Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Gives You A Rotten Apple, Then Calls Security
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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Comments:
dare I say it,
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory runs a business that is sorta.... 'shitty'
I can't put my finger on why, but this story is making me lol. I guess that makes me a bad person.
Anyway, shame shame RMCF!
Wow. Over an apple?
If it were me, I wouldn't have wasted the gas or time either. I would have instead spent 10 minutes from the comfort of my home finding someone contact to using the Internet. It certainly would been more productive than going round-and-round with rent-a-cops and a part-timer who was likely making $8/hr.
You'd be amazed what you can accomplish with succinctly worked email (and those attached pictures).
This food chain literaly sounds like a crap hole. I'd never been to a rocky mountain chocolate factory, and given the stories listed, the little girl craping her self, the rotten apple, combined with the service. It just doesnt sound like a place I'd want to spend my money at. Given the situation where everyone is hurting and cant afford the "treats" like they could before you'd think this store would have given them 2 free apples.
Again with these chocolate people? Who do they have running their stores?
I've never been to one and I don't think I'll ever bother to go now.
thats a delicacy!!
in Somalia
Strike 2 RMCF.
I to agree that the customer response what out of proportion to the incident. A few telephone calls would have been as (or more) effective. Since it seems that the OP is willing to go to any lengths, some constructive suggestions:
Your local health department will take a great interest in a store selling spoiled food.
Also, since you have such a clear photo, this is an easy story for media beyond Consumerist to pick up. Your local newspapers, and perhaps TV could make an easy story of this, especially since a child was involved.
... That apple didn't turn brown. If it turned browned, there would not be any white spots left!
It's rotten to the core...
After the chain wouldn't help the mom and let her daughter use the restroom resulting in the girl pooping her pants, why does anyone patronize this chain?
Once the skin has been compromised, apples are not long for this world. RMCF, test kitchen much?
Precut fruit, when you can't get a clear view of the flesh, is a pretty risky purchase though.
How much does an apple like this cost?
Heh... Before reading the story, I was expecting to read about someone getting diarrhea from a rotten apple and then being refused bathroom access.
With all the tainted food scandals going on lately, you'd think a store would be more conscious of the PR impact of doing something like this.
Uhh, overreact much? I'd say the worker was rude and unresponsive, but is probably being paid $7 an hour and felt threatened by your response and felt the need to call security. Workers are within their rights to do that.
@Lunaped: you are right, it appears that the apple was rotten even before it was cut. Probably was on the stick for quite a while, at least a couple of days.
If you mist sliced apples with a solution of lemon or lime juice in water, they won't brown so quickly.
So, if the OP ate the rotten apple, and then had to use the, ahem, restroom, I think we can safely assume that request would be denied here as well.
In summary, RMCF has:
1. rotten apples
2. poor customer service
3. lack of empathy
@failurate: You're looking at an apple that is close to $4-5, last time I check. A little more pricey than carnival apples.
How hard would it have been for the store to just replace the apple? Is there a hard apple inventory? Would the employee have had their pay docked? Been fired? Sometimes it's just easier to make the customer happy than to try and stand your ground for whatever inane reason.
and is that a Granny Smith? Granny Smith's don't turn brown that quickly, at least when compared to other apples, like say the a Pink Lady or Red Delicious which will turn brown before you're done eating it.
RMCF taking an early lead on the Worst Company Award for '09... WTG!!!!
I actually have to call BS on the concierge saying they couldn't do anything about it "because security said they couldn't."
I worked right next to the mall concierge at Lenox Mall in Atlanta for a while and learned the protocol. (But I didn't actually work for Simon Malls, and never will. I worked for a non-profit arts organization that sold half-price theatre tickets. Think TKTS for Atlantans.) Now, if this is a Simon mall, or just about any equivalent, informally they are above the security guards. Formally, they're pretty much at the same level, but they're always instructing security guards in terms of proper courses of action. Methinks the concierge was just lazy and didn't want to deal with it, because the first step should have been escalating this to the main mall office, not security.
Sue the bastards.
I've been thinking about these consumer complaints gone wrong posts and remembering back to my lengthy days in the service and retail sector. This isn't a blame the OP but two customers, with the same problem, can bring complaints in very different ways. Many customers point out the problem as it is, a mistake made in myriad of transaction the store deals in every day. They're not upset and resolution is fairly quick and painless. But on the opposite end there were always customers than bring a complaint as if it were a personal and intentional infraction upon their being and you are an blumbering dunderhead for allowing such a travesty to occur. Not necessarily over-reacting but transitioning immediately into an confrontationally-tinged attitude. I remember it taking me a long time to learn that these people both wanted the same thing and that I shouldn't take the brunt of the latter type personally.
@testsicles: to summarize, it's a special service employee that can resolve both quickly without getting personally involved. Maybe they just don't teach people how to do that anymore?
@testsicles: One would think I know my apples, but I snickered loudly at your post with three apple type names.
Granny Smith
Pink Lady
Red Delicious
They all sound like female-part euphamisms. I gotta get my head out of the gutter.
@FormerEA: And customers are within their rights to complain. If you service the public and do it crappily, expect some repercussions. End of story.
Can we get a phone number so we can bombard this place with calls or emails. Yeah, I'm in that kinda mood today.
Anyone notice the carmel?
That probably seeped into the apple in the hour that it was sitting around and turned it brown.
Why are so many faulting the OP for going back to the store? That should be the first line of defense. For many, the best way to resolve a problem is face-to-face. Human contact. Eye contact and a firm handshake. You know, like the old days? So she called ahead first, and was brushed aside, but realized that any reasonable person would, upon seeing that apple in person, admit the mistake and replace the apple. Case closed. Repeat customer.
Online customer contact forms, while convenient (especially for the business), are not always personable. Some people like "personable" more than "convenient". Don't fault them for that just because you're a little lazy and would do it a different way :) . We should thank people like Nohreen who go out of their way to make sure that customer service is "taken seriously". It makes it easier for the rest of us who would be too lazy to make the same effort.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I read an article here a while ago about Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, where they refused to let a little kid use the bathroom then he pooped all over the place? Or was that someone else?
@SkokieGuy: Going to the health department is a good call.
I think I'll join in saying, "All this for an apple?"
Spoiled food is bad food though. I would have told the store to expect a health inspector within the day. Regardless of whether RMCF gave her another apple, chances are that they're not up to code.
@dorianh49: Completely, 100%, agree. Going to the store is always the first thing to do.
I wouldn't do it, but glad someone else is.
But in the case of food, even if they correct the problem, a complaint should still be made to the health inspector.
@linus:
I wouldn't do it, but glad someone else is.
To clarify, in this case. Done it before under different circumstances. I wouldn't do it for a $5.00 apple.
Sorry for the triple post.
Yes, that was Rcoky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Huntington Beach, CA that didn't let the sick girl use the restroom.
This story doesn't cite where the store is or have any details... which is a little annoying.
It sounds to me like the employee needs some customer service training. The whole thing most likely could have been solved with an apology, a replacement and maybe a coupon or customer accomodation for a free apple.
The apple is disgusting! There is a difference between rotten and rusting!
It doesn't seem that the employee was ready or able to admit that anything could have been wrong. If so, he/she should not be in a supervisory position.
I would suggest the OP goes to the website and email everyone possible with the problem.
Working 2 years in a produce department, I consider myself an expert. That apple could not have turned that color, in the locations it did, after it was cut open.
@hardtoremember: I agree. It's utterly ridiculous that such a simple fix (apology & product replacement) became such a brouhaha.
@timmus: that's what I thought... remind me to never visit one of these should I ever stumble across one.
@dorianh49: Normally, I'd agree with you. It would make sense to deal with the issue in person rather than escalating to the corporate management. But--presuming that the OP provided an accurate description of the account--the store staff was already unhelpful/hostile when she called them on the phone. Showing up in person is just being confrontational at that point.
I've never heard of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory until I read the stories about them on this site... I will however NEVER eat at one should I come across their stores in the future.
God that is disgusting.
I don't know about the prices in the poster's area but we have a RMCF in the mall in Burlington MA and the apples are more in the $7 to $8 range here. Having recently purchased one I can tell you they are worth that much, assuming the apple isn't rotten like this one. They use really good ingredients and heap it on there.
If I paid that much for a rotten apple I'd bring it back too. At the Burlington store though I haven't seen precut apples, usually you buy one and they cut it for you at time of purchase. I'm guessing this apple got cut for sale one day and didn't get rotated out with old stock. A likely mistake, but RMCF should have just owned up and given Nohreen a new apple IMHO.
Sheesh.
The company charges $5 bucks for a carmel apple, and when a customer brings one back that is obviously nasty and spoiled they call security on them?
Next call: Public Health Department. They LIVE for stopping this sort of crap.
Second call: local news rag. Good public interest story.
Third call (or letter): Mall Management for the ridiculous treatment by 'security.' With the economy sucking as bad as it does and will be sucking, little abuses of morality like this won't help their bottom line much.
BTW - where is this place located? I may give a call there myself. I hate overpaying for rotten food just as much as the next guy, and untrained rent-a-cops like these jokers make me laugh.
Overreaction, but there's nothing wrong with calling security to avoid a confrontation. I've seen so many retail associates and return desk cashiers verbally abused I can't blame them for trying to preemptively defuse a situation. And at least it wasn't one of the self-righteous rent a cop types, a guy just doing his job, not a Dirty Harry wannabe.
/Devil's Advocate
That being said, way to not handle a complaint, RMCF. That's some shitty service
/finger wagging
It's funny how something so easy to fix wasn't fixed. Give the crying kid that got their parent to drive back to the store for another apple what they want!
I've done demos (free sampling) where you have to use apples that turn brown quickly to dip in caramel. It can be frustrating if you lose some product, but what employee could possibly think it will help your job if you poo-pooh on your customers? Sure you may have to explain to your supervisor why you wasted apples trying to work ahead, but it sure is better than looking for a new job.
Why did the person just go to their Web site and either call or email corporate customer support?
If you go to their site they have an apology up already:
[rmcf5.com]
Oh, come on guys. She wanted a caramel apple. She probably spent the entire car ride home thinking about how wonderful that apple would taste, and then got home and was denied. Of course she went back to the store immediately! She wanted another apple! It's not like she was asking for a huge settlement, she just wanted satisfaction.
There's very little as disappointing as getting home and finding out there's something wrong with your anticipated treat. I'm sorry lady. Also, I'm done with RMCF and their overpriced goodies.
Guess those employees were some bad apples...