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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:
Gileswithachainsaw · 26/12/2017 17:40

You can complain of there was something wrong with it. Like it was off and still in date or had a foreign body in it or wasn't as described

You can make a mental note not to buy again if it didn't live up to your tastes or expectations.

Arriving damages again you can complain.

You can't complain for things that aren't the companies fault. Like handing over 13 quid for something that screams sugar then deciding it's too sweet.

And you can't complain for being unable to cook something properly.

And why accept soggy boxes? The chance was on delivery to reject said item and it would have been refunded.

RJnomore1 · 26/12/2017 17:43

Btw just be glad you didn't order from Tesco as apparently their turkeys were off

RainbowDashed · 26/12/2017 17:53

Do you know what happens when you complain to a food retailer OP?

Even if the complaint is something a bit daft, you will most likely get a goodwill gesture of a voucher or similar. Great, you may think. But the retailer doesn't pick up the cost of that - it gets passed on to the supplier, along with an admin fee and possibly a fine. This is obviously fair enough if there's a real issue. The supplier will want to know so they can set things right. If it's something like your cheesecake complaint for instance, or if you didn't cook the turkey properly, they STILL get the costs and admin fees passed on. The majority of suppliers to the retailers are on their arses financially due to the constant pressure to keep prices as low as possible. Redundancies and factory closures are common. I'd urge you to think very carefully about complaining unless there is a real, fixable issue.

onlyonaTuesday · 26/12/2017 18:03

I collected my food from M&S and it was wrong.
I just asked for something suitable for Xmas day and they gave it and a free bottle of fizz.
You really are not going to get anything for undercooking a turkey and not enjoying a cheesecake 🤔🙄

RecallRecall · 26/12/2017 18:21

Of course a cheesecake can be too sugary. Lots of cakes, drinks and desserts have things added so ironically you can't taste the sugar. For £13, I agree it needs to be amazing.
If you buy a crown in a standardised size the point is it cooks in the time stated.
I agree with you Op - you are paying top prices because you are expecting top food. Complain and next year go elsewhere - somebody local would have made you a nice cheesecake for £13

verystressedmum · 26/12/2017 18:25

My m&s turkey crown cooked fine. It’s most likely your oven or that it wasn’t room temperature when you put it in the oven A turkey is a turkey I can’t see what would be wrong with a turkey that it wouldn’t cook properly. You should still check the weight of the bird and that the cooking time is correct.

My potatoes were open in the veg box when I got them home so I called them and took them back in and they replaced them.
The potatoes were not great when I cooked them, but we ate them anyway and just got on with our day and lives.

The brussel sprouts were still really hard after I microwaved them for the time it said in the packet, so do you know what I did? I cooked them for a bit longer.

DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy · 26/12/2017 18:30

When they changed the recipe of a sushi box I used to love, I didn't like the taste, and was annoyed that the packaging had doubled in size. They asked me to take the packaging and receipt back as well, but I told them I didn't have them, so they sent me a voucher to the value of the sushi. I also got a nice reply about the recipe change. I'd say give the complaint another go - it's not Iceland, Marks do want you to LOVE their food.

ArgyMargy · 26/12/2017 18:32

My turkey crown cooked perfectly in the time stated. Veg was all great. Don't forget gas supplies on Xmas day can be lower - did you cook on gas or electric?

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 26/12/2017 18:32

Tbh I’m not surprised. Over the years I’ve bought right old doozies from M&S. Oversalted, too sweet; their ingredients can be well dodgy too: sugar, dextrose and wheat in most savoury items such as hams, salads, condiments, basically stuff you wouldn’t expect these ingredients in.

Bumblina · 26/12/2017 18:34

RecallRecall i agree with you.
Similarly, going to a restaurant and the dessert sounding wonderful and then not tasting nice (too sweet is fine to complain about iMO, it's like something being to salty), especially for the price, you would have a right to complain.
Turkey is a bit more difficult but PP's saying the OP 'didn't know how to cook a turkey properly' isn't exactly true when the whole point of using prepared food like M+S is so that you can time the components of your meal to be ready at the same time.
Don't worry OP, we aren't all goady bullies like some on here.

Notreallyarsed · 26/12/2017 18:37

The boxes of some of ours were soggy too, but the food inside wasn’t affected at all, you could have refused it and asked for a non soggy one.

The fact your turkey was undercooked (why didn’t you just cook it longer once you’d realised?) or didn’t like the cheesecake isn’t their fault and they probably won’t respond.

Makingahome · 26/12/2017 18:37

Rainbowdashed that's interesting. No wonder are so generous with their brand guarantee.

Makingahome · 26/12/2017 18:38

No wonder Asda are so generous with their brand guarantee.

Notreallyarsed · 26/12/2017 18:38

goady bullies

Cooking GUIDELINES are exactly that, nobody is bullying OP, they’re pointing out that ensuring the meat is cooked properly is down to the cook not the place they bought it from.

The cheesecake issue is down to personal taste, again not the fault of the retailer.

Bullying? Aye ok then.

Gileswithachainsaw · 26/12/2017 18:40

You do still have to adjust for your oven though.

My oven is a fan oven and cooks quickly so I have to reduce temp a bit and check a bit earlier.

My parents oven on the other hand you could probably go away for a week and still come back to raw food.

Other people have also said that they cooked theirs according to the Instructions and it was fine.

If you read the nigella thread alot of people questioned the cooking times as they seemed to short however again they were about right and that was for entire turkeys.

So it's not unreasonable to wonder if perhaps there was a fault at play here. Oven not working properly or too much opening and closing of door or not following the Instructions.

They always say cooking times may vary

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 26/12/2017 18:41

You've undercooked your turkey, and your sweet pudding was sweet. Confused. And you want m & s to pay somehow? I'd say chancer too.

SymphonyofShadows · 26/12/2017 18:43

I think they pretty much give you a fiver gift voucher as standard if you email them.

Sirzy · 26/12/2017 18:45

Think about it. Cooking instructions generally work on roughly 35-40 mins per kg so even with that being the only variables that would mean for a 5kg joint 25 minute possible variation in the time to cook.

Redglitter · 26/12/2017 18:45

Ffs it's hardly M&S fault their cheesecake wasn't to your taste. You can't seriously expect a refund for that. The cookingtine is a guideline. Again not their fault.

Ooops I posted on the thread after it was closed

Notreallyarsed · 26/12/2017 18:52

I just read your other thread @cocoboots. How was the turkey undercooked if (as you claim) it spent an hour longer than it should have in the oven? Either you need a new oven or you’re at it.

LastGirlOnTheLeft · 26/12/2017 19:11

We had an M&S dinner this year and it was delicious!! Even my diabetic uncle (ages 90) was able to eat the trifle and said it was wonderful as it wasn't too sweet. The veg was scrummy, the nut roast was perfect and the turkey and gammon were cooked to the guidelines and came out just perfectly cooked!!

This was the first year we have had M&S and definitely not the last!!! OP I can't help but think the problem lies with you or the oven as we just loved our dinner this year!! And that is coming from a family who has always used local butchers!!

BumWad · 26/12/2017 19:12

I can understand your disappointment with the food I really can, especially spending all that money but I really don’t think it warrants a complaint to M&S.

Our Morrison’s Christmas food was amazing and really very good value, I would highly recommend for next year Smile

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 19:12

notreally i thought similiar....weird thread

Notreallyarsed · 26/12/2017 19:17

This was the first year we have had M&S and definitely not the last!!!

Ours too! I was a bit Hmm at the price but the ease of cooking, the meal itself and the fact I didn’t have to spend all bloody day in the kitchen was bloody brilliant!

greendale17 · 26/12/2017 19:22

You really are not going to get anything for undercooking a turkey and not enjoying a cheesecake 🤔🙄

^This

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