Consumers told to report dismal services

CONSUMERS should always seek redress for defective products or inadequate services they paid for, government health and trade officials said yesterday.

“When dining in restaurants and you see something in the food that’s not supposed to be there, you can always call management. If the customer is unsatisfied with the way it was handled, they can file a complaint to us,” said Cebu City Health medical specialist Dr. Eliseo Virticio.

Virtucio said this in response to a report about a lawyer who found bits of broken glass in her drink in a Cebu City restaurant.

He said one need only take a cell phone photo of the contaminated food or product as evidence of their complaint.

If a customer falls ill after dining, they can go to the hospital to determine what made them sick and then talk to the management of the establishment they ate in.

“It will depend on the establishment on what they can do to compensate the customer but if they don’t reach an amicable settlement, they can come to us,” said Virtucio.

He said they usually do site inspection and evaluate the establishment.

“If the inspector finds out that the establishment did not comply with certain guidelines that could have resulted to the incident, he will write a report to the City Health Officer for necessary action.” Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap