I have always believed that there are two sides to every story. I just read this message on the Facebook page of the company that is related to the
Letter from a Reader: A Cockroach in My Drink post so I decided to share it with all of you.
To our valued customers:
Our stores have always followed the safety, cleanliness and quality standards set by the brand’s international operator, and our ingredients are sourced from approved suppliers that adhere to the same strict standards.
In response to the recent claim that questions these procedures, we strongly caution anyone from jumping to conclusions without knowing the condition in which the said drink was kept. As the drink had already been out of the store for several hours, the connection between the incident and the branch where the drink originated cannot be thoroughly substantiated.
The company works hard to ensure the well-being of our customers, and we give you our utmost assurance that we have and will continue to consistently strive to exceed the brand’s global standards. We happily remain at your service.
I absolutely agree with the drink company. i think the customer who complained about the drink should have stated more details. it's completely unfair.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to FP, he always published the other side of the story when he gets access to it. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteThat's good that two sides have been presented, now it's up to the readers to think for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to Binondo Girl episode yday. Chery Pie sabotaged the siomai from Ai-Ai so that she won't be able to supply to Chen Jean Intl anymore. I'm not a fan of the drink, but I'm pretty sure they would keep their reputation safe given the premium they paid for the franchise.
ReplyDeletebaka naman galing sa mouth ni gelay ang cockroach! chozt!!!
ReplyDeleteagree
ReplyDeleteThe drink was bought at around 730pm and was almost finished after an hour. An hour of drinking it with a lid/cover wouldn't possibly let any insect go inside it. The pearls are even "dikit dikit" so obviously the insect had been part of that drink. Why can't you just apologize publicly and claim your mistake? That would be better and would sound very sincere. Maybe this is an isolated case... But it still happened and can still happen to anyone if you don't double check your ingredients and how the staff prepare each and every drink.
ReplyDeleteHow stupid can some people get when the pics are taken at 2 different angles?! The first had no flash and was taken at the top part of the container and the 2nd had flash and was taken from the side the container. GRABE. and ask about the COLOR of the drink?! Di ba nila alam na pag tumagal ang sago sa drink nag hahawa ung colors?! Of course dahil di na ginalaw ung drink naging brown na sa KATAGALAN. The apology message has been published but why can't they just APOLOGIZE publicly kung sincere talaga sila. Ano naman makukuha ng complainant Kung siraan niya and drink? Eh favorite nya yon?
ReplyDeleteAccording to stories..... It was G branch. Why would she make a story she wouldn't even benefit from! Lol! Well anyway, the management should start cleaning their branches and pray that it wont happen EVER again! And pleeeeassseeee stop judging the letter sender! Who would positively react if he/she found out that she was drinking cockroach flavored drink! Lol I'm not against the company or anything but everyone should be open minded.
ReplyDeleteI was supposed to try this beverage today. Sigh. I think I'll pass.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the company handled this situation well by implying that it wasn't their fault AT ALL. It's still possible that the staff didn't check the ingredients or they simply couldn't see it.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that in the Philippines, even the best 5-star restaurant would have a cockroach or two wandering around the kitchen, so it's completely possible that a cockroach would end up in her cup, regardless of the standards that the international franchise put.
I've worked in the food industry for a few years already and I can say from firsthand experience that this stuff happens even in the best and/or most expensive of restaurants.
Makulit talaga ang mga ipis sa Manila, as in.
What's sad is that our country doesn't really have any strict regulations or guidelines for food unlike the US or Europe or Australia. On a side note, you'd be disgusted with some of the practices of a lot of restaurants in Manila that you'd never ever want to eat there ever again.
Sana they sealed all their cups nalang, whether it be for dine-in or take-out. Poor poor customer service.
Even if they didn't want to replace the customer's drink, the manager could have asked the customer to write a complaint so that they could investigate, file a report or whatever with upper management, etc. etc. and promise the customer that something would be done about it. At least ma-feel naman ng customer na they did something about it, diba?
Gagawa nalang ako ng sariling green tea with rock salt and cheese sa bahay. Even though the complainant may have failed to give more details or whatever, the store's official statement is also lacking in terms of what investigative procedures they carried out, what they did to verify the claims, and also reassurance to the public that this kind of incident will never happen. They should have at least outlined their hygiene and sanitation procedures or something. I'm inclined to give more credit to the letter sender based on the kind of service I've seen at their store. Parang palaging harassed yung gumagawa ng drinks and all the ingredients and plastic cups are just left out in the open.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the customer and I found that insect after almost finishing my drink, I would've gone back to the branch and released my inner kraken on their asses.
ReplyDeleteHmm... Just a thought but wouldn't the cockroach have floated? It seems little eh. I just remember from floods that cockroaches float. :P
I'm not siding with anyone because there isn't enough information for me to judge the situation. But sana the company had included an apology as part of their official statement to cover all bases.
"Makulit talaga ang mga ipis sa Manila, as in."
ReplyDeleteOMG AGREE! I've seen one in the middle of a crowded room that did not move (but he was alive ah). It was just hanging out and seemed like it was used to having people walking around it.
Im sure the establishment was briefed about: HACCP or food safety standards!
ReplyDeletehowever i cannot blame the establishment owner because it is possible that the roach was in the pearls! if this is the case: the personnel in charge of cleanliness, freshness of material/ingredient shall be the one @ fault!
Now i am sure the customer victim will not allow herself to be on the wrong spotlight,right? She will not broadcast her dismay if she intends to ruin the shops reputation lang?
Hmm parang anlaki ng straw and kasya ang ipis.. Dapat ata nainom nya na yun.. Tsk tsk
ReplyDeleteBack when C wasn't owned by J, my mom ordered a beef noodle bowl for me at the Shang branch (this was more than a decade ago). It was almost naubos na when I found a small ipis at the bottom. NR lang ang staff. Happened twice. So. Pwede talaga mangyari yun
ReplyDeleteHmm... Just a thought but wouldn't the cockroach have floated? It seems little eh. I just remember from floods that cockroaches float. :P
ReplyDeleteSeptember 24, 2011 2:36 PM
Go look at the pictures again and you'll see that it's floating.
poor handling of the situation. instead of giving an apology and promising a thorough investigation, the reply letter is claiming right away that the mistake is not theirs. and insinuating that the mistake cudve been the customer's fault. regardless if it was real or planted, the reply letter cudve been at least apologetic and customer-centric and not right away defensive.
ReplyDeletesana wag nalang muna guluhin si C! may laro pa siya mamaya.. go GILAS!!
ReplyDeleteThe company promised to give a friend of mine GIFT CERTIFICATES. Shempre Hindi Nya un tatanggapin after what happened. They even PROMISED they would call her once they get an inspection.... But the manager never did. After their talk, the manager and owners never bothered to contact her anymore. GC Lang and sorry and a promise of an inspection in their store. How would my friend know if they will really have that?! Eh Hindi na nga sila nagparamdam. For sure the store is very guilty about it kaya nagpost ng defense nila. Magsorry nalang kasi sila and promise na hindi na nangyayari ult. Mas tatanggapin ng customers yun.
ReplyDeleteHazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Every F&B establishment should practice such.
ReplyDeleteKailangan rin magpa-pest control once in a while.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteHmm... Just a thought but wouldn't the cockroach have floated? It seems little eh. I just remember from floods that cockroaches float. :P
September 24, 2011 2:36 PM
Go look at the pictures again and you'll see that it's floating.
September 24, 2011 3:14 PM
Hard to tell since there's so little liquid left. Anyway, my point is if it does float, wouldn't it have been noticeable from the start? Isn't their cup cover transparent?
Dikit Dikit ung pearls may posibility na doon dumikit and sumiksik ung ipis. Kaya nga Kung kelan paubos na fun Nya Lang na sip ung ipis e. Take note. Na INOM Nya ung ipis. Dinura Nya Lang kawawa naman ung customer.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I think someone's jealous lang of the store's success and naninira. Sobrang kulang the details. Sorry letter sender but you are pathetic.
ReplyDeleteKuddos to FP for getting the other side of the story. Coming from F&B industry's standpoint, I honestly think that the company did a good job in providing a clear statement. I'm positive that an international franchise business has stringent measures on quality control and there's a very slim chance that the blame goes to the the company based on the pictures and comments I read earlier. You know, in the Philippines, I noticed that some people have this tendency to create attention that makes a potentially-successful business look bad. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeletesa laki ng kinikita ng beverage business na yan hindi naman cguro malaking kawalan kung mag apologize dun sa nakainom ng may ipis...nung si KFC ang nireklamo about the rat kasama ng mga fried chicken, they paid the complainant cash and a rav-4. ano ba halaga ng gift certificate kung sumama ang health nung taong nakainom ng may ipis? a simple apology is not enough. let us not kid ourselves here, kahit sabihin pang mag sorry ay okey na, patawa yun? panigurado nyan kelangan magbigay ka ng kabayaran sa pagkakamali na yun then you clean up the branch.
ReplyDeleteAh okaaaay. To the company, I have observed how your workers prepare the drinks at your branch in Eastwood Mall. They do it pretty messy! Lalo na yung pag salok nila ng "cheese froth". Oo nga, malinis ang mga ingredients, at approved ang mga ingredients at strict ang standards nyo, pero you can never control how your people work especially if you're not there to supervise all the time, diba?
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to talk about cleanliness, and strict procedure, here are the points to consider:
(sensha na talagang OC)
Setting - Eastwood mall branch
1. Can have a flying ipis land into the drink before serving, coz not all the time naman naka tingin ang servers. Kasi open area diba? Kahit sa mga malls, me langaw at ipis dyan, kala nyo wala?!?
2. Naka "MASK" (sa mouth) nyo ba ang mga servers? What if they sneeze or if they have a cold, edi hawa hawa lang yon sa mga drinks!
Agree na lang ako ke, Anonymous September 24, 2011 2:31 PM
If you really want to prove that you have that strict of a standard, well, pakita kayong proof!
Hindi na pala uso ang "the customer is always right"! Dapat nag sincere apology muna yung companya at nag promise na never na to mangyayari ulit, tapos saka sila ng dagdag ng konting remarks in their defense. Hindi ganyan na todo deny at defend muna sila, wala man lang sorry dun sa customer nila, kahit plastikan lang. Medyo kups tuloy dating nila.
ReplyDeleteKapag kasi ganitong complaint, the burden of proof lies on the complainant e. Having worked from a beverage company, may mga ganito talagang instances. Siempre, the company will protect their interest so it's hard to get an admission from them. But believe me, nangyayari talaga yan mga ipis at iba pang insekto sa mga products. Kahit gaano kalinis ang factory mo, may lulusot pa ding mga insekto. Ang masakit pa nyan, the law only allows a one is to one product replacement. Kung bigyan ka man ng GCs, discretion na yun at out of goodwill na lang ng company.
ReplyDeleteHello ang daling manira. Like what I said in the earlier post... tingin nyo ba mahirap alisin ang cover at lagyan ng ipis yung drink? LOL. Instant sira ang name ng store diba?
ReplyDeleteBakit kailangan mag apologized ng company eh di nga sure if true or not yun??? and bakit company magrequest for inspection? saan sya magrequest hello again?? Bakit kailangan bayadan si customer? so yun lang pala gusto nya.. LOL.. sana diniretso na lang nya yung company di ba.. nobody know the truth but sorry to the letter sender you dont have enough evidence and hard to believe if nainom and dinura nya yung drink bakit buong-buo ipis and if sa pearl galing yun dapat na chew na nya di ba???
ReplyDeleteobserbasyon ko lang.. di ba pag umiinom ka ng gantong klase ng drink hinahalo halo mo pa ito ng straw kase gusto mo pa nga maghiwalay hiwalay yung sago para makapasok sa straw at makain mo rin?bat sa pix parang di man lang naghiwalay ang mga sago? saka ang ipis kapag sumama sa fud or drinks mo yan maaamoy or malalasahan mo,di ba yun nalasahan ng letter sender at naubos nya na yung iniinom nya bago nya mapansin yung ipis? sa may ari naman ng product,per franchise kase sya so nakadepende sa crew nung nagfranchise kung gano kalinis nya prineprepare yung product. siguro lesson lang ito sa kagaya nating customer at sa may ari ng branch/company na doubleng ingat at maging responsible sa lahat ng ginagawa natin lalo na isang uri ng pagkain/inumin ang binebenta nyo..
ReplyDeleteHard to tell since there's so little liquid left. Anyway, my point is if it does float, wouldn't it have been noticeable from the start? Isn't their cup cover transparent?
ReplyDeleteSeptember 24, 2011 3:44 PM
i think kakulay kasi ng ipis yung sago. so may chance na hindi nya napansin agad, especially kung nasa gitna banda yung ipis nung simula.
Hi FP. Although you posted the side of the drink company, the damage has already been done. The image of the company has already been tainted. I, too, have a food business and it's really difficult determine how an ipis can land on a food/drink DESPITE HAVING SANITARY MEASURES.
ReplyDeleteThe Possibilities:
1. The ipis just got there and no one noticed.
2. A pasaway employee wanted to get back at his manager/boss. (highly probable. and if this is the case, kawawa naman yung owner diba?)
3. A customer wants to get back at the masungit staff/owner. (It's easy naman talaga to put something sa food/drink.)
4. A customer wants to get a refund.
5. The ipis came from the commissary/supplier who is either irresponsible or wants to get back at the owner.
Anyway, kaya I'm not so keen on reading Letters from Readers kasi there are so many sides to a story. If you wish to publish another Letter from a Reader, I suggest that you ask for the side of the company involved and post the side together with the Letter. Sabay. Pero if not, I hope you will respect the decision of the company and not publish the letter anymore.
Kasi if you really want to help the company concerned as well as the reader, eh di just email the letter to the company and cc the reader so as to spare the company from any undue humiliation kasi as I have pointed out, maraming possibilities kung bakit may ipis sa food/drink. It's unfair for the whole company to suffer just because of one pasaway employee or customer.
=)
-nafnaf
Wawa naman yung letter sender buti n lang ANONYMOUS lang xa :(
ReplyDeletesana naman magbigy ng unting sympathy un iba :(
the company should say SORRY. kahit naman ako may nakita ako ipis sa drinks ko talaga mag rereklamo ako. kung alam mo nasa tama ka ipagtanggol mo sarili mo, dahil hinde naman ito para sa nagrereklamo lang para ito sa companya at sa mga tao bumibili. if you buy a product you make sure you give them the best satisfaction for your customers para balikan ka at pagkatiwalaan ka ng consumers mo.
ReplyDeletekung sa tingin nila paninira lang ito...puede rin pero i think yung nag reklamo hinde yun yung purpose niya!
just say sorry and make sure malinis yung place nila. ang dami nila may ari nito dapat sometimes the owners should visit the branches 1 or thrice a week to see the place if its clean or not!
Typical to blame the customer, whatever happened to customer service? High and mighty pa the reply of the company. Instead of being apologetic. So it means when you order takeout then you find something in your food its not a valid complaint kasi outside their premises na? Although the tagline "customer is always right" is overrated, still doesnt give you the right to belittle every complaint. If serious business person ka you should as an owner make it a mission to provide impeccable service kahit pa sabihin mong drinks lang is what you serve. Diba si C is one of the partners here? What did he say about this? Hindi porket negative publicity eh sabotage na, why not investigate and create stricter sanitation procedure? Yes mahirap to control the ipis population pero dont make excuses, strive for perfection in business. Ano ito after getting your payment wala nang pakialam sa iyo? Ang yabang ng company na ito kala mo kung sino walang kwenta customer service.
ReplyDeleteI understand the statement of the management. BUT the management should also have considered the complaint. C'mon maaring mataas standard nila and sino ba gusto masiraan ng pangalan, pero kadalasan yung mga staff na ang may problema. Minsan kase nagmamadali hindi na chinecheck ang cleanliness ng paligid. Or tinitake for granted nila yung cleanliness ang orderliness sa station nila. Ano lang ba sanction nila kung sakali? Get fired! But then they can apply for another job. Eh yung may-ari/management nung store, once masira---SIRA na sila sa public then closed down! Sana maisip nila yun at itake into considerations ang complaints ng customers --sila mismo mag check sa staff nila at ng tinitinda nila at hindi iasa lang sa mga staff.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think she planted ipis on the drink...sa tingin ko Hindi niya nilagay to destroy rep ng company.. Ano ba naman ang makukuha niya sa planting ipis? Her own branch ba? Diba Hindi? Sa sobrang kadiri Lang na late niya nakita yung ipis at kasi magkakulay of course you'd complain. Kung palitan yung drink e di ok na, wala kasing sense na magplant ng ipis para sa refund o exchange. Unless sobrang addict siya sa drink na yan. Marami pa rin pupunta sa establishment na yan at bibili nun, ipis or no ipis. As if naman you'd get something from the company if you sue or complain. This isn't the states, man.
ReplyDeleteTo the commenter who said anong makukuha nya from planting the ipis. the letter sender may be jealous of the company's success and just wants to lower the store's sales. crab mentality
ReplyDeleteHello, super hugas kamay?
ReplyDeleteNumber 1. Their cups are sealed with plastic lids only.
Number 2. She did not ask for GC's. They were offered to her. Sabi pa next time, the manager of the branch will prepare her drink na lang. Hello, babalik pa ba sya dun after her experience? Eh tsaka papano naman ang ibang customers na walang alam about the ipis thing?
Why can't you people just accept that there was a cockroach in the drink and that it was not planted? Try being in the letter sender's position. Bakit di na lang kasi mag apologize and mag parecheck ng sanitation. Is it too much to ask from an establishment that earns a lot in every branch they open?
to all those saying planted ang ipis, sana mangyari din sa inyo in the near future. after that siguro hindi na kayo magagalit sa mga nabibiktima ng mga ganyan :)
ReplyDeletehay naku kung sa america lang ito nangyari talo yung owner! alam mo naman dito sa Pilipinas our customer service sucks big time!gusto nila sila ang tama! sa issue na ito mas pabor ako sa letter sender Yan ang mahirap pag sikat na yung company at marami na bumibili napapabayaan na ang cleanliness ng isang store! sa nangyari n ito mas importante sa store ang kita kaysa sa customers nila! ayaw nila tanggapin pagkakamali nila eh. ultimo sorry hinde nila magawa? buhusan ko sila ng lintek na milktea sa mukha nila naku kung ganito nangyari sa akin ako nasa position.. talangang kakausapin sla face to face!
ReplyDeleteto September 25, 2011 3:09 PM ... it was so unfair for you to judge the letter sender . . . gush ! who do you think you are anyway ?
ReplyDeleteThose commenter that insinuated that the letter sender planted the cockcroach because of jealousy should be crucified ... hey ! he was the aggrieved party here . . .
ReplyDeleteIt's obviously FAKE. Magisip naman muna kayo before jumping to conclusions! TIP 1: Bat buo buo yung sago? Pag kaka order mo palang ng drink, first thing you do is to mix the drink with your straw. And by the time you finish your drink, dapat konti nalang rin yung sago TIP2: Bat walang ice? I always order Milk Tea, by the end of the drink dapat may ice pa. Malamang planted yung ipis, OR hours had passed kaya natunaw ang ice and buobuo na yung sago (talagang iipisin yun)
ReplyDeletemalamang natutunaw ang ice. diba? anon 8:47! hello?!?
ReplyDeleteganito ...kasi pag mabilis ang volume ang pag gawa ng milktea minsan ang nangyayari yung mga gumawa saksak lang ng saksak sa baso hinde nila nakikita meron pala ipis sa isang drink nila plus, kapag sa yelo nangyayari konti rin nalalagay nila at umiiba na rin yung lasa. hinde na nila namomonitor yun. I think yun yung nangyari.
To the cmmenter September 25, 2011 5:00 PM who said "who do you think you are anyway" its gosh, not gush :) Mag tagalog ka nalang teh
ReplyDelete^^some people order without ice, and depende sa quality ng pearls kung diki dikit sila or hindi..
ReplyDeleteapparently, hindi ok ang quality ng pearls sa maasim na tindahan na yan.. dikit dikit baka kaya dumikit ang ipis dyan..
I am a milk tea fan, and yan ang pinaka-ayaw kong branch. Napaka-dumi
ipis or fake ipis or no ipis, i still love the drink! :) my two cents lang, one of those that helped spread this on fb owns a milk tea store, so duda din ako sa authenticity nito, but then again, ipis happens. but i crave for my rock salt cheese froth. hehe.
ReplyDeleteNever nag serve ng dikit dikit na sago ang store!
ReplyDeleteTAMA! Never nag serve ng dikit dikit na sago ang store! This is batshit. Thhis is just made by the letter sender to sabotage the company. Shame on you!!!!
ReplyDeletei agree. regular customer ako ng store and never sila nagserve ng dikit dikit na sago. halos everyday nasa store nila ako. sabotage to sa company. tsk!
ReplyDeleteoops sorry you didnt delete it pala it's on the other post pala! sorry FP and more power!
ReplyDeleteThe company's drinks do not look like this. This looks like a drink from the garbage can. Hindi naman dikit dikit sago nila. Also, parang nagiging ganito lang kapag matagal na yung drink. They mix their drinks before they give it, sa laki ng ipis diyan, grabe naman kung hindi nila makikita. Baka naman dumapo lang. Di mo napansin. They have big straws. Kung ganyan mauubos na, dapat nahigop mo na :))
ReplyDeleteI believe the cockroach might have come with the ice, kaya siguro we should order drinks without ice na lang para safe.
ReplyDeleteminsan hindi talaga maiwasan ang mga insekto sa kusina kahit mga high end restaurants pa, at naiintindihan ko ang restaurant, pero!dapat nag apologize na lang sila dahil customer pa rin yun at customer is always right!
ReplyDeleteparang lahat ng friends ng letter sender nag comment na dito ah:)) sa chinese medicine, ginagwang gamot ang ipis:))))
ReplyDelete