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O'Briens in the IFSC

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  • 26-01-2009 6:06pm
    #1
    LucyAnne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi,
    I haven't actually done this before but I am so annoyed and angry I feel I should share my experience! I was in an O'Briens Sandwich Bar in the IFSC on Friday lunchtime. I ordered a toasted ciabatta. On my first bite I immediately commented to my friend that it was as hard as a rock. On my second bite my front tooth actually broke. I went up and asked to speak to a manager. The manageress came out and I calmly explained what happened. She apologised and commented that it was 'unfortunate' and said no more too me. I stupidly just asked for my money back and sat down again. However the more I thought about what happened and how I would have to have the inconvenience and cost of going to get my front tooth fixed I thought O'Briens should really get the dental bill. I very nicely and calmly approached the manageress and explained that I would be expecting O'Briens to pay as the ciabatta had been really unbelievably hard. She immediately took offence and suggested I was 'started this business of looking for compensation'. I explained I was not looking for compensation but that I had broken my tooth on a very hard ciabatta in her shop and I would expect them to pay for the cost of getting it fixed. She said she had broken a tooth on a cracker and did not 'sue' the cracker company. I felt she was really getting defensive and was very negative. The worst part was when she suggested that I 'should have paid more attention when I was eating'. I got very frustrated at that point and said some things about bad customer service and left the shop. I got my tooth repaired this morning (having to take time off work) and although it is a big improvement its not perfect and it has knocked my confidence a little. My insurance actually covered the bill but I am still very angry at how the manageress treated me after I incurred an injury after eating a product from her shop. I have found out she is actually the owner and its a franchise of O'Briens. I'm not really sure who to complain to at this point but feel I really shouldn't have been treated like that. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. I'm not looking for any sort of financial compensation but would like for her to realise that she cannot behave like this to her customers or to anyone.


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    #2
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    You might want to invest in a few paragraphs, as that's incredibly difficult to read.

    From what I can make out, you broke a tooth on a hard sandwich, and want them to compensate for the dental costs. You're probably going to need a solicitor, if that's the case.


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    #3
    Lollipops23
    Registered Users Posts: 5,420 ✭✭✭Lollipops23


    hmm,since you won't be needing the price of the bill,i suggest you write to her branch complaining about the lack of service/quality of food and CC it to the head office of O'Briens??it's their name she's using so it does concern them.hope your tooth is ok:(


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    #4
    LucyAnne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭LucyAnne


    Hey

    New to this thing - sorry for such a long post!

    My tooth is a bit sore and not as even as it was before but I suppose I will get over it. I am at a Reception in a big company so I will be conscious of it. Yea I will investigate who in O'Briens to contact - just may take a while to obtain the appropriate name.

    Thanks anyway! Better stop before I make this too long again! :P


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    #5
    RichardB2
    Registered Users Posts: 165 ✭✭RichardB2


    O'Briens HQ is on South William St
    but they'll simply pass you on to the franchisee as they bear no legal responsibility in this instance.


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    #6
    bardcom
    Registered Users Posts: 290 ✭✭bardcom


    To be honest, it would be almost impossible to pursue this. You'd have to show that O'Briens were negligent in some way, and that their negligence caused your tooth to break.

    It would be reasonable for them to argue that it's unlikely that hard bread would have caused a tooth to break on it's own - if it did, most likely your tooth was likely to break at some point in the near future. But if the ciabatta contained something extra-hard, and that O'Briens should have detected it, then you might be in a better position.


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    #7
    LucyAnne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭LucyAnne


    Hi to everyone,

    Many thanks for all the feedback. I will certainly be sending in a letter of complaint to O'Briens Head Office. I know its a franchise but surely they would be shocked at how someone using their name has treated a paying customer. I still feel angry when I think about what she said to me about paying more attention when I am eating.
    Well I am off for lunch now and I will be passing her place and going elsewhere and any of my colleagues who have heard what happened to me are doing the same from now on. They were all extremely shocked at how she reacted to me especially since I was so nice about it!


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    #8
    Bluetonic
    Registered Users Posts: 7,588 ✭✭✭Bluetonic


    LucyAnne wrote: »
    Hi to everyone,

    Many thanks for all the feedback. I will certainly be sending in a letter of complaint to O'Briens Head Office. I know its a franchise but surely they would be shocked at how someone using their name has treated a paying customer.
    Considering the contempt in which they hold their customers with regards to their prices, I'd imagine they couldn't give a rats arse.


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    #9
    RichardB2
    Registered Users Posts: 165 ✭✭RichardB2


    PM send to LucyAnne,
    check it in your account area.


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    #10
    Blue_Wolf
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭Blue_Wolf


    There are different ways to look at this.

    Firstly. The owner should have taken care of you 1st time around, not only apoligising but to offer you free lunch there from than on. A small price to pay to save a painful long road of legality etc etc.
    So yes the owner did a bad job of that and u got annoyed and that's why you went back for more. I can comfortably say that if you were dealt with very very pleasantly 1st time around you wouldnt be taking this any further.

    Secondly. Our society has in the last 5years give or take 1/2 adopted the American approach. We will sue for anything. What I'm saying is you shouldnt have threatened with the whole oh you should pay for my dental bill. I'm a store manager and quite frankly that would really annoy me. Personally like I pointed out in my 1st point i would have avoided this situation entirely. But in future never threaten with Sueing. Doesnt get you any where and it's harder for you both to rationalise.

    Thirdly. Both you and the owner would like to avoid the legalities as the cost of legal fees would mount to more than the bill was. And as she is a sole trader or at most a ltd. You have to incurr your own legal costs regardless of whether you were proven correct or not. So not worth it.

    So what I'm saying is. The owner dealt with the issue poorly which lead you to feel you were poorly treated and she has now lost you and your work mates as customers.
    You could have creamed it a little better if you had sat down with her regardless of her attitude but talk to her in a pleasant way.

    I'm glad you got your tooth sorted out in the end ;)


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