Helpdesk: Trip to garden centre that left a very bitter taste in the mouth A DISAPPOINTING day out at a Dobbies Garden Centre provoked this week's letter to the helpdesk. Manager Simon Martin was so concerned to hear about the problems Gifford Good Companions suffered - including hair in the scones and soup stains in the milk - that he has invited the entire group to make a return visit to the centre for afternoon tea. Q: A party from Gifford Good Companions visited Dobbies coffee shop at Melville Nursery near Edinburgh last year and the service and attention were excellent. This year - disaster. As most of the members are not safe carrying trays, we phoned days before to organise and on the morning of July 18 phoned to give exact numbers. We might as well never have bothered. When we arrived, at the exact time given, no one in the restaurant, including the supervisor, had any idea we were coming. Some of the young staff were lacking in basic training - possibly only employed to clear tables. A large milk jug brought to the table had, two inches from the top, approximately half an inch of brown residue - possibly old soup - interspersed with small blue cubes - old dishwasher cleaner. Very much a health hazard. Scones were provided and one of them had two human hairs in it two-and-a-half inches long. Altogether, a very disappoin­t­ing visit. EW, Haddington A: Simon Martin, who is the general manager at Dobbies Garden Centre in Edinburgh, replied: "I would like to apologise to the members of Gifford Good Companions for the disappointing experience they encountered at our centre. My team always strive to provide the highest level of customer service and I am extremely sorry for the unsatisfactory service the group encountered during their recent visit. An investigation was carried out on the day when the group complained that there was a hair in a scone and the customer was assured this was from a pastry brush, which has now been replaced. I will take every step possible to ensure that this does not happen again. I would like invite the entire group back to Dobbies and offer them the chance to enjoy afternoon tea on us as an apology. If you have a consumer issue that you would like to be tackled, then please contact Claire Smith on 0131 620 8511 or e-mail csmith@scotsman.com.