Should I complain about this steak?

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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I bought a couple of top sirloin filets for dinner because they are supposed to be healthy(ish) and lean.
This is what I saw in the package:
top.jpg
This is what I saw when I turned it over:
bottom.jpg

A full 2 oz of an 8 oz steak (25%) was pure fat.
Would I be a jerk to go back to the store with these pics after we ate the steaks to complain?
 
No. It's fraudulent to hide that much fat on the hidden side of the meat. The hacker (I wouldn't call such a persona a proper butcher) would never have tried to pull that fast one.
 
JOhnH said:
I bought a couple of top sirloin filets for dinner because they are supposed to be healthy(ish) and lean.
This is what I saw in the package:
View attachment 108504
This is what I saw when I turned it over:
View attachment 108505

A full 2 oz of an 8 oz steak (25%) was pure fat.
Would I be a jerk to go back to the store with these pics after we ate the steaks to complain?
Click to expand...
I'm gonna save those pics so I can use them to go get me a refund.
 
Yeah. That ain’t right. The meat guys where I shop would hunt down whoever did that and punch him in the throat. They’re pretty proud of the job they do.

But, it’s possible the guy was cutting normally and didn’t notice it either. I’m pretty much leaning this way.
 
Find a new butcher and definitely complain.
 
It’s a little weird to complain after the fact. I understand the frustration, but I would’ve taken it back to the store and then voiced my concerns, rather than eating it.
 
RyanB said:
It’s a little weird to complain after the fact. I understand the frustration, but I would’ve taken it back to the store and then voiced my concerns, rather than eating it.
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He wanted a steak. And the store can't do anything with raw meat that comes back other than throw it out.
 
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Lindberg said:
He wanted a steak. And the store can't do anything with raw meat that comes back out than throw it out.
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Typically, complaints accompany the product. It looks a little weird to complain about something and tell the manager how bad their product was, only to find out it was consumed anyway. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t provide feedback, just understand that it might come across oddly at this point.
 
luvflyin said:
I'm gonna save those pics so I can use them to go get me a refund.
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The point of this post was to point out that anybody could take this pic to their butcher and complain. You probably would be wasting your breath.
 
Salty said:
The point of this post was to point out that anybody could take this pic to their butcher and complain. You probably would be wasting your breath.
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Oh darn. I was really thinking I could pull it off. Thanks, you may have saved me from being arrested for fraud.:hairraise:
 
JOhnH said:
…
Would I be a jerk to go back to the store with these pics after we ate the steaks to complain?
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Yes. Prior to trimming, cooking and consuming, with original packaging available is one thing. The other is just pics from the internet looking for a handout.
 
Next time, demand that the butcher strip the packaging and demonstrate the wholeness of the cut.

I'm halfway joking. My store is normally fairly good about packaging fatty trims of meat such that you can see all of it if it is questionable. Case in point, the spare ribs I got the other day. Fattier than I wanted but not misrepresented. Other times, your tri tip is displayed meat up, fat down and usually, you have to cut a hunk of fat off the underside, but not normally enough to raise a fuss about on being gipped.

But certainly, the cut in the OP's condition, is worth complaining about. The M/F ratio was well under 0.5. If I was paying twenty cents per pound, I'd let it go except I would have needed to know I needed to get a lot more of them.
 
RyanB said:
It’s a little weird to complain after the fact. I understand the frustration, but I would’ve taken it back to the store and then voiced my concerns, rather than eating it.
Click to expand...

Why? Why should I delay dinner and make my wife wait, or eat leftovers when we planned on steak?

It was 7pm on Friday night. We had had a few cocktails and it was time to pull the steak out of the fridge and start the grill, then I see the bottom of the steak. So I took the pics, trimmed the fat and and cooked the steak. It was very good, but it still left a bad taste in my wallet.

I returned to the grocery store today and asked to see the manager. I showed him the pics and he was very apologetic. He said that was "completely unacceptable" and "unprofessional". He asked what kind of steak it was. I told him and he had the cashier give me $20. Not a credit on my card, but a $20 bill. (It cost about $11). He took a picture of the picture on my phone so he could show the meat manager.

And he apologized again. I'm satisfied. Unless it happens again.
 
RyanB said:
Typically, complaints accompany the product. It looks a little weird to complain about something and tell the manager how bad their product was, only to find out it was consumed anyway. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t provide feedback, just understand that it might come across oddly at this point.
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He's not complaining about how bad the steak was. He's complaining about the cut. Not eating the steak would just waste it. If you buy a box of cereal that's full of bugs, do you think the store would rather you bring in the bugs or a picture?
 
Sirloin? Meh! If'n you can afford to fly, you can afford prime tenderloin. :thumbsup:
 
JOhnH said:
Why? Why should I delay dinner and make my wife wait, or eat leftovers when we planned on steak?

It was 7pm on Friday night. We had had a few cocktails and it was time to pull the steak out of the fridge and start the grill, then I see the bottom of the steak. So I took the pics, trimmed the fat and and cooked the steak. It was very good, but it still left a bad taste in my wallet.

I returned to the grocery store today and asked to see the manager. I showed him the pics and he was very apologetic. He said that was "completely unacceptable" and "unprofessional". He asked what kind of steak it was. I told him and he had the cashier give me $20. Not a credit on my card, but a $20 bill. (It cost about $11). He took a picture of the picture on my phone so he could show the meat manager.

And he apologized again. I'm satisfied. Unless it happens again.
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And THAT’s the way it’s done. Both sides kept it professional and knowledge was transferred. Good on everyone.
 
JOhnH said:
Why? Why should I delay dinner and make my wife wait, or eat leftovers when we planned on steak?

It was 7pm on Friday night. We had had a few cocktails and it was time to pull the steak out of the fridge and start the grill, then I see the bottom of the steak. So I took the pics, trimmed the fat and and cooked the steak. It was very good, but it still left a bad taste in my wallet.

I returned to the grocery store today and asked to see the manager. I showed him the pics and he was very apologetic. He said that was "completely unacceptable" and "unprofessional". He asked what kind of steak it was. I told him and he had the cashier give me $20. Not a credit on my card, but a $20 bill. (It cost about $11). He took a picture of the picture on my phone so he could show the meat manager.

And he apologized again. I'm satisfied. Unless it happens again.
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Well, ya coulda said all that in the original post. But yeah, that wouldn't have been as much fun. Asking if you were a jerk. You already knew not. I call this 3rd degree misdemeanor trolling.
 
luvflyin said:
Well, ya coulda said all that in the original post. But yeah, that wouldn't have been as much fun. Asking if you were a jerk. You already knew not. I call this 3rd degree misdemeanor trolling.
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I guess I'm not the jerk here, huh?
 
JOhnH said:
I guess I'm not the jerk here, huh?
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Yup. Looks like I be the jerk. I just noticed the times on your posts. So it looks like you were looking for opinions before deciding to take the pics to the store. Then you let us know what the result was. If that's the correct, which I think it is, then yeah, I be the jerk. I own it. Guess I'm just a little jaded from the number of times I've seen folk baiting and throwing out hooks here. My apologies to you sir, for the accusation.
 
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Lindberg said:
He's not complaining about how bad the steak was. He's complaining about the cut. Not eating the steak would just waste it. If you buy a box of cereal that's full of bugs, do you think the store would rather you bring in the bugs or a picture?
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Waste or not, I’m not gonna eat something I don’t like. When I’m paying upwards of $10 bucks a pound for a good cut of beef, you better believe I’m gonna be satisfied, else I’ll be taking it back to the store and getting another one. If I got a box of cereal full of bugs, I’ll do the same thing. Bring it back to the store and get a refund. YMMV.
 
JOhnH said:
Why? Why should I delay dinner and make my wife wait, or eat leftovers when we planned on steak?
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I bought a piece of salmon from Whole Foods once. As I was prepping for the grill, I cut the fillet in two and a worm crawled out of it. I easily could’ve thrown the worm away and moved on, but I said the heck with it, I’m bringing this back. I made a call, spoke to the manager and I wrapped it back up and returned it for a full refund.

I’m glad it worked out for you, sounds like a positive ending! :)
 
JOhnH said:
I guess I'm not the jerk here, huh?
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Depends on the point of view. Justifying the consumption due to your personal choices and for your personal convenience is just that. Justifying.

In real terms, that’s situational ethics and there’s no integrity in situational ethics.
 
luvflyin said:
Yup. Looks like I be the jerk. I just noticed the times on your posts. So it looks like you were looking for opinions before deciding to take the pics to the store. Then you let us know what the result was. If that's the correct, which I think it is, then yeah, I be the jerk. I own it. Guess I'm just a little jaded from the number of times I've seen folk baiting and throwing out hooks here. My apologies to you sir, for the accusation.
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No apology needed, yet it is cheerfully accepted. I guess we are both victims of the difficulty of communication on an internet board. I never should have insinuated that you were a jerk.
 
TCABM said:
Depends on the point of view. Justifying the consumption due to your personal choices and for your personal convenience is just that. Justifying.

In real terms, that’s situational ethics and there’s no integrity in situational ethics.
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I don't see it that way at all. If I ruined our dinner because of their deception, what would either of us have gained? If instead of having the supper I paid for and took the steak back, they would have refunded my money and thrown the steak away. By taking pics, eating the steak, then returning later with the pics I made the manager aware of a situation (which has happened several times in the past few months) and they refunded the money which they would have done any way. The only thing that would have been ethically challenged would have been if I lied about it.

RyanB said:
I bought a piece of salmon from Whole Foods once. As I was prepping for the grill, I cut the fillet in two and a worm crawled out of it. :)
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Completely different situation. Had I seen a worm in my steak I would not have eaten it either.
 
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