Higgler Coffee — Restaurant in East Devon

In reply to your response, which i can see you carefully structured to appear professional and polite, All I have to say is, I seriously hope you are able to maintain your multiple awards, your cafe and staff are all lovely , sadly I cannot say the same for you, making the suggestion that I am a difficult customer is laughable, I have been told once about moving chairs and once about drink temps, both by yourself. Most mornings I have arrived around 9am and the shop has been empty or with a couple of people in. Noone has pointed anything out except that already stated and as noone knew about my dyslexia they certainly did not try explaining to me on any occaission. On other occasions one of your regular customers and also my friend was already seated waiting for me, so no need to wait to be seated.

You do not need to ask me not to leave further comments. I'm completely with you. I am only replying to put your twisted version of the truth straight.

Wishing you every success for your future and hoping you can accept your downfalls, everyone and every business has room for improvement. Nothing else to say as I've been taught if you can't be nice say nothing at all.

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Difficult to provide accurate number of stars, for the shop and comfortable, cleanliness, it would be a definite 5. For products again I have to give a 5, for staff generally , friendliness and helpfulness 5*, But with a capital B... the manager Laurance who i believed to be a professional and warm man, has let the shop down. I am a professional working lady who has been restoring her health following burnout and stress, I found higgler a great place to go and relax in, I even treated my mum to go there and felt able to go there when I was struggling to leave my house. All was well until I went to pay, Lawrence told me I didn't have to pay on this occaision , however neither would I be paying in the future as he did not wish me to go there again. I was so shocked, I could get no words except Why out. He explained that he did not feel able to meet my needs, surely that is my decision.

I may be wrong but believe the reason for my ban is because of several questions I'd asked which he would possibly thought were challenging him.

Firstly I tried to order at the counter and was told to sit down and he'd come to myself and friend, I was trying to save his legs but that's fine, then on another occaision I moved a chair to be enough for x3 people, he pointed out a sign which I had not noticed (plus I'm dyslexic) we apologised put the chair back and moved, I had not realised it was to keep a fire exit clear. I also ordered a chai latte, as I'm used to drinking black coffee I asked for it extra hot and was met with a no madame we don't do that here, I asked why and was told they only heat to a specific temperature, oddly another member or staff has done this b4. The Chai was not heard above that temp but to be fare it was perfect. On another occaission I tried to pay for drinks we had already had and pay for the drinks I was ordering at same time, again I was told firmly I could only pay at the end. So I sat back down.

It would appear I've been banned along with several others who reviewed. I don't understand is there a dictatorship in the shop. Could it be misogyny? Are we as adults not allowed to ask questions. At no time have I been rude. What a shame,several of us have been praying for Laurence and his business. I will continue to pray but this whole situation has been distressing and hurtful , it has been very personal and I do not deserve this kind of treatment. Making a bill on the house does not justify your behaviour Laurence. Thankyou to...

Poorly made cappuccino, wildly overheated oat milk that was thin and burnt, rather than velvety and barista grade. I'm also sure the grinder wasn't dialled in properly as there was a distinct watery taste to the coffee. Just a tip...get the barista to smile a little. We can't come back. Yes I am related to a local competitor (this is a response to the owners reply below), but we came in good faith (me, my wife and two children) because we love local business regardless of who they are. However I am also a coffee lover and gave your coffee shop an unbiased review of 3/5. In fact it was worse than a "3", by virtue of the fact that the coffee was terrible, but you were a friendly chap, or so I thought, so what I've done now is I've changed my review a "1" to reflect both the quality of the coffee and your attitude. You could have invited me back and offered me a true reflection of what you (may) normally serve, but you've barred me now. Oh any by the way, I've in fact given several local coffee shops a 5-star review...maybe we should also report these, or do we only report the bad ones? I'm confused! Maybe you should change your coffee shop name from "Higgler" to...

Full disclosure, I've known Laurence (of Arabica), the founder of Higgler Coffee, for about 13 years and had been meaning to visit for a couple of years, if only to perform a rendition of the cafe scene from Withnail and I in front of some bewildered Axminster residents. Our visit was a disappointment only in that Laurence was nowhere to be seen, and it therefore seemed unfair to go full-on with the whole "cake and fine wines" shtick. Fine wines were, alas, unavailable, but there was excellent coffee and hot chocolate, and Baboo ice cream. Service was friendly and efficient, and the whole place had a really good feel to it. Thankfully, I don't have to visit Axminster very often, but it's good to know that if I do get trapped among the six-toed monobrows on the Devon side of the border, that Higgler Coffee will be able to provide excellent refreshment and magnificently...