Emails from Jonathan
Jonathan to Rhoda Email 1 – Thursday 26th Feb 13.16pm
This is a copy of an email that I sent to Rhoda yesterday. I haven’t had a reply yet. Could someone deal with this ASAP?
Jonathan “Hi Rhoda – I trust you had a good break. The above is my second order from you. It included a pack of your “whole tail scampi”. The reason for the quotation marks will become clear.
I bought them on the back of your description, which is quite bluntly a misdescription: “Unlike a lot of breaded scampi on the market, you will notice a difference even before you taste it. The scampi fills the breadcrumb shell; you won’t be eating a pocket of air.” That’s the first problem. That’s exactly the same as a lot of scampi on the market. I both oven-cooked and deep-fried a batch. They didn’t bake in the oven. They boiled because of the added water. They splattered and spat in the oil, for the same reason. No way on this planet are they whole tails. Removing the crumb shell after cooking revealed some of the whatevers in there to be angular in shape. They had been through some sort of extruder. Not all, some. Langoustine tails are not angular. As for the actual product? A tasteless, wet, and pappy lump of something. No texture to the filling. No flavour either. So, in a nutshell, Toby Inn’s or chip shop quality Farm Foods “Scampi Bites”. Buy a bag of Harry Ramsden’s Jumbo scampi from Iceland and compare them to yours. Seafresh aren’t in the same league, whatever your fanciful description says. Ramsden’s are big, firm scampi tails that taste like scampi, and they don’t boil in the oven. Very disappointing. Wasteful, too. No way will I be eating the rest (about 600 gms). What’s the point? I may as well roll up balls of damp kitchen towel and eat those. I look forward to your offer of resolution.
Kind regards. Jonathan
Reply from Rhoda 13.29pm: I am dealing with it; I will call you later, but I have refunded the scampi already. I have not had a chance to email you, so I will call you as it is easier.
Reply from Rhoda 13.52pm: Also, we have not been getting our emails due to a technical issue; all have piled in at once, Jonathan, which has hindered our response 🙂
Reply from Rhoda 13.52pm: Might as well just do it now; sorry, email is best as the phones are
Mad. Sorry I have the Scampi all the time and totally disagree with the cooking in the oven. When I oven bake them, they come out fine. However, they are not large; they are whole prawns and not reformed. The count on the website shows 45-50 per 800g, so it gives you an idea of the size. Some companies provide JUMBO scampi, sounds more like the ones you are taking about; you may get 20 per pack. We MUST by law (FSA) use the description from our supplier, which is “Breaded Whole Tail Scampi.” I am sorry you are disappointed; we don’t want you to be unhappy, hence the refund. We do sell lots of the Scampi with lots of happy customers. I can see a link has been added to the description by our marketing team, which I did not know about. It tries to explain the difference in scampi that is available, but the way I read it, it hinders rather than helps, so I will get that removed. So I have refunded £20.95 to your payment method, which I think is PayPal Pay Later, so I am not sure how that works (that’s all through you and PayPal). Thank you for the feedback; now with your feedback, I can correct the description that has been edited.
Jonathan to RhodaEmail 2 – Thursday 26th Feb 14.10pm:Right. So what you are saying is that I’m lying, that your taste buds are more refined than mine and that I don’t know how to cook? We are recreational sea anglers with a limited shellfish permit. Do you know what that even is? It means that we can set a limited number of pots. We take, amongst other shellfish, langoustine. I know what langoustine is, looks like and tastes like. I’ve been cooking for longer than you’ve been on this planet. Possibly what’s happening at Seafresh is what happens at other badly run companies. Your buyer may be on the take, you’re paying full price for a #1 product and selling a substandard product, and the supplier and buyer are splitting the difference. You like these? Bet you think Nandos is fine dining. You’ve lost a customer and opened the floodgates of Trustpilot and every social media platform that you’re on. Well done you. What a Sales Manager. Enjoy. Jonathan
Reply from Rhoda: 14.34pm: That is not what I am saying at all and there is no need to be rude. We are not badly run and do not do any of the things you are suggesting. You don’t like the sampi and I have taken that on board. It is not what you expected, I am sure you know much more than I do, I take that on board too with utmost respect. I have refunded the full cost of the product and explained as much as I can to you. I am not sure what else I can do? You have told me how bad I am at my job, how bad the company is, told us our buyer is on the take all because you don’t like our Scampi? If there is more you would like from me please let me know. Rhoda
Jonathan to Rhoda Email 3 -Thursday 26th Feb
It was my job to sort out fraudulent activity in companies. It’s a classic. I said possibly and may, not that they are. Comprehension clearly isn’t your strong point. Of course, you’re crap at your job. You’ve lost a new customer, a valuable source of recommendations, and opened the floodgates to a tsunami of negative reviews on social media. Rhoda, instead of the lecture, all you had to do was reply to my initial email with a simple “so sorry, I’ll refund immediately and look into what’s happened.”
Then, guess what? You’d still have a customer, referrals, and a glowing Trustpilot review about how good your customer service is. Now that I’ve educated you about how to do your job, please reply with the contact details of the most senior executive in your organisation.
Jonathan to Seafresh – Email 4 Thursday 26th Feb 16.10
My “Delicious” Seafresh “Not Whole Tail” Scampi regrettably did arrive. I wish it hadn’t. 600g was thrown into the recycling bin. I threw it back. I have, of course, posted a one-star review on Trustpilot. That’s why your Trustpilot rating is down from 4.9 to 4.7. You know, all Rhoda had to do was say “sorry, won’t happen again, here’s your refund” but your “Sales Manager” opted for a “Basil Fawlty” style defensive/lecture email rant. Had she opted for the professional “The Customer’s Always Right” traditional approach, you would still have my custom, recommendation business and a 5-star rating review about great customer service. She’s not the sharpest chisel, is she? Maybe best if she hadn’t been promoted out of the packing room? All the best!
Jonathan to Rhoda Email 5 Friday 27th Feb 8.10 am
Good morning Rhoda
Trust you slept well. Trust? Trustpilot? They’ve rejected your cowardly attempt to take down my reviews. Defamatory? No truth is defamatory, Rhoda. I’ve already knocked 2 points off your Trustpilot rating. I’ve only just started. Now, I did ask for the contact details of your most senior executive.
Remember? Jonathan
Jonathan to Seafresh: Email 6 Friday 27th Feb
Enquiry Message: Why can’t I leave a review on your site? I’m redirected to a site that says you don’t allow reviews to be posted. Why’s that? I’m a fully paid-up customer. I’ve asked Rhoda for contact details of the most senior executive in your organisation. I’ve asked and reminded her at least four
times. She appears to be ignoring my requests. Perhaps you could oblige? Oh, and I’ve left a couple of reviews on Trustpilot. I hope you like them. Jonathan