Italia Pizza

Review: I ordered "Chicken Marsala" which was advertised in Italia Pizza's printed menu as "tender chicken lightly breaded and sautéed with fresh mushrooms & marsala wine." The chicken was extremely tough and could not even be cut with a sharp knife; the chicken was inedible. The owner-manager named [redacted] (he refused to provide his last name) refused to give a $13.95 credit for the cost of the chicken marsala dinner. The vegetables should have been placed on the side but instead were mixed in the sauce and were therefore soggy, tasteless and inedible.

Even though I have placed many orders with Italia Pizza in the past, the owner-manager refused to give a credit which would have been the cost of the dinner ($13.95).

I paid by credit card and would like a refund of $13.95 + to be refunded to my credit card.Desired Settlement: I paid by credit card and would like a refund of $13.95 + to be refunded to my credit card.

Business

Response:

On July 23, 2013, a regular customer of mine ordered a Chicken Marsala and requested the sauce be made without the mushrooms. I explained to him that the mushrooms are an integral ingredient to the sauce and, if left out, may compromise the flavor of the Marsala. He decided to order it despite my suggestion that it may not be as flavorful. He later called to complain about the dish, claiming it was bland and stating that the chicken was tough. As a restaurant owner of 26 years, I have had my share of complaints as that is the nature of the business and is unavoidable. Among the complaints over the years, I rarely, if ever, have received one about my chicken in any of my dishes. I purchase quality chicken which is then tenderized. My policy has always been that if the customer makes a legitimate complaint about their order I will promptly replace the food. The customer insisted that he keep the food and that I credit him the cost of the dish for future orders. I explained my policy to him and said I would be happy to replace the food the same day, even with something other than the Marsala, and he refused my offer. I do not and never have given refunds or future credit for food, which is the only form of compensation the customer was willing to agree to. He wanted to keep the dish that he complained about, as well as have a credit for future orders. I have never received a complaint about my policy, as most customers are happy to have their food replaced and the problem resolved the same day. Sincerely,[redacted]Italia Pizza###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

August 20, 2013

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. [redacted] has offered no solution.

[redacted] has LIED to the Revdex.com in his reply to the Revdex.com.

He states I wanted to keep the dish. That is a lie. I told [redacted] that I tried to take a bite of the chicken and it was not edible because it was so tough it could not even be cut with a sharp steak-knife.

I offered to have my roommate (who had placed the order by phone) return the dish to Italia Pizza. [redacted] refused to take the dish back and became very defensive, saying that his chicken is never tough and that all pieces he uses are of the same quality.

The chicken was extremely tough and poor quality--and obviously NOT tenderized.

Also, the spaghetti was ordered as a "side order" ([redacted] confirmed it would be a "side order" when my roommate ordered the dish over the phone). Instead, [redacted] (who told my roommate he cooked the entrée himself) MIXED the spaghetti into

the gravy, with the result that the spaghetti became overcooked and mushy as it sat in the gravy until it was delivered.

The vegetables were tasteless. [redacted] only offered to re-cook the same dish; my roommate explained to [redacted] that since he claimed all his chicken is the same in that type of dish, there is no point re-ordering the same bad entrée.

[redacted] hung up on us. When my roommate called back, [redacted] used expletives and told him to "GET LOST!" [redacted] misrepresented the item on his menu, failed to make a proper adjustment, and had a vulgar, unprofessional attitude towards his customers. In all our years of ordering food from a restaurant, we have never had such an tasteless, unpleasant and insulting experience as what [redacted] gave us. The Revdex.com should formally reprimand [redacted] and Italia Pizza. [redacted] owes for the bad entrée. Since we do not want to deal with such an unprofessional person, a credit is no longer appropriate. [redacted] should forward a check in the amount of the Chicken Marsala entrée.

[redacted].

I corroborate and verify Mr. [redacted]'s statement to the Revdex.com.

--[redacted].