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Original poster

how to complain about M+S food?

104 replies

cocoboots · 26/12/2017 16:20

Picked up Xmas food on 24th. Cooke did yesterday.
Boneless turkey crown was still undercooked well after 2.15hr cooking time
Caramel chocolate cheesecake tastes vile- way too sickly sweet (and we eat cheesecake a lot in our house!)
Salmon terrines were in a very soggy box that was falling apart.

I'm more bothered about the cost, these items were a treat, far more expensive than food i'd normally purchase and nobody was wowed by it.

I just spoke to someone on the live chat who told me to take the packaging and receptors back to the store. I no longer have the packaging and I only have the original email confirmation.

Is there any other way of getting something back for this? Even just a token food discount voucher for my next shop?

OP posts:
SpoonfulOfJam · 26/12/2017 16:21

Twitter?

Original poster
cocoboots · 26/12/2017 16:22

bloody autocorrect.
Receipts* not receptors

OP posts:
poisonedbypen · 26/12/2017 16:23

Well they always say to make sure it is cooked thoroughly & that cooking times are a guideline but I would go into your local shop where you bought/collected the food.

QuestionableMouse · 26/12/2017 16:23

You can't blame them for the turkey being undercooked.

cakeymccakington · 26/12/2017 16:23

You sound quite picky tbh.

The turkey wasn't cooked... how is that their fault? It needed cooking longer. Or there is something wrong with your oven?
I'm not sure what they could have done to prevent this?

You didn't like the cheesecake. Caramel chocolate... too sweet? Really? Caramel didn't give it away?
Not to your taste, fair enough. But there's nothing actually wrong with it is there?

Was the salmon terrine ok? It was just the box???
Again, no actual issue with the food itself

cakeymccakington · 26/12/2017 16:25

Did you eat it all or did you throw it away?
If you ate it are you really going to complain and say "we didn't like this
We ate it all but we aren't happy can we have our money back?"

Original poster
cocoboots · 26/12/2017 16:28

cakey hold your horses.
we're the least fussy eaters you can meet.
no, we haven't eaten much of any of the items I've listed above.
Like I say, it's the cost and it should have been an all round better experience. The turkey was put back in the over and ended up drying out around the outer yet still undercook underneath.

OP posts:
ToEarlyForDecorations · 26/12/2017 16:29

She's entitled to her opinion. If she's not satisfied then that's fair enough.

Gileswithachainsaw · 26/12/2017 16:31

Hmm. The undercooked turkey is hardly their fault us it?

So many variables these cooking guides are just that. Guides. It's not law. You adjust timings for your ovens which presumably you are used to. And use one of several methods to check it's cooked?

You can't buy chocolate caramel cheesecake and complain it's sweet the first ingredient on the box is probably sugar Confused

Did u check the boxes of terrine on the shelf? We're others soggy?

Are You sure it's not your fridge?

SymphonyofShadows · 26/12/2017 16:32

We had a turkey parcel from them that I was meh about and rump of beef that was bloody lovely. You just didn't like it, they haven't done anything wrong. You could have refused the soggy box (f'nar)

Original poster
cocoboots · 26/12/2017 16:33

we collected the order so didnt pick our own off the shelf.
I can cope with the cheesecake being sickly sweet if it hadn't cost £13.00.
I've had caramel cheesecake that cost £3 that were much nicer.
I thought they were going to be nice treats.

OP posts:
cakeymccakington · 26/12/2017 16:34

Yes she's allowed her opinion. But you can't expect shops you refund you on food because you didn't like it or because the box was soggy but the actual food inside was fine Confused

Lambside · 26/12/2017 16:34

I agree with cakey.
The cheesecake is just not to your taste. Nothing to do with the quality.
You say nothing about anything being wrong with the salmon terrine.
As for the turkey I must admit that first thoughts are that you can't have cooked it according to the instructions.
But hey complain and they'll probably give you something.

Original poster
cocoboots · 26/12/2017 16:35

goodness, people on here are so rude! closing thread.

OP posts:
cakeymccakington · 26/12/2017 16:35

It's a shame you didn't like the cheesecake. But I really don't think you can expect a refund just because you didn't like it.

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 16:36

I don't think you qualify for a refund either

Sounds like storage issues to make the cardboard soggy. Check fridge temp

Agree with others

cakeymccakington · 26/12/2017 16:36

Rude... honest... whatever Wink

Seriously though you're being a chancer

Beltane18 · 26/12/2017 16:36

M&S is overpriced though
And yes, "too sweet" is a weird complaint
People woukd try for refunds all the time if "too sweet" was a reason to return a dessert

Cooking times are always a guide

Chalk it up to experience

Gileswithachainsaw · 26/12/2017 16:41

You could however leave a review on the website of each item?

At very least it warns others not to spend 13 quid on a cheesecake?

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 26/12/2017 16:41

Love “clising thread”. Does that mean we can’t post on here any more?!

chocolateorangeowls · 26/12/2017 16:41

Closing thread 🤣

jelliebelly · 26/12/2017 16:44

There isn’t actually anything wrong with it so what is there that complain about exactly?

ToEarlyForDecorations · 26/12/2017 16:44

Do you want to pretend that it was okay and say nothing ?

Raw turkey. Inedible food. But hey, it wasn't my dinner so she's being fussy for no reason.

I'd carry on with my complaint if I truly believed it was legit.

(I bought a pair of leggings from M&S. I wore them and washed them regularly for 3 weeks, never really understanding why the skin on the front of my legs felt so sore afterwards. It's only when I compared where the seam was all down the front of the thigh of the leggings to the chafing on my legs that I put two and two together. They may have well as sewn sandpaper on the inside of the seam. I paid £27.50 for them and I felt they were unwearable after just three weeks. I took them back, explained the problem and got a refund.)

purplecorkheart · 26/12/2017 16:44

Did you preheat your oven for the turkey and follow the instructions exactly? Did you open the oven door a lot causing the temp to drop each time? Really it is hard to blame M&S for the turkery. Also those cooking times are normally a guide and you're advised to ensure that the item in cooked through and piping hot in the Centre as everyone's oven is different.

Desserts are sweet. I ordered food for Christmas from M&S and was able to check the ingredients for things before I ordered. Did you check?

How was the box with the salmon pate when you picked up your order? If it was like that when you collected why did you accept it? If it was it is most likely due to how long it was out of the fridge going home or how you stored it.

Honestly, I am not sure if you should be looking for a refund.

HotelEuphoria · 26/12/2017 16:44

I am on the fence here.

I paid £20 for an M&S cooked turkey breast, rolled and wrapped in bacon, to serve 12-14. OK, as it was cooked I saw it as a buffet type joint for slicing. When I collected it, it was tiny, would serve four comfortably, no exaggeration. The picture of it, showed it on a platter type plate with a large full size carving fork which was proportionate to the joint. The reality was very very different, think the size of an artic roll! A suggested serving was 2 slices 30g each. The thinnest I could cut a slice was 50g and it fell apart.

Despite all this, it did taste beautiful, was moist, tender and very flavoursome. I did complain to customer service as soon as it was collected but only because I felt their catalogue description was very misleading.

They sent me a £15 voucher. I would probably still have bought it, but would have been better planned to cater for more people if they had been more honest in their description.