Extremely disrespectful service on my graduation day
I am deeply disappointed by the way my family and I were treated at this Subway branch in Hatfield, especially on what should have been one of the happiest and most memorable days of my life, my university graduation day.
When I politely asked for some extra sauce, the staff member responded with an unnecessarily hostile attitude. They grabbed the sauce bottle and threw it back into the sauce area in front of me. When I asked them to be a little friendlier, instead of addressing their behaviour, they spoke to me rudely and accused me of placing my hand on the counter cover.
I explained that if I had touched somewhere I should not, they could simply have reminded me politely. However, they claimed that because it was an “important day,” they did not want to remind me. That explanation made no sense and certainly did not justify treating a customer with such hostility.
I then asked to be served by another employee, but this person stated that they were the manager. If this is genuinely how a manager behaves towards customers, I seriously question whether they are suitable for a customer-facing management position.
Even when my boyfriend returned to discuss the situation, the manager continued arguing with us instead of calmly resolving the issue. Throughout the entire interaction, we were shown no respect, given no reasonable explanation, and received no apology whatsoever.
This incident completely ruined what should have been a beautiful graduation-day experience for me and my family. It was upsetting, humiliating, and entirely unacceptable. As this branch operates within a university environment, this experience has also made us seriously question the standard of customer service being provided to students, families, and visitors on campus.
As the President of the university’s Vietnamese Society, I regularly communicate with Vietnamese students, prospective applicants, and their families. I will be sharing my honest experience with my community, as the way students and their families are treated on campus can significantly influence their decisions about where to study.
My sister is also considering studying for her master’s degree at this university, but an experience like this may genuinely affect her decision. If such unacceptable service continues, it risks damaging not only this branch’s reputation but also the wider impression that international students and their families have of the university.
I sincerely hope Subway and the university take this complaint seriously, investigate the incident, review the CCTV footage, and provide appropriate customer-service training. No customer should be treated this way, particularly by someone claiming to be the manager.