Pub landlord labels ‘lying’ punters as ‘small children’
Pub landlord hits back at one-star TripAdvisor reviews by labelling ‘lying’ punters as ‘small children’
- Roger Cazaly runs The Plume of Feathers in Portscatho, near Truro, Cornwall
- The premises has 25 ‘terrible’ reviews on TripAdvisor and 259 ‘excellent’ ones
- Mr Cazaly claims he ‘has to respond’ if someone is defaming his business online
- And so has responded to a number of negative reviews left for the Cornish pub
A pub landlord is hitting back at punters who criticise his business online, calling them ‘liars’ – and even labelling one customer a ‘name-calling little child’.
Roger Cazaly, who runs The Plume of Feathers in Portscatho, near Truro, Cornwall, is not willing to sit around and let people slate his business.
Anyone brave enough to do so on TripAdvisor is met with a robust response, as he counters any disgruntled patrons with his own firm view.
Among his most ferocious put-downs are dubbing one customer ‘a small child that can’t have a biscuit’ and another’s review ‘the most cringeworthy thing’ he’s read in a long time.
Roger Cazaly (pictured), who runs The Plume of Feathers in Portscatho, near Truro, Cornwall, is not willing to sit around and let people slate his business
One reviewer, named Kittyminx, from Worthing, has left a one star review and titled it ‘sent us on our way’ (pictured). But Mr Cazaly was not going to stand for this, and responded: ‘Now now Kitty, it’s not nice to call people names
Another to face the wrath of Mr Cazaly is a reviewer by the name of Maydair, from St Austell, Cornwall, who criticised the pub for ‘soggy chips’ and a waiter who was ‘over the top with compliments’ – but not to those whose birthday it was that day
The Cornish landlord, who claims the review platform leaves businesses such as his with ‘no defence’, feels he has to respond when people are defaming his livelihood.
And has responded to several of the 25 ‘terrible’ reviews his pub has received – a significantly smaller number than 259 ‘excellent’ reviews left for the premises.
Mr Cazaly, who runs the business alongside his wife Helen, most recently waded into a debate over a ‘terrible’ review in May 2018.
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One reviewer, named Kittyminx, from Worthing, had left a one star review and titled it ‘sent us on our way’.
And wrote: ‘Just popped if for some food, was told they were too busy. Said we’d just have some drinks, they basically suggested [we] go someone else. Rude, arrogant.’
But Mr Cazaly was not going to stand for this, and responded: ‘Now now Kitty, it’s not nice to call people names.
‘But seeing as you’ve decided to go on the world wide web and call me names like a little child who didn’t get what she wanted when she demanded it, lets talk about your visit.’
Another reviewer was told their experiences weren’t ‘quite like’ they described. With Mr Cazaly saying: ‘If you are asked to leave a premises due to your behaviour, just take it on the chin’
He then goes on to describe how, as it was a Saturday evening on a bank holiday weekend, the pub had been very busy when the reviewer arrived.
So when the reviewer approached the bar and asked for chips, he informed her of a wait for food.
Mr Cazaly continued: ‘I responded with an apology and said that’s fine but there will probably be about a 40 or 45 minute wait and probably apologised again.
‘You seemed stunned by this, so I went onto explain that we were absolutely maxed out and there will be a wait if you want to go ahead and order.
‘Then we had that awful four or five seconds where you just blinked and stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language.
So I then said [another premises] down the road is open and they do takeaway food as well, which might be a better option at this moment in time.
‘I actually thought I was being helpful, giving you options, but obviously you didn’t see it this way. Someone dared to say no to Kittyminx!’
The pub landlord then goes on to highlight a number of other reviews Kittyminx has left for other businesses – writing: ‘Now, Kittyminx, when you leave ‘reviews’ like this, it actually says more about you than the venue.
‘Because, generally, we then go into your profile and read your other reviews and have a little chuckle.’
Mr Cazaly believes he ought to respond to negative TripAdvisor reviews, telling Cornwall Live that they ‘needlessly damage a business’s reputation’
Another to face the wrath of Mr Cazaly is a reviewer by the name of Maydair, from St Austell, Cornwall, who criticised the pub for ‘soggy chips’ and a waiter who was ‘over the top with compliments’ – but not to those whose birthday it was that day.
The reviewer wrote – and included several exclamation points: ‘We had waited all summer to have a meal at the The Plume of Feathers. Very popular with tourist no chance for locals.
‘We booked for Monday night as it was the actual birthday. Bad mistake. We were squeezed into a passage way.
We had three courses, soup, main and dessert. All were warm and the meat was very tough. Chips were under cooked and soggy.
‘The waiter was over the top with compliments which appeared to put pressure on us. No extra attention though given to the birthday men – could have been a candle in their dessert or an extra biscuit.
‘The waiter was told two of the party had birthdays. The bill was expensive to the quality of the meal. Nothing out of the ordinary.
‘So, tourists you are welcome to The Plume of Feathers. We will not be going back.
‘A little attention would have been lovely even if it was to sit in a restaurant with a table laid and flowers present. Then the bill wouldn’t have mattered. Very disappointing as we are locals.’
Another, Tony M, was told they were ‘like a small child that can’t have a biscuit’ in response to a review that criticised the pub for its reservation policy
Mr Cazaly took issue with the number of exclamation points used in the review, writing: ‘I haven’t cringed this much in a long time. 18 exclamation points. 18.’
He then went on to dispute the use of the word ‘local’ and whether patrons should be entitled to special treatment on their birthday.
He said: ‘When someone says they are a ‘local’, this is not to be confused with a ‘regular’.
‘When someone enters your premises and keeps dropping ‘we’re locals, don’t you know’ into the conversation, generally, they’re not really.
‘Quite often they will be from outside the County, say, somewhere like Peterborough, and they’ve just moved down very recently and immediately want all the trimmings of being a ‘local”.
Mr Cazaly also picks up on the concern raised that a waiter was ‘too complimentary’, mocking the reviewer by saying that he will be ‘dealt with severely’ and ‘won’t be doing that again in a hurry.’
The Plume of Feathers (pictured is landlord Roger Cazaly) has generally favourable reviews online, and on TripAdvisor is the second best restaurant in Portscatho
The Cornish landlord (who runs the Plume of Feathers – pictured), claims the TripAdvisor review platform leaves businesses such as his with ‘no defence’
He said: ‘Oh no. I’m sorry we didn’t make more of a fuss of you for your birthday, but perhaps you were in the wrong place as you call us a restaurant, we are in fact just a little country pub.
‘Perhaps you thought you were in TGI Fridays or Chiquitos where I think the staff are made to sing to you when they find out it’s your birthday, you’ll like that’.
Another reviewer, named Tony M, criticised the pub for its reservation policy, claiming: ‘Nobody said that my table was reserved and could I move.’
To which Mr Cazaly responded: ‘And here, ladies and gentlemen, lies the problem with Tripadvisor.
‘A lot of people don’t quite understand the hospitality trade, and if something disappoints them, they give it a “review”.
‘And they give it a 1 star. Sad isn’t it? Like a small child that can’t have a biscuit.’
While reviewer, called Andy L, who dubbed his experiences at the pub ‘the worst customer service ever’, criticised rude and unhelpful staff.
But Mr Cazaly, claims the review doesn’t give an accurate impression – saying the group swore while inside the pub and that it wasn’t unreasonable to not serve shots before midday.
He said: ‘If you are asked to leave a premises due to your behaviour, just take it on the chin.
‘Don’t put sad little ‘reviews’ on websites. It embarrasses yourself and this one has embarrassed the father of the bride… again.
‘I believe he did ask you to remove this post, but I guess you don’t have that much respect’.
The pub has an overall rating of four out of five on TripAdvisor. It has a large number of favourable reviews – including 261 ‘excellent’ ones
Just some of the five star reviews left for The Plume of Feathers in Portscatho, Cornwall. But when a negative review is left, Mr Cazaly will respond with his own take on things
Mr Cazaly believes he ought to respond to negative TripAdvisor reviews, telling Cornwall Live that they ‘needlessly damage a business’s reputation.’
He goes on to say: ‘In the summer period, we’re selling to thousands of people. I would say 99.9 per cent of those are happy, and write four or five star reviews, and it’s just that 0.1 per cent who don’t get what they want.
‘They write a low review and that’s the one you read, because you want to know what they say.
‘Hopefully, people will look at their profile and other reviews then and see who they are.
‘I think it tells you more about the person writing the review than the establishment itself.’
The Plume of Feathers has generally favourable reviews online, and on TripAdvisor is the second best restaurant in Portscatho.
It has 259 ‘excellent’ reviews, and 190 ‘very good reviews’, compared with a much smaller 25 ‘terrible’ reviews.
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