PizzaExpress — Restaurant in West Oxfordshire

Please read this feedback as I appreciate, we all muck up, we're only human but sadly Witney Pizza Express really need to listen to customers.

Having booked our daughters party on 14th Jan for a party on 23rd March, I contacted Pizza Express 2 weeks prior to confirm numbers and left a voicemail.

I made a further 3 calls over the next few weeks and left voicemails on each occasion leaving our name and date of the party with our contact details....2 days prior to the party I got through to the lady, I realised something wasn't right when she put her hand over the mouth piece and didn't come back for some time. I was then passed to a supervisor, I explained again to which she replied 'Jesus Christ'.

She advised me they don't tend to do parties on a Saturday but would speak to her manger. She duly called me back and said they could accommodate the party however, having had 4 voicemails egnored I had little faith in the venue.

I asked if her manager could call me and she said yes, she would call me tomorrow , having asked for the name I was told she couldn't give me that information... Having asked about the voicemails left, she said she 'couldn't explain voicemails'.

The following day I hadn't heard anything from the branch so contacted Head Office and spoke to Eden, I was really impressed that my concerns were listened to and an apology for the experience. I left the complaint with them but at 12 noon I'd still not heard anything from the manager and with less than 24 hours prior to my daughters party they still had our deposit.

I called the Witney branch and simply asked to speak to a manager, the gentleman said yes, and then put the phone down.....11 minutes and 44 seconds later I hung up as no one came to the phone as I was left listening to staff talking.

I called Head Office again to let them know, in addition to my complaint, I had been left waiting for a Manager, and I still didn't know what was happening with the deposit. A lady kindly refunded me the deposit having given the date the deposit was made and said she'd send our daughter a gift.

At four pm I eventually received a call from the Witney Manager.....

As I mentioned in the first part of this review, we all make mistakes, I get that, but having contacted all parents to let them know there was a change of venue, we visited Pizza Express an hour before our daughter party and spoke to a female and male members of staff to ask that should anyone turn up to let them know the party was only a few door away at The Blue Boar.

We were polite, as seemed the staff but we've had two families say they've been into Pizza Express and they didn't mention the change of venue, and there were a few who didn't turn up.

I was advised by two other families who had had parties at the Witney branch that they'd had a really poor experience, as regulars we wanted to think differently but sadly won't...

Unfortunately we weren’t even able to get to eat the food.

We arrived at the restaurant admittedly without a booking. We were greeted by a member of the staff and I asked if they were able to accommodate a table for 3 without a booking. The member of staff said they were extremely busy although it even a third of the tables were in use. She asked us to come back in 20 minutes of which I thought was fine so we waited patiently outside where the member of staff regularly saw us stood waiting (myself and 2 young children) we went back in 25 mins later and she came up to us and asked we had a booking of which we explained no but we were asked to come back in 20 min and they would have space. Bearing in mind only a family of four entered the restaurant during this 25 minute period and two tables of 4 left whilst we were waiting.

She said they had no tables available and I asked to speak with a manager as I had been asked to wait 20 mins and we could have gone elsewhere. The manager decided to keep me waiting a further 20 mins before arriving and just saying we are full and there is a no walk in policy today? I questioned why we had been asked to come back in 20 mins she said I’d don’t ask you so there’s nothing I can do.

Absolutely disgusting customer service and it will be no fault of their own when the restaurant falls on its knees with a staff...

How to lose customers, Pizza Express style...

Placed a takeaway order for delivery at 8.23pm on a Wednesday evening. We were given a delivery window between 9 - 9.25pm. Absolutely fine. When the delivery window had come and gone, we checked the tracking & noted it was now 9:40 - 10pm delivery. Bit annoying, but still okay. When the delivery time kept changing, and got beyond 10.15pm, we tried to cancel because we were up for work early and needed to go to bed. Couldn't cancel because no one at the restaurant answered the phone & there's no method, as a customer, to contact deliveroo about a specific order! Left 2 messages at pizza express branch, but nothing. It is now nearly half past midnight (yep, we're hungry!!), a full 4 hours later, and our projected delivery time is 12.50Am... , with a lovely little message that they are preparing our order. Interesting, given that the restaurant shut over 2 hours earlier than this, at 10.30pm. I note that they have taken the money for our order and it is quite clear now, that it is not going to be delivered at all.

Hands down, the worst and most disappointing takeaway experience with any restaurant ever. We will never be ordering...