Smith
Intro Animation & Logo Design by Brian J. Crowley
Music by Nicolas Lee
A joint production of EVE | User Experience Design Agency and CrowleyUX | Where Systems Meet Stories
©2026 Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden
questions@UXmurdermystery.com

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