I went to a favourite restaurant to take advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme before it ended. Normally a main is £12.50, which is reasonable for the quality, but with 50% off it was £6.25. Yet the food wasn't as good as usual - my meal was cold, dry and stodgy. Because I was paying a reduced amount I didn't feel I could complain, even though I knew the restaurant would be paid the full price. Should I have asked for my money back?
Money Moral Dilemma: Should I have asked for a refund after using Eat Out to Help Out?
MSE_Kelvin
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Comments
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As you were only eating out to help out, the food was only secondary. You have helped that restaurant stay afloat. Be proud of yourself.0
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Yes, you should have asked for a refund. Or at least told them their food was not up to the usual standard and how disappointed you were. Just because you aren't paying as much doesn't mean that they're entitled to serve sub-standard food.
Of course, it'd be no good complaining if you actually ate the cold, stodgy muck. My mother in law once went out with us for a pub meal, cleaned her plate and appeared to have enjoyed it. When we asked if she'd enjoyed it, she said, "no, not really thanks".Please note - taken from the Forum Rules and amended for my own personal use (with thanks) : It is up to you to investigate, check, double-check and check yet again before you make any decisions or take any action based on any information you glean from any of my posts. Although I do carry out careful research before posting and never intend to mislead or supply out-of-date or incorrect information, please do not rely 100% on what you are reading. Verify everything in order to protect yourself as you are responsible for any action you consequently take.5 -
You should have complained at the time. I don't understand if the meal was cold why you wouldn't say somethingLost my soulmate so life is empty.
I can bear pain myself, he said softly, but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have -
Diana Gabaldon, Outlander10 -
Yes, definitely get your money back ... That is, the money you actually paid.
Getting a discount, is no excuse for accepting a subpar meal.
If.someone else had paid and say, paid full price, would you have complained? Yes/No? Then same rules apply.
To go back several days later and complain, is wrong. I'd suggest an email to the manager of the venue, and politely say, how you normally enjoy their food, but felt this time you were let down, and rather than cause a scene at the time (especially if in a group) or to just write a bad review, you thought you'd give them a chance to deal with it directly. DO NOT threaten to write a bad review if they don't sort it to your satisfaction.
Look, we all have bad days, where stuff goes wrong. Maybe in your job, you can correct mistakes before it affects someone, sadly in service industry, this isnt always possible.
Cold food, can be (if its fully cooked) as mistakes byt thebthe server rather than badly cooked. It happens, and if said at the time, you could have had it corrected there n then. You chose to say nothing and eat it (or.most.of.it). Yet even after, you failed to say anything.
Personally, and as a former waiter and chef, I'd say, tough luck now. You didn't give me a chance on the evening to correct it (redo it, or reduce/remove the charge).
People reading this.
Mistakes happen, mostly no one's actual fault, just a slight error. Didn't hear the buzzer to say come collect. You didn't realise that plate was for the table of the other meals, and then went back after sorting a different table, alsorts of reasons. Making a quiet comment at the time, allows us to correct the issue (often with an extra drink, free desert etc on top of sorting the meal) and hopefully leave.you satisfied.
Coming back days later, and making an issue of it, people's memories ain't great, and no one really remembers what happened or why. We have no.problem if someone QUIETLY, tells us there's a problem. What we hate is loud obnoxious drunks kicking off and causing an unwanted scene... For example. Customer service is No1 in food service, and the hospitality trade, without it, we have no trade.
Some are new and make mistakes, just like you did when you first started a new job. It's not done deliberately and definitely not personal.11 -
Why did you not send the meal back if it was cold and stodgy? No good complaining if you accepted the food and did not call the waiter to get it rectified. Amangons comment sums it up perfectly.4
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You should certainly have mentioned it and given the restaurant an opportunity to remedy matters at the time.
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I booked for 5 of us to go to a restaurant for my birthday having been “shielding” for 5 months and Informed by the County Council and on the Gov.Uk website that they were in the “eat out to help out” scheme. At 10.30pm the night before, I received an email asking for confirmation that we were still going. It included a statement saying they WERE NOT in the scheme. I messaged back that I had been informed by two official sites that they were. The reply was that they had come off it 7 days before we were going. As I had booked 23 days before, they would allow me to cancel without penalty. What would you do?We still went as it was my birthday and where else would you get in at such short notice? The meal cost £200 and we would have saved £50. I wouldn’t mind but the restaurant wasn’t losing money with the scheme. I was using the meal as my “coming out” after shielding for 5 months as it was an isolated restaurant on a river that you needed to get a water taxi to so was particularly safe for social distancing. They clearly did not need my custom. It was a very good meal, but £50 off would have been good.0
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Why didn't you send it back when you found out it wasn't right?!!!!
If you don't complain at the time how can you ask for a refund?! No you can't, complain at the time when you find out3 -
You should sent back the meal and asked for a refund. You are not doing anyone a favour by accepting a poor meal.1
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We had exactly the same issue this week. 2 mains out of 2 were awful. We didn’t complain but we will never go back...0
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