Health regulations and customer service issues (disgusted with service from Tapindo)

I would like to share my horrible experience with a new snack bar in Javea called Tapindo.

I am sharing my experience to hopefully save you the same serving of humiliation and suffering that i have received. 

I first ate at the snack bar 3 weeks ago after reading an advertorial in a local paper.

Shortly after the meal i had toilet trouble. 

Last week a friend and i were in Javea and she wanted to try the food.

I joined her and chose a different menu to be safe.

I have been in bed for 3 days with stomach aches, vomiting and toilet trouble.

Today i went into the snack bar to speak to the management and was instructed by staff to come back later. 

I returned to the snack bar several hours later and this time spoke with the manager.

Half way through explaining my experience i was practically thrown out (walked backwards) of the restaurant while the manger waved his hands saying "Go Go Go"

I felt so horrified and humiliated that i cried.

After telling my husband about my ordeal he went to speak with them earlier this evening and received a similar response (without being excluded from the premises).

I find this horrific and simply unacceptable!

I would like to go to the police but unfortunately my Spanish isn't good enough to express the situation.

I don't know who i have to complain to or which agencies to report them to.

In the UK there would be health authorities that would investigate such incidents, but here in Spain i don't know where to go.

My husband and i are very upset about this whole incident and would like for the company to be punished.

The manager that i spoke with wasn't Spanish or English, if i had to guess i would say that he was German.

I would also like to confirm that this is the first time i have ever had any problems with Asian cuisine.

I eat Tai, Japanese and Chinese on a regular basis without problems.

I visited Asia several times and have to say that an establishment like this is an insult to Asian culture and manor.

I am going to post this message on as many Spanish ex-patriot forums as i can find and hope to hurt their business as much as they humiliated my husband and I.

Whatever happened to the customer always being right?

What ever happened to make businesses operate in this kind of way?

If anyone can recommend me of where i should go to to report this incident i would be very grateful.

I will be calling the newspaper where i first heard of the restaurant tomorrow morning in the hope that they will follow up the case.

Sincerely

Diane & Bob Jones

Moraira

Hi Diane,

Everyone who works with food in Spain has to have a certificate to prove they have attended a course in food hygene. Its called something like "curso de manipulador de alimentos". Not sure of the exact wording but I should know because my wife gives this course and issues the certificates. Perhaps asking them if all their staff have this certificate would be a way of telling them you are serious about challenging them.

If their staff havent got the certificates (restaurantes normally pay for their staff to attend the course) then your questions might scare them as they could be exposed to heavy fines.

I imagine that the best you can do is trigger an inspection unless you can prove unequivocally that your illness was because of their poor food hygene.

John

What a terrible experience. Every LEGAL establishment has a complaints book, you are entitled by law to ask for it. You fill it in, it has an english translation, you then take your copy to the town hall. If a business refuses to let you use the complaints book call the Guardia, they will come, always a good idea to have the number on your phone for this, you never know when you will need it.

You can also make a 'denuncia' to the guardia by telephone in English, and you go to the Guardia and sign this complaint the next day. I live on the costa del Sol and the number we use is 902102112.