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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:
mondaytosunday · 10/10/2022 15:42

If he had turned up at my door I would have told him to leave as soon as he started having a go. This is no way to get a customer on side - which is what he should have tried to do.
A friends son quit deliveroo because customers would get the order then complain it never arrived and the delivery guy has to cover it!!! Not the restaurant. As for bad reviews - that's what feedback forms are for. He should have responded to the review on the forum, not shown up in person.

Jaxhog · 10/10/2022 15:42

He was very unreasonable.

I once gave a 3 star review to a local cafe. The owner berated me online and banned me from ever going there again! But coming round to your house is a step, way, way too far. Quite intimidating - I'd have called the police.

Worriedandconfused23 · 10/10/2022 15:49

I ordered a deliveroo recently from nandos (new baby stuck in the house and fancied a treat!). When the bag arrived, no joke, it was a bag of nandos sauce sachets....admittedly quite a few but not the burger and dessert I ordered! When I complained to deliveroo they said it had been delivered and despite my best efforts I never got a refund. Wouldn't touch deliveroo with a barge pole now.

Absolutely not acceptable for the manager to turn up and I agree with PP report him for misuse of data.

GiggleWhale · 10/10/2022 15:52

Don't call the restaurant and threaten them with what you may do - call them to raise a complaint if you want, or escalate further.

A threat in return for a threat does not make any situation better.

EL8888 · 10/10/2022 16:07

Name99 · 10/10/2022 13:19

Of course he has a choice whether to use justeat or deliveroo.
They're not the mafia

Exactly. He doesn’t have to. Not all takeaways near to me do

He sounds rude and slightly unhinged. Why should you have to heat the rice up?

Poshjock · 10/10/2022 16:23

I live in a small town surrounded by 5 villages, we are semi rural. None of the takeaways (and there are many considering the size of the town/villages) are on the apps now. Shortly after lock down ended there was a concentrated campaign by all of our independent fast food places to "educate" our community on the cost of these Apps and how damaging it is to the small businesses. Uber does not exist in our area and the others have been dumped. The businesses either work old school by posting menus through doors or they have their own websites. Some of our Chippies have clubbed together and formed a group website which runs orders, you just select the one geographically closest to you (they only deliver to their own village). I generally drive to pick up my own fast food on the rare occasion I have it, but I fully support their reasons for squeezing out the delivery Apps.

BatshitBanshee · 10/10/2022 16:27

Oh, I'd find every platform they're on and give an account of what happened OP, for sure. Then report it to whatever app you ordered from. What a fruitcake.

bewarethetides · 10/10/2022 16:34

Add his outrageous and completely out of order visit to your home to your review.

Hadjab · 10/10/2022 16:41

Rosehugger · 10/10/2022 15:20

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

Well, obviously not all restaurants are so thorough, especially when they are busy. I've had items missing in about 10% of Deliveroo/UberEats orders - sometimes just irritating - missing curry sauce and mushy peas from chippy, but I'll live, and sometimes, as happened with UberEats/ McDonalds - the entire hot food order, only the drinks and dessrt was delivered, so I had to order it all again.

I certainly made sure I was refunded for that. Just because some customers try it on, it doesn't mean that others shouldn't be believed, and it certainly doesn't mean that someone should be called and abused. Furthermore it was a misuse of someone's personal details to contact her at all.

@Rosehugger I absolutely agree with you, and as per my post, I clearly stated that his actions weren't justifiable. At no point did I say the OP shouldn't be believed, I'm just offering up a reasoning as to his behaviour, not a justification.

greenhousegal · 10/10/2022 16:41

All this angst for a £2.90 portion of rice. But some people just have to be right and get their oar in.

Perfect gourmet food rarely comes from the local take away. I would have microwaved the rice and gobbled the meal all up, yum!

CheezePleeze · 10/10/2022 16:44

What's with so many people talking about microwaves like everyone has one?

Crazykatie · 10/10/2022 16:50

He was wrong to come to your door no argument about that, getting a takeaway delivered hot must be a nightmare, then there are the shysters who try it on to get a refund.
I never have takeaways delivered , why could you not just microwave it for a minute.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 10/10/2022 16:54

Some people are just very aggressive. My father used to have the newspaper delivered every day, but it started to be very unreliable ( came after 4 pm, didn’t come at all) so he cancelled the order.

The guy who owned the newspaper rang him up and shouted at him, which was pretty unpleasant. Than he turned up on the doorstep and shouted at him some more. My dad was 82, and not in the best of health , which was why he had stopped walking down to the shop and buying the paper himself.

My DH had to go and have a word with the bloke, because my Dad was quite upset.

OP , I wouldn’t leave another review, it’s inviting more trouble. I would report to the police.

Hadjab · 10/10/2022 16:54

And it should coordinate simultaneous deliveries so that the restaurant prepares the orders to be available at the same time. I know for a fact (because I’ve stood in the chippie and listened to the conversation between the staff and the delivery driver about it) that food for one delivery sits there going cold while the restaurant prepares a different order because the same driver is delivering them both

Absolutely agree with you. We've had instances where we've had orders coming in over, for example, a 35 minute period - 20 minutes to prep each subsequent order, with a separate rider assigned to each one. 15 minutes later it's been changed to 1 rider, coming in 20 minutes for all three orders, with the prep time remaining the same. Because riders are signed up to multiple delivery platforms, they will cancel a job to take one with a shorter delivery radius, leaving one rider with several orders to deliver. Deliveroo doesn't care though.

StarlightRobbery · 10/10/2022 16:55

I actually don’t have a microwave anymore. Mainly because i never used it and replaced it for an air fryer around Christmas last year.

I could’ve put the oven on I guess or air fryered it but if I wanted to cook I would’ve cooked haha!

OP posts:
Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 10/10/2022 16:55

Whoops, I meant he owned the newsagent not the newspaper.😟

ChilliBandit · 10/10/2022 16:56

If I wanted to have to microwave my curry I’d buy a ready meal.

RobertsRadio · 10/10/2022 16:58

That manager is nothing but a thug and has no business working in the hospitality trade. Definitely report to the app you ordered it through and leave another factual review. As you are worried he might come back don't answer the door until you know for sure who is at your door, for the next few weeks. I'm sorry you were subjected to this intimidating male behaviour whilst in your own home

greenhousegal · 10/10/2022 16:59

ChilliBandit · 10/10/2022 16:56

If I wanted to have to microwave my curry I’d buy a ready meal.

It was only a portion of rice.

Bubblebubblebah · 10/10/2022 16:59

Totally not ok to turn up like this! Not at all.

Fyi though there are loads of people requesting full refunds for minor things like cold toast. We had that...

But fick me. You don't go berate peoppe at their door

Oliverfunyuns · 10/10/2022 17:06

Reviews are pointless and useless if customers aren't allowed to make honest complaints. He was very unreasonable to come to your home and complain about a poor review. I can't imagine he'll stay in business long with that type of attitude! He sounds unhinged. That's not normal behaviour, and I'd be naming and shaming that business to everyone I knew who might be interested in knowing which local restaurants to avoid.

Boomboom22 · 10/10/2022 17:09

The fact it was rice actually makes it worse, either it was pre cooked and put straight in the bag from the fridge, or it sat around so long it cooled down. Reheating it in the oven or microwave could multiply bacteria and make you seriously ill, more so than reheating a meat curry dish.
People suggesting it's not a big deal don't really get what a takeaway is! No doubt they get out plates and cutlery too 🤣.
These apps are a joke, staff are shockingly poor and no coordination. I do think the drivers regularly eat what they want for themselves. Direct ordering only or collection for me.
Do report to ic and 101 as turning up at your house is inappropriate!

ChilliBandit · 10/10/2022 17:15

greenhousegal · 10/10/2022 16:59

It was only a portion of rice.

Sorry, if I wanted to microwave my rice I’d buy a packet of supermarket rice.

MrsNobodyMM · 10/10/2022 17:15

That's intimidating - I'd leave a review stating what he did and also call them letting them know you'll be logging it with the police if they ever come to your house again.

dogsod · 10/10/2022 17:18

BecauseICan22 · 10/10/2022 13:06

Totally inappropriate behaviour from any restaurant owner.

Don't see what relevance his ethnicity has to your issue though.

I reqd through and through and she doesn't say his ethnicity. Unless of course you think she ordered an Indian manager for her take away.