This review is about Tacos El Goloso, located at 1605 Pacific Coast Hwy, Harbor City, CA…read more
My daughter is an EMT. While on duty, she stopped at this location and placed an order. Before her food was ready, she received an emergency call and had to leave immediately. That's the reality of being a first responder--when a call comes in, you leave immediately, no time to wait for your meal.
Before leaving, she politely asked the cashier to cancel the order and refund her card. Instead of showing understanding or offering assistance, the cashier was dismissive and unhelpful.
After completing the call, my daughter contacted the restaurant, apologized for the inconvenience, and again requested a refund. She was initially told that the receipt had been thrown away. Later, the receipt was apparently found, but she was then informed that if she wanted a refund--or even the food she had paid for--she would have to return to the location in person.
The problem is that she lives more than an hour away and was only in the area because she was working.
I called the following day in an attempt to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, I was met with the same attitude. The employee refused to provide her name, refused to provide a manager's name, and refused to provide any contact information for someone who could address the complaint.
To be clear, this is not about the cost of a meal.
Had the employee been courteous, professional, or even remotely helpful, we likely would have let the matter go. Emergencies happen. Schedules change. We understand that. What prompted this review was not the lost food or the refund itself--it was the employee's rude attitude, lack of professionalism, and complete unwillingness to help resolve a simple customer service issue.
I will also acknowledge that by the end of my phone call, I became frustrated and was not as polite as I should have been. I regret that. However, that frustration came only after repeated attempts to handle the situation respectfully and being met with rudeness and resistance at every turn.
A business can recover from a mistake. What it cannot afford is employees who treat customers with contempt and then refuse to provide any way to contact management when a legitimate concern is raised.
Management should be aware that this employee's behavior reflects poorly on the entire business. If this is how customers are treated when they encounter an unexpected emergency, then potential customers deserve to know before choosing to spend their money here.
