ReviewVoice

measured across 52 UK cafés

Replying to reviews about service charge and payment

We read every Google review reply published by 423 UK cafés — 56 of them mention service charge and payment. Below is what those replies actually do, then real examples: the review, the reply published underneath it today, and the reply our software writes for the same review. Business names, email addresses and people's names are removed. Nothing here is invented.

56
reviews about service charge and payment
56
median reply length, words
46%
replies that break a check
14%
replies that touch nothing specific

Payment complaints are about a rule, and rules can simply be stated. This is the easiest band to answer factually and the one where replies most often waffle.

The same review, answered twice

the review★★

Not too pleased with my experience here, they gave me a tiny amount of syrup (which you can see in the attached photo) with 3 huge pancakes and when I later asked for more syrup the waiter failed to tell me that they’d be adding £3 for it onto the bill. We also asked for water for the table which was never provided, yet despite these issues they still added a 10% service charge. So to my unpleasant surprise I ended up paying £22.85 for pancakes and a small glass of pineapple juice, which is just ridiculous. The food was nice but I won’t be coming back here due to this poor service.

published underneath

——— ———, thank you for your review! I'm sorry to hear that service wasn't up to scratch, and apologies on the amount of syrup you initially received. Hopefully you could try us out again to receive a better service. Also, feel free to contact us at: ———

anchoring45/ 100
points away from the pagevoice slips
what we would have written

——— pancakes with a full pour of syrup is a reasonable plate — the portion in the photo is noted. A charge for extra syrup should be mentioned before it goes on the bill, not after; that is a fair point. The water not arriving and the service charge both sitting on top of that is a lot to absorb in one visit.

anchoring100/ 100
no rule broken
the review

Really disappointing experience. I ordered several items from the menu, but the restaurant knew one of them was out of stock. ——— of contacting me to offer an alternative or a refund, they left me waiting. After 90 minutes, I had to contact them myself, only to be told there had been "an issue with the app." That explanation doesn't justify taking payment without delivering the order or proactively informing the customer. ——— communication and customer service. ——— on this experience, I wouldn't trust this business again.

published underneath

Thank you for the feedback and I am sorry for the wait you experienced. The pulled pork sandwich you ordered had sold out, and a fault with the Uber Eats app meant we were unable to update the menu and mark as unavailable. Please get in touch with us at ——— so we can look into this properly.

anchoring77/ 100
points away from the pagevoice slips
what we would have written

——— ninety minutes without a word from us isn't something we'd defend. ——— an item drops out of an order, the customer should hear about it — not have to chase. App or no app, that's on us to manage.

anchoring100/ 100
no rule broken

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