Bearded Baker in Edinburgh issue stinging response to 'worst customer service' TripAdvisor review

A popular Edinburgh bakery has issued a stinging response to a "one-star" reviewer who fell foul of their newly-introduced no-laptop rule.

Bearded Baker brought in a new policy preventing people from showing up with their work and simply using their premises "as an office" earlier this summer.

Owner Rowan Walker told Edinburgh Live this was because people were effectively taking over tables with equipment and remaining there for hours on end, without actually buying much.

He said that they were even having to turn potential customers away as all available tables were being used by those working on their laptops.

The policy was introduced in the middle of July, and all seemed to be going swimmingly – until this week.

On Monday one irate customer claimed to have been shown the door at the Bonnington bakery for using their laptop, prompting a one-star TripAdvisor review.

User Gwb36 wrote under the review 'worst customer service in Edinburgh': "Met a friend to discuss my PhD work this morning. Bought two coffees and cinnamon buns.

"Then proceeded to be thrown out for looking at a laptop screen whilst we talked. Worst customer service I have ever had in six years living in Edinburgh."

However, after getting wind of the review, those at the Rodney Street bakery took to social media to set a few things straight, in a quite brutal fashion.

They posted: "We have a no laptop policy. You were not thrown out, you stormed out after we politely informed you we do not allow laptops. We're not an office space. We literally have three tables in our entire cafe.

"Anyway, here's to the worst customer service this person has ever had in Edinburgh."

Mr Walker told Edinburgh Live: "The policy is to do with this Starbucks culture where people come in and use the place as an office space. It became a bit of a problem for us as we've only got a small number of tables, and at times they were being used up by people who were on their laptops and not buying anything.

"We never experienced any problems with it at all until Monday, and that's when we got the review. The lady was politely told that we don't allow laptops and she stormed out."

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