Dozens of restaurants in Tilburg, Oisterwijk, Goirle and Gilze have had to deal with a ‘serial complaint’. The man sent reviews skewing that he wasn’t happy with the food and hinting at compensation. He often got it too, but wrongly it turns out now. Koninklijke Horeca Tilburg is angry. “This smells like a scam.”
The complainant’s working method seems to be the same everywhere. He starts his message or review positively and writes that he has eaten at the restaurant before, or that he had to come by because of the positive reviews. But then he criticizes: the food was not good this time.
The message ends each time approximately as follows: “I want to emphasize that it is normally always perfectly fine with you, but I think in today’s society and with the current costs that if the food is less / bad, this should simply be reported. I therefore hope for a response from you soon.” For example, he does not immediately ask for compensation, but does hint at it.
It is always the same person who signs the messages and sends them from the same e-mail address. Tim Wijdeven of the Tilburg department of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland confirms this.
The ‘serial complainant’ eventually fell through the basket when he sent almost the same message to two different catering establishments. But those things belonged to the same owner and he realized that something was wrong. And he made mistakes more often, says Wijdeven. “He mentioned dishes that are not at all on the menu of the place where he complained. And he even wrote once that he had eaten somewhere while this restaurant was closed.”
“You can’t rely on a review to be genuine.”
Yet restaurants are falling for it. Some businesses have sent vouchers or even refunded part or all of the cost of the food. Wijdeven understands that, because reviews are important for catering establishments, he says. “And a critical review doesn’t have to be a bad thing either. It keeps you sharp and can make you even better,” he says. “But this is ridiculous. So you can’t even trust that a complaint or review is real.”
The chairman of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland in Tilburg therefore advocates a good complaints procedure. Catering entrepreneurs are advised to check carefully whether a complaint can be correct. “So no more email contact, but calling and checking.”
Because the man appeals to the entrepreneur’s hospitality to ‘come to a solution’, there is no question of blackmail or oppression. “That makes it legally difficult to challenge.” Koninklijke Horeca Nederland therefore advises restaurateurs to always file a declaration.
The complainant has now been addressed about his practices and some amounts of money have been refunded and receipts returned.