Complaints and problems

Why this matters:a complaint handled well produces a more loyal customer than one who never had a problem. Handled badly, it costs you the customer and costs us a retailer. And the practical part — getting the batch date — takes ten seconds and is the difference between us being able to investigate and not.

The first thing, every time: get the date

The Best Before date stamped on the container is also the batch number.

Before anything else, before any discussion of what went wrong:

"Have you still got the tub? There's a date stamped on it — can you read that out to me? That's how we trace exactly which batch it came from."

Without it, we can look into nothing. With it, we can look into everything.

If they've thrown the tub away, take everything else — protein, size, roughly when they bought it — and pass it on anyway.

The four you'll actually see

Short weight. Take the date, take the actual weight if they have it, offer a replacement, report it.

Foreign material. Take the date and, if possible, ask them to keep the item. This one always gets reported, no exceptions.

Off smell. Worth a couple of questions first — raw food, and green tripe especially, smells strong and unpleasant to humans by nature, and a first-time customer may simply be surprised. But if they're describing something different from usual, or the product was thawed and refrozen in transit, take the date and report it.

"The quality isn't the same." Usually a protein difference or a seasonal variation in the raw material rather than a change — the recipes don't change. Still take the details and pass them on.

How to handle it

Believe them first. Even if you suspect it's a misunderstanding, start from the assumption that they're describing something real. You can establish the details afterwards.

Don't diagnose it at the counter. "That's probably just…" is the wrong opening, even when it turns out to be right. Take the information, offer the replacement, pass it on.

Offer the replacement without being asked. It costs very little and it's the whole difference in how the interaction feels.

Report it even when the customer is happy. A resolved complaint that never reaches us is a batch problem we can't see. If three stores each quietly resolve the same issue, nobody ever finds out.

Who to contact

Product quality, anything you're unsure about Arianna — Director of Marketing & Sales
Orders, deliveries, stock Jason — Order & Logistics Coordinator
(289) 272-0454 · hello@rawperformancedogfood.com

What you can promise, and what you can't

You can: replace the product, take the details, escalate it, and tell them someone will look into it.

You can't: explain what happened, promise a specific outcome, or give an opinion on whether the dog was harmed. If a customer says their dog got sick, that's a vet conversation and an immediate report to us — not a discussion at the counter.

On the floor

The whole complaint procedure in one sentence:

"Sorry about that — have you still got the tub? If you can read me the date stamped on it I'll get a replacement sorted and pass it straight on to Raw Performance."

Key takeaways

  • Always get the Best Before date — it's the batch number and nothing can be traced without it
  • Believe them first. Don't diagnose at the counter
  • Offer a replacement without being asked
  • Report it even when it's resolved — otherwise a batch problem stays invisible
  • Foreign material always gets reported
  • Recipes don't change — "the quality is different" is usually protein or seasonal variation
  • A sick dog is a vet conversation and an immediate report, not a counter discussion
  • Arianna for product · Jason for orders · (289) 272-0454

Check your knowledge

  1. What's the first thing you ask for, and why does it matter?
  2. A customer resolves happily with a replacement. Do you still report it? Why?
  3. A customer says the food made their dog sick. What do you do and what do you not do?

START HERE

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