The Boathouse Tavern and Grill, Dawlish Warren

As an ex-retail management employee I felt compelled to write about a recent trip to The Boathouse in Dawlish Warren.

We had our meal and went to pay. On presenting my credit card, the supervisor was having trouble with the hand held PDQ machines. After a couple of connection attempts he sent a member of staff to get the manual swipe machine and carbonated receipts from the office, I waited for fifteen minutes and he returned with the manual machine but no receipts so he was sent back down to get them. After five minutes of inserting my card this way and that onto its platform the supervisor went off to find the boy who was off to find the carbonated slips. A waitress asked if we were being seen to and we replied yes we were being sorted! So glad she never asked if were ok.

The boy returned without the slips or the supervisor and we were told he was turning the phone lines off for thirty seconds. On the supervisor�s return he said he would try the line again. I asked if I would be receiving any discount for the long delay. He said because there wasn�t a problem with the food, as such, there could be no reimbursement but did I have any other means of payment. The answer to that was no.

My issue is not with the food here but while we are on the subject:-
My boyfriend was left at the bar by the only member of serving staff who went off to set a table and never returned for five minutes. In the meantime our dinner was served, an accompaniment sauce was missing because they had forgot about it and to say the food was luke warm would be an over estimate and nobody actually came round with the general., �Is everything all right with your meals?�

On trying the machine again He said he would try the one downstairs and if there was no joy he might have to right it off. I asked to speak to the manager and on his return we were lead to the downstairs bar to meet the manager. We were asked if they gave us the �1.50 fee charged by the ATM in the amusement arcade would we go and get the cash. I again, said, would we be given a further discount because not only had we waited so long we now had to put ourselves out to pay. We were greeted by a very stubborn attitude saying the fault lay with BT. We said they should have some manual slips ready for such sabotage, as they did in the (different company) stores that myself and my boyfriend had worked in previously so the fault was no longer just BT�s. After all we had been waiting a good twenty five minutes to pay. There was no give in her attitude, stating that she couldn�t believe we were actually asking for a compensatory measure, so I asked if I could have the head office address to complain. She said she would give us a slip on our return.

We set off to the arcade retrieved the money and when we returned the supervisor or manger was nowhere to be seen. We asked a the bar man if he could get the manager. A couple of minutes he said as he went off to serve some food. Fair enough. On his return we politely asked again.
The manager didn�t come back but the supervisor. We paid him. He apologised because that�s apparently that�s the best that they could do despite our thirty five minute inconvenience. He gave us a compliments slip with the details of head office, signed regards Sally Carr (the manageress). Would you believe it was the address to The Boathouse. Now I could think of a better terminology to use but I do believe she was just adding insult to injury.

Is it no wonder the conglomerates in every industry are bringing the small business into extinction. �We can�t compete,� is the general cry. How much does good customer service cost? Is it no wonder our tourist industry is on decline? If this is the sort of service that visitors to County or shores can expect.

I will certainly not be making a return voyage to This Boathouse and I advise not to.

20 Nov 2005 18:52