Moth found in food - complaints ignored

dilby

Hi all -
3 months ago I bought a jar of own-brand curry paste from Sainsburys for a meal and half way through cooking the meal was disgusted to find a large moth in the paste (or it may be a cicada). This obviously made me feel very sick and I had to throw the entire meal i'd prepared in the bin and go get a take out when my appetite came back. I complained to Sainsburys via their Twitter support account who gave me the normal request for more details which i supplied (i have photographic proof) and they didnt respond for a long time. Since then I've had to chase and they repeat the cycle - ask for more details (last time it was the full address of the branch i got it from, even though id already given them the branch name) and then that buys them another few weeks. Their site doesn't give a complaints address, just a phone number, which I try calling but sit on hold for ages until I give up, feeling like a sucker for wasting my time over it. At this point though it's the principle of the thing, and also knowing that moths can carry a lot of diseases, and can just be sitting in their product. What would people advise as a next step - get over it or is there a way to fight?

Thanks

keithdc

dilby said:

Hi all -
3 months ago I bought a jar of own-brand curry paste from Sainsburys for a meal and half way through cooking the meal was disgusted to find a large moth in the paste (or it may be a cicada). This obviously made me feel very sick and I had to throw the entire meal i'd prepared in the bin and go get a take out when my appetite came back. I complained to Sainsburys via their Twitter support account who gave me the normal request for more details which i supplied (i have photographic proof) and they didnt respond for a long time. Since then I've had to chase and they repeat the cycle - ask for more details (last time it was the full address of the branch i got it from, even though id already given them the branch name) and then that buys them another few weeks. Their site doesn't give a complaints address, just a phone number, which I try calling but sit on hold for ages until I give up, feeling like a sucker for wasting my time over it. At this point though it's the principle of the thing, and also knowing that moths can carry a lot of diseases, and can just be sitting in their product. What would people advise as a next step - get over it or is there a way to fight?

Thanks

What outcome would you like?

sheramber

report it to  Environmental Health. 

jimbo6977

Waiter waiter what's this fly doing in my soup?

Looks like backstroke sir. 

davidmcn

dilby said:

What would people advise as a next step

Go back to the store where you bought it?

bradders1983

Go to your local paper and pose for a photo with the jar, put on your best compo face.

MalMonroe

The link here tells you how to complain and what to do if you want to take matters further.

https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/refunds-returns/how-do-make-a-complaint

I have to say that my family and I have been Sainsbury's customers for years and if we ever have a complaint (no insects in food though) we usually have an immediate response and a refund. 

Go to local press if you must but you have to have proof positive that the moth was actually IN the jar of paste in the first place. Seems like you didn't spot it until you were actually cooking it - and you do know that a cicada is a totally different thing to a moth? Both in appearance and living conditions. 

Did you buy the paste three months ago, or cook it three months ago or both? Why has it taken so long to complain? All Sainsbury's info is readily available online, you don't have to focus on Twitter.  Their Twitter account isn't for serious complaints. 

Aylesbury_Duck

How much will make this right?  A £10 voucher, perhaps, or are you after more?

You've registered the complaint - and rightfully so - and yes, it's worth chasing to ensure you get an acknowledgement.

gg23

dilby said:

Hi all -
3 months ago I bought a jar of own-brand curry paste from Sainsburys for a meal and half way through cooking the meal was disgusted to find a large moth in the paste (or it may be a cicada). This obviously made me feel very sick and I had to throw the entire meal i'd prepared in the bin and go get a take out when my appetite came back. I complained to Sainsburys via their Twitter support account who gave me the normal request for more details which i supplied (i have photographic proof) and they didnt respond for a long time. Since then I've had to chase and they repeat the cycle - ask for more details (last time it was the full address of the branch i got it from, even though id already given them the branch name) and then that buys them another few weeks. Their site doesn't give a complaints address, just a phone number, which I try calling but sit on hold for ages until I give up, feeling like a sucker for wasting my time over it. At this point though it's the principle of the thing, and also knowing that moths can carry a lot of diseases, and can just be sitting in their product. What would people advise as a next step - get over it or is there a way to fight?

Thanks

Another gross over-reaction.  You HAD to get a takeaway, did you?  Because someone held a gun to your head? Perhaps you could have just gone to a local store and got another jar of curry paste instead?

You didn't even eat the damn thing and it made you "very sick"?

Perhaps Sainsbury's are ignoring you because of your ridiculous level of hyperbole?  I know I would.

dilby

gg23 said:

dilby said:

Hi all -
3 months ago I bought a jar of own-brand curry paste from Sainsburys for a meal and half way through cooking the meal was disgusted to find a large moth in the paste (or it may be a cicada). This obviously made me feel very sick and I had to throw the entire meal i'd prepared in the bin and go get a take out when my appetite came back. I complained to Sainsburys via their Twitter support account who gave me the normal request for more details which i supplied (i have photographic proof) and they didnt respond for a long time. Since then I've had to chase and they repeat the cycle - ask for more details (last time it was the full address of the branch i got it from, even though id already given them the branch name) and then that buys them another few weeks. Their site doesn't give a complaints address, just a phone number, which I try calling but sit on hold for ages until I give up, feeling like a sucker for wasting my time over it. At this point though it's the principle of the thing, and also knowing that moths can carry a lot of diseases, and can just be sitting in their product. What would people advise as a next step - get over it or is there a way to fight?

Thanks

Another gross over-reaction.  You HAD to get a takeaway, did you?  Because someone held a gun to your head? Perhaps you could have just gone to a local store and got another jar of curry paste instead?

You didn't even eat the damn thing and it made you "very sick"?

Perhaps Sainsbury's are ignoring you because of your ridiculous level of hyperbole?  I know I would.

But you didn't did you? I think it's fair to say finding a large moth in your food could make someone feel sick. But maybe I'm just not as tough as you. Thanks for the helpful input though!

dilby

davidmcn said:

dilby said:

What would people advise as a next step

Go back to the store where you bought it?

Spoke to the manager there, they told me to call customer services - and hence the cycle continues!