Shambolic!

I visited Costa coffee at Next Ventura Tamworth today. What a horrific experience it was! There were four staff in the coffee shop, 2 serving, one tidying tables and bringing out cups and one was doing not very much, except being rude to customers and putting on an absolutely shambolic display of customer service. I later found out that she was a supervisor and in overall control today! I entered the queue at around 2.45pm to 2.50pm. The queue was fairly long, around 12 people in front of me. But the staff were so very slow, slower than usual. There were only two ladies serving, one taking orders and serving them and she was toasting sandwiches at times too. One was making hot coffee at the far end of the counter. Another young girl was clearing tables and bringing out clean cups and plates and the final girl woman/girl was wiping down the side when we arrived. This is the lady I’d like to bring to your attention today. I got into the queue and my son went to fetch a toasted sandwich. As he walked up to the fridge where the sandwiches are displayed, a woman was rearranging the sandwiches and then she pulled down the shutters so that nobody could take any sandwiches out. When my son went to take a sandwich from behind the fabric shutter she shouted to him that he couldn’t have that. She said the only ones he could have, were on the shelf and then she went round to the other side of the counter where she stood glaring at anyone who tried to select a sandwich from the fridge and shouted to them when they did, that they couldn’t! He came back to me and said she had told him he couldn’t have a sandwich which was clearly available. I told him to wait in the queue and I went to get one for him. She saw me and said that I couldn’t buy a sandwich on any other shelf but the one that was open. “We’re only selling the ones with 50 percent off now”. I asked if it was closing time and she said no, it’s what we’re doing. We’re only selling the 50 percent off sandwiches now”. I said that that was rubbish if you aren’t closing and there are sandwiches left on the shelf to be sold.” She gave me a filthy look and turned her back on me! The man infront of me commented on how rude she had been. I laughed at the time and said “service with a smile hey!” The time was 2.55pm. As I stood in the queue and waited and waited, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. The same rude woman, instead of helping her colleagues to reduce the number of customers in the queue; she walked out of the kitchen area, shoulder barging into the youngest member of staff whom she didn’t apologise to. This member of staff had a look on her face that told me she was upset about it but like it was just the norm. Not the way to be treating staff that she is supposed to be leading today. I felt it was bullying, but then I don’t the full story. She then went round to the sandwich fridge and opened the shutter. She began filling it with fresh sandwiches from boxes. It was like she was taunting us, the shelves were full but we couldn’t buy any! People were going to take a sandwich and she was refusing to let them buy anything. She moved more 50 percent off sandwiches down to the shelf below and then filled the spaces with fresh sandwiches, which people weren’t allowed to buy. I sent my son over to ask her if he was allowed to buy a sandwich now. The people behind me commented that that was brave! He was polite and asked if he could just have a cheese and tomato toastie because its the only one he likes, and she tutted at him, snatched it off the shelf (not looking at him) and shoved it backwards to him, almost hitting him in the chest! Fortunately he stepped back so that she didn’t hit him. Her attitude was disgusting. I heard people in the queue talking about the incident, some gasping at her attitude and others for the fact that he was allowed a sandwich and they weren’t! It took a further 15 minutes to get to the front of the queue and whilst we stood waiting, I watched the same woman be rude to several other customers and then throw sandwiches, which wouldn’t fit on the shelf, over the counter onto the work surface behind the customer counter. Some falling on the floor. The people in the queue were all talking about the fact she was throwing sandwiches and they were landing on the floor. The other staff were having to dodge these whilst navigating around their working area, collecting hot toasted sandwiches, cakes and make cold drinks. Not only was she endangering her colleagues whilst handling hot food and hot liquid and also creating trip hazards; but she was also putting on an unprofessional display infront of paying customers. But also the fact that those sandwiches were going to be placed in a clean and supposedly sanitary fridge for people to purchase and eat after they’d been on the dirty floor. I thought this was shocking! I wish I’d have made a video of it at the time, because recounting this now, it just seems unbelievable. Its gross misconduct. People as this point walked out of the shop. I got almost to the front of the queue and I went and asked the lady making coffee if I could speak to a manager. She said there was no manager! Wow, I was in disbelief again. She then said “I’m a supervisor and so is that lady over there” – pointing to the person I wanted to complaint about. I said she’s the person I want to complain about and she rolled her eyes at me. (she has black glasses and light brown mousy hair. I can’t name her because not one of your staff was wearing their name badge!) I asked her if when I got to the front of the queue I could speak to her about the incident. When I got to the front of the queue she came away from the coffee making in the middle of serving a man his coffee. She left his coffee she had made him on the machine tray and went to serve at the till I wasn’t at, as if to avoid speaking to me. What she didn’t expect, was that the lady behind me that she did serve, also wanted to complain and then she had to deal with us both. We both atold her about the incident and asked for the managers name which is apparently Katie. After telling her what happened she said all she could do was pass on our complaint, but I felt sure that she wasn’t taking it serious, they seemed to be friends and passing the incident off as if it was ok and neither of us believed that that would happen. I told her that I didn’t feel she was taking my complaint seriously. She took no details from me or the lady behind me also complaining. She did give me the name of the rude member of staff though and the name of the manager I needed to speak to. The manager was called Katie and the rude member of staff today was Charlie. We eventually received our order, 35 minutes after we entered the queue. We went to find a table and we had to clean and wipe it ourselves. Our cakes were served in a bag on our tray, I’m assuming either because there were no clean plates or they did not want to make any more washing up. Another lazy tactic by staff on shift. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly (it was in keeping with the rest of our experience today) our toastie was burnt and the cinnamon bun which had 50 percent off, was as dry as cardboard and my son sat trying to pick off the dry crusts around the outside. I have photos of the state of the food which we were served today. After the experience I had had with your staff today, I was not prepared to go back to the counter for a further show down. We got up and walked out. I don't think I will ever forget this visit and I can assure you, that myself and many others in the queue today who were equally appalled, will not be visiting this shop ever again. I cannot believe that a store of this size was left on such a busy weekend day, in the middle of the day; with no manager and nobody with any experience, anyone of a mature enough age who can take manager in charge. None of them had any customer service experience to deal with complaints, which are going to come thick and fast when you leave four adults in charge who have an average age of about 20. There were people in that queue today who said they wouldn’t come to your shop again, is this how you want to continue running your business? I know that the complaints you have received about Charlie today are not the first. There are a few comments online about customer service from Charlie recently, so you clearly aren’t dealing with them. Why on earth not? I am a single parent and going to Costa a with my son is a treat. Its not cheap to eat and drink in store so we can’t afford to go very often. I’m not prepared to spend money my hard earned money which doesn’t deserve my custom. Neither am I prepared to pay over the odds for food which is not up to scratch.

anna maddocks - 20/02/2022 | report this review