Made a polite complaint, company now going crazy!

notanewuser

We called in to a country pub while away a couple of weeks ago. Small pub, Sunday lunchtime. Asked if there was any chance of a table, but they were fully booked. They offered us a table but said they'd need it back in just over an hour. That was fine by us. We only wanted a main course anyway. We were very grateful that they accommodated us.

PDC

If that is their attitude to customers I can't see them being in business long. Maybe they could mark menu items with the time allotted to use/eat them in just to completely clarify the issue


I can see their point but making all customer feel like they are on a clock isn't helping anyone, surely the main point for stopping at a coffee shop is to relax and enjoy it. Maybe they should remove the chairs if they want to operate as a coffee stall. Now I can see their point if someone is staying '4 hours' with a single item but surely they would go over to the table after a period and ask if the customer would like anything else, repeat that every ten minutes and the customer would maybe get the message. Thats what most business' will do in my experience. I can only guess from their response they haven't got much experience in this business nor in customer service.


If I was in somewhere and saw that sign I wouldn't feel welcome and I wouldn't go back. I probably wouldn't complain either but good on you for at least pointing out an issue and given them an opinion on it and a chance to reconsider how they present themselves.

I do hope they haven't printed your name and address, as said that would be both highly unprofessional and possibly illegal.

carmel11

The way I see it is that they have a tiny coffee shop where people are going to BECAUSE of the driving range. They would like people to order a three course meal- but the premesis isn't conducive to this. It almost like biting the hand that feeds, and that leads me to think its the wrong premesis for a coffee shop. It's not your fault, its their poor business acumen.If the driving range was taken away , what business would they have. Ironic that they are driving people away.

ILW

Seems like the place only has 7 or 8 tables.
People will not share with strangers.
3 or 4 separate people lasting a coffee for an hour each could be disastrous for the business.

Fire_Fox

Six of one half a dozen of the other: you called them rude, insulting and petty then threw your toys out of the pram when they called you petty and short sighted. You being pregnant is irrelevant and you initial complaint was anything but polite as you claim in the OP.

catmiaow

Doesn't matter how the op worded her letter, the response was unprofessional. If I saw this letter on the door, I would turn around and go elsewhere.

londonTiger

OP, you should sort of expect a response like that from them. They were rude enough to say "we'll take your money but move along swiftly", that should give you an insight into the mentality of the owners, so what made you think they were going to be polite and curtious when responding to you?

There are far too many people in business who shouldnt be, that coffee shop owner is one of them.

People go to coffee shops to sit and chat and have a small bite and coffee, if that. They're not there to have a three course meal or fill their stomachs.

Coffee shops need to take lesons from the chains and adapt. Have larger seating areas so they can let more people sit, drink and chat.

Also there are better ways to clear tables, and turn them faster.

Restaurants take plates away quick and tidy up tables and routine come round and ask if you'd like desert or a drink etc. Just going up to tables every 30 mins and asking if you'd like another drink would be a polite way of saying eff off. Because people should feel uncofrtable just sitting there without a drink.

giraffe69

Now if I get asked if I can leave by a certain time, I go somewhere else to enjoy the meal I paid for without having to get indigestion from trying to inhale it quickly.

You'd get more than indigestion if you tried to inhale a carvery meal!

MissAT

Vote with your feet, don't eat/drink there ever again.

zaksmum

woohoo_postingid wrote: »

There's always Trip Advisor and the like...

Not to mention Facebook...

When I posted a negative review of a guest house B&B the owners rang me to complain about the review and then next day Trip Advisor removed the review. When I asked why, they said the owners had said the review was "irrelevant".

So Trip Advisor can be a waste of time.