Prince Of Wales, Covent Garden

I recently wrote to this pub to complain and explained that if I did not receive a satisfactory response I would post the letter on every review site I could find. I didn't hear a word in response so I am therefore posting the letter below.

I am writing to complain about the service we received at the Prince of Wales yesterday.

My mother and I visited the pub for an early evening meal at about 5pm as she was flying to work abroad from Heathrow later that evening. The pub and its atmosphere were initially very welcoming which is why we chose it. We placed an order of two starters (chicken skewers and garlic mushrooms) and one cheeseburger, along with one bottle of wine. The food arrived quickly, but it was clear from the outset that the mushrooms were not going to be a success. They barely looked liked mushrooms in the form in which they were presented and not only tasted disgusting, but also had no hint of garlic. My mum, who was having both of the starters, persevered with the chicken which, although rubbery, was at least edible. However, just before she had finished she found a large piece of plastic right in the middle of the food. At this point she took the plastic out and continued to pick at the remainder (albeit apprehensively) because she was still extremely hungry.
The waiter soon came to take away our food and when he did I politely enquired whether it would be possible to refund the cost of the skewers from the bill as we'd found the plastic in the middle of the dish. The waiter's initial reaction was to snatch the piece of plastic out of my hand and storm off without a word. He came back shortly and said 'what you should have done is complained as soon as you found it'. I explained that she had only found it towards the end of her meal so we had waited for me to finish my burger (which was perfectly adequate) before pointing it out, so as not to ruin the meal completely. He simply repeated that we should have told someone earlier. I calmly said that I did not want an argument but if he was not prepared to refund us the cost of the dish, then I would write to the manager to explain what had happened. At this point, he seemed to erupt - he said 'There's no need to cause a scene' (which neither of us felt I was doing) and then stormed off again, saying that he would refund us the money. Eventually he also said that this would be done 'with apologies'. He hardly came across as apologetic, but I simply thanked him and left it at that.
Shortly afterwards, my mum went to pay the bill at the bar. The chicken had been taken off the bill, for which we were grateful. As far as we were concerned, the matter was closed. However, all of a sudden the same initial waiter interrupted the barman who was putting our payment through the till and took my mum's card away, for no obvious reason. It was not clear what the issue was, and nor was it ever explained to us why this was necessary. It was evident that the two members of staff were having an argument - right in front of us - although we could not get to the bottom of what it was about. Eventually, the initial waiter went to the till to clear the payment (again, for no obvious reason) and continued to repeat to us that we should have said something earlier and didn't deserve a refund, which hardly seemed necessary after the refund had been granted.
The fact that we found plastic in the food was obviously unacceptable. However, a simple apology would have placated us. As it stood, instead, the waiter continued to make sniping and sarcastic remarks which we considered far more offensive than the initial issue. Unless we receive an adequate apology, I will not hesitate in repeating these details on every review website I can find.

I look forward to hearing from you.

1 Jun 2010 12:18