The Fresh Grocer ripoff Customer defamation instead of customer service Philadelphia Pennsylvania

On today, it took me one hour to buy a single fish. I walked up to the fish counter and was kept waiting by the staff person for 15-20 minutes. He did acknowledge my presence after about ten minutes, but only to ask that I wait while he finished gutting and cleaning several medium size fish.

There were no other customers present, so I wondered why he could not finish the fish cleaning after he had taken my order. However, as I was on my cell phone with my mother, I did not push the issue. When this clerk, whose name I understand now to have been C., finished gutting and cleaning the fish, I was surprised that he did not immediately take my order, nor that of another individual who had joined me.

Instead, he came from behind the counter and greeted a coworker, kissing her on the cheek and chatting as if he had all the time in the world. I raised my brows at this, but before I could speak the coworker ended the conversation by saying that she really had to be going. C. then returned to his post behind the counter, and leisurely pulled on his gloves.

When he finally gave me his attention I told him that I wanted a croaker, cleaned, gutted, and cut not filleted. This caused the price of the fish to increase from $1.99 per pound to $2.99 per pound, so, I was paying for him to clean, gut, and cut this fish according to my specification. When he was ready to cut the fish, C. came to me and asked if I wished it cut like so, and he drew a vertical line down the fish with his finger. I said no. I would like the fish cut horizontally. C.placed the fish on the counter, wrapped it up, and to my utter astonishment, proceeded to hand it to me. Having been charged for cleaning, gutting, and cutting, I did not take the fish. I waved it away an said carefully, I asked you to cut it horizontally. C.looked at me as if I, not he, were the one who was crazy in the scenario. Didn't you see me wrapping this fish up? he demanded.

As the process had taken all of thirty seconds, and as I do not wrap fish for a living, and as I do not really know or care what individuals in C. position do or do not do before cutting a fish, I merely stared back at him in puzzlement. C. threw my fish on the counter behind him and asked the guy beside me for his order.

Enraged would be an adequate term to describe my reaction. I wait for this guy 20 minutes, he doesn't listen to what I tell him, then he has the nerve to try to punish me for his mistake? I immediately placed my basket on the floor and went in search of a manager. The manager accompanied me back to C. whereupon C. proceeded to verbally abuse me.

I was repeatedly called a liar, told that I was full of it, and subjected to treatment I don't even receive from winos on the street, less on representatives of a grocery chain. C. then uncategorically refused to apologize to me and another manager was located, who asked me to wait at the front while he went to get my fish and ensure that it was cut. Thus, I waited another 5-10 minutes before the manager returned, handed me the fish, and assured me that C. would be dealt with. After I paid for the fish (it was not given to me or discounted in any way), I returned home, quite unmollified. When I opened the fish, it had a single cut across the middle.

Perhaps if I had not worked for several years as a manager myself and dealt with a variety of disgruntled customers, not to mention having taken several classes on customer service, and spoken with customer service representatives in a variety of venues, perhaps then I might not have been so astounded. But the fact that it had taken me thirty minutes to get a fish cut in half, when halved was not what I had wanted anyway, nearly choked me as I glanced at the fish.

I called Fresh Grocer on Walnut and informed them that I would be bringing the fish back to the store. It seemed to me both then and now that providing me the finest shopping experience ought to have included more than now that one of our associates has duly insulted you, we will ensure that you receive some version of the service you paid for one hour ago.

For a store that boasts of its commitment to customers, that seems grossly inadequate. The disrespect and wasted time were not even addressed. Rather, management seemed to assume that the entire situation could be remedied by handing me a fish that was cut in half an hour after I had requested it and a vague promise to deal with the offending associate. That is not the case.

Franciska
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.