OT: What do you think?

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and cartilage
on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the meat.
I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were riddled with
it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Dora
--
[email hidden]

"limey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good
deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and
cartilage on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the
meat. I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were
riddled with it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Take it back. Let them get the money back from whoever they
bought it from and perhaps change vendors.

Coincidentally, I made crab cakes last night from a can of crab
you find sold on ice ... I don't know why. Not a teensiest hint
of cartilage to be found, I was impressed. Crabmeat stuffed
mushrooms later today, yay!

nancy

-- limey said:

Quoted message said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good
deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and
cartilage on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the
meat. I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were
riddled with it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about
it and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the
receipt and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did
eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for
a refund. What do you think?

Dora

I think I would ask for a refund if it wasn't too much of a hassle.

I have never made crab cakes. What is your recipe and what do you serve
them with?

E.

"elaine" > wrote in message >
limey wrote:
We did

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for
a refund. What do you think?

Dora

I think I would ask for a refund if it wasn't too much of a hassle.

I have never made crab cakes. What is your recipe and what do you serve
them with?

E.

Here's the recipe I use, Elaine. It's based on blue crabs. I like to
serve them with french fries and slaw, or potato salad and a salad in the
summer.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Crab Cakes

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 slices bread -- crusts removed
1 pound crab meat
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seafood seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon green bell pepper -- chopped fine
1 egg -- beaten

Break bread in small pieces. Mix all ingredients, shape into 8 small cakes.
(I then like to cover them with breadcrumbs and place in the refrigerator
for 30 minutes or so to firm up.)

Fry quickly in butter/oil mixture until brown.

Source:
"From the recipe on the original Old Bay can"

limey said:

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Ask yourself a hard question: If you didn't get the refund, would you
still be a loyal customer at the store, or would you stop going there or
stop going there as often? If you'd be just as good a customer, then go
with your gut feeling and don't bring in the receipt for a refund. If
you'd feel a little taken advantage of such that you you'd be less
likely to buy seafood there again or a little less likely to do your
holiday shopping there or a little less likely to tell a friend that you
like the store, then get your money back for the not-up-to-snuff item.

Look at it from the store's point of view. A lot of people are going to
be disatisfied every day with something or another. They have to figure
out how to keep the most people happy, keep the most loyal customers,
while still not being taken advantage of. Somewhere out there there are
customers who complain about EVERYTHING in hopes of getting their money
back sometimes. The store has to beware of those people, or they'd give
them their groceries for free and pay them besides. You're not one of
those people, and the guy at the fish counter knows it. If you're going
to be someone who hates the store and would rather shop somewhere else
anyway, the store has reason to be glad to lose your business.

On the other hand, there are people who complain when there's really
something to complain about. The store has to be grateful to those
people, or they'd never know when something was really wrong. They
can't sample every shipment of every product. The store has reason to
be very glad you pointed out a problem with their product. They may
even turn around and complain to THEIR supplier. Giving you a refund is
a good way to keep your business. The only thing wrong with accepting
the refund is if if their strategy doesn't work-- i.e., if you accept it
and become a bad customer anyway.

--Lia

limey said:

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Ask yourself a hard question: If you didn't get the refund, would you
still be a loyal customer at the store, or would you stop going there or
stop going there as often? If you'd be just as good a customer, then go
with your gut feeling and don't bring in the receipt for a refund. If
you'd feel a little taken advantage of such that you you'd be less
likely to buy seafood there again or a little less likely to do your
holiday shopping there or a little less likely to tell a friend that you
like the store, then get your money back for the not-up-to-snuff item.

Look at it from the store's point of view. A lot of people are going to
be disatisfied every day with something or another. They have to figure
out how to keep the most people happy, keep the most loyal customers,
while still not being taken advantage of. Somewhere out there there are
customers who complain about EVERYTHING in hopes of getting their money
back sometimes. The store has to beware of those people, or they'd give
them their groceries for free and pay them besides. You're not one of
those people, and the guy at the fish counter knows it. If you're going
to be someone who hates the store and would rather shop somewhere else
anyway, the store has reason to be glad to lose your business.

On the other hand, there are people who complain when there's really
something to complain about. The store has to be grateful to those
people, or they'd never know when something was really wrong. They
can't sample every shipment of every product. The store has reason to
be very glad you pointed out a problem with their product. They may
even turn around and complain to THEIR supplier. Giving you a refund is
a good way to keep your business. The only thing wrong with accepting
the refund is if if their strategy doesn't work-- i.e., if you accept it
and become a bad customer anyway.

--Lia

"Nancy Young" wrote in message >

Quoted message said:

"limey" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good
deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and
cartilage on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the
meat. I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were
riddled with it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about
it and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the
receipt and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did
eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for
a refund. What do you think?

Take it back. Let them get the money back from whoever they
bought it from and perhaps change vendors.

Coincidentally, I made crab cakes last night from a can of crab
you find sold on ice ... I don't know why. Not a teensiest hint
of cartilage to be found, I was impressed. Crabmeat stuffed
mushrooms later today, yay!

nancy

Yum. Sounds good to me! Anyway, I can see your logic on getting the
refund. I told the fish guy I thought it had been machine picked (which is
notorious for missing stuff) but he assured me that it wasn't - that the
woman picking it probably had a bad day! I doubt it; I've never had crab
meat like it.

Dora

In article <[email hidden]>,

limey said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and cartilage
on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the meat.
I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were riddled with
it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Dora

Absolutely take the refund. There's nothing feeling cheap about it,
Dora. You've described the shells in the crabcakes. You paid for one
thing and received an inferior product. Your vendor is bending over
backward to "take care of you." Let him. He'll tell his supplier
about it.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 11-19-05 - Shiksa Varnishkes.

limey said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good
deal. However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell
and cartilage on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the
meat. I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were
riddled with it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter
about it and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring
in the receipt and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat.
We did eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap
asking for a refund. What do you think?

Dora

Ask for your money back. They get the money back from the packaging
company.

Jill

One time on Usenet, "limey" <[email hidden]> said:

<snip re: shells in crab meat>

Quoted message said:

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

I'd get your money back -- he'll probably just get a refund from his
supplier...

--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 12:53:52 -0500, "limey" <[email hidden]>
replied:

Quoted message said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the
Safeway. Good deal. However, when I opened the
container there was a lot of shell and cartilage on the
top. When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it
was all through the meat. I removed as much as I
could but the resulting crab cakes were riddled with
it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish
counter about it and that he needed to be aware of it.
He told me to bring in the receipt and get my money
back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking
for a refund. What do you think?

Would you purchase that product, or one similar, from Safeway in the
future? He can't be sure of that. He's doing damage-control so that
you forget (or at least forgive) this experience.

I'd take him up on it and be back within fifteen minutes of the offer.

The Ranger

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

limey said:

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about
it and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the
receipt and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did
eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for
a refund. What do you think?

<snip>

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, there are people who complain when there's really
something to complain about. The store has to be grateful to those
people, or they'd never know when something was really wrong. They can't
sample every shipment of every product. The store has reason to be very
glad you pointed out a problem with their product. They may even turn
around and complain to THEIR supplier. Giving you a refund is a good way
to keep your business. The only thing wrong with accepting the refund is
if if their strategy doesn't work-- i.e., if you accept it and become a
bad customer anyway.

--Lia

Thanks, Lia. I wasn't actually complaining the other day - I wanted to
alert him, since they had a lot to sell. I've only asked for my money back
twice - once when I was given the wrong medicine and the other when
groceries I had paid for were missing from the bags (they were left on the
belt by mistake). I see your reasoning points, though.

Dora

Thanks, everyone - you've made me see things more clearly, without feeling
cheap.

Dora

"limey" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Thanks, Lia. I wasn't actually complaining the other day - I wanted to
alert him, since they had a lot to sell. I've only asked for my money
back twice - once when I was given the wrong medicine and the other when
groceries I had paid for were missing from the bags (they were left on the
belt by mistake).

Oh, you just made me laugh, I just had a recall! I got slapped,
hard, by someone on this newsgroup when I [censored] that I'd gotten
home from the supermarket and they hadn't given me my ... are
you ready for this? CRAB CAKES. No lie. They put them into
a bag behind the counter and let me walk off without giving them
to me.

Whoever it was was really [censored] because do you know how
many families I could have fed with that money and I just walk out
without them? Geez, sorrrrrry I didn't take inventory of the bags
and bags of items I had to make sure I had everything.

It just made me laugh that that is one of the very few times I have
gone back to the store and said, you owe me for this. I can only
think of one other time. And of all things, it was crab cakes, what
a laugh. Queue twilight zone theme.

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote in message >

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It just made me laugh that that is one of the very few times I have
gone back to the store and said, you owe me for this. I can only
think of one other time. And of all things, it was crab cakes, what
a laugh. Queue twilight zone theme.

nancy

Boy, that's weird. Yep, I can hear Rod Stewart now.

Dora

"sarah bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

limey said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good
deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and
cartilage on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the
meat. I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were
riddled with it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about
it and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the
receipt and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did
eat those crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for
a refund. What do you think?

Dora

It is cheap. But there isn't anything wrong with that. 🙂

Quoted message said:

saerah

That is a good guy to offer; many times they don't offer much more than a
shrug. I'd think twice about buying the crab meat from the same source
again.
Dee Dee

"limey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Nancy Young" wrote in message >

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It just made me laugh that that is one of the very few times I have
gone back to the store and said, you owe me for this. I can only
think of one other time. And of all things, it was crab cakes, what
a laugh. Queue twilight zone theme.

nancy

Boy, that's weird. Yep, I can hear Rod Stewart now.

Dora

Oops - Rod Serling.

limey said:

Last week, there was a sale on backfin crabmeat at the Safeway. Good deal.
However, when I opened the container there was a lot of shell and cartilage
on the top.
When I mixed it for crab cakes, it was obvious it was all through the meat.
I removed as much as I could but the resulting crab cakes were riddled with
it.

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

Dora
--
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

First of all, you didn't ask for a refund. He offered, which was the right
thing to do. He sold you a product that was not up to par - unknowingly,
most likely. His giving you a refund is the best way to say, "I'm sorry.
I'll always stand behind my products. Please keep shopping here."

In turn, you will tell everybody you know what happened - just like you
did here. He can't buy that kind of positive advertising. You're a
satisfied customer and you will always recall and recount this positive
outcome to a a negative experience.

There is a fine line between striking a fair deal and taking advantage.
If that crab had had three or four pieces of shell, then your reporting it
- thus opening the door for the offer of a refund - would have been taking
advantage (cheap). But you got way too much shell for your money.
Reporting it was the right thing to do. So is accepting the refund.

Elaine, too

limey said:

Question: This week, I casually told the guy at the fish counter about it
and that he needed to be aware of it. He told me to bring in the receipt
and get my money back, even if I'd used the crab meat. We did eat those
crab cakes, in spite of everything, so I feel cheap asking for a refund.
What do you think?

You thought you were buying unadulterated crabmeat and didn't get it.
You may have eaten the crabcakes, but you would have enjoyed them a
lot more if you had gotten what you paid for. He did the right thing
by offering your money back and you aren't out to scam them; so bring
in the receipt and let them return your money.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.