Reader Nohreen says she bought an apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and it turned out to be rotten inside. When she called the store to complain, they told her it wasn’t rotten, just brown from having been cut awhile ago. Nohreen said she’d bring the apple back to show them that it was actually rotten, but they told her not to waste her gas because there was nothing they could do about it. When she got to the store, rather than help her, she says the employees called security.
Nohreen writes:
… The worker said that she personally cut the apple and that it was not rotten. It was brown because it had been an hour since it left the store. The worker also said that they could not do anything about it because apples turn brown. I said I would go to the store to show the worker that it was rotten. She told me that if I wanted to waste my gas, I could go to the store but they still couldn’t do anything about it.
We got to the store at approximately 5:30 PM and proceeded to make a complaint to the worker. The workers would not acknowledge our presence and decided to call security on us instead. Security arrived and took our statement and informed us that if we wanted to make a complaint we would have to go to the mall concierge. After talking with security for roughly 30 minutes, we were escorted to the concierge. We explained what had happened and the person at the concierge informed us that we could not make a complaint at the concierge. He let us know that complaints were only taken at the security office.
The concierge gave us a piece of paper containing the phone number for the storeowner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The store owner was contacted at 6:05 pm. The person who answered had the correct name but she was not the owner of the store. Afterwards, we walked back to the concierge to get the correct number. When we arrived at the concierge, we were told that he could not help us anymore because security had told him so. He then took the paper containing the number, crumpled it up and took it with him. He told us that he could no longer help us and that we would need to call the mall management the following day to get further assistance.
I was appalled that they called the security on me when I wasn’t even making a scene. I was just there waiting patiently for them. It was an insult to call a security on your customer. Also, we were told by the security that according to the employee per the owner they would not replace the apple. A child or anyone could have eaten that apple. I can only surmise the quality of their products and how they conduct their business. In my opinion, it only takes one bad apple to infect the rest of the bunch. When I went to the store, I wanted a replacement….now I want action. They need to learn how to conduct good customer service. I want employees to be trained better, and if needed, be reprimanded…not just employees but the owner as well.
Nohreen sent us some photos of the apple in question. We’re not botanists or anything, but that looks nasty. She says she’s filed complaints with just about every agency out there, and appears to have the situation well in hand, so we’ll just end this by saying, “Ew.”
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Congratulations on wasting 4 or 5 hours of your time over an apple.
Ew man. I just ate lunch.
I have to say that as a RMCF franchise owner, a situation that happened in one store doesn’t represent the entire franchise system of owners. We don’t all have this specific policy in place in how we treat our customers or what our policies are on customer complaints, returns, etc… With over 300 RMCF stores & owners, I find it very unfair to judge us all based on incidents that happened in 1 specific store. I know we pride ourselves on trying to provide the best customer service & to provide exceptional quality products as most store owners do. Knowing many store owners, I can tell you that this incident does not represent how the rest of us run our businesses. Our businesses are our lives & we take our stores very seriously.
Not sure why it matters if the apple were rotten or simply bruised (though it certainly looks rotten to me) – it’s a defective item, and the seller should have replaced it. Besides, at $5 or $7 a pop, you’d at least hope the caramel apple to be ‘edible,’ which this clearly isn’t.
As a RMCF franchisee, I’d like to say that I try to maintain the best customer service at all times. It is greatly disheartening to see these posts, as all of the other franchisees I have met over the years really take personal pride in their stores. When a customer buys an apple and asks to have it sliced, we ask if they’re going to eat it right away, as it will oxidize quickly in the open air. Sometimes, this changes their mind on getting it sliced. I would NEVER refuse a customer a new apple if they weren’t happy with the one they received, even if I did cut it for them myself an hour ago, just because I know I don’t want them to leave my store on a negative note.
As for the bathroom issue, we don’t have a public restroom, either. As a Mom myself, if a customer looked panicked about his/her child not making it to the restaurant next door, I’d let them use it. I know the feeling. However, I need to make sure my employees understand this line and when to cross it. We are not insured for having customers behind our counter or in our back room.
Yeah, avoid RMCF at all cost. I’m sure there is a few good stores out there, but I haven’t been to one.
@Teki: When it’s rare to find a good store, it’s pretty bad overall.
@rmartin: I’m sorry for you. Apparently RMCF franchise just has a “few bad apples”…
OMG.. I nearly peed that was so funny. I’m still laughing, seriously I’m gonna piss my pants.
I’ve worked in a pie bakery where I’d peel and cut hundreds of apples every day. That apple doesn’t look rotten to me, it just looks very, very bruised. It either got knocked around in shipping and arrived that way, was a day or two past its sale date, or hot caramel seeped in around the stick and accelerated the browning. Either way, the complaint was legit. No one would want to eat an apple like that, and unless Nohreen drop kicked it, it was definitely that brown at the time it was sold. RMCF should have given her a refund or an even exchange. Their reaction is hard to fathom.
I worked at RMCF in Tx. for 3 years, and first and foremost, it’s all about customer service. We had many brown apples, and no questions asked, we gave the customer a new one. Second, this reporter does not tell how long after the apple was cut that she complained and took her pic’s. As soon as that stick is put into the apple, air is let in and the browning process begins. Can’t make the apples without the stick, so any apple that has not been consumed within a reasonable time is going to turn brown. That apple was NOT rotten, just turned brown. Anyone who cuts an apple knows this happens. To be fair to RMCF….the wonderful products, and MANY delicious apples they make far out number the one shown here!