Butcher substituted my turkey

[LML1989AL]

Okay, so maybe I’m just wanting to rant.

I received a text (yes, a flippin’ text) from the butchers saying my Christmas turkey has been substituted for 12 turkey breast roulades and my collection time will be between 4pm - 5pm on Christmas Eve

I rang them, as firstly I’d booked the 9am collection (and paid £5 for the privilege) and most importantly I don’t want 12 turkey breast…. After much back and forth (and very little apology from them) I asked for a refund which they agreed to, however was told “this most likely won’t be processed until the New Year”

Please tell me what would you have done, DH thinks it’ll be in my bank my Monday, and I know I can go to a supermarket but I’m still really annoyed, I’ve been Googling ways to cook turkey roulades and when you read they’re often really dry… as was half tempted to just accept them

Next year, just buy a frozen one from Aldi in mid-November and stop placing your identity in the hands of these charlatans. Nobody I know can tell the difference.

Order: a 1kg of potatoes
The infamous MN Supermarket Christmas Substitution Thread: 1 200g packet of cheese and onion crisps.

Yeah, I'd expect it from a supermarket.

An independent butcher? Na thats full on riot time.
Can't they find a supermarket between now and Christmas Eve themselves ???!!!

I would try butchers -the one we are getting from still has turkey breast roasts for pre order.

Oh god, definitely don't buy a supermarket turkey!

The horror😱

Waitrose turkeys are just as nice as the local farm ones I used to get. Who annoyed me by always giving me a far too big turkey and I got fed up of paying so much and having far more than I needed.

I think leaving a poor but factual review is completely fair given the circumstances. People choose butchers and pay a premium. There was no communication, no apology and apparently no sympathy so yes I think a review would be more than fair to forewarn others they may face the same next year.

Of course you can tell the difference between a frozen supermarket turkey and a fresh free range or organic one.

Many think they're actually better, unless you can guarantee the 'fresh' one really is fresh. Last year a lot of them were turning green even from large outlets !

I’ve never been able to, nor has anyone I’ve known. People just think you can / don’t want to admit the expensive ones actually don’t taste any better.

it’s all in the cooking.

After canapés and half a bottle of champagne, and combining it with pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy... seriously, nobody can tell the difference.

Like @Joeninety says, they're often better.

That’s awful and you only being notified via automated text is abysmal - however busy they are, if they are making such a significant change to your order (including collection slot), they should absolutely have made sure to call to let you know.

And to reassure you, not sure where in the UK you are, but I was in a large M&S in a town in the North West tonight and there were plenty of turkeys and turkey crowns for sale on the shelves, so you shouldn’t struggle to source a replacement.

It goes without saying you should leave a factual review of this crappy experience and never give them your business again.

A few years back we did a present for a friend - it was a blind tasting of a meat product. We bought ultra expensive farm options, mid range options and a budget supermarket.

Everyone rated on taste, smell and appearence.

Guess who won?

Don't know where you are but here, East Anglia, there will possibly be a shortage of turkeys, the butcher wanted firm orders by December 1st to ensure supply.

That’s rubbish!! If you’re in the Sussex area I can recommend a good butchers that still has some?

I disagree. We can always tell the difference between a frozen turkey and a fresh organic bird.

It’s a butchers within a farm shop, I ordered it in October.

I am surprised how many people only pay on collection, I thought it would be the norm to pay/pay a deposit.

The having a time slot to collect, is so the farm shop car park isn’t overloaded at 9am on Christmas Eve, the farm shop is off an A road so if the carpark is full you don’t really have anywhere else to park,

This is exactly what my DH said they should have done, nipped to Sainsbury’s, bought a turkey, slapped it about a bit (all supermarket one look a bit utilitarian for him 🤣) repackaged it & bobs your uncle.

Im not sure id be able to tell the difference, I’d be spouting about my farm reared free range local bird to all my guests when it’s an Aldi special - no hate to Aldi

Is that by any chance the butchers in a farm shop called La H…?

I'm collecting a rib of beef tomorrow. If they sent me a text to say I could colle t several frying steaks instead I would be expecting to have my deposit refunded. It's the whole point of ordering in advance, so you get what what you want!

Of course there is!

They did not offer an alternative - they told her she was getting an alternative.

They did not offer a refund - she had to refuse the alternative they'd already decided she was having, and then ask for a refund.

They've not even offered a refund in cash to help her out in sourcing a new turkey, which is well within their means to do if she'd be willing to collect it from the shop.

I would agree with you if what you have said there was what actually happened, ie: Phone call:

'Hello, we're terribly sorry we don't have enough turkeys, I can offer you x substitution or a refund, would you like your refund back to the account you paid from or would you like to collect it in cash from the shop on xxx'.

That would be what it would take to swerve an honest and unimpressed review from me.

Just get yourself to Waitrose first thing tomorrow morning- loads of organic fresh turkeys and whatever else you fancy in my local one today.

Unless you buy all your meat from the butchers year round I don’t get the whole “ooh, we order our Christmas bird from the butchers” mentality. It’s so Hyacinth Bouquet 😂

I also want to play guess the farm shop! Near j3 of the M42?

Agree with this.

Exactly the point I made above. Just buy it from Aldi next year.

And, I hate to break it to you, but all turkeys - EVEN ALDI ONES! - are reared on farms.

I worked many years ago in a butchers and I know that we ordered in more than was ordered as many people came in last minute. Maybe ring around other butchers tomorrow. I think what ur butchers has done is very wrong as he still has a few days to source you another turkey. But i have a funny story. About 8 years ago a customer ordered a massive turkey her order said the biggest one you can get. Her order was due to be collected at 9 am throughout the day we had a few customers looking for a massive turkey but as the lady had ordered and paid a £10 deposit we couldn’t sell it. We informed all pre orders we would be closing at 3pm on Xmas eve when they placed their order and a phone call 2 days before. We get to 2.30 and the customer had not collected her turkey. I called her for her to scream down the phone that she would collect when she was ready. My boss was a lovely man who said we would wait for her and she finally turned up at 4.30 and attacked me for ruining her Xmas as when I called they were watching a Christmas film and as a shop assistant I had no right to tell her what time she should collect