Badand Nice Surprise Savoring A Pizza

[pault17]

Yesterday I went eating with my wife and a friend at a place owned by a company making pizzas. We ordered a "loaded tropical". It comes with a thick sauce hiding the smaller ingredients of the topping. I was savoring my second slice when suddenly I felt something hard in my mouth: it was a big screw! I handed it to the waitress who hurriedly went to the kitchen.

She apologized and explained that they had been working in the kitchen. She then proposed to replace tour pizza with a freshly baked new one. We didn't think this was necessary.

Later she came back apologizing again and told us that the 'company' was offering us two big pizzas with a topping of our choice.

I was amazed by this move. And happily surprised. Some businesses here start to value their customers and take responsibility of their mistakes. Anyway, they turned a possible nasty situation into a wwin-win one. And we probably will become more regular visitors.

[barefoot1988]

had this happen in other places, you could had been a overnight millionaire

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Why would you not post the name and location of the restaurant, it's a positive story after all.

I'd also like to know the nationality of the management.

[pault17]

Why would you not post the name and location of the restaurant, it's a positive story after all.

I'd also like to know the nationality of the management.

The name of the restaurant is clearly hinted at and I expected you to get this. As the Pizza Company is a big chain with hundreds of outlets so the location did not seem important to me. It is Saraburi, not a big city.

As for the nationality of the local management I don't know. I've only seen Thai people there.

[phuturatica]

Let's hope you don't get any other free 'toppings' in your future orders eh?

It's nice that they did their best to sort the situation out though.

[giddyup]

If you found a screw in your pizza in most western countries the company would be open to a serious law suit if you were so inclined. You wouldn't be offered a couple of free pizzas but a generous cash offer to keep it out of court. A screw (or any metal object) in your food could cause some serious medical problems, the least of all a broken tooth. If McDonalds paid 2.7 million dollars (plus $160,000 medical expenses) for making their coffee too hot, what would they pay for a metal screw in one of their burgers?

[Semper]

Later she came back apologizing again and told us that the 'company' was offering us two big pizzas with a topping of our choice.

I'll try this in CM.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I'm very surprised they were that generous, good for them.

[giddyup]

I'm very surprised they were that generous, good for them.

Why wouldn't they be that "generous", a couple of free pizzas is going to cost them sweet FA. I imagine even in Thailand a company like Pizza Hut or whoever, would be subject to a law suit if you wanted to pursue the matter. I think they got off pretty light.

[chuang]

If this is America you can be a million richer..555..

[DP25]

I once found multiple shards of broken glass in my food at a chain restaurant in Thailand. Told the manager and they agreed not to charge me for the food with the glass in it, but didn't offer to give me anything for free and made me pay for my untouched coke. Coke was part of a set but they would only let me out of the food portion of the price. If it was in America they'd give me tons of free stuff to keep me happy, but if I even said who it was in Thailand I'd be the one who risks ending up in prison.

[LennyW]

If this is America you can be a million richer..555..

Hence the reason it is so slow and expensive to get anything done, people are afraid to fart in the wrong direction for fear of being sued!! Unfortunately the UK and many other countries are heading the same way!

Fair play to the restaurant involved for their actions and offers and good on the OP to accept their apologies instead of making a huge issue out of it.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Why wouldn't they be that "generous", a couple of free pizzas is going to cost them sweet FA. I imagine even in Thailand a company like Pizza Hut or whoever, would be subject to a law suit if you wanted to pursue the matter. I think they got off pretty light.

Because it's very unusual for restaurants here (outside of the crazy expensive ones, internationally-run hotels etc) to do anything more than shrug and walk away when something like this is brought to their attention.

The reason people are so hesitant to name names here is that doing so is against the law in Thailand - not just opening you to a defamation lawsuit, but actually punishable by jail time - and the fact that what you're saying is true is no defense.

[mania]

My wife & I were eating at a popular Mexican Restaurant in ChiangMai

That is quite good & we go about once a month.

As she was eating her Taco she pulled something out of her mouth & it

was a chunk of a green scrub pad

She gave it to the waitress who was very apologetic & deducted her meal from the bill.

We still go there but they have two locations so we tend to go to the other now

[Scully]

My wife & I were eating at a popular Mexican Restaurant in ChiangMai

That is quite good & we go about once a month.

As she was eating her Taco she pulled something out of her mouth & it

was a chunk of a green scrub pad

She gave it to the waitress who was very apologetic & deducted her meal from the bill.

We still go there but they have two locations so we tend to go to the other now

That's taking clean food good taste too far

[mania]

That's taking clean food good taste too far

Not far from what I told my wife.

I said hey at least you know they scrub

[Semper]

If this is America you can be a million richer..555..

We very are lucky that it's not.

[h90]

Why would you not post the name and location of the restaurant, it's a positive story after all.

I'd also like to know the nationality of the management.

The name of the restaurant is clearly hinted at and I expected you to get this. As the Pizza Company is a big chain with hundreds of outlets so the location did not seem important to me. It is Saraburi, not a big city.

As for the nationality of the local management I don't know. I've only seen Thai people there.

I think that is very nice from them and great customer service. Just their Pizzas are terrible. I don't understand how someone can eat that. Or lets say it different: You shouldn't call it Pizza. If I would be Italian I would start an intifada against it....

[Thailaw]

If you found a screw in your pizza in most western countries the company would be open to a serious law suit if you were so inclined. You wouldn't be offered a couple of free pizzas but a generous cash offer to keep it out of court. A screw (or any metal object) in your food could cause some serious medical problems, the least of all a broken tooth. If McDonalds paid 2.7 million dollars (plus $160,000 medical expenses) for making their coffee too hot, what would they pay for a metal screw in one of their burgers?

Thank God for lawyers! We keep the world safe.........

The amount you quote in the Liebeck vs. McDonalds case is nonsense. The jury award was $160,000 in actual damages plus $2.7 million in punative damages, which punitive damages were reduced by the judge to $460,000. That award was appealed by both parties and they reached a confidential settlement, so the actual amount has not been disclosed. I have read that the actual total amount paid to the plaintiff was $640,000, not a small amount, but no where near the $2.86 million you state. The facts stated by the OP are very different than in the Liebeck case, where she suffered actual injury and it was shown that McDonalds knew that the temperature of the coffee they served presented a risk of injury to its customers. Not having suffered any injury, it is doubtful that the OP would have much of a claim against the pizza restaurant, even in the US.

[lackerbandman]

is just another "happy ending" in the land of smiles !!

[ttelise]

If you found a screw in your pizza in most western countries the company would be open to a serious law suit if you were so inclined. You wouldn't be offered a couple of free pizzas but a generous cash offer to keep it out of court. A screw (or any metal object) in your food could cause some serious medical problems, the least of all a broken tooth. If McDonalds paid 2.7 million dollars (plus $160,000 medical expenses) for making their coffee too hot, what would they pay for a metal screw in one of their burgers?

Screw not worth any money in US unless swallowed or chipped a tooth. Chipping a tooth would not get too much money. You do not understand hot coffee case, the injuries sustained, the reason for the verdict or how it was ultimately remitted. If my case, I would send some coupons for free pizzas and an apology letter as that's about all it's worth.

[giddyup]

If you found a screw in your pizza in most western countries the company would be open to a serious law suit if you were so inclined. You wouldn't be offered a couple of free pizzas but a generous cash offer to keep it out of court. A screw (or any metal object) in your food could cause some serious medical problems, the least of all a broken tooth. If McDonalds paid 2.7 million dollars (plus $160,000 medical expenses) for making their coffee too hot, what would they pay for a metal screw in one of their burgers?

Thank God for lawyers! We keep the world safe.........

The amount you quote in the Liebeck vs. McDonalds case is nonsense. The jury award was $160,000 in actual damages plus $2.7 million in punative damages, which punitive damages were reduced by the judge to $460,000. That award was appealed by both parties and they reached a confidential settlement, so the actual amount has not been disclosed. I have read that the actual total amount paid to the plaintiff was $640,000, not a small amount, but no where near the $2.86 million you state. The facts stated by the OP are very different than in the Liebeck case, where she suffered actual injury and it was shown that McDonalds knew that the temperature of the coffee they served presented a risk of injury to its customers. Not having suffered any injury, it is doubtful that the OP would have much of a claim against the pizza restaurant, even in the US.

The amount I quoted (2.7 mil.) is taken from Wikipedia info. re the McDonalds case, so if it's nonsense, blame them. Even though no physical injury occurred with the screw found in the pizza I'm sure a good lawyer would find some grounds for either a settlement or a law suit, maybe mental anguish. Not that I'm advocating any kind of litigation.

[ricklev]

Great HBO movie last year explores/explains the McDonald's case. "Hot Coffee".

It will challenge why you believe what you believe about the civil justice system in the USA.

[Meisgq]

The OP wasn't harmed nor was his case ignored. He doesn't deserve millions of dollars for finding a screw. The problem with America is that people file lawsuits for very miniscule inconvenience, even honest mistakes.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Although the rewards granted may well seem excessive, the US civil litigation system certainly has played a much greater role in ensuring public safety from careless or even intentional corporate negligence than any government bureaucracy could in a society where dollars trump the public interest.

In such a society greed must be put into the service of the public good, and the harmful side effects of that necessity are a small price to pay.

Fine and good to say well let's take the money out of politics and fix the fundamental corruption of modern "liberal democratic" capitalism, but that's at this point a lost cause and moot point.

Bottom line is tort law is one of the very few enforcement mechanisms for public safety that still works in the US.

[Thailaw]

The amount I quoted (2.7 mil.) is taken from Wikipedia info. re the McDonalds case, so if it's nonsense, blame them. Even though no physical injury occurred with the screw found in the pizza I'm sure a good lawyer would find some grounds for either a settlement or a law suit, maybe mental anguish. Not that I'm advocating any kind of litigation.

Go back and look again. If you only read the introductory paragraph in the Wikipedia article "Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants", you will find the $2.7 million amount. But if you bother to read the explanation, under "Trial and Verdict" (7th paragraph) you will find the following:

"A twelve-person jury reached its verdict on August 18, 1994.[16] Applying the principles of comparative negligence, the jury found that McDonald's was 80% responsible for the incident and Liebeck was 20% at fault. Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient. They awarded Liebeck US$200,000 in compensatory damages, which was then reduced by 20% to $160,000. In addition, they awarded her $2.7 million in punitive damages. The jurors apparently arrived at this figure from Morgan's suggestion to penalize McDonald's for one or two days' worth of coffee revenues, which were about $1.35 million per day.[6] The judge reduced punitive damages to $480,000, three times the compensatory amount, for a total of $640,000. The decision was appealed by both McDonald's and Liebeck in December 1994, but the parties settled out of court for an undisclosed amount less than $600,000.[20]" (emphasis added).

So, the correct information is clearly stated in the article for anyone that bothers to read it. That clearly wasn't you. It is obvious to me who is to blame.

On the facts stated by the OP, he has no real/significant claim in the US or elsewhere. A "bad" lawyer, with a dishonest plaintiff, might be able to distort the facts and coerce money out of the restaurant. That happens unfortunately too often in the US legal system by people who think (and act) like you.

[giddyup]

The amount I quoted (2.7 mil.) is taken from Wikipedia info. re the McDonalds case, so if it's nonsense, blame them. Even though no physical injury occurred with the screw found in the pizza I'm sure a good lawyer would find some grounds for either a settlement or a law suit, maybe mental anguish. Not that I'm advocating any kind of litigation.

Go back and look again. If you only read the introductory paragraph in the Wikipedia article "Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants", you will find the $2.7 million amount. But if you bother to read the explanation, under "Trial and Verdict" (7th paragraph) you will find the following:

"A twelve-person jury reached its verdict on August 18, 1994.[16] Applying the principles of comparative negligence, the jury found that McDonald's was 80% responsible for the incident and Liebeck was 20% at fault. Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient. They awarded Liebeck US$200,000 in compensatory damages, which was then reduced by 20% to $160,000. In addition, they awarded her $2.7 million in punitive damages. The jurors apparently arrived at this figure from Morgan's suggestion to penalize McDonald's for one or two days' worth of coffee revenues, which were about $1.35 million per day.[6] The judge reduced punitive damages to $480,000, three times the compensatory amount, for a total of $640,000. The decision was appealed by both McDonald's and Liebeck in December 1994, but the parties settled out of court for an undisclosed amount less than $600,000.[20]" (emphasis added).

So, the correct information is clearly stated in the article for anyone that bothers to read it. That clearly wasn't you. It is obvious to me who is to blame.

On the facts stated by the OP, he has no real/significant claim in the US or elsewhere. A "bad" lawyer, with a dishonest plaintiff, might be able to distort the facts and coerce money out of the restaurant. That happens unfortunately too often in the US legal system by people who think (and act) like you.

Oh my goodness, I deserve a good flogging. You are right, I am wrong. Happy? BTW, I never advocated legal action as I clearly stated in my post, so maybe you should take a lesson out of your own book and read the posts.

[ttelise]

If you found a screw in your pizza in most western countries the company would be open to a serious law suit if you were so inclined. You wouldn't be offered a couple of free pizzas but a generous cash offer to keep it out of court. A screw (or any metal object) in your food could cause some serious medical problems, the least of all a broken tooth. If McDonalds paid 2.7 million dollars (plus $160,000 medical expenses) for making their coffee too hot, what would they pay for a metal screw in one of their burgers?

Thank God for lawyers! We keep the world safe.........

The amount you quote in the Liebeck vs. McDonalds case is nonsense. The jury award was $160,000 in actual damages plus $2.7 million in punative damages, which punitive damages were reduced by the judge to $460,000. That award was appealed by both parties and they reached a confidential settlement, so the actual amount has not been disclosed. I have read that the actual total amount paid to the plaintiff was $640,000, not a small amount, but no where near the $2.86 million you state. The facts stated by the OP are very different than in the Liebeck case, where she suffered actual injury and it was shown that McDonalds knew that the temperature of the coffee they served presented a risk of injury to its customers. Not having suffered any injury, it is doubtful that the OP would have much of a claim against the pizza restaurant, even in the US.

The amount I quoted (2.7 mil.) is taken from Wikipedia info. re the McDonalds case, so if it's nonsense, blame them. Even though no physical injury occurred with the screw found in the pizza I'm sure a good lawyer would find some grounds for either a settlement or a law suit, maybe mental anguish. Not that I'm advocating any kind of litigation.

Therein lies the problem. Educated by Wikipedia and formulating opinions based on inaccurate information.

No mental anguish. I defend large companies and reserve cases as monitoring counsel in a five state region for AIG, Lloyds of London and CNA Health Pro. No value here. I might not even authorize a coupon if lawyer filed suit as I like to send message won't roll over and pay bs claims even for nuisance value or costs of defense.

Now a bloody band aide in the mouth, finger tip, dead rat in can or something that is shocking to the conscious may warrant some value.

To add to lawyer dude above, the little old lady got second and third degree burns around her genital region.

Plaintiffs lawyer offered to settle case for cost of meds which was like $ 5,000 (been a while since I read about so figure may be a bit off). McDonalds refused to tender small costs of meds and got nailed. Bad lawyering.

McDobalds notorious for having weak trial lawyers shipped in from large firms. I actually tried a case for a family friend that fell in the bathroom of a McDonalds and sustained about $ 59,000 in meds. I offered to settle for $ 180,000. They declined and jury awarded my client $495,000. Trial in Pensacola and they sent a lame lawyer up from Miami. I told them . . .