We've written back and forth over the years over several topics but this one is a complaint over a local business you might want to highlight. Allow me to preface this with I am the granddaughter of a waterman, I DO know seafood, especially crabs. Yesterday was a special treat as my budget, as is most of ours, has been more limited of late. I wanted to spend an afternoon with my daughter on the back porch picking crabs and having fun.
To come to the point of the matter, once home with the crabs, 40% of them were papershells, waterlogged, and their top shells were totally smashed...along with a coupla dead ones in the mix (meaning dead prior to steaming). That was a huge mar on the afternoon I had saved up for with my daughter. I almost stopped right there at the second crab, overcooked and sprayed water everywhere fracturing completely. I had a choice, I could wash up, haul them back, ruin the rest of the afternoon or keep going. I opted to salvage the afternoon and keep going.
Many hours later, I picked through the remainder of the crabs, tossing the worse. The disappointment with the crabs lingered. I blogged it, trying to be as nice about it as I could. I did post it up, notifying a friend who I KNEW was going to get crabs this weekend that she might want to reconsider another location other than FatBoys. Then friends besieged me to call Fatboys, to tell them what had happened, that they would definitely make it 'right.'
I didn't want to do that. Normally I will only respond and contact a vendor/supplier of goods and services if I want them to make something right for me. I didn't want another 1/2 bushel of crabs, a refund, or anything else. My concern was that some of my friends were going to buy crabs and I didn't want them to have the same disappointment that I experienced. So this afternoon, after much pestering from friends, I called.
"Bobby" answered. I explained the situation, advised in advance in deferment giving them an 'out' over the quality of the steamed crabs that I received that likely they had utilized an additional wholesaler to cover the 'crush' for the 4th of July holiday weekend. Bobby's reply was that "You were lucky the 40% wasn't 50% or above in papershells because people who actually know crabs don't buy #2s." Bobby was pretty nasty during that less than 2 minute call in which I was being very nice about the whole thing. It was his response that horrified me. Is this what they are selling, along with THAT attitude?
Fatboys will NEVER get another whit of my business nor any of my family or friends. You might want to alert others who may have plans for an order for tomorrow before they toss away their hard earned money. You might want to alert other potential customers about the same service and attitude.
Thanks much,
Carol
56 comments:
carol you are so correct!! lori brewster from the county health department needs to have a visit there. same thing happened to a buddy of mine last week the crabs smelled dead before he ever opened the box and the shells were soft and mushy and orange a true sign of being reheated. there not worried about your hard earned cash for the crappy crabs they have the obama plan trash getting crabs and seafood by the tons with there independence card that me and you are footing the bill for every payday. they have a sign near the road that says your freeloader bum card is welcome here!!! when they should be buying milk, bread ,cheese, and other food products there buying crappy crabs at crapboys.i have never had a bad seafood meal from skipjacks and i am sure if i had the owner would not talk to me like the guy from crap boys did to you.carol like my dad used to tell me those bought lessons are the best ones.
So sorry to hear this... I have only gotten crab meat and shrimp there without probblems. I stopped going to skipjacks because the place looks like and smells like a DUMP.Nasty!!!! Maybe Fatboys has gotten tooo big too soon.... Maybe this will wake them up and they will soon learn that you have to maintain a certain standard to stay in business because the public is your customer and you must be consistant to keep your customer base
Well..we went there two weeks ago, got the number 1's and not a bad crab in the whole bunch,they were great !!
I went to a party at a friends house this past weekend, and they also got the crabs from Fat Boys. They were very light and brittle, hardly any meat. I would not ever get crabs from them after having those.
I have had bad crabs from Fat Boys also same bad crabs same crappy service.And you cant tell them anything thier the "experts"on seafood HA HA what a joke.
Used to be the number was indicative of the size of crab. Now, it's weight. If they aren't "heavy", they aren't # 1's. There's no # past #2
FAT boys crabs have always been
under priced compared to the competion.
July 4th is the busiest weekend for crabs.
All of you need to grow up!
I agree... We bought a so called 1/2 BS for 85 dollars, which is ridiculous first off... I remember when I used to buy them on a regular basis before the economy crash and you could get a BS of #1's for 85 dollars... Not all were #1's and pretty much all the crabs had not seasoning...
Yep, mushy "waterlogged" crabs are a sure sign of reheating.
Some places will steam crabs that are getting ready or have just died and then refrigerate only to pull them out later, reheat in the steamer for a minute and then sell them.
If Fat Boys treats his supplies bad ,then he will get bad crabs.
If crabs are not in good supply the he will sell you crap.
A #3 crab is considered trash in the trade. Sounds to me he selling #3's as #2's.
Fat crabs weight a lot more.Check it out next time.Look at the crabs mouth.The mouth will be open if the crab was dead before steaming.If they are reheateds therew isa a different shade of red.If you been around seafood alot you should know this.Soun ds like you bought crabs in the spring time during the shedding times and these crabs yoyu can see through. lol
Went there on Memorial Day and had my day ruined as well! Will never go again on a holiday! They don't have the capacity to handle the volume and the folks working there wouldn't know a #1 form a #2 if you showed them! They are truely the rudest folks you will ever deal with especially if you ask any questions. I don't intend to ever go there again either!
Roy
hey 8.18 am maybe you have a independence card or money to burn but i do not!!!!! i am glad joe posted this ad on this blog as he does when he pays his good money and gets crap for service. i am grown up and i do not care what day of the year it is when i spend it i expect good and fair goods and services for my money. maybe you like $#!t for seafood but i do not!
we got a bushel of #1s from Fat Boys yesterday and they were great... Actually, I've had their crabs 3-4 times just this year and each time they were equally good. If were buying crabs tomorrow, I'd buy Fat Boys..
I may not be the grandson of a waterman, but even I know that there is a distinct difference between #1 and #2 crabs. Bobby's attitude, if it was as Carol described it, cannot be defended, but his explanation can. As the saying goes, "You get what you pay for."
the place looks like a dump folks any questions? everytime i drive by it and see a car in the lot i chuckle....next time try "beach to Bay" in princess anne neat on the outside and clean inside and to top it off the food is great.Family run and they know sea food try em out!!
I will never buy crabs again at Fatboys. The crabs were terrible and their attitude was even worse!
I love Anonymous Comments
I called Fatboy’s Monday Morning July 4! We ordered a Dozen Crabs and 50 clams and they were GREAT! Clayton when out of his way to make sure everyone was "fat & happy” I have eaten there only on occasion but never have had the experience that you people did..
As for the Heath Dept as a pest control operator, I hate to tell you guys this, but this is a pretty clean operation (no I do not do Fatboy’s pest control) but for as busy as they were when I when in there, I was very impressed with their facility!
Major difference between Bobby and Clayton. Clayton will make it right. Obviously Bobby has no retail experience nor the personality Clayton has. Clayton's
sister nice as well!
I got bad crabs last year from them, so did my inlaws. I went back to Skipjacks and I am staying never got anything bad from them.
weve gone to fatboys MANY times since my wife first surprised me 3 years ago on my birthday. there has only been 1 time out of (guessing) 50 times that the product was bad. i love fatboys and ill continue to give them my support!
how are you getting any crabs steamed while you are on this blog defending your shop? lol
"I had to be pestered to call because I don't usually complain to businesses when I get bad service. But I sure as hell will send an anonymous complaint to a blog!"
EXACTLY what is wrong with this community.
We got our crabs from them last year and had a similar issue. However, we called and they fixed the situation immediately. We gave them another chance this past Saturday and with the exception of maybe 6 or so out of a bushel they were fantastic. I do realize that b/c it was a busy weekend something's do get rushed. The question is when you called to complain were you already defensive with the people that work there? From your post it sounds as though you were and things didn't work out in your favor as of an attitude. Next time instead of allowing yourself to make it all the way through a half bushel and get more and more angry, just go call and rectify the situation immediately. It is up to you as to how you are treated.
Had the the same problem awhile ago go look at the google reviews they have. My sis about 2 years ago had the same thing . I think joe did a piece on them being bad awhile back,=.
Always pick up your crabs live. Steam them at home.
11:28 AM
yeah sure
Both times we have ordered crabs from Fat Boys, we have paid for #1's and gotten a lot of #2's put in there. (And it's never been a holiday weekend.) We've given them two chances but now we'll drive further and pay $2 more to get Skipjacks.
my daughter bought a bushel on the 29th. for her dads birthday, i told her to take them back. she also paid 50.00 for them,they were all throw backs, we would not have kept any if we were crabing.they had holes, they were full of water and white stuff. never will go again
Had FB crabs july 4th, ordered number ones, they were Great, Big and Fat and full. I have dealt with Clayton on Several occassions and he has been helpful and friendly. The rest of the staff has always been plesant as well. I will go back.
The crabber has always graded their crabs by weight using #1, #2, and trash crabs. The distributors and dealers subdivided these and made up new names as well as eliminating some (ever see "small" crabs offered?).
I don't buy many crabs given the price they have risen to and generally order only a 1/2 dozen. In OC, I've had the best luck with Bahama Mamas because they literally weigh their crabs and designate their "size" based on the actual weight. The owners of Bahama Mama have gone their separate ways and now the Mrs runs the Wicomico St location and the Carry Out shack on Fenwick Island. Ernie has the location at 133rd St. I always order the next size up from medium (there are no small) which they call large. For 3 visits, I was satisfied at the 133rd St location. In between, I purchased the "same size" from thecarry out Shack. They were light and not very good even though they were priced the same. It would appear that Ernie weighs his but the Mrs doesn't follow that practice. I don't like buying crabs like I'm buying a lottery ticket so I'm staying with Ernie who also sells carry out from the restaurant.
Let's see, I dealt with Skipjacks for years. The staff was always very attentive and polite, but the FREAKING crabs were never ready when I got there. I always offered to pay for them at the time of the order, didn't make any difference. Never ready. They double charged my card once but did make it right AFTER I caught it when the statement came the next month. I have since switched to Fat Boys, and have been pleased so far. Fat Boys does not grow the dang gone things, they are at the mercy of the watermen like all of the other vendors are. Anyway, the whole thing sounds like the towiung war to me, with the 2 of them snipiong at each other in this post.
I think all of you, especially the author of the posted letter, should learn how to type!
I can't believe they are allowed to run the nasty water across the driveway to a ditch.
Anon 2:27 You may not know a trash crab but I do and this lady got trash crabs. Crabs aren't like a box of chocolates, Fat Boys and anyone else who sell crabs knows exactly what they have. Believe me they do mix them in. From a crabber not a waterman is whole life.
They saw this lady coming in the door. Hint, always ask how the crabs are.
I bet you can't fill a bushel basket with fatboys "bushel" of crabs.... I've tried it's not even close so is it under priced or under a bushel??
I have ordered from Fat Boys Crabs, as have my neighbors, many times a year for a few years... and we have always been satisfied with the crabs, service, and price for value.
That said... I view this article with some suspicion... It very well may be true that the person writing this letter is stating all things accurate and true. I have also seen articles on this blog condemning Fat Boys for accepting food stamps. This is complete speculation but may be they are being targeted because they are not an advertiser here, or that there is a competitor advertising here.
Even if the article has merit... I have seen enough on this blog regarding Fat Boys to question the merits and true intentions of this article... which I believe is to hurt their business financially by sending potential customers elsewhere.
Curious... was Fat Boys contacted by SBYnews to make comment on the article to be posted before it was posted? What sort of in depth journalistic digging was done on the validity of the claims or assertions?
I've got to say... I really question the intent and integrity of this posting.
anonymous 5:30, what a load of crap. Fat Boys is welcome to run an ad with us and up to this point that is exactly what they would have had to have done. We have yet to contact people to run ads with Salisbury News. ALL of our advertisers have come to us.
I have nothing against this company. It was a letter to the editor from a reader. Fat Boys or ANYONE else is welcome to respond with a comment praising them to no end.
all i can say is these ppl who say the crabs there are good DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE TASTE OF A REAL STEAMED JIMMY BLUE CLAW CRAB TASTES LIKE!!!!! i have bought there 2 times and both times was trash!!!!!the shells are orange tint not red always mushy and full of water and light.
Have had the same problem 2 year's in a row. Paid for #1's around the holiday and received 4-5 inch crabs that had such soft shells they broke when you tried to open them.
@ Joe
So... any letter to the editor gets posted on the front page, without checking validity or accuracy? What is the criteria for choosing such a letter for posting... why did you choose to post THAT one?
Also, may be it's just me... but I think proper journalistic etiquette would have been to contact Fat Boys for a response... or I dunno... at least did a BIT of checking into the story. This is a blog that is touted as being "news"... I sort of expect at least a hint of journalistic integrity.
I do not know how your advertising works... and made it clear in my post that I was speculating. Thank you for clearing that up Joe.
anonymous 6:16, let me make this VERY clear right here and now.
I/WE are NOT journalists, we are Bloggers.
YOU have every right not to come here. No one has a gun to your head.
And let me finalize with this. WHEN THE HELL DOES THE DAILY TIMES CONFIRM THE GRAPEVINE? The answer is, NEVER. Where's their integrity? They are journalists with a protocol to follow, yet they do not.
What the hell does advertising have to do with any of this.
I get the strong feeling "You've Been Blogged" and there will NOT be any further response, as usual.
I have to say, I know Carol (the writer of this Letter To The Editor), and am one of the people who told her to contact Fat Boy's to allow them the chance to make this situation right.
Carol is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, who lives her life without complaint. She works full time, takes care of her husband (who is disabled) and loves the times when her daughter can come home for a visit. She is an exceptional cook that prepares large meals and shares them with friends and relatives. Money is tight with the family and it is a rare treat when she gets to take a day off from cooking and relax with her family.
I was one of those who encouraged her to contact Fat Boys about the problem. She would have just let it go. That $50 she spent on this trash (not to mention the Jumbo Shrimp she bought, which were meeley and over-cooked) came dear. This was a rare treat for her and her family and the experience soured the day. If I had realized that Fat Boys had such poor customer service and insulting staff I would never have sent her back to add insult to injury.
When she spoke to 'Bobby', she started by saying, "I know this is a big holiday weekend and you probably having to utilize additional vendors for your crab supply, but I wanted to let you know about the quality of these crabs, in case you weren't aware." She didn't want their reputation to be tarnished because someone had slipped them bad crabs and they might not be aware of it.
She wasn't asking for more crabs or her money back. She just thought they might want to keep an eye out and be aware. This is their livelihood and your reputation is everything in business, especially in this tight economy.
But people like Booby, who are essentially the face of the business to/for their customers, just compound the ill-will and make it worse.
If it was my business, I would want to know if/when there is a problem. I'd want to nip it in the bud and keep my customers happy. Apparently this isn't the case with Fat Boys, and (judging from some of the comments, above) may actually be a situation of 'Business as Usual'.
So, those who think Carol is some shill trying to bring a local business down, I can tell you, you couldn't be further from the truth.
If any of you idiots knew anything about crabs you would get off your lazy butts and catch them yourself.
sounds like to me carol closed the bag on the crabs and let the steam from the crabs just getting done go in the crabs that happens when you close the bag and the same for the shrimp. for customer service at fat boys crabs its the best in town. my family and i have been to all of them and the best is at fat boys crabs. they have me locked in as a customer.
I bought clams there in the spring that were spoiled. Carried them back and they told me they must have spoiled on the way to my house and would not replace them. Very rude. Will not do business with them again......
Anyone who can't steam shrimp cannot steam crabs either, shrimp overcooked to many times.
I also have known Carol for many years. She is a person of high integrity and honor.
Carol is not the type that would mess up by cooking food wrong, and then try to blame the supplier. If she messed up, she would be the first to admit it.
I believe her if she says there was a problem with the food she bought, and her only motive was to inform FatBoyz that they may have a problem with their supplier.
Being treated the way she was after informing them (and not demanding replacement or refund) is simply bad business on the part of FatBoys.
This, to me, shows that there may be a larger iceberg of problems at FatBoys lurking beneath the exposed tip.
Aren't we a critical bunch. This could happen any where. Life is not perfect, neither is getting crabs from any establishment. Sometimes they are great, sometimes not. You should have returned them right away after you found out they were bad.
Thats the problem with the world today... A bunch of people crying about this and about that... How bout quit being lazy, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yoursel".. Always trying to complain about things, ruin other peoples business.. If you dont like it, then DONT GO... that simple!!! Thanks!
Jeremy -
I thought about some of those same things before putting up this post. However, the only thing I regret is not putting "Letter to the Editor" in the title. It's not about ruining other people's business. It's about giving readers a forum to express their opinion. In this case they were expressing an (admittedly negative) opinion about a local business.
Are you trying to tell me that you've never told friends to "stay clear of that store", or "I had a bad meal at that restaurant", or "I had bad service" at this particular store?
This is the inverse of of "word of mouth" advertising.
As far as Fatboys Crabs, I don't think bad crabs are their problem. But bad attitude is. That guy Bobby is a jerk. I went there he was screaming at his employees in front of customers, smoking cigs and handeling food blowing smoke so thick while you wait for your food that your sick leaving there. The women at the front is rude also. Clayten seems very nice but jittery and he passed out samples with his bare hands. Not very well run. I think these two need to have better management skills. The steam shimp tasted ok but a little chewy. The crab soup was very good and so was the fish sandwich. A little over price I thought. But good. Bobby needs to treat customers and sounds like his employees better or his business is really going to get more than bad reviews it will go out business. Clayten needs gloves and a nerve pill.
Cindy L.
SO JUST DONT GO THERE... How would you feel if that man comes and whines and bashes ur job and place of business.. Once again I realize this is to express an opinion but to bring an business down because you wanna cry isnt right... And ya wonder why businesses keep going under...
I wanted to jump in on this as the sole reason I found this blog so late after it't initial post was because I am looking to tell everybody I can about the horrendous attitude I recieved at Fat Boys!!! I called 4 hours in advance on Fathers day yesterday to order a half bushel of crabs to pick up at 4:15pm. When I arrived there I had to wait in line for about 10 minutes because they were busy. No problem. They were busy. When I got to the Fat boy at the register, he could not find my order. Finally, some little man with gray hair who I am assuming is one of the owners brings up an open box of cold smelly crabs and says "here are your crabs" I looked at them and could tell that they were not freshly steamed so I calmly asked why they were cold. He said to take them or leave them and that he didn't have time to fix the problem. I grimaced a bit and said I would take them but would not be back. At this he snatched the cold smelly crabs away and told me he didn't need customers like me anyway and that they don't serve crabs to people like me. I assume he meant people who enjoy hot crabs. He then pointed in my face and screamed that I should have been there on time. Judging by the temperature of the crabs, I am assuming on time was the day before. I am finding every outlet I can to tell people who they are dealing with at Fat Boys as I have literally never been so insulted at a place of business in my life and I also want to mention that we then went over to 1 fish 2 fish Crabs and Seafood and got a very nice half bushel with no previously dead cabs in the mix in about 20 minutes. I urge people to please stop giving Fat Boys any business. They don't deserve our business!!!
I think the best place to go to is Baileys right outside of Frankford they haveall the best prices and the best quality. Especially if your a raw oyster lover
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