To still be fuming over tripadviser response

[MrsSparkles]

after a week? A couple of members of our rather large birthday party lunch last Sunday left a quite negative review on tripadviser for a restaurant.

Just for clarity there were 10 of us, we ordered on 3 separate tickets. 2 lots came after approx. 1 1/2 hours of waiting (would have been nice to have a warning it was going to be so long but heigh-ho). The last ticket - which was actually ordered first - eventually turned up 20 mins later having been re-ordered.

We asked for the manager to come and see us, but had to request this 4 times before he eventually came over, after about a 30 minute wait, and actually being at our table several times to get cutlery. We suggested it might be nice to offer the people who had to wait 2 hours some money back (not the rest of us). They did in the end but have now accused us of being rude and aggressive, and suggested we never come back.

I am fuming because 1. It should never have got this far, if he'd come over in a reasonable amount of time we wouldn't have been so rude and 2. If they'd just held their hands up the first time and said terribly sorry can we get the 2 of you a complimentary drink (or similar), we would have felt much happier.

Usually I will never write a restaurant off after 1 visit (everyone can have an off day) - which is why we didn't write a review, but I am so cross I want to email them to tell them exactly what I think of their shoddy customer service.

I work in retail and would be appalled if my managers behaved in this way.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

I think fuming over it is probably an over reaction. Your party wrote negative reviews, the management didn't like it and so wrote a response accusing your party of being aggressive. Everyone's going to see through that response, it only makes them look worse. Feel smug instead that not only has your party put up an honest review, but the management of the restaurant have revealed their true colors for all the Internet to read.

[acasualobserver]

You have left an honest review of them and, by the sounds of it, they have left an honest review of you. I'd call it quits.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Sorry but they gave you money off, you then left a negative review which they responded to with their view of what happened. What more do you want?

[YoungGirlGrowingOld]

I had a similar experience with a hotel in the Lake District. We had gone in a discount deal and had obviously been given the worst room...it hadn't been decorated for 30 years and had a glass door to the bathroom. (Got to know DP well on that holiday - never had a poo in front of anyone before!) I had been promised a bath plus shower (my preference) but they brought me a disposable shower cap instead

I left a very honest review detailing this but also praising the few good things - the food and bar were great. The owner responds by accusing me of insulting the intelligence of everyone who left a positive review - mildly irritating, but nothing to fume over. People can read the review and make up their own minds

[hownottofuckup]

I don't understand, did you write a review or didn't you?

[MooningIntoTheAbyss]

Am also confused about whether you left a review or not.... As your title suggests you did. But your post states that you didn't??

[Stillunexpected]

I was confused too but I think the OP didn't leave a review but other people in the party did?

[MrsSparkles]

Pregnancy hormones probably making me fume rather than be irritated.

Paul - no I didn't leave a review, other members of the party did, they were a lot harsher than I would have been - I always try to put some positives in my reviews.

I'm just so disappointed, the actual waiters (v young) were great, the food wasn't bad, and it has so much going for it. I just felt management didn't care that we'd had a bad experience, but I guess it targets the tourist market and not locals, so doesn't worry too much about repeat visitors!

[Branleuse]

if you write a bad review, theyre hardly going to be welcoming you back with loving arms. Forget it and move on. Sounds like a nightmare. You wrote an honest review, thats all you could do. The rest is not your concern

[TweeterandtheMonkeyman]

Hang on, so they have responded to a review that some of your party left saying that you were rude and aggressive? There is a bit of a fashion on Trip Advisor I notice at the moment for the restaurants etc to "bite back" . I don't blame them as Trip Advisor reviews can get very personal and much ruder that I suspect the reviewer would be face to face. I don't like Trip Advisor at all to be honest. I think it should be limited to positive reviews and complaints should be dealt with face to face at the time or via private email. Word of mouth is one thing but plastering a scathing review all over the internet after one visit is unfair imo.
It sounds like the issue was resolved at the time (you got some money off your bill). It really should have been left there.

[cleaty]

I left a very balanced review once, where the hotel owner accused me on Trip Advisor of lying about the negatives. I was taken aback as I had not lied, and could have been much harsher in my review

[MrsSparkles]

I didn't review, 2 other members of the party did (no need for any further comments in my view - nothing more annoying than seeing loads of reviews from one party if they all say the same).

However managements response was targeted at the entire party, not those who left reviews, and I was probably one of the more vocal ones that I felt that the 2 people whose food took 2 hours to come should get some money back.

[Stillunexpected]

they were a lot harsher than I would have been - I always try to put some positives in my reviews - so they were overly critical in your opinion and now the restaurant have been overly critical in their response. Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other then really isn't it?

[TweeterandtheMonkeyman]

Well maybe you were a bit rude, I guess we all can be on occasion especially when pregnant and hormonal If those members of your party hadn't left a negative review, it would have been left in the past and forgotten by now.

[herecomethepotatoes]

"However managements response was targeted at the entire party, not those who left reviews,"

They probably don't know which of you in particular left the reviews.

Do you think they were overly harsh?

I do think there's a trend at the moment where having sucked it up for so long, managers are replying to poor reviews; sometimes I'm sure with justifiable retorts but sometimes gambling that they'll be taken seriously.

You've (as a party) have had your say and they've had theirs. No one really takes notice of particular reviews. They look at the mode and decide based on that. How does the restaurant tend to do?

[rookiemere]

TripAdvisor is really annoying the way the restaurant/hotel/whatever gets the final say.

I've had a few reviews where they were about 80% positive and the remaining 20% were points that I felt needed raising as I hoped that management may take them on board. Instead of being thanked for reviewing the response ends up defending that 20% to the absolute hilt and thus not taking any learning points from the customer.

I don't like reading defenses from management as they sound - well a bit defensive. Having said that though I think it's a bit of a shame that some people only ever write one or two reviews on tripadvisor after a negative visit somewhere. I feel that people shouldn't be using it as a gripe machine and it's only fair to give feedback on good experiences as well as bad.

[MrsSparkles]

Usually I think its pretty good - it just doesn't seem to cope well when it's busy, which as its in a great location at the seaside is pretty much every weekend in summer I should think. I mean is an hour and a half wait for fish and chips acceptable? My view is anything over 40 mins should come with a warning before you order, I think my DD is scarred as I kept telling her don't worry - it will be here really soon! She was very concerned the next day about how long the food would take.

DH and I had intended to go back at a less busy time to try it again as it had so much going for it and as I said I don't generally write places off after 1 visit,, but I don't think we'll bother now tbh. Plenty more places to try!

[LineyReborn]

I think if reviews stay factual, that's best.

What did your friends actually say?

[LineyReborn]

Link the review?

[expatinscotland]

thus not taking any learning points from the customer.

Maybe they don't want you as a customer.

[BoatyMcBoat]

I don't understand what you're fuming about. The bad review that your friends left on TA, or the restaurant's response to the bad review?

If it's the latter, then why don't you leave a bad review too? You could point out to them that if the manager had come to you earlier, if free drink had been offered etc, as you've said here.

If it's the former, what's the problem? The place sounds dreadful, and a harsh review deserved. Talk to your friend.

[mummytime]

I left a negative review for a local cafe - I had already complained in the place that they didn't make tea properly. Basically they brought me a pot of hot water with the leaves in a pod to be inserted when I received it. So not adding leaves to boiling water.
The staff did try to replace the tea, but the water still wasn't hot enough to make tea properly, so we left without drinking (but having paid).

When I wrote my review - the cafe responded, and just demonstrated their arrogance. I feel it shows how arrogant they are.

Reading trip advisor reviews is an art - are they too good to be true? Are they being unfair? But it's better than just relying on the owner's website.

[SirChenjin]

I don't get this 'well it's tit for tat isn't it' response. The restaurant is supposed to offer a certain service, and when it falls far short of that (as it obviously did here) then it should expect a level of complaint and deal with it in a 'thanks for your feedback, we've learned from it and this it what we've done to make sure it never happens again' kind of way - not go all huffy and complain that the customer was harsh.

I absolutely do look at negative comments before booking anywhere - the response from the restaurant tells me all I need to know.

[rookiemere]

Is that aimed at me expat ?

We're nice people. We tip well and I've just about taught DH to chew with his mouth shut, although he has embarrassed me recently by complaining about the size of his fish ( granted it was small).

We don't turn our Premier Inn room into a self catering unit neither.

[wannabestressfree]

Yes let's have a gander...