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Money Refunds.org.uk

FREE Practical Advice and Tips on how to get money back, replacements, credits, compensation and more for poor service and shoddy goods across the UK  

Food and Drink ( served)

Obtaining food and drink covers a variety of both business and leisure situations, naturally food and drink, accommodation and music or other "entertainment" often completes a package, this section however focuses on food and drink as a specific problem for complaint.

Our other sections may well have overlapping information, so see also

• Entertainment

• Holidays

• Hotels and Hospitality

• Travel

• Food and Drink Retail

A claim made be of a minor nature, easily solved direct with the waiter or services manager, with little fuss. Typical examples include

• Waiting for a table when pre booked for a specific time

• Slow service - understaffed, busy

• Spillage by staff and other customers

• Cold food

• Unattractive presentation

• Dirty plates/cutlery

• Chipped cups and glasses

• Staff Rudeness

• Other customer rudeness

• Damage to personal attire or property

• Loss or theft of personal property

Solutions offered include

• Waive of all charges

• Free Meal or free courses

• Extras free - coffee, sweet

• Discount

• Voucher for free meals, drinks or discount

• Agreeing to meet costs e.g. dry cleaning of suit or dress

• Make an ex-gratia payment

Difficult case scenarios

• The establishment refuses to believe your claim

• You are rude or abusive to staff and management

• You are loud and drawing attention from other customers

• Staff and management are being unreasonable to your claim

• No one in authority is available

• You are alone, and outnumbered

• You prefer not to make a fuss

• You claim later and no one remembers anything

Practical solutions to consider

• Do it when it happens, delay weakens your case

• Do not allow anyone to clear away "evidence"

• Hold onto "evidence" until you get satisfaction

• Complain and claim as a group rather than alone if you can

• See someone in authority

• Ask to see even higher authority

• Talk freely about legal and health issues if applicable

• Consider any offer made

• Complain and ask questions "this plate is cracked" what are you going to do about it? look for positive offers

  • Change it?

  • Give meal free?

  • Discount?

  • Vouchers?

• Ask about owners of the business and Head Office

• Make a public fuss, talk to "customers" generally but watch what you say, you could be thrown out or sued, if you believe you are justified a "public" announcement "have you seen what they are serving here?" can be a powerful inducement to settle your claim quickly.

• Uncooked, or insufficiently cooked when it should be

• Sprayed, infected or treated with toxic or harmful substances

• In containers or packaging that are damaged or missing

• Past a sell by, or use by date

• Is suspect by reason of smell or taste

• Tell a Member of staff - perhaps the person who served you

• See a supervisor and complain more critical if a health risk to you, other customers or the public at large

• Collect witnesses names and addresses

• Keep items or containers for evidence

• Replacement - ask someone to fetch you one

• Refund - your money back

• Credit - an allowance in full or part, or even better than the item or service you bought

• Compensation - if it caused harm to you, your friends or family or a party  

• You also have a moral and public responsibility to ensure the establishment is maintaining good health and safety standards and report any transgressions.

• Ask to see the owners or ultimate manager on site, at the premises

• Ask for a Head office address, contact telephone number and person or department

• Ask any special customer complaint lines or offices, refuse to tolerate waiting in queues on the telephone and insist on direct lines. Log calls and time taken and claim the cost, even if Freephone YOUR time is valuable.

• Report the matter to local public heath offices - usually part of your local council http://www.lga.gov.uk/

• Contact http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ for advice on health issues

• For retail issues contact Trading Standards http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

Feel free to send us experiences and tips to help us expand this feature just contact us

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