Caller: Customer complaint

We booked "Sasulu’s Pacific Island Food Store, Sasulu’s Best Panipopo on Facebook OR on instagram Sasulu’s Pacific Flavour Catering" to cater for my father’s funeral service on Thursday, 17th February 2022. This was to cater for 200 traditional Pacific island food consisting of chop suey, curry, sweet n sour chicken, taro, potato salad, pork and prawns, this was to show our appreciation for all that attended (which included 10x specials). The food was due at 1.45PM and arrived at 2.50PM. It was a hot day approximately 33 degrees and the food was delivered in the back of a white van, each packaged in a white foam clam container bundled in 3's packs in plastic bags sitting ontop of mesh plastic crates with no temperature control and no equipment to keep the food to a safe temperature. As we were grieving and in the process of laying our father to rest we continued with accepting the delivery as we had 200 people to feed and had no time nor were not in the right frame of mind to question if the food was safe to eat. We of course assumed that a catering business would follow all the correct food handling guidelines. The food was not to a safe standard as it made over half the guests very sick with food poisoning.
We contacted Ms So'o Leota Sasulu (caterer/owner) and voiced our concerns with their food supplied on the day given the complaints received by our guest, in which her (So'o) response was that she would speak with her daughter and call us back immediately, instead has blocked and ignored all our attempts to follow up with her on numerous occasions over the last two weeks through various avenues (calls, texts and social media). For a food business to make a small mistake is acceptable, but to be so careless with food handling procedures and risk the well being of 200 people is disgraceful and dangerous to say the least. Many of our attendees were elderly and vulnerable children and family members; thankfully none had to be hospitalized due to the food poisoning. This is not acceptable for a food business supplying meals to the public and storing and delivering food in unhygienic and unsafe practices.

We tried to support a small pacific island catering business and relied on them during our time of grieving to provide quality food that was safe to consume and delivered in a timely manner. The way this business has handled everything from beginning to end is disgusting and highly unprofessional to say the least. From So'o requesting full payment for the amount of 8K upfront on 12 February 2022 and has since not provided us with a receipt despite several request made, nor  has made no attempt to apologize or compensate for what was done. As a catering business, Ms Sasulu acknowledged and assured us that she understood the importance in catering for a Pacific Island funeral and the magnitude of this task, however have shown zero accountability for what they have done. All this could have been avoided if they had taken responsibility for the substandard service and unsafe food they delivered.

Regards
Adeline Robertson