Want a sorry with that?

The McDonalds and McCafe in Hamilton. Photo / Rhys Palmer

McDonald's has changed its processes after a customer found a piece of plastic in her slice of chocolate cake.

Ngaire Leighton was dining with her daughter at the McCafe at Peach Grove Rd, Hamilton when she bit into "something really hard".

"I took it up to the counter and was greeted with a total lack of concern," she said.

"They took the cake straight off me and then I demanded they take the rest of it away, which they didn't do while I was there.

"They gave me the number for the head office and just gave me my $3.80 back - it was so bland and unsympathetic that I was surprised they didn't ask if I wanted fries with that."

Leighton, who lives in the Coromandel, initially thought the fingernail-sized object was a piece of glass.

On calling head office, she said she was given a brief apology and told the company would investigate.

But three weeks later she had yet to hear the outcome.

The Herald on Sunday contacted McDonald's on Thursday morning.

Leighton got a response from head office later that day, but a spokeswoman stressed the timing was coincidental.

She said Leighton was contacted as soon as the results of the investigation were available.

McDonald's eventually concluded the plastic was probably from the edge of a container lid. They don't know how it got into the cake, but a new sieving process had been implemented as a result of the incident.

She said the company had a thorough complaints process and usually responded within five working days, although investigations could take longer when external suppliers were involved.

She acknowledged they had let Leighton down by not keeping her informed and said she had been sent a letter and a "small gift of vouchers" as a goodwill gesture.

"Our processes are always to ensure the customer knows the next steps we are taking - any incident related to food safety takes utmost priority for us.

"We absolutely agree that it isn't an acceptable delay and certainly [she] should have been updated through the process."

But Leighton remains furious with the fast food giant and has vowed to boycott its restaurants.

"All I really wanted was an official apology. It's been a bit of a nightmare."

Jared Brixton, managing director of customer service experts KiwiHost, said the case was a perfect example of the kind of communication breakdown that was common in large companies.

If McDonald's had responded in a timely fashion and kept Leighton informed there would probably not be an issue, he said.

Brixton encouraged people to complain, even if it was only about a minor issue, so the company in question had the chance to rectify the problem quickly.