[alsaautomotive]

Sorry all, this is a rant! (& probably a UK issue only).
I had to go to Sussex today to price a job on a Lambo. Journey began at 6am, so I stopped at 8am to avoid the rush hour in Reading services.
£6.95 FOR THE CHEAPEST BREAKFAST ON THEIR MENU!!!!!!!! (The full English I really wanted at that point was nearly £9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
It was the smingiest, most shrivelled piece of rubbish I have ever seen on my plate - & given my Mrs's history with cooking, that really is some claim.
I complained & was offered another - of exactly the same quality
Can I just ask............................Is it me, or.....................?
Why the fq do we have to put up with this crap? & at this price?
I'm not exactly made of money, but I don't have a problem paying for decent food - particularly when I'm hungry.
I asked for a refund - given that I refused to eat the thing & was informed that as I'd ordered it there was not a thing they could do & their policy wasn't to refund for food - simply to offer replacement
So it actually cost me another another £2.15 for some sandwiches from WHSmiths - so I had Cheese & Ham sandwiches today that cost me £9.10
Thanks Reading Services.
Edit - I should add that the plate was covered - so I didn't discover the state of it until I sat down.
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[Pete04222]

That sucks. I'd be pissed off too. I had a similar experience about a year ago at a higher end restaurant. I'm like you, I don't mind the higher prices if I am getting higher quality. Anyway, I ordered a prime rib steak. A half hour later what was presented before me was a hunk of fat with a small medallion size piece of beef in the middle. I looked at it and said, "What's this?" The waitress said, "Your prime rib, sir." I said, "PRIME Rib? I wouldn't feed this hunk of fat to my dog." I asked to see the manager and he came over to ask what was wrong and I told him that I couldn't believe that this plate was set before me. He asked why and I said, "Take a good look at it. Would you eat this?" He looked at it, looked at me and in a flat voice said, "No Sir, I wouldn't." He was very apologetic and offered to get us replacements but time was running short and I said no and that I didn't expect to be charged for this and he said, "Of course not." So at least with my bad experience we weren't charged anything. We'd even had a glass of wine each while waiting for our meals and they didn't even charge us for the wine.

[Chrishawk4]

Originally Posted by Pete04222

That sucks. I'd be pissed off too. I had a similar experience about a year ago at a higher end restaurant. I'm like you, I don't mind the higher prices if I am getting higher quality. Anyway, I ordered a prime rib steak. A half hour later what was presented before me was a hunk of fat with a small medallion size piece of beef in the middle. I looked at it and said, "What's this?" The waitress said, "Your prime rib, sir." I said, "PRIME Rib? I wouldn't feed this hunk of fat to my dog." I asked to see the manager and he came over to ask what was wrong and I told him that I couldn't believe that this plate was set before me. He asked why and I said, "Take a good look at it. Would you eat this?" He looked at it, looked at me and in a flat voice said, "No Sir, I wouldn't." He was very apologetic and offered to get us replacements but time was running short and I said no and that I didn't expect to be charged for this and he said, "Of course not." So at least with my bad experience we weren't charged anything. We'd even had a glass of wine each while waiting for our meals and they didn't even charge us for the wine.

I work at McDonalds.....enough said

[archiegibbs]

Al, you're right to complain. We all know that motorway services are a rip off, but unless people start boycotting them and complaining more they won't do anything about it. Unfortunately, the British public put up with crap food and crap service at rip off prices, we moan about it afterwards, but then go back again for more of the same treatment. We only have ourselves to blame.

We should take lessons from our neighbours in France, they wouldn't stand for it, they would protest, set up a picket line and probably burn the service area to the ground.

I'm sure our American cousins would be vocal about it too.

Britain is a rip off, but only because we let our governments and the big corporations shaft us continually. Time to join the anarchist or anti capitalist movements

[Pete04222]

Sounds like I need to open up a restaurant in the UK. I don't know anything about running a restaurant but I guess that shouldn't be a sticking point.

[archiegibbs]

Opening a restaurant in the UK is easy. Take a poor quality cut of steak (probably from the hind of an old horse or a goat, as long as it's red, the British will think it came from a cow), wipe it around the toilet rim a couple of times, throw it on the floor, stamp on it to tenderise it, spit or piss on it to marinade it, throw it in a gridle pan heated to 300 deg c for 30 seconds until it is black on either side and completely raw in the middle. Garnish with a few pre-frozen Mccain homefries and a slice of tomato. Offer a selection of watered down lager beers for £3.00 a pint and £19.50 later you will have a satisfied customer. Don't forget to add a £2.00 table cover charge and a 15% service charge to the bill and always expect a tip.

[marlin]

Cheapskate that I am, I always take food with me on long journeys, to race meets etc.
I know who made it and know it hasn't cost me a fortune.
The more stories I hear from restaurants etc., the less I want to eat out.

[archiegibbs]

Originally Posted by marlin

Cheapskate that I am, I always take food with me on long journeys, to race meets etc.
I know who made it and know it hasn't cost me a fortune.
The more stories I hear from restaurants etc., the less I want to eat out.

Whenever me and mini-me go to car events we always take a picnic too, for the same reasons. But he actually prefers a picnic, as he thinks it makes his day special if we have a picnic on our camping chairs sat at the back of the car (as you saw at the last concours).

[alsaautomotive]

On the subject of the FOC concours last year (& weren't those portaloo's awesome?), the thing that really pi$$es me off about the M/way services is that Shelby & I stopped off in a greasy spoon cafe on the way home from the show & had the most wonderful, artery busting breakfast & unlimited coffee & orange juice for under a fiver each .
Anyway, I've been told by Mrs Alsa to calm down as I'm "in danger of turning into a cross between Victor Meldrew & Basil Fawlty" apparently

[marlin]

Just cause you're a grumpy old man doesn't make you a bad person - welcome to the club

[t1fosI]

Reading Services - what you find at the local library!

I always end up spending at motorways as am too lazy to make sandwiches, sorry Marlin, Archie but I quite like the fact that we now have an M&S every other services so one can purchase a decent sandwich for a relatively non-inflated price otherwise it is a serious rip-off!