Tin contained mouldy coconut chocolates, lied to about issue, request for refund ignored.
I ordered a £36 tin of chocolates from Catherine’s, which unfortunately contained mouldy coconut chocolates. The taste was rancid—similar to stilton cheese—and completely unacceptable for a product of this nature and price point. However, the product quality was not even the most disappointing issue!
When I contacted Catherines, instead of offering a refund, I was given a £5 voucher to use in their store. This amount is insufficient to purchase anything and did not even begin to compensate for the spoiled chocolates. Even more concerning, I was advised to “eat around” the mouldy chocolates, which I find irresponsible and unsafe advice from a chocolatier. The email was apparently from Catherine herself and fell far below the standards I would expect from a reputable business.
These chocolates were purchased as an anniversary gift for my wife. Unsurprisingly, after tasting the spoiled chocolates, she had no interest in eating anymore of them.
I was told this was an isolated incident and that there had been no other reports of issues with the coconut chocolates, with the blame placed on possible storage near a radiator during transit. This statement was demonstrably untrue. At the time, the company’s own website displayed a notice confirming an ongoing issue with their coconut supply, stating that boxes were being shipped without coconut chocolates. Additionally, customer comments on the website included complaints about both missing coconut chocolates and rancid coconut chocolates. I took screenshots of this information, which I later used as evidence when issuing a chargeback.
After providing misleading information, Catherine’s then ceased responding to my emails entirely, leaving me no option but to open a dispute through PayPal in order to obtain a refund.
It genuinely baffles me why this situation was handled in such a dishonest and dismissive manner, when a simple refund would have resolved the matter quickly and professionally. Instead, I was forced to spend considerable time and effort pursuing a resolution.
This experience reflects very poorly on the company’s integrity and customer care. Based on this, I would not purchase from Catherine’s again, nor would I feel comfortable consuming or recommending any of their products.
27 dicembre 2025
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