Unhappy sandwich

[bugshaw]

My prepackaged lunchtime meatball wrap, which didn't list cheese on the front, and didn't list any milk products on the extensive ingredients list, nevertheless contained cheese slices in significant quantity. I noticed after a couple of mouthfuls.

I'm going to write and express my unhappiness, is there anything else I should say/ask for to ensure they don't ignore it. I don't particularly want anything, other than for them to not do it again.

The cafeteria exchanged it, but made me pay the difference between the sandwich prices.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

That is poor: you certainly should have been comp'ed the sandwich after that, given that this is a serious health issue.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

The cafeteria didn't make the sandwich, they buy them in from an external supplier. So, obv. not their fault.

[Should have paid more attention to major_clanger's snails in beer bottles]

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

So they should comp you, and claim from the supplier. Not to mention, let the supplier know just how unacceptable this situation is.

[lnr]

I'm with these guys: replacing your sandwich without charging you the extra would have been much better, and replacing it *and* refunding would be outstanding customer service. It's not exactly what you expect from a work canteen though, so I can see why you're not expecting the earth. I'd have expected *much* better from Daily Bread though. Definitely worth complaining, as I'm sure they'd really want to make sure they get this sort of thing right.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Not even a work canteen - it's a university canteen... Can't give away free sandwiches to people who complain - everyone would want one!

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Not to everyone, not for frivolous complaints, no. But this isn't frivolous: you have a food intolerance, you took reasonable care (as any court would, I'm sure, find) to avoid a particular foodstuff, and their (for suitable values of them) actions negated your care.

I don't blame the canteen, they cannot go through every sandwich to check for everything. But they have the responsibility, even if in this case they quire sensibly subcontract to Daily Bread.

As for Daily Bread, they do need to be informed. Good companies actually do value complaints, they really do, because it lets them know what they need to do to be better. If they get complaints, but only minor ones, then they know there isn't a huge problem about to sink them, because their customers would already have told them.

In this case, something went wrong with their system, probably somebody adding something to the recipe that shouldn't have been there. It could have been so much worse - imagine adding peanuts to the sauce, and getting a nut allergy sufferer.

[techiebabe.livejournal.com]

Hear hear.

Although I remember complaining about an egg mayo sandwich that had tuna in it (they'd obviously used the same knife to make tuna, then egg sarnies) and I was told "You can EXPECT tuna in an egg sandwich" followed by "it's dolphin friendly..."

But if you plan to eat there again, or have no choice but to do so, you really ought to complain and CC any related supplier etc. until you get noticed.

[james-r.livejournal.com]

Doesn't matter - the cafeteria are the retailer, your contract is with them, it's their problem. (but that doesn't prevent you from whacking their supplier too).

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. In such circumstances, I would hope for an apology with a promise to sort the system out, and a full refund plus free replacement to compensate you for your problem (as per commercial enterprises with decent customer relations depts).

[fanf]

Sounds like a Sale of Goods Act or Trading Standards matter.

[james-r.livejournal.com]

Mmm, I'd definitely cc trading standards in a complaint..

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

The point is that the cafe did what was required under the Sale of Goods Act, which is that it in effect refunded the cost of the sandwich.

There might be a trading standards issue here; I'll have to check with my brother, who is a TSO.

If bugshaw had suffered harm as a result of eating this, then there would be grounds to complain under product liability law and common-law negligence (which is founded on a case involving a defect in packaged food, viz. the snail in the bottle of ginger beer at the heart of Donoghue v Stevenson. Yes, I know that having some cheese was not good for her, but unfortunately it would be very hard to prove a small increase in discomfort - I'm afraid that suing is only really an option in a case like 'this didn't list peanuts which I am allergic to as an ingredient and as a result I spent a week in hospital'.

But I think a polite written complaint explaining the problem and pointing out that there are many customers who could have had a significant reaction to dairy products would be entirely in order.