This is a letter I was forced to write to a senior at Fox's Biscuits after getting appaling responses from others within the company. It stems from buying some biscuits that were black with mould and that my son ate without knowing.

I post it because I never received an explination, apology or understanding of the issue at hand, all I got initially was tokens to buy more biscuits and after a personal backlash I eventually received a postal order for the cost of my postage of the moulding biscuits in the first place, and this cost me £1's in phone calls alone to try and get back!!!!!

Then being asked to send them back to Fox's and then being refused the money back initially for posting them!!!!!

Anyway here we go:

" I am extremely upset as a parent by recent dealings regarding my complaint, which I feel was dealt with in a manner of disregard for concerns over inedible food, as I have mentioned.

As I did not hear from a technical department representative today as I had expected and had been assured, I will explain the situation to you in full from my point of view.

I purchased several packets of the malted Milk biscuits for my son. The expiry date was July, 2007. When the pack was opened my son complained(which is unusual for a 4 year old) that they didn’t taste right! On closer examination of the pack we realised that half the biscuits were black with mould and there was a chemical taste when we(my partner and I) tried them ourselves.

We were so concerned, as you would be as a parent, that we contacted our GP and private company for advice and saved the biscuits. I then contacted the supermarket that we purchased them from who then contacted Fox’s Biscuits.

I was next contacted by a Fox’s technical department representative who sent a SAE requesting I returned the sample, which I fortunately still had. The letter explained that cost of postage would be redeemed when considering ‘compensation’. I returned the item special delivery to ensure it would be received owing to the terrible state of the contents. At a cost of £4.50. I also explained my concerns as a parent from seeing my son consume this product, in a letter.

The following day I was sent an acknowledging letter of the appalling condition of the produce with compensation of £15 of Fox’s biscuits vouchers. These do not compensate a financial deficit to me of both postage and the original purchase and it is also likely that a consumer who has experienced this with a product may well wish to avoid it for some time after.

I followed my concerns up directly with a phone call to Fox’s Technical Department and with a person who appeared to appreciate the circumstances but insisted it was corporate policy to send vouchers, in spite of any financial cost, I explained that in essence, aside from the unpleasant experience as a parent, I wanted reimbursement of the costs of returning the product to you only, as I had been assured of this in the original letter requesting its return? This required the decision of a senior Manager it would seem and I requested this. I was then told I would be contacted in due course.

Later I received a voice mail explaining that it was company policy to compensate in vouchers for biscuits and that if I had a problem with that, to contact my local environmental health officer. I have this voice mail on record.

I can not, to be honest, believe that a large food company that relies on the consumer perception of their produce and that operates in a society where consumer dissatisfaction is so easy to publicise online, would rather divert a legitimate consumer complaint to an environmental health officer than refund the postage of a returned, inedible and below standard product. As you would legally expect.

To make matters worse, when I phoned the manager, this stance was reaffirmed.

I now leave this matter with you. I have taken photos of the produce in question and have the returned and disinterested voicemail messages available to listen to.

All I asked for as a parent who took this seriously was to be refunded for my trouble as initially promised in communications from Fox’s.

It has now turned into a customer services issue that is quite surprising for me personally, and all for a £4.50 refund of postage, which I legitimately incurred in returning your produce, as requested by you!

Should you wish me to send the voice mail message and produce images I am happy to do so.

I hope to hear back shortly and reaffirm that I am taking this very seriously as I was extremely upset at seeing my son eating moulding produce."

Letter to Fox's BiscuitsFox's Biscuits Response to serious complaint