After a pleasant morning at the lake with our 3 dogs and enjoying lunch at Tortilla Flats, my daughter and I decided to walk to the ice cream shop a few doors down as is our tradition. Unfortunately, after our horrible experience we will never come back to the country store.
First off, they don't offer samples, which is as shocking as the no return policy. At 69 years old and an ice cream enthusiast, this was my first encounter of a no sampling policy. I requested 2 waffle cones and while Ashley was filling the first one, it broke in her hands, so she remade it. There were no issues filling the second cone, however when I licked it to prevent the half-melted ice cream from dripping on the floor, the entire cone broke in half. By this time, I was also in the process of paying. I pointed out the busted cone, making a mess and asked for a new one. Ashley said because I tasted it, she would not give me another one. Mind you, I haven't even left the counter or gave my daughter hers as she was waiting outside with the dogs. Baffled and defeated over $17 dollars I left the store resigned to never return.
Once my daughter saw my ice cream cone falling apart in my hands, she grabbed it and went inside to request one be remade. Instead, Ashley repeated the same crap about "he already licked it" and instead of satisfying a customer she slammed a cone and holder on the counter expecting my daughter to somehow refill a cone without any utensils and a half-melted ice cream. Persistently, my daughter stated the impossible tasks and asked for the Manager. Ashley went into the back room to supposedly find one yet came back without one. She told my daughter it would be a few minutes and slammed a cup on the counter, as if this would solve the problem. With her own cone now melting over a simple request, me boiling outside in the sun with our dogs, and a line of families forming, my daughter patiently waited. After a few moments she asked when the manager was coming just to be told dismissively "it'll be a moment." Frustrated, my daughter approached the back room herself and yelled for the manager. Again, no response. Finally, after firmly demanding one, Ashley stormed off with a radio in tow, went to the back room and finally the manager decided she had time to deal with an upset customer.
The manager wasn't any more pleasant to deal with than Ashley. Ashley tried to explain what happened and even ADMITTED the first cone she made fell apart BEFORE we even touched it. So, my daughter pointed out the obvious- sounds like the cones are a recurring issue and used the analogy- If I purchased a car and it fell apart before I left the lot- who's fault would that be? Resigned and pissed about it, the manager said, "Make her a new cone" and walked away. No apology, no accountability.
Perhaps I am confused, but shouldn't a cone be able to survive longer than a taste? Looking back, you have a line of customers and only 1 person at the counter. WHO is managing this place? What is the standard? What happened to decency and customer service? I guess they feel they have you trapped since the next place is 5-10 miles away. Based on my daughter’s interaction with the manager, the problem seems to be from the top down. The country store will never get any business from anyone in even our extended family, once I've talked...
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