Boathouse sushi

hostage of paid funds & food

I placed an order and paid online — the total was R726.79. The payment was successfully processed and deducted from my account. The confirmation screen indicated that Boathouse Sushi had received the payment and was awaiting someone to “accept the order.” However, after 2.5 minutes, no one accepted it, and the order was automatically cancelled. I received an email confirming the cancellation and stating that the refund would be processed within 48 hours (or, in rare cases, even longer). I then placed the order again, hoping it would work — and the exact same thing happened. When I called Village Square, I was told, “they didn’t hear the ring,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. This is completely unacceptable — for it to happen twice, and now I’m nearly R1500 out of pocket, with no food, and no immediate refund. The only solution offered by Vincie was that I could place another order and pay when collecting it in person. That is simply not good enough. I’m now waiting for a call back from Manager Jake, and I expect this to be addressed seriously. This level of service is highly unacceptable. And it is not the first time (but it will be the last)...The last time I ordered online, I paid and received a confirmation with a set pick-up time. When I arrived, there was only one order waiting, which was clearly mine. I gave my name, but the staff member asked me to provide proof. I showed both my proof of payment and the confirmation message that my order was ready for collection. She still refused, saying it was not sufficient. I then presented my ID, which matched the name on the order, and even described in detail what was inside the order that was sitting there. Despite this, she still declined to release it, insisting there wasn’t enough proof that I was the rightful customer. This back-and-forth dragged on for about 10 minutes until I completely lost my patience. I must say, the sushi itself is excellent. However, after what happened today, I have decided never to order again. The first time, it felt like my fully paid food was being held hostage. This time, it feels like my money was taken hostage — twice — since I now need to wait 48 hours just to get my refund.