Here's a strong version that focuses on the service, the attitude, and the quality of the replacement without sounding exaggerated:
I rarely, if ever, write negative reviews, but after being a customer of this location since the late 1980s, I think I've finally reached the point where nostalgia has kept me coming back longer than I should have.
I recently went in and ordered a Philly cheesesteak over the counter. I waited patiently, tipped well, and about 20 minutes later an employee looked me directly in the eye, handed me a sandwich, and told me my order was ready.
I got home, opened the sandwich, and found a turkey sandwich. Completely different order.
I immediately called the store and explained what happened. Instead of an apology, I was told I needed to bring the sandwich back and that the entire sandwich needed to be there. Of course the entire sandwich was there. I hadn't touched it. I was also told they would start making my correct sandwich while I drove back.
When I returned, the person I spoke with, who appeared to be a supervisor, manager, or owner, told me, "You must have taken the wrong sandwich."
No. Your employee handed me the wrong sandwich and told me it was mine.
When I explained that, the response was essentially, "Well, I was on break, so I don't know."
That attitude bothered me far more than the original mistake. Mistakes happen. Handing someone the wrong sandwich is an easy mistake to forgive. What isn't so easy to overlook is treating the customer as though the mistake was somehow their fault, requiring them to drive all the way back, and showing virtually no apology or concern for wasting their time.
Then came the replacement sandwich.
The original cheesesteak I watched them prepare went through the pizza oven. The replacement did not. They also used American cheese instead of the cheese I ordered, and the sandwich was noticeably underbuilt, with very little meat, as shown in my photo. After the interaction I had just experienced, it was difficult not to view the replacement as passive-aggressive.
What should have been simple was, "We're sorry. We handed you the wrong sandwich. We'll make this right."
Instead, I felt accused, inconvenienced, and then handed a lesser sandwich as though they were doing me a favor.
I've been coming here since the previous owners, going back to the late 1980s. Unfortunately, this also isn't the first time recently that I've received substandard service or a substandard product.
At some point you have to stop judging a place by what it used to be and judge it by what it is today.
For me, this experience did exactly that.
I'd keep the photo of the underbuilt cheesesteak attached. It supports the part of the review people might otherwise dismiss as subjective. read more