How to handle a food poisoning claim.?

Question

I work in a restaurant, and a young lady called to today, claiming to get food poisoning 3 weeks ago when she ate here. In that time we have had no other similar complaints or claims. She wants to be refunded her money, but i'm hesitant cause i have the feeling its a scam....how should i handle this??

Answer 1

Unless she got medical help to prove she actually had food poisoning, it is not a valid claim.  You should ask her if she can produce any proof she went to a doctor, clinic, etc... and a written diagnosis of the supposed ailment or a prescription for treatment.

Normally, if a doctor diagnoses food poisoning and there is reason to believe that the infection occurred at a restaurant, the local public health department might be notified.  This would trigger an investigation by them that includes a visit/inspection at the restaurant in question.  If none of these things have happened, it is most likely a baseless claim.

However the gift certificate sounds like a good idea!!!

Answer 2

She might well be scamming you, but frankly it's not worth your time to fight it.  If she can come up with a receipt or evidence that she truly ate there, just give her the money back.  If she can't, give her a gift certificate to come back another time.

Answer 3

If she can't prove her illness, then she can't take any action beyond asking for her money back.  You are within your rights to refuse her request, but in the interest of retaining a customer, it might be best to refund the $11.50 (or whatever it was) to her because she was "dissatisfied."  You might also want to include a refund policy with a time limit in your company's handbook so other employees and yourself know how to handle future incidents.