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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this Indian restaurant manager was unreasonable? Or was I?

179 replies

StarlightRobbery · 10/10/2022 13:02

Last night I ordered an Indian takeaway as a treat. When it arrived it was mostly ok, although the rice was cold and the sauce in one particular dish tasted slightly sour as if it was off. I didn’t eat that part of the meal.

I tried calling the restaurant three times but they only have a mobile number, no landline and it kept saying busy with beeps- I guess people ordering.

Anyways later on, I got a request/notification on the app to review my food, I gave it 3 stars and the app prompted me to select a few reasons why. I selected rice was cold. I didn’t type anything just clicked it and that was that.

This morning very loud knock on the door, go to the door and a very abrupt man says “is that Starlightrobbery?” And I said yes. And he preceded to tell me that he was the manager of the restaurant and that I’d tried to scam him for a refund. That there was no way that the rice was cold as it’s last bagged and I’m a fraud. That I basically were trying to just get a refund and he was sick of people pulling this sort of scam. I told him I was under no illusion I was even getting a refund and that indeed the rice was cold.

He asked why I didn’t call the restaurant and I said I tried. He then said I should’ve drove down there and I said I couldn’t, because I had small children in bed. He then proceeded again to call me a fraud before saying he was off to two other houses who had request refunds through “Deliveroo”! I didn’t even order from Deliveroo!

I stewed it over and friends I’ve told think it’s quite amusing but I actually think he’s being slightly unreasonable to come to my house and kick off like that. I now feel like leaving a proper review saying this is what he does- but then he might come back. Ugh!

OP posts:
worriedatthistime · 10/10/2022 14:20

@ICanHideButICantRun but then its up to the restaurant to up their game then isn't it
Good restaurants don't generally get low ratings

worriedatthistime · 10/10/2022 14:23

@nightfairy yes he does have a choice not go be a bully he has broken GDPR I would guess , been threatening etc
A simple apology for rice on website review and a we will take note is the right thing to do

SleepingStandingUp · 10/10/2022 14:23

nightfairy · 10/10/2022 13:16

'Well, don't use them then". Lovely. As if he has a choice, trying to stay afloat, with all his bills going up - power, food supplies, rent. So sorry your rice was cold.

What did yo u expect op to say? She left an honest review, he (surely a breach of data or something) tracked down her address and turned up hoping to intimidate her into removing the review and then went into a rant about stuff that has nothing to do with op.

ganvough · 10/10/2022 14:24

AmazingBouncingFerret · 10/10/2022 14:03

It’s weird how he knows your address though. We use Uber and Justeat and the system the orders come through blank out the customer address, only the delivery drivers have access to it. It might be different for deliveroo though.
I’d definitely change your review to reflect his behaviour. Not on at all.

This is useful to know! I always assumed the addresses came through to the restaurant via the order. Really strange then that he knows address UNLESS he knows the delivery drivers and asked them.

sandytooth · 10/10/2022 14:24

BrokenWing · 10/10/2022 14:16

I would rewrite to review to reduce to one star and include the factual details of them showing up at your front door, accusing you of wanted a refund, being a fraud for something that you have not asked for, and feeling intimidated.

Report them to the delivery company. Report under GDPR rules. Report any further intimidation to the police.

Yes can you do this?

Squishedstormtrooper · 10/10/2022 14:25

That’s shocking that he came round to your house. Does your area have a Facebook page? I’d post on that so that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. I wonder if he knew you were a woman from your username and if he went round to any mens houses.

worriedatthistime · 10/10/2022 14:26

@nightfairy they can operate without deliveroo , plenty do
Its not even that easy to get a refund from them
This restaurant food was cold he then used a customer personal details to show up( not allowed ) and basically intimidate then
Lets hope he maybe knocks on the wrong door as if he had turned up on mine i would of had a very different response to the OP and would of told him i would be reporting him

Softplayhooray · 10/10/2022 14:27

WeepingSomnambulist · 10/10/2022 13:05

Report him to whichever app you used.

They dont want to host restaurants who turn up at people's doors to tell at them.

Also, the restaurant are breaking GDPR. They cannot use your information like that. You're address is given for the delivery only. He cant turn up at your door. That is so intimidating. Fill out the police online form as he is harassing customers. They may not do anything and it dont usually say "go to the police" but I would let them know about this via the online form.

100% do this

oviraptor21 · 10/10/2022 14:30

Takeaways don't need to use delivery apps. My local ones all use their own drivers. So yes, he should dispense with deliveroo/whatever if they're causing him to lose customers.

SarahSissions · 10/10/2022 14:31

I’d report his behaviour to the police 101, and probably the information commissioner as well as misuse of customer data. Your address is only for the purpose of delivery.

what platform did you order through? Report to them as well

Floomobal · 10/10/2022 14:32

nightfairy · 10/10/2022 13:16

'Well, don't use them then". Lovely. As if he has a choice, trying to stay afloat, with all his bills going up - power, food supplies, rent. So sorry your rice was cold.

Tell me you run a shit takeaway without telling me you run a shit takeaway

Hadjab · 10/10/2022 14:33

StarlightRobbery · 10/10/2022 13:06

Thank you! My friends have made jokes like “oh you can’t order from there again they’ll spit in your food” the rice was only 2.90! Hardly worth the refund or hassle. I’m guessing he must get fake refund requests a lot but that isn’t my issue. He kept renting that Justeat and Deliveroo take a 25% of his profits or something and I simply said “well don’t use them then”

To be clear, I am absolutely not defending him or his behaviour in the slightest, and I know you didn't order via Deliveroo, but as a business owner who uses their service, and as a customer, here's a little context. It's a well known scam that some 'customers' pull - if you complain about your order on Deliveroo, they will refund you, very rarely with any questions asked. I've only once ever had to provide proof when making a complaint - got delivered someone else's food, so I had to submit photos of what I'd received, for a full refund.

As a business user, the fact that no questions are asked has caused utter havoc with orders. We check off each item as it is prepared in the kitchen on one receipt, then check off the items as they are bagged on an another, which is stapled to the bag. The amount of customers who will lodge a complaint claiming they didn't receive this or that item has increased no end. It's got to the point where some customers have been banned by Deliveroo - all they do is set up a new account under a different name, then it starts again.

Deliveroo charge businesses for those missing items, and take their fees on top, which is fine if you're a giant corp like MacDonalds, and can afford the losses, but for small businesses, those losses soon add up. I would imagine he's at breaking point, but like I said, it's no justification for his behaviour.

SarahSissions · 10/10/2022 14:35

@AmazingBouncingFerret deliveroo don’t pass on customer addresses either, or any contact details.

They don’t want restaurants to be able to follow up with customers and market directly to them. Otherwise you’d just use those platforms to introduce your business and then provide customers with better offers to buy direct- you could provide some pretty good discounts to ensure repeat business if you didn’t have to pay their significant commissions.

Moveoverdarlin · 10/10/2022 14:39

I wonder if he would be as aggressive if a 6 foot strapping man came to the door…probs not.

Hadjab · 10/10/2022 14:39

ganvough · 10/10/2022 14:24

This is useful to know! I always assumed the addresses came through to the restaurant via the order. Really strange then that he knows address UNLESS he knows the delivery drivers and asked them.

It depends on what app he's using and if he's using their riders or not. Using their riders, the restaurant does not get the address, using their own, they do.

Crikeyalmighty · 10/10/2022 14:39

@ilovesooty So if she had said, I ordered a takeaway from an Italian restaurant- would you have felt the urge to say' what has ethnenticity got to do with it' ! I'm guessing not. It's said in context so we know what she's ordered- I'm very social minded, not racist - but it's getting totally nuts if we can't describe food as Indian, Chinese, Italian etc in case it offends someone

THisbackwithavengeance · 10/10/2022 14:42

He's probably pissed off with people leaving shitty reviews for minor issues. And yes you didn't ask for a refund but I bet lots of others do by making allegations that the food was below par.

If your rice was cold, surely you could've put it in the microwave for a minute - job done - rather then going to the trouble of trying to call the restaurant to complain and then leaving a bad review.

He shouldn't have come round your house but he's probably at the end of his tether with moaners and chancers.

sandytooth · 10/10/2022 14:48

THisbackwithavengeance · 10/10/2022 14:42

He's probably pissed off with people leaving shitty reviews for minor issues. And yes you didn't ask for a refund but I bet lots of others do by making allegations that the food was below par.

If your rice was cold, surely you could've put it in the microwave for a minute - job done - rather then going to the trouble of trying to call the restaurant to complain and then leaving a bad review.

He shouldn't have come round your house but he's probably at the end of his tether with moaners and chancers.

You have to be careful reheating rice it can make you ill if you get it wrong

ethelredonagoodday · 10/10/2022 14:49

Twilightimmortal · 10/10/2022 13:06

I expect my food hot otherwise I can make rice myself. I would've wrote that too.

Yep exactly this. If I ordered food from a takeaway, (which we do reasonably regularly) and it came cold, I would be very disappointed!

And the manager was BVU to come to your house!!! As a PP said upthread, unprofessional at best and possibly misuse of data at worst!

DameHelena · 10/10/2022 14:53

StarlightRobbery · 10/10/2022 14:11

I wondered how he got my address etc as well. Unless he matched the order to the delivery address?

I agree, all of this suggests some holes, to say the least, in the order/delivery/data-gathering process.

Definitely log with police; not just the GDPR thing but the turning up and harassing you issue too.

FaazoHuyzeoSix · 10/10/2022 14:54

Agreeing with PP - go back in and edit your previous review if you can, or write a fresh one if not, to say that your previous less-than-glowing review resulted in you being harranged and accused of dishonesty by a representative of the restaurant who saw fit to abuse their access to your personal data by visiting you at home to object to your honest and fair statements of fact. If a business responds to less-than-five-star reviews by thinking up how to do better next time, and apologising for their previous shortcomings, then I am delighted to give them my custom because I know they are doing their best. If they respond in such a way as this then they can never improve.

SudocremOnEverything · 10/10/2022 14:55

sandytooth · 10/10/2022 14:48

You have to be careful reheating rice it can make you ill if you get it wrong

It’s not the reheating that’s the risk. It’s the conditions in which the rice came to be cold.

Rice needs to be either kept properly warm til use or cooled, quickly and then safely stored cold before use. Rice sitting around at room temperature is where the toxic bacteria grows.

Takeaway rice that had gone cold because it’s not been properly insulated and delivery has taken too long is actually a big problem
from a food safety perspective.

Popatop · 10/10/2022 14:56

Report him to the app - that’s really threatening and terrible to come to your home!!

Banana2079 · 10/10/2022 14:58

You should have threatened to call the police on him . I would write a letter or call the restaurant manager threatening legal action Over his harassment he’s gonna knock on the wrong door one day ! I would also leave a terrible trip advisor review explaining how much of a knob he is and detailing what he did

StarlightRobbery · 10/10/2022 14:59

Just to answer some questions…

  1. The rice was stone cold. As in cold to the touch, yes I could’ve warmed it up- but that’s besides the point plus the delivery only actually took 30 minutes to come from ordering so it was definitely left for a while.
  2. I don’t know how he got my address. I’m guessing that he matched the reviews to which order and delivery address. He said he was going to two other houses to shout at them as well!
OP posts:
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