“It costs nothing to be kind.”
Last March 31, a coffee shop located in Taytay recognized as “The Fifth” spoke up after negative reviews had been left on their Facebook ratings from customers who claimed that the staff had conducted a poor service in their visit.
It appears, however, that the accusations were not quite matched to the true events, which had been revealed by the small business as they later published an official statement containing bits of evidence to explain their side of the situation.
The remarks made by the customers, dated back in March 18, particularly noted the shop’s absence in customer service in serving them their orders. It was apparent that the flooded reviews were posted at the same timeline and gave the impression that these visitors had gone altogether or knew of each other.
In the complaints, one reviewer commented that they bought ₱4,000 worth of their products and felt appalled that they were not served and were asked to leave after their 2 hour stay. Another backed up, “pinauwi kami 3k+ nagastos namin bad customer service [They made us go home but we spent 3k+ bad customer service.]”
That said, the coffee shop eventually shed light on the response from the customer’s reviews, days after the comments had been posted on their page.
Transparently sharing with their clients that this had been the very first occurrence where they got negative reviews of the sort, they urged that they’ve always made the effort to treat all of their customers equally, and thanked them for visiting their store above all.
They then gave their truth, writing, “…as a small business establishment that can only accommodate a max of 18 people, we could’ve made better arrangements if there was a reservation, or we were given a heads up prior to showing up.”
The establishment retorted that they had generously allowed their group to stay for their “meeting” which lasted 4 hours during the peak of their busiest hours, even without any reservation beforehand.
They then shared, “Normally, we would require reservations for this kind of arrangement because we have certain requirements, and so that our staff can prepare as well.” They continued, “We had to turn down several customers during that time because we had to accommodate your group of 20 people which is way over our maximum capacity.”
The Fifth ultimately responded to their argument, saying, “We could have made better arrangements if you had messaged us prior to coming, especially given that you are a big group, and held a meeting in a place that was supposed to be for people to dine.”
Reverting to the customers’ accusations that they were not served, this had been proven otherwise by the establishment in screenshots of their CCTV footage that showed that every order had been served and that they were never asked to leave.
The shop further explained their conditions, stating, “It is reasonable that after 4 hours, we needed to be informed how long you were planning to stay for so we can make necessary arrangements for other customers.”
While the shop closed their statement welcoming and appreciating constructive feedback from other customers nonetheless, they remarked, “There are always two sides to every story. It’s truly heartbreaking that small businesses like us have to suffer the consequences of one-sided reviews like these simply because entitled customers refuse to see the kindness you’ve given them.”
Social media users quickly reacted to the statement and defended the coffee shop. One user emphasized that the business was patient for having waited 4 hours before approaching the guests to ask how long they planned on staying. Another related as a small business owner, shedding light on the way their establishments work in catering to big crowds.
As The Fifth’s statement gained much traction on their Facebook account, one of the customers who left a negative review was discovered by other users online as a Christian Facebook group page identified as the “Purpose Venture Young Professionals.” This further worsened the reputation of the critics, as viewers of the story highlighted that this would be least expected from their community.
Just last April 1, the said community published an apology to the shop after receiving backlash from social media users who called them out for their actions and perception of the situation. They voiced that they would take better preparation in their future events, and had requested that their members delete their comments, essentially admitting to their fault.
Overall, they submitted, writing, “This was an isolated incident, and we assure everyone that we have taken this as a valuable learning experience.”
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