When Janet Wilson booked a £216 afternoon tea at the Ritz for a family celebration, she expected the ‘epitome of high standards’.
After all, the five-star hotel on Piccadilly boasts on its website that the treat is ‘exquisitely presented’ and ‘the finest slice of life’.
Instead, says Mrs Wilson, the family had to contend with ‘rock hard’ scones and spilt tea, while staff failed to present the tea ‘properly’, serving ‘over them, rather than to the side’.
She complained and asked for a 50 per cent refund of £108 but the hotel refused – even sending her clips from its CCTV cameras which it said showed that no tea had been spilt.
Mrs Wilson, her husband Roger, 73, a retired British Telecom worker, and their daughters Karina, 17, and Adele, 20 (both pictured) went to the Ritz on May 24 to celebrate Adele achieving her gold Duke of Edinburgh award
Now, however, it has been ordered to pay up by a judge after Mrs Wilson took her case to the small claims court.
Last night Mrs Wilson, 59, from Lydd-on-Sea, Kent, said: ‘We thought that the Ritz epitomised the highest standard for British afternoon tea, but we couldn’t have been more wrong.
‘The scones were really hard. I’ve made better scones than that. They were rock hard. There was no way they were fresh.
‘And the sandwiches tasted like they had just been brought out of the fridge. The tea was not served properly. It was served over us, not to the side of us.’
The former private detective also complained that their teapot was not refilled until they asked and that the staff serving them ‘didn’t look very happy’ about their request for more.
The five-star hotel on Piccadilly boasts on its website that the treat is ‘exquisitely presented’ and ‘the finest slice of life’
She added: ‘They put the bill on the table before we had even finished and when we put the card down they removed the food before we were finished.
‘It was very much get in, sit down, food put in front of you, and then out for the next people.’
Mrs Wilson, her husband Roger, 73, a retired British Telecom worker, and their daughters Karina, 17, and Adele, 20, went to the Ritz on May 24 to celebrate Adele achieving her gold Duke of Edinburgh award.
‘It was a special day for us all and we were really looking forward to it,’ Mrs Wilson said.
‘The girls love afternoon tea and they were really excited.’ They had a range of sandwiches, with scones and a choice of 18 varieties of tea with cakes.
Complaints: Janet and Roger Wilson with Karina and Adele. Mrs Wilson said the family had to contend with ‘rock hard’ scones and spilt tea, while staff failed to present the tea ‘properly’, serving ‘over them, rather than to the side’
After a series of emails Mrs Wilson asked for a 50 per cent refund in June but the Ritz offered a ‘gift package’ in return which she refused. Instead she lodged her claim, submitted to Canterbury County Court
Mrs Wilson said they did not complain at the time because they didn’t want to spoil the occasion, but she complained the next day.
Four days later the assistant manager apologised by email for the ‘very rare lapse in our usually high standards’ but later refused compensation.
After a series of emails Mrs Wilson asked for a 50 per cent refund in June but the Ritz offered a ‘gift package’ in return which she refused.
Instead she lodged her claim, submitted to Canterbury County Court.
The Ritz filed a defence which claimed the scones were fresh and that the 398 other people who ate there that day didn’t complain.
Mrs Wilson added: ‘They put the bill on the table before we had even finished and when we put the card down they removed the food before we were finished’. Pictured: Adele
Food and beverage manager Nick Bromhead said CCTV didn’t show any tea spillages and said tea is topped up on request.
He added: ‘Mrs Wilson experienced our usual standard of tea service… From reviewing the CCTV footage and personally investigating the matter I feel that Mrs Wilson had experienced the Ritz Afternoon Tea as advertised and booked.’
But the judge deemed it was not a ‘properly pleaded defence’ and ordered the Ritz to pay Mrs Wilson £108 plus £35 costs.
The company, which charges up to £1,615 a night for a suite, has until just before Christmas to pay up – or Mrs Wilson will be within her rights to instruct bailiffs.
‘If they don’t pay it can go back to court or we can instruct bailiffs. It won’t come to that, but I won’t drop it,’ she said.
‘I complained and they didn’t want to know. I didn’t think it would get as far as court, but I’m pleased with the outcome. I just didn’t think they should get away with it.’
She insisted her claim was not about the money, adding: ‘I wasn’t greedy – we weren’t happy with the food but we stayed to eat, so feel 50 per cent was adequate.’