Worst customer service ever.

I’ve been a regular customer at The Second Wife Restaurant and have always enjoyed the meals. However, I was very disappointed with my recent experience.

I purchased the vegetable biryani double deal for R100. When we got home and tried the meal, the vegetables were undercooked, and the overall taste was overly tangy with a strong tomato flavor. I contacted the restaurant to provide feedback and explained that my brother had taken the second portion to work. I spoke with a lady named Simi, who said she would refund R50 and send a replacement meal for one portion, provided I returned the portion we still had. I agreed to this.

After three hours passed and no one arrived, I called again to follow up. Simi then told me she was still waiting for a driver to collect the food and deliver the refund. When I asked about the replacement meal, she said she couldn’t send one. I reminded her of what she had initially told me, but she became defensive, raised her voice, and insisted we had misunderstood. The conversation became quite unpleasant, and she refused to acknowledge the previous agreement.

Eventually, about 15 minutes after the second call, a driver came to collect the food and refunded the R50.

I want to emphasize that this complaint isn’t about the refund. It’s about the quality of the food and how the situation was handled. As paying customers, we expect meals that are properly prepared and service that is consistent and respectful.

I’ve also noticed that when placing orders over the phone in the past, the staff often sound tired or uninterested, regardless of the time of day. There was even a previous instance where we received the wrong order, and while the waiting times have always been long, we never complained because the food was usually worth it.

However, after this experience, I’m genuinely reconsidering whether I’ll continue ordering from the restaurant. I hope you take this feedback seriously and address both the quality control and customer service issues raised.