**Subject: Formal Customer Complaint Regarding Service on September 21, 2026**
Dear Italian Village Management,
I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding the customer service I received at Italian Village, located at 1304 South Avenue in Plainfield, New Jersey, on Sunday evening, September 21, 2026\.
At approximately 6:45 p\.m\., I placed an online order that was scheduled to be ready for pickup at 7:10 p\.m\. When I arrived, I was asked whether I would be paying with cash or credit\. I chose credit and paid using Apple Pay\. Fortunately, I did so, because the payment confirmation on my phone ultimately became the only evidence I had that my order had been paid for\.
After waiting approximately 30 minutes beyond the scheduled pickup time, I was informed by the person working the register that he could not locate my order\. When I showed him the payment confirmation on my phone, rather than attempting to resolve the situation or assist me, he continued to insist that I had not paid because his system indicated otherwise\.
I remained at the counter for approximately another 30 minutes while trying to resolve the matter\. During this time, several kind and respectful strangers offered to pay for my food\. I sincerely appreciated their kindness, but I declined because I knew that I had already paid for my order\.
After approximately an hour of waiting, I was finally given my food\.
I want to be very clear: **this complaint is not about a $14 order\. It is about how I was treated as a customer\.**
I have lived in Plainfield and paid taxes in this community for approximately 40 years\. I have never experienced the level of disrespect and poor customer service that I experienced during this visit to Italian Village\.
The employee working the register had an opportunity to handle the situation professionally\. Instead, even after I presented the payment confirmation on my phone, I was repeatedly told that I had not paid\. I was left standing at the counter for an extended period of time without a satisfactory explanation or meaningful effort to resolve the problem\.
As a senior citizen, I believe customers--regardless of age--deserve to be treated with courtesy, patience, and respect\. At no point did I become disrespectful or confrontational\. I remained patient and attempted to resolve the matter peacefully\.
I am especially grateful to the strangers who witnessed what was happening and offered their assistance\. Their kindness was deeply appreciated\. Their intervention provided me with support during an unnecessarily difficult situation\. Quite frankly, without their assistance and willingness to help, I am concerned that the situation could have escalated considerably\.
I hope management will take this complaint seriously and review what occurred, including the handling of online orders and payments as well as the manner in which customers are treated when there is a discrepancy\.
I am not seeking special treatment\. I am asking for something much simpler: **respect, courtesy, accountability, and reasonable customer service\.**
I hope Italian Village will use this experience as an opportunity to address the problem and ensure that other customers are not subjected to a similar experience\.
Sincerely,
Diane M
Plainfield, New Jersey read more