What do you think would be an appropriate response/rectification to this email?

[intheguf]

Hello,

I’d like to make a complaint. I booked a table for ten people at your establishment for 8pm - Saturday, 18th June. I paid the 50 pound deposit over the phone and I asked the woman how the deposit is paid back, she replied that it would be paid back in vouchers to be spent in your establishment. I’d asked if there was any chance I could get it back in cash as would be simpler for me. She replied that she would ask her manager, which she did whilst I was on the phone, and the manager said that it was fine to pay me back cash.

Turned up on the night, all fine, table was fine etc. Went to the bar and asked about deposit at which point was given vouchers. I explained to the girl behind the bar that I was to get cash. She said she remembered speaking to me on the phone and fetched the manager.

I’m not sure of the managers name, but he was wearing a white shirt and had an ear piece in and I think his name begins with ‘A’ but could be wrong - he stated he was the only manager of your establishment. The manager came over in a really aggressive manner and denied that he had ever agreed to give me my deposit back in cash even though the girl behind the bar confirmed that she had taken the phone call and he had authorised that. I said to the manager that if he didn’t authorise it then he needs to speak to his staff about giving out misinformation. At this point he came close to my face and said ‘what do I need to tell my staff?’ and repeated this several times in a really aggressive manner. I felt very intimidated and uncomfortable to the point I just agreed to take the vouchers as I dislike confrontation and just wanted the situation to be over. I used 30 pounds of the vouchers and am now left with a 20 pound voucher which I won’t get the use out of due to the fact that I won’t be returning to your establishment after this experience.

If your policy is to return deposits via vouchers then that is fair enough, but it should have never been agreed to if that is the case. Your manager made out that I was a liar along with his member of staff that was serving behind the bar. That along with his aggressive mannerisms and the way in which he dealt with a paying customer is totally unacceptable. I left shortly afterwards as I felt so uncomfortable. If cash deposit return hadn’t been agreed then I could have booked elsewhere or worked something out with my group. However, I’ve now been left £50 out of pocket due to this.

It was my 30th birthday and I really just wanted to celebrate with my friends and this really put a dampener on the night. I am so disappointed as I have only ever had great experiences with your establishment but the customer service I received last night is the worst I have ever experienced unfortunately.

Kind regards

Refund her £50 in cash as a goodwill gesture. End of. Your manager sounds like he needs disciplinary action.

That's incredibly easily remedied by telling them to come for their deposit return at the end of the evening.

If I owned a busy bar and a group of 10 people reserved a table and only spent £30 then I’d rather they’d not bothered as could have given those seats to other people who’d spend more.
Therefore £50 deposit/vouchers to spend on drinks is entirely reasonable and as I said previously, she should have bought a round for her friends with the vouchers and the friends gave her cash or transferred the money.

Good thing you dont run a business then

unprofessional to post customer complaint here

I would apologise for the manager’s behaviour and reimburse the £50 as a goodwill gesture.

@Badgirlriri I think it was just the one customer who spent £30, the rest of the party bought their own drinks so potentially around £300 in total. Obviously the sensible thing would have been to have exchanged the other £20 with a friend but I do think the policy is a bit shit.

Sorry @Badgirlriri I misread your recent post, I agree they should have shared them, probably still worth emailing as she shouldn't have been told they would give cash back so saves hassle for someone else in future if they are given incorrect information.

That's the least of her worries regarding her business, I'd think.

Why wasn’t the deposit offset against the final payment after your dinner ?

I'm guessing the manager is either the OP's DH or a relative (son?). Any decent owner would be looking into the allegations about the manager's behaviour.

No dinner, drinks only, and they wouldn’t allow the party to run up a tab for drinks against the deposit.

1. If they were refunded £50 in vouchers but used £30 towards the meal, then they are £20 out of pocket and not £50.

1. How the hell can ten people have a meal out for £30? Even Happy Meals at McDonalds would cost more than that!

1. Why wasn't the £50 deposit deducted from the cost of the food/drink consumed by the guests?

1. Do you believe the customer's allegations towards the manager? What is your role in this, OP?

1. None of this makes any sense so I'm calling bullshit.

YABU OP. I often go out as a group and our local bars all ask for deposits, particularly post covid

However it’s always a pre-authorisation i.e. card details are taken but card only charged if we are a no show. When we arrive the booker just lets the bar know we are there and that’s it - no charge to card and each person can go and buy their own drinks

If we go to a place where cash is required for a deposit then we will not go there as it’s a hassle to get everyone to pay their contribution to the deposit. It could be possible if the deposit is returned in full as cash when we arrive as the booker can just pocket it as they paid it but if it ends up being part of the tab/returned as vouchers then it’s a no no as the booker will be out of pocket while everyone else enjoys free drinks

Actually never heard of a bar giving the deposit back as vouchers

Huh?!? Does your bar not open a tab if a customer puts his credit card behind the bar? I have never been to a nice bar that didn't open a tab? And what's the point in paying a deposit For a table if you're not providing a table, but only drinks at the bar that have to be paid for immediately? If it's a sit-down drinks at the table establishment then there can be a final bar bill. All in all, your place sounds awful.

So many things -
Giving a deposit back in vouchers is shocking, it should be returned in cash as it was paid, or deducted from the bill if eating.
Taking a deposit Just for drinks is ridiculous and shouldn't have been done in the first place.
Posting this here is beyond unprofessional.
Your manager is a dick.
I cannot comprehend how you're in business.

I hope the Daily Mail do pick this one up.

OP, I can't believe you even need to ask. You need to apologise profusely to the customer, refund her and send her a bottle of something nice for her birthday by way of apology.

The answers to most of these are in the OP’s posts.

1. yes but I have explained above how the OP personally is £50 out.
2. No meal. Drinks only.
3. Because they weren’t allowed to run a tab for drinks, even against the deposit they’d paid. They had to be purchased each time.
4. This is unanswered but it’s obvious the OP doesn’t, presumably because she has some other loyalty to the manager. She says she’s the owner of the bar.
5. It is odd that someone could own a business and come to Mumsnet for advice on how to run it, though the OP does seem pretty clueless about what constitutes good customer service, so who knows.

This place is a scam - no way would I accept that and I'm amazed you've any returning customers with that kind of policy.

@WinnieTheWinsomeWitch can you find us where OP said she distributed the vouchers to the group? Like other PPs, I had the impression that she herself personally spent the £30 of vouchers. One can hardly imagine ten people drinking for £30, and it doesn’t seem likely that OP would distribute £30 but not £50 of vouchers.

You’ve now corrected this version of events, pieced together by me and others, twice without providing a source. We all agree that the policy sucks!

Sorry@WinnieTheWinsomeWitch , it wasn’t the OP who used £30 of vouchers. It was the person who emailed the OP. A tiresome detail and I am in a foreign country, jet lagged.

No it's not. The customer paid £50 , she only used £30. She is £20 out of pocket. Your policy is wrong.

You haven't answered if you have looked at CCTV ?

A minimum spend isn't unreasonable policy for a busy town/city bar venue...

But it has to be clear what that is - this isn't a clear minimum spend policy, its a 'no show' deposit scheme, hiding a minimum spend voucher system.

Thats misleading unless the OP has some massive drip feed that customers are made aware it IS a minimum spend.

I don’t think you should exchanging the deposit for vouchers at all. If the party turned up and all the guests paid fir their own drinks she should have received the deposit back by the same method she paid.

I would honestly talk to your accountant about converting deposits to vouchers as well. Not sure how this works