Many eons ago, I wrote a bad review of Quinn’s Tea Rooms in Abbeyleix. The staff were rude, the service was appalling, €11.90 was an obscene price for a slice of quiche served with chips, and my small bowl of vegetable soup which cost €4.90 was watery and tasteless. That was my experience of Quinn’s, and I stand over the review.
Other commenters had better experiences. A few weeks after posting the review, the owner Marie left a comment, stating that Quinn’s has a loyal customer base and would have gone out of business years ago if it wasn’t up to scratch, and that it was fairly priced for the quality of food and service provided.
But rather than address my bad experience, Marie said: “Perhaps Peter you were just having a bad day.” In response, I said that I was having a very good day, that my experience was poor, and it was unfair (I didn’t mention inappropriate) to lash out at a customer when they report a bad experience, albeit publicly.
Nearly a year has passed since Marie’s response. Yesterday, curiously, Marie sent me an email about the original post, which is published verbatim here:
Cheap shot from cheap eats
Peter,
I take your comments on my business as an offensive personal attack, a “cheapshot” in actual fact. Its very easy for someone like you to hide behind your website and make public derogatory remarks about someone else’s business. As acknowleged by your other writer, whose comments I acknowledge and greatly appreciate, we are surviving the recession,why? because we provide good value home made food to our customers. We are extremely busy on a day to day basis, and as you well know in these hard and trying times people speak with their wallets, thats why they come in droves to Quinn’s Tea Room’s Main Street Abbeyleix.Excellent Lavazza coffee, “Real Tea” Good old fashioned home baking, lots of athmosphere, beautiful coffee garden at the rear of the Tea Room’s, and lots of celebrities.Bob Geldof, Ryan Tubirty, Frances Black, Hal Roache, Gay Byrne,Kathleen Watkins, Penolopy Keith,Seamus Heany, but to name a few and believe me the list goes on and on.I would like also to thank all!
our loyal customers both road users and local users forall their custom over the last 27 years. You have made us who we are ” a wonderful oasis on a long and weary road.
Marie
What do you think? Am I being personally offensive to Marie (who I have never met) by giving a bad review? Are all us reviewers just a shower of..?