Treated like dirt in a well known bar/restraunt

dslamjack

Thank you Gerry - I will join trip adviser later today or night, when I am back in the land of the living,I am only back from the Airport after seeing them off.
For what's it worth, I have a brother in law who has a thriving cafe business - why because he look's after his customer's even the day tripper's - we are lucky here in north county Dublin , we have no end of good pub's restaurant's and a secret weapon we call the Chuck Wagon .. the best breakfast you will find anywhere in Ireland .. from a van on the side of the road with so many award's they cannot find room on the front of it to show them anymore.
Brilliant staff that will have a laugh with you rain or shine or snow,if you have been there once you will always make it your business to go back,when in this neck of the wood.
The thing about the place I went too was that during the recession and they quiet all the time ,we brought business to them,the attitude yesterday was we are shooting fish in a barrel now ..pxss off .. it was the total rudeness and attitude that boiled my spud's dry.

weldoninhio

Yawns wrote: »

They really don't. A lot of irish people if they like the place tend to eat, enjoy the experience and use word of mouth etc. If they didn't like a place, then when complaining about it, are directed to the likes of Trip advisor to complain along with facebook etc.

For every 10 customers that like a restaurant, let's say it's like 1 - 2 people who will go and leave a good review as they are content. For every 10 customers that had a bad experience with a restaurant, then 7 of them will end up on social media to complain about it with maybe 3 just taking it on the chin and vowing not to go back and then forgetting about it.

If the place is busy enough that the likes of the OP are travelling 4 hours to eat there and they are out the door busy, then they simply won't care about a bad review and a threat to leave a bad review is usually laughed off. Of course just my opinion and not a representation of all restaurant owners out there but I think you may genuinely be shocked at how many just don't care or understand.

I had to show trip advisor to the owner of my place for the first time there 2 weeks ago. He hadn't a clue about it and didn't care. He's not short on business either.

As for OP, make a complaint to a senior person if you can. If the manageress gets a bollocking over it, it could be a good thing. Some staff just have no clue how to treat customers and don't wanna work with public. I had a group of 9 walk in last night with no prior booking and little staff on. 2 mins and everyone was seated and orders taken, food freshly made and served within minutes and everyone taken care of along with other customers in the place. No booking needed even tho you can book. Some places have staff that can deal with it and others don't.

100% agree. Threatening a bad TripAdvisor review is the Internet generations "ringing Joe Duffy".

hearmehearye

I've a few friends that own restaurants/cafes etc and of my small sample pool (5!) no one reads or takes notice of TripAdvisor reviews. The really bad ones are shared and laughed about in private. If the place is as busy as OP claims, one sensationalist review isn't going to stop people going there, especially if OP didnt eat there. Going to TA without at least contacting the manager is, in my opinion, very petty.


The OP, while understandably put off by the whole affair, needs to figure out what exactly they're looking to achieve by kicking up a fuss. Do they want the restaurant to suffer? Do they want a voucher for a meal? Do they want an apology? A bottle of wine thrown in with dinner next time they're there?

I understand that OP had traveled to be there and it was for a special occasion. Confirming a booking by phone is the single most important thing anyone can do anywhere, be it a restaurant, hairdresser, hotel etc, to prevent confusion, embarrassment and unnecessary stress - especially if there's a lot of driving involved. The restaurant are in the wrong however with regards to their online booking system (which I've never trusted for restaurants after 2 phantom bookings myself), but again, this would have been flagged if a confirmation call had been made.

The customer isn't always right. We don't know how OP behaved/acted, what the restaurant was, and if in fact OP and his group were just taking up space. Sure it could have been handled a little bit more delicately, but I know from experience that unexpected large groups expecting a seat during a busy period are not ideal. If there genuinely was no place for a large group, then what was OP expecting them to do? A table of 8 is potentially upwards of €1000 coming in (assuming this is a more upmarket place?) . If the restaurant can turn that away, then I can't see them overly concerned about OP. There's nothing to say that had they been seated, staff would have been polite and lovely. Sure, they should be the whole time, but everyone has their moments.

If OP really wants to do something and further drag the affair out, a call/letter to the manager would be in order, and forget about the TripAdvisor thing entirely, especially if it's treated as a sort of blackmail threat to the manager. But if it were me, I'd take it as a lesson in the importance of confirmation calls, never go to the restaurant in question again, and never travel so far in a car without being 100% certain about bookings


It looks to me that OP was mortified, and is looking for someone to blame to take the heat off of him/her (as they made the booking and hadn't confirmed it).

happyoutscan

hearmehearye wrote: »

I've a few friends that own restaurants/cafes etc and of my small sample pool (5!) no one reads or takes notice of TripAdvisor reviews. The really bad ones are shared and laughed about in private.

Where are these friends of yours located on their respective TripAdvisor rankings? I'd wager that if they were near the top then of course they would be taking them seriously, it can certainly impact on a business whether positively or negatively. It's easier to say couldn't give a damn when your reviews aren't particularly great.

kylith

hearmehearye wrote: »

It looks to me that OP was mortified, and is looking for someone to blame to take the heat off of him/her (as they made the booking and hadn't confirmed it).

The OP was mortified, but he isn't 'looking for someone to blame', he's looking for the people responsible to accept their responsibility. Why would he ring and confirm the bookin when he had a confirmation number? I don't phone Ryanair after I book a flight online, or phone a hotel in Spain when I've booked online. The very purpose of online booking is so you don't have to go through the hassle of calling. Not that it would have done him much good if he had since they weren't even answering the phone or checking their voicemail. Why do they even offer online booking if by their own admission it doesn't work?

I don't know what he's looking for but if it were me I'd at the least want an apology and an assurance that the staff were being trained in basic stuff like 'answering the phone' 'checking the voicemail' and 'not giving attitude to customers with a legitimate grievance'.

alchemist33

The OP is completely entitled to be angry here. Not listening to their messages is bad, an online booking system that doesn't work is even worse, but when someone showed them a printout of a booking they should have bent over backwards to honour it. I imagine the OP's main motivation is to have their grievance heard, which is fair enough. Put a review on Tripadviser (I look at their reviews of restaurants) -- don't "threaten" it as that's basically blackmail. Make sure you review some other stuff while you're there (such as the good restaurant you got in to) so you don't look like a crank who slags off everything.

MarkR

What actually happened, I read you had a long drive, had trouble reaching the restaurant by telephone, managed to create an internet booking, then I'm lost. What does "too bad" mean? They couldn't accommodate your reservation? If that's the case, I would be annoyed all right. You do seem to be bringing quite a bit of baggage to the issue, your family members flying in, the length of the drive, none of that is really relevant to the issue.

If they were rude, point it out in a registered letter to the company. If they couldn't accommodate a reservation they'd accepted online, put it in the letter. This part about making sure everyone in earshot knew of your issue doesn't sound great to be honest. There is making a complaint, and making a scene.

Realistically, what are you hoping to achieve here? I presume you'll never be going back, so any offer from the place isn't going to work. They're not going to send you money in compensation. You can't / won't name the place, so it's not going to help people avoid the place.

Best thing for bad service, report the issue to someone who can do something about it. Never go back (unless you really want to) and if it comes up in conversation, tell your friends why you won't be going back.

hearmehearye

happyoutscan wrote:

Where are these friends of yours located on their respective TripAdvisor rankings? I'd wager that if they were near the top then of course they would be taking them seriously, it can certainly impact on a business whether positively or negatively. It's easier to say couldn't give a damn when your reviews aren't particularly great.

2 are number 1 in their respective moderately large towns, the others are in the top 5. No one engages/replies to any of the reviews left there.


Most of these establishments were around long before TripAdvisor was. If note was to be made of every single thing that customers don't like, nothing would ever be done! I've dealt with a complaint that staff were too nice once. A serious complaint. Some people love finding fault (I'll admit I'm like this in hotel rooms) and thankfully most owners and managers know the type to do that, and respond accordingly.

dslamjack

The real fact of the matter is that the booking was confirmed by e-mail,the day before the expected meal, now say you were lucky enough to get a ticket to the Ireland v Italy game in France during the euro's - booked your flight ticket on line with a major carrier - had your printed confirmation ,turned up at the Airport with your luggage only to be told - listen that website is only for advertising and to give the public the illusion we are a caring company - we don't pay any attention to it now go on home.
I bet the anti terrorist squad would have been called to deal with you,in any decent business you look at your diary, your e-mail ,your schedule for the day ahead,your voicemail etc - all someone had to do was put a message on their website to say their were fully booked - NO BIG DEAL - I had rang a sea tour company in the vicinity to enquire about a sea tour but was told they were booked up for the week - again no big deal ,I changed my plan's accordingly- what's at issue here is the pure lack of professionalism and any attempt to make am mend's for the mistake on their behalf.
If you went to an ATM to find no money in your account and rang the bank to hear them say ''we don't bother with that website,don't believe any thing on it '' you would also be upset.
We have had year's of companies behaving badly toward customer's and in fairness shop's and trade's etc , especially in Dublin - I have found staff to be attentive , professional , polite and efficient , a long way from the the old day's of what do you want - as a certain pub spy used to say where service is good ,the staff excellent and the facilities even better, then the business should be rightly applauded and there staff given the thank's and praise they deserve.
Poor customer service is bad , and if some thing is bad it's rotten,I don't blame the staff just obviously the management - because all it took was to say we are so brilliant on their website - we are booked up for the next month - join a q or waiting list for a reservation - simple no big deal.

One_Of_Shanks

hearmehearye wrote: »

I've a few friends that own restaurants/cafes etc and of my small sample pool (5!) no one reads or takes notice of TripAdvisor reviews. The really bad ones are shared and laughed about in private.

If they're not reading the reviews then how can they laugh about them and share them?

hearmehearye

kylith wrote:

The OP was mortified, but he isn't 'looking for someone to blame', he's looking for the people responsible to accept their responsibility. Why would he ring and confirm the bookin when he had a confirmation number? I don't phone Ryanair after I book a flight online, or phone a hotel in Spain when I've booked online. The very purpose of online booking is so you don't have to go through the hassle of calling. Not that it would have done him much good if he had since they weren't even answering the phone or checking their voicemail. Why do they even offer online booking if by their own admission it doesn't work?

I don't call and confirm for travel as systems are a bit more fully functioning and more well used, but always do for hotels, even abroad (typically via email). It takes less than 2 minutes and prevents any disasters from occurring. It doesn't have to be the second you book it, the day before or the morning of your arrival is typically enough in my experience. It's nice to be able to introduce yourself and let staff know if you need anything extra (glasses, ice etc), and that you're looking forward to your stay/appointment. It's a small thing that helps build client/staff relationships.

InTheTrees

I would certainly write reviews where you can.

No harm in putting the word out there that their service leaves something to be desired. It doesnt matter that the restaurant itself doesnt read trip advisor, you're warning other potential customers after all. And tourists do read Trip Advisor.

odyssey06

To the OP... as a defensive measure to protect yourself, if you're setting yourself up for a big 'event' dinner like that always make sure you speak to someone.

I am always wary of automated restaurant bookings on websites, especially if it looks like the website doesn't get much attention or updated too often (and I work in IT).

I think that a lot of people would appreciate a review on TripAdvisor etc telling them to particularly distrust any automated bookings from this restaurant.

One wonders why the restaurant has voicemail, if they don't call back... why not make the message say "Sorry, we're unable to take your call right now, please call back if you wish to make a booking."
If they can get the little things so wrong, one does start to wonder about the rest of the operation.

hearmehearye

hearmehearye wrote: »

I've a few friends that own restaurants/cafes etc and of my small sample pool (5!) no one reads or takes notice of TripAdvisor reviews. The really bad ones are shared and laughed about in private.

I do a bit of work with a handful of restaurants in the town (Drogheda) and it's surrounding areas, and in my experience, they all take trip advisor and similar very seriously.

Maybe it depends on the area and popularity of a place, but none of the restaurant owners/managers I know take bad reviews as a laugh at all.

dudara

SB_Part2 wrote: »

Do Irish people really use TripAdvisor? I've never looked for a review of a food establishment in Ireland on TripAdvisor I've only used it to look up reviews of hotels when I'm abroad.

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. It's too easily gamed with too many poor reviewers. If a restaurant is #1 on TripAdvisor, then that actually makes me avoid it like the plague.

One_Of_Shanks

dudara wrote: »

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. It's too easily gamed with too many poor reviewers. If a restaurant is #1 on TripAdvisor, then that actually makes me avoid it like the plague.

Ah so you use it too then...... Just to tell you which restaurant to avoid in each town

dudara

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

Ah so you use it too then...... Just to tell you which restaurant to avoid in each town

I see it when I forget to do a Google search with -tripadvisor -menupages -yelp etc added to the search.

I actually despise TripAdvisor with a passion.

riffmongous

It can only be a positive to have it open knowledge for the public that this place won't honour their online reservations

dslamjack

Well this is the first time I have encountered this in all my year's and as I said , we're not used to dining out,which is why I asked you good expert's for your advice.
I think by and large any where you go and in fairness to the authority's every where is clean and inspected on a regular basis,and no matter where you go in the country, staff in pub's, hotel's ,restaurant's etc are friendly efficient and professional,which is what anybody would expect when you are giving up hard earned cash for a meal ,no matter the occasion or just for the fact you are giving them business.

Turtle_

OP, is it a proper restaurant or a pub-grub scenario?

runawaybishop

Yawns wrote: »

They really don't.

Tripadvisor is a top 50 site in Ireland, its used a hell of a lot. Dunno why people think it isn't

pawrick

Any time I'm going to a place I'm not familiar with or a weekend away etc. I'll check TripAdvisor for nice spots to stop off in for food. I won't take one bad review as Gospel but if there is a trend I'll avoid the place for one with better reviews. Showing their booking system is ignored would be useful to people considering booking in the future.

groovyg

dslamjack wrote: »

I met them in Athlone and after picking them up and getting through rush hour traffic and the M50 brought them to a beautiful seafront harbor area in north Dublin.

I have been in every type of pub's / kip's/takeaway's /roadside diner's /dump's of B n B's and all the rest - up and down this country and across the world from one end to another- but for once I am in shock - embarrassed and flabbergasted at being treated so badly in a run of the mill pub who's only claim to fame - is having a nice view of a harbor area - but serve food that is in no way extraordinary and is readily available in any decent pub/restaurant in the country.

Am I reading this right you drove from Athlone to North Dublin for a meal in a pub? Seriously if it was a Michelin star restaurant I'd understand but for average grub in a run of the mill pub its a bit of a trek. What was so special about this particular restaurant? You can write to the owner of the place but if their customer service was that bad I wouldn't be expecting too much from them, its sounds like they've no problem with getting customers.

dslamjack

Turtle_ - it would be classed as a high classed restaurant /pub , like I said we don't eat out often but if we were going to a hotel I would indefinably check the review's,but I had been at this place more than a few times - the day before was 30 degree's the hottest day on record.
A guy I know in the council told me they had to skim the local beach's with JCB'S the crowd's were that bad.
That's not my gripe ,all they had to do if they can't answer their phone's is too say they were fully booked on line.
We were only a small party , what if some bus tour company booked 3 coach load's on line only to get the same response we got when they arrived ,because nobody bothered to check and as I said above I'm 36 year's in customer service one way or the other ,excuse's can be made but pure rudeness can't be forgotten so easily,especially when you are standing at the top of a Q with family and friend's and the public behind them,not even an attempt to say sorry , would you like to take a seat at the bar while we try to arrange seating/their might be a delay - No just pure rude off hand - too bad so sad bye bye - some people might put up with being treated like dirt in public , but for me when you are parting with hard earned cash I expect the best service possible- simple

hardCopy

miamee wrote: »

I have to agree, I use TripAdvisor quite a lot. I'm more likely to read reviews when I'm in a place I don't know very well to find somewhere decent (whether Ireland or abroad) but I also write reviews for places both here and abroad.

OP I'd contact management to tell them of your experience in a calm and rational manner - no blustering about how you are outraged or how they ruined your brother's holiday or anything like that - the minute you get over-emotional, they are likely to dismiss you as being dramatic and overreacting. Stick to the facts, the service below what you would expect anywhere, the embarrassment of being asked to move aside for other customers, how you'd heard great things about their establishment and were disappointed, etc.

If I go anywhere I'm not familiar with it's the first and usually only place I look. I'll scan the top three or so and go with whatever suits my cravings and budget.

Noisin

Hi, I need your advice ,I met a party of family (a brother who's home from the
state's for the first time in 20 year's - with his family) and member's of the
family and 2 friends earlier yesterday afternoon here.
I met them in Athlone
and after picking them up and getting through rush hour traffic and the M50
brought them to a beautiful seafront harbor area in north Dublin.

I totally see why your annoyed. But alot nicer places to eat than in Dublin. Ya thyme in Athlone is my favourite too and I am hour from there.

I rang the restaurant at least 10 time's on Tue's to make a reservation - got
through and left a voicemail - to which they did not respond to - then because I
had their web page opened - I booked a reservation for a table of 8 people
on-line .. for yesterday evening Wen's at 6.30 pm and received a booking
confirmation e-mail and reservation table number online.
To cut a long story
short,I was basically told after driving for 2 hour's or so,too bad ,our web
site is crap, and another member of staff told me- we don't listen to our
voicemail's - even though I had a print out of the e-mail confirmation and
presented it - could you get out of the way - you and your party are holding up
the Q behind you.

Ya them not being prompt in answering the phone and not listening to messages scream un professional as for having online bookings and not responding to them and recording them as booking kinda defeats the purpose of the system. Generally I find restaurants where the owner is on site are ran far better than a restaurant where there is no sight or sound of them. The few restaurants I love the owners are heavily involved.

I have been in every type of pub's / kip's/takeaway's /roadside diner's /dump's
of B n B's and all the rest - up and down this country and across the world from
one end to another- but for once I am in shock - embarrassed and flabbergasted
at being treated so badly in a run of the mill pub who's only claim to fame - is
having a nice view of a harbor area - but serve food that is in no way
extraordinary and is readily available in any decent pub/restaurant in the
country.
You are the expert's I am asking advice off - I do not dine out a
lot in the last 2 year's due my wife's and I's ill heath - and even then going
to a so called restaurant would be a treat - I am asking you - What do I do,if
anything can be done - my whole family here and abroad are outraged at the way
we treated in a so called Famous restaurant ,,, all I know is I'm still awake
at 3.45am in the morning because the whole rotten experience and embarrassment
won't leave me and let me be - will you all please advise - Thank you

Bad manners in the service industry is rampant for the service provider and for the service user, often both partied have a hand to play. I would put it down to bad luck and dont go there again. I only organise family dinners in reputable establishments, I would do my research on a place I was having a family gathering. It should have been as simple as booking your party in based on availability. But remember you never got verbal confirmation of your booking. Sorry it went that way but I doubt the manager has thought of it since.
I definately think people do have great heed on tripadvisor. Someone said alot of people dont heed it. I dont believe that, I use it all the time.

Sundance_Kid

I use TripAdvisor regularly, before eating somewhere (home and abroad) and also for leaving reviews. I would base where I am likely to eat on it by the restaurants rating and recent enough reviews.

Shint0

I think it would be foolhardy for restaurant owners to ignore TripAdvisor or adopt a snobbish attitude towards it given the amount of traffic to the site, the potential for new customers, and content which is put out there in the public domain. It allows them the opportunity address any negative reviews and give them the right to reply where some complaints might be unjustified or even libellous comments. No business can afford to take that risk although I would imagine the OP might not get a response to their review seeing as the establishment can't even operate basic services such as voicemail and online reservation systems. It's still worth a shot for the OP as some of it might stick.

Whispered

I use trip advisor if I'm going anywhere I'm unfamiliar with. Most people I know do.

I'm surprised at the amount of managers who apparently find it funny when a customer is dissatisfied and leaves a review to that effect.

Faith

Gotta say that I'm disappointed at the standard of responses here.

1. A popular restaurant did not answer its phone after multiple attempts
2. They had a voicemail system set up
3. They had an online booking system
4. The OP attempted to book both by voicemail and online
5. He had a booking confirmation
6. The restaurant refused to honour his booking with weak excuses

"We don't check our voicemail" is not a valid excuse. The restaurant was inexcusably wrong in this scenario, so all of the snarky responses are both rude and unhelpful.

Furthermore, the OP mentions that both he and his wife don't dine out often, as they are both very unwell. I think he can be excused for thinking a booking confirmation was all he needed in this case :rolleyes:.

And finally, a quick look at his posting history indicates that he lives in DCN, which is presumably why he drove his family there. The relations were in Athlone; he brought them to his home neighbourhood.

So, yeah, it's great that he could find another restaurant nearby, but that does not excuse the sh*tty customer service and bad business practices from the original place.