A Review of Sorts - Firestone Italian Restaurant

Ingeegoodbee said :

Danman, in my book whether its a letter, an e-mail or a quiet word with the manager – from their point of view, your just another a-hole with a sob story. the moment they realise they’ve lost their tip/repeat custom their eyes glaze over. A good spray never hurt any one but the gormless prick on the recieving end … Look at it as a community service. It’s character building for them and a nice release for you. You wont get you’r $50 back but at least you’ll have had your say.

But the “gormless prick” is probably some kid who had nothing to do with the bad experience you received in the first place. But if it makes you feel better…

Haha yeah Ingee abused some poor sod at the Grail over the phone rather than confronting them face to face when he had the chance. Some would say that is a little gutless. Then he omitted certain details of the incident in his RiotAct rant to make his sob story believable. When the manager of the Grail unexpectedly responded with a more accurate version of events he was left with his tail between his legs (note- not a personal attack – merely stating the facts).

Ingee – aren’t you the one who got flamed on here a few months back about giving someone a spray over the phone? And didn’t the establishment in question post a reply on here with a perfectly reasonable response to your complaint? And didn’t you end up getting thoroughly embarrassed by the whole experience? Shame, thought you might have learnt something….

Well done Danman, great post. I think giving them a chance to respond in the public forum is a great idea, and it’s a shame they have not yet taken the opportunity.

The contraction of you are is you’re. Your is a possessive.
If *you’re* going to abuse each other, at least make sure *your* abuse uses gooder grammar.

Ingee, in my book whether its a letter, an e-mail or a post on RiotACT – from my point of view, your just another a-hole with a track history of bollocks postings (Note no personal attack). The moment I realise you’re posting to RiotACT my eyes glaze over.

RuffnReady said :

I have NEVER had a decent Mexican or pasta takeout, those dishes just don’t work well as takeout…

Takeaway. As for Mexican, a big fat burrito wrapped in alfoil tastes good while it’s still warm, provided it’s made by Mexicans and not for some rotten chain store.

Danman, in my book whether its a letter, an e-mail or a quiet word with the manager – from their point of view, your just another a-hole with a sob story. the moment they realise they’ve lost their tip/repeat custom their eyes glaze over. A good spray never hurt any one but the gormless prick on the recieving end … Look at it as a community service. It’s character building for them and a nice release for you. You wont get you’r $50 back but at least you’ll have had your say.

Pictures didn’t come out here, but how can they argue with that? Pictures to back up the comments from a customer who was very disappointed.

Complaining around here seldom works. I emailed Woolworths to grumble about their recent renos and how now the lines at the express lanes were humungous (they’d abolished the bank line). So I got this whiney call from the manager of that woolworths. what was THAT meant to achieve? The lines are still humungous (and I go to Coles), he wasn’t going to change anything and how dare a mere punter dare complain?

We have ordered take away on three occasions. While we have enjoyed the pizzas well enough, there seems to be a clear lack of toppings and cheese. The toppings have been fresh and nice, just a bit sparse. I am watching my waist line to keep up the limboing and these pizzas help with that as there is little or no oil on the base and the box shows no sign of oil either, so in that way they work for me.

Good email Danman. That is the way people should submit complaints, shame the level of respect was not returned to you.

Maybe write them a letter and either send it by mail (registered so you know they have received it) or hand deliver it. Their email may be playing up or changed.

I would have guessed that pizza was topped with anthrax, praire oysters and mould from the picture.
Thanks for the heads up, Danman. I wont be heading there anytime soon.

As an aside, I consider Danman’s complaint e-mail was one of the best. Sensible, reasoned, moderately expressed. It deserved a considered response, and whether or not Firestone is good or bad at the food biz, it has done badly by failing to answer.

Indian, some Chinese, some Thai, and pizza, works well as take out food. Most other cuisines are a disaster because the dishes rely on being eaten soon after they are cooked. I have NEVER had a decent Mexican or pasta takeout, those dishes just don’t work well as takeout… anything crispy or al dente won’t work. These days I either eat in or confine takeout to casserole-type dishes which don’t suffer from a 20 minute wait between cooking and eating.

frank2112 said :

Interestingly enough this review now ranks higher on Google that the restaurant’s own website. Must be the power of Riotact.

Never underestimate!!! LOL

That is pretty funny!!!

Dan, your entitled to a response.

If they didn’t give you satisfying service and took time out of your life to voice your concerns, they should at least acknowledge your complaint.

Tell you what – makes me not want to go there – and i frequent Italian restaurants. Thanks for the heads up champ!

Ingee – horses for courses – how many times has an establishment restored your faith in them after you gave them a “Courtesy Call” as you say.

As for growing some balls – nothing screams gutless louder than giving someone an earbashing over the phone. – nor will it provide results.

Interestingly enough this review now ranks higher on Google that the restaurant’s own website. Must be the power of Riotact.

It’s an interesting change, I used to think a hand-written letter was more effective than email.

But last year I interviewed the General Manager of a major NSW council and his view was that email is now as effective at getting a management reaction as a letter.

I admire your choice to address the problem in writing, Danman. Too many people would get straight on the phone to yell at the poor teenager taking orders or whichever poor soul happened to answer the phone. As a former hospitality employee, i lost count of the numbers of times i passed on a “complaint” (read: verbal abuse) i’d received over the phone from disgruntled customers, only to have my supervisors/managers brush it off or try to make it all better with a free dessert. Baah! At least this way, when your email is eventually read, it will hopefully be read by the people who count.

You’re right Danman, the worlds full of insecure drill sergeants – best to mind you P’s & Q’s.

Grow some testicles and actually walk the walk – nothing says “Hello! – Pissed off customer!” giving their all down the dog ‘n bone. Personally I’d be going the dummy spit down the phone. Call it a “Courtesy Call” if you will. Your experience has once again demonstrated that while a lot of Canberra businesses have the lights on, there’s actually no one home.

Dear Firestone operators,
Welcome to the marketing concept known as “marginal net worth”.
The lesson that keeps on giving – oops taking – business away that is…

You should have just rung the pricks and given them a mouthful on the phone … then posted it here.

Sorry Ingee – my purpose was not to make myself feel better by being a prick to someone else, I am not that insecure.
My purpose was to get a reasonable explanation as to why this happened.

Chewing someone’s ear off who probably is not in any position to reply to my queries will get no results – and make me feel like a right tosser to boot.

I find the gentle approach often yields results – in this case I have gone further, hoping to get somewhere.

At the end of the day I lost 50 bucks – but how many customers will they lose through the riotact readership if they fail to address my concerns in a reasonable manner?

I invite, and encourage firestone to provide me with feedback addressing my concerns – it didn’t happen via email – perhaps it will happen now that these issues I had have a wider audience…..Time will tell.

crap spelling alert. sorry.

Anyon who orders a “desert” pizz gets what they deserve in my book. You should have just rung the pricks and given them a mouthful on the phone … then posted it here.

Danman said :

By all means, I encourage people to try it themselves, quote]

No thanks Dan – the pictures don’t lie. Maybe Firestone should stick to making car tyres. They probably taste better than their pizzas anyway.

By all means, I encourage people to try it themselves, my purpose is to inform people of my experience, thats not to say this will be everyones experience (As demonstrated by all accounts above) – just a friendly “this is what happened to me so be wary” – and hope of an explanation.

At least I did not come here and run my mouth off without first making a reasonable and civil effort for Firestone to move to remedy.

I’ve dined there twice and both times I was disappointed with the food.

The service was good, and the coffee was excellent, but some of the dishes we were served mirrored Dan’s experience.

Poor quality, bad value, etc…

A few work mates actually had ‘the runs’ that night after eating there!

My recommendation is to try it once, but don’t expect a fine dining and good value experience. Not a place I will be choosing to visit again.

Woo-hoo – have copped an upgrade from Picketer to Rabble Rouser! That’s more like it.
Hated that Picketer title – sucky term…

Dickson

For once we get a fairly reasonable “the food and service were below par” review, and for that I like it.

For future reference, where is Firestone?
(So I know where to avoid, and be wary or apprehensive when people say “Lets just order something from the Italian place at X”)

I’m with you Dan
Bought takeaway pizzas there 2 weeks back and we needed to prepare extra food to make up the shortfall that $30 apparently wsn’t enough to fill.
Very lame on quantity and it seems there’s a global cheese shortage to go by their coverage.
Not going back.

Sad to see that people still patronise Zeffers. Some people obviously like the taste of sweat.

Finally…someone who agrees with me!

As for a response on the topic, it sounds like the majority of feedback is very positive for this restaurant, and I also have heard very good things about it. If the food has declined in quality, or the cook that night was an angry 18 year old out to cause the business damage is one thing. Failing to respond to 2 emails is unacceptable, and enough for me to avoid the place.

I can guarantee that this thread isn’t going to be as amusing as the $25 case of wine or Grazings

As is my intention.

I have followed up all leads before coming here – I just want a response, not a rant.

I can guarantee that this thread isn’t going to be as amusing as the $25 case of wine or Grazings.

But hopefully someone mentions it to them, and we get to see a response.
(However, my first thought on see that ‘dessert pizza’ picture was “the patches of white mould are a clear warning sign it shouldn’t be served to people”. Its not a pizza, but still not something I’d bother paying for.)

If the kids working at an undisclosed chocolatier on Manly Wharf can make a decent dessert pizza – an italian restaurant has no excuses.

To their defence, I have heard a lot of good things about this place from work colleagues and friends etc, just that my experience was not what I would consider the best – furthermore I was hoping at least for some acknowledgement that my concerns have been addressed, and at the very least, an acknowledgement that my email was even received but as it stands I have not even got a reply.

Like Spectra said – whats the point of a business providing point of contact if its not to be used, or used only when its benifical to the company.

I could have rung them up, but concerns/complaints of this matter are better addressed in writing methinks.

Sad to see that people still patronise Zeffers. Some people obviously like the taste of sweat.

Danman, by letting them know about your unsatisfactory experience, you’re doing them a favour by giving them the opportunity to rectify it. Instead of trying to win you back, it looks like they would rather ignore you.

I suspect you’ll get a reply once management get wind of this thread.

I have to say, we had a similarly positive experience to many of the commenters when we got a bunch of pizzas from there for a work do – tasty food, including the meatballs. Sad to hear that you got crappy food an an equally crappy response when you went there Danman. I never ceased to be amazed at how many businesses provide an email address and then totally fail to respond to emails (or, almost as bad, seem to only check the inbox every couple of weeks).

I too found it to be utterly rubbish – I reckon that Zeffers does a better pizza! Live and learn I guess.

A constructive letter (with photographic evidence, no less). Only been there once, thought it was pretty meh. Oh look, a handful of half-dried, wilted rocket in the middle of a ‘pizza’. How exciting.

It’s a shame you had that experience. I too have eaten there, albeit a good few months ago, and while I found it to be a bit on the expensive side -the food was top quality and the service was fantastic.

We had the desset pizza and it was great, couldn’t eat much more than one slice because it was so rich and sweet. The decor was great and the place was spotless. Toilets not so good, no toilet paper and a bit grubby but apart from that it was very enjoyable.

c’mon duke, a dessert pizza is really only an open flan, pastry and a sweet topping, which you’d probably buy. call it ‘pizza’ and you baulk.

more generally, i hate the discourtesy shown by businesses these days – i wrote to ainslie footy club – twice, once as a follow up – with a complaint and have never received a response. i’m sure if it were a letter of praise they’d be right back at me and spruiking themselves even more. and they’re not the only ones. why can’t people take criticism? is it just me?

it’s indicative of the decay of society and it’s sad. sorry for your experience, too, danman.

Sounds expensive for what you received, but the fact that an Italian restaurant was selling dessert pizzas should have made you suspicious. Shame on you also for ordering one – it sounds disgusting.

Danman, I think you definatley are entitled to a reply and an apology if nothing else. I don’t believe you have been to heavy handed, your email was not rude or offensive – just stating your experience.

It is a shame that you had a bad experience with them, I went there with a large group for someone’s birthday when they had only been open two weeks and was quite impressed – the food was tasty, hot and a good size – we also commented on how great the service was.

A friend ate their recently and they thought it was great – and agreed that the white choc and strawberry dessert pizza was delicious (I have tried to make it at home but it’s not the same).

Maybe the food has gone downhill very recently, or perhaps their takeaway isn’t as good as eating in?? either way its no excuse and I hope you get an apology…

Sorry about your experience.

My wife and I dined there a while back and couldn’t fault the food or the service. We ordered the calamari, some rissoto ball thing, pizza (awesome meat lovers!) and dessert.