Colonel Sanders chicken has become a Kiwi favorite, so how much do we spend at KFC? Video / NZ Herald
KFC has been slammed by hundreds of Kiwi customers over their new flatbread slider range, with many claiming the product is nothing like its advertisement.
A backlash to the new product has been posted on social media, with people saying the sliders are a "sloppy mess" and "smaller than the size of the index finger".
The slider range, according to adverts, comes with a mixed salad including lettuce, carrots and cabbage on a piece of flatbread, with a chicken tender.
However, images obtained by the Herald show numerous sliders missing ingredients, covered in sauce and poorly packaged.
Some customers have since accused the company of "false advertising".
"I bought an aioli slider and it had one piece of pale lettuce in it. In the advertising, there is definitely more salad in there. It was no bigger than my index finger and the tiniest wrap I've ever seen," one customer said.
Geraldine Oldham, General Manager of Marketing for Restaurant Brands told the Herald KFC has received a number of complaints about the Flatbread slider range but disputed claims around its advertisement.
"We have received some recent complaints from customers via Facebook regarding our Flatbread Slider range.
"In some cases, the quality and presentation has not been to our usual high standards, and we apologise to those KFC fans. All our staff have been reminded of our high standards of food preparation and presentation and asked to raise any quality issues through our normal process.
"All KFC products in our ads are real products. It is difficult to demonstrate size relativity in close-up images of food, however in our TVC the actor can be seen picking up a slider, demonstrating the actual size of the product.
"We position our products in a way that allows the audience to see all the various ingredients, which can sometimes make them look slightly different to what is served in store."
This is how the KFC flatbread sliders are advertised on social media. Photo / KFC
Others critical of the product have claimed the chicken served is "the size of a tampon" with another describing their slider as "smaller than an index finger" and "pathetic".
While the company accepted the quality of the product may not be up to KFC's "usual high standards", they say the size of the product has always met requirements.
One customer put their finger next to the slider to provide a scale of how small the product is. Photo / Supplied
"Some complaints have been around the size of the product, however we have not seen any instances of chicken tenders not meeting the minimum size requirements," Oldham said.
"All chicken tenders are delivered and served fresh, and as with any natural product, there will always be a small variance in size, and a slider indicates a mini sandwich or bun.
"We encourage any customers who feel our products haven't met their expectations to contact us via the contact form on our website. We respond to all complaints individually and follow up with the store."
Despite KFC and social media being flooded with backlash, the Advertising Standards Authority told the Herald they have not received any complaints about the advert.
"If consumers are concerned that advertisements are misleading they can complain to the ASA or to the Commerce Commission. It is possible that such complaints may also raise service issues for the outlets," a spokesperson said.
