And how Pret RE-founder and itsu founder Julian Metcalfe threw Pret CEO Pano Christou under the bus! 🤣
UPDATE 26.04.2024 at the very bottom how Pret “bribes” the Telegraph with sandwiches.
I try not to write a long post here (yeah right!), and just put screenshots of recent Telegraph articles by about 4 – 5 different journalists who seem to be on a Pret crusade, some because they are coffee subscription customers and p!ssed off with Pret.
I will just post a few quotes from each article, and the reader can google the articles themself.
Even though Pret’s subscription was a “rip-off” from the start with many issues, the recent press reports all started when Pret changed their app from QR code-sharing ability to login-function only. But that wasn’t even the problem, the issue was that many customers couldn’t log into the app, or where prompted again to submit a new phone number or bank details. An absolute mess. I said it before, that HOW COME a multi-billion pound company like Pret have SO MANY technical issues and get awarded “digital technology leaders awards” for the mess. Unless, it’s by design!
What most haven’t realised is that Pret have BROKEN their terms and conditions, having given customers 5 days notice instead of the 40 days in their T&Cs, which is typical Pret. I write about this in How Pret make profit from their Subscription.
And for the first time since I write about Pret from 2018 on, consumer rights people are advising customers to contact them and already give some basic legal advise, like pointing to the “Consumer Rights Act 2015” which includes digital products.
Don’t forget the 5000 complaints in 2021 which got the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) involved after Pret refused to do the expensive frappes and smoothies on the subscription under various excuses. I worked with the BBC on this. “Pret customers complain over drink subscription deal“.
But here to the recent Telegraph crusade against Pret with just a few quotes from the articles:
.
09. May 2023 – Tom Haynes is especially on a mission a year later …
.
»Well, I’m done. No one needs five Americanos a day, much less a £2.34 croissant. As I type this I am cancelling my Pret subscription and, once I’m done, I’m washing that thermos flask.« – Tom Haynes
.
13. March 2024 – So far so good …
.
»News of the impending change sparked a backlash among customers on social media who argued using the subscription would be less convenient.« – Daniel Woolfson
.
10. April 2024 – Ooops … Here comes trouble!
.
»Another [customer] wrote “Pret subscription absolute joke. Broken app leaves me paying for something I can’t use plus really rude (although I’m sure equally frustrated) workers.”
Some customers also reported being unable to login to the app after they were told the SIM card in their phone did not match the phone number linked to their account.« – Bláthnaid Corless
.
11. April 2024
.
»Experts have also said that customers who have been unable to use their subscriptions are entitled to a refund under consumer rights law.
“If Pret subscribers cannot access their QR this is in effect a suspension of their Pret subscription and on that basis this should result in a refund for the period of suspension,” Gary Rycroft, a partner at Joseph A. Jones & Co, told The Telegraph.
“Even if this was not explicit in the T&Cs this is the correct outcome under principles of contract law,” Mr Rycroft, who is also a resident legal expert on the BBC1 Consumer Affairs programme Rip Off Britain, added.« – Bláthnaid Corless
.
12. April 2024 – Pret’s TYPICAL “technical” issues!
.
»Pret subscribers claim to have found a new glitch with the coffee company’s app which sees reward vouchers disappear before they can be redeemed.
The loyalty scheme sees customers earn “stars” every time they spend money in a store. When they reach 10 stars, they receive a “Pret Perk”, which ranges from bakery treats to popcorn and crisps.
One customer told The Telegraph that her perk, a free muffin, disappeared from her app before she had a chance to use it.
She said that she had been able to claim her drinks, but that the reward had “just vanished”.« – Madeleine Ross
.
ALSO 12. April 2024
.
»Pret A Manger customers say they have abandoned their subscriptions as the offer cannot be used in service stations or abroad and is “no longer worth it”.
Others have complained about being unable to get the drinks they want, such as iced coffees and frappes, with some stores implementing a “hot drinks only” policy.« – Bláthnaid Corless
.
ALSO 12. April 2024 – Pret’s “ex-lover” is back!
DON’T MESS with a customer who happens to be a journalist! 😀
.
.
»Oh, how delicious it is to be proven right.
A little under a year ago, I cancelled my Pret subscription after I was struck with the lightning bolt realisation that the chain was using my own caffeine addiction to rip me off. I haven’t had a coffee from Pret ever since.« – Tom Haynes
And speaking about being proven right dear Tom Haynes, I’ve been exposing Pret’s dodgy dealings publicly since May 2018, even before the customer deaths became public, with me also not knowing about it. Yet, unlike what I do with journalists’ writings, crediting to it, I am NOT credited for all the work I do (except by Mike Powell for the BBC). But there you go. Mainstream media for you.
.
15, April 2024 – Reminder of the BBC article I and journalist Mike Powell worked on that got the ball rolling on Pret’s subscription, which is often referenced in the Telegraph articles without crediting.
.
.
»It was plagued with rumours that the popular smoothies and iced drinks would be scrapped – as they eventually were, last year. Customers complained that they couldn’t always get the drinks they wanted, when they wanted them, owing to various issues such as a lack of ice or other ingredients.
Excluded stores, which include 40 in the UK, mainly service stations with the addition of Exeter University, mean that subscribers were denied their drinks when they most wanted them.« – Madeleine Ross
ALSO 15. April 2024 – Here’s where it get’s interesting!
Julian Metcalfe who RE-founded Pret in 1986 is throwing Pret CEO Pano Christou under the bus!
Also, former CEO Clive Schlee who is or was Christou’s mentor for years owns half of Metcalfe’s company itsu. Schlee must be p!ssed off as well.
BUT as I always say, Clive Schlee ran Pret into an iceberg, and Pano Christou is sinking it!
Christou having been with Pret BEFORE and LONGER than Clive Schlee (started as assistant MANAGER in shops) has NO excuse for mismanaging Pret like he does. Apart from what staff including shop managers say about Pret and their leadership including Pano, 74% of customers on Trustpilot (1&2 star reviews combined as of mid April 2024) disapprove of Pret on a variety of issues, many having sworn to never set foot inside Pret again. (Now, watch the reviews turn more positive once Pret and die-hard Pret fans become aware of it 😉 ).
Pano has his head in the sand, and is only interested in building his name and legacy to have expanded Pret worldwide under instructions by owners in Germany/Luxembourg. Aggressive expansion to the detriment of food, drink and service quality (see Trustpilot again).
.
»The founder of Pret a Manger says its customers have been “let down” by the fiasco over its loyalty programme, amid claims of “chaotic” management at the sandwich chain.« – Gordon Reyner
YET, Metcalfe isn’t better. I also saw complaints from itsu customers regarding itsu’s app not working, foul smelling salmon sushi, mislabeling etc. I wrote a small exposé on Metcalfe after I chased him off Twitter (now X). His connection to the Royal Family since childhood, why some Asian people don’t like him, the 2 “Jeffreys” he doesn’t seem to want to be associated with, what his staff say etc.: Julian Metcalfe Family Line.
And I can’t help thinking that Metcalfe throwing Christou under the bus might be a retaliation for Pret having distanced themselves from Metcalfe after he made the “eugenics” lockdown comments to the Daily Mail. So, Metcalfe now slaps Pano Christou via the press! 😀
And to me it seems like Metcalfe’s way to distance himself from Pret after Pret did that to him when he fncked up!
.
.
Little fun side note: When Metcalfe made his comments and Pret distanced themselves from him, Metcalfe came on Twitter to do damage control but kept ranting. I then tweeted itsu staff reviews to Metcalfe, and him lacking media savvy, he kept retweeting my posts. He then deleted most of his Tweets and deleted his account entirely after just 2 days on Twitter, but not before I screenshot most of his Tweets: 😉
.
.
And while Metcalfe throws Pret under the bus, co-RE-founder Sinclair Beecham comes to Pret’s rescue (again!) after he invested in Pret already during the pandemic. News article say Beecham will steer the expansion as Pret are tasked to double iin size worldwide by 2026, BUT knowing Pret’s lies and how customer complaints are through the roof, with many having turned their backs on Pret, it seems more like Beecham returns to Pret (after he invested already during the pandemic) to steer Pret ITSELF!
Customer complaints, high staff turnover, ongoing bad press (please see link at the very bottom) and other issues. Pano Christou doesn’t seem to cope running Pret.
Pano is flying around the world expanding Pret, that seems to be successful. Meanwhile Pret at home is in shambles. And I believe that’s either the real reason Beecham is back, or Pano is instructed to stop flying around the world, stay at head quarters in London and sort out the mess, letting Beecham seal deals globally.
Pret also seem to be in financial trouble as they let another longtime head office staff go recently. I smell a rat! Something’s burning in their kitchen!
Bloomberg 24. April 2024
.
.
.
»Pret A Manger is shaking up its board and bringing back its co-founder to help guide the UK coffee-and-sandwich chain through a rapid overseas expansion.«
Yep, CEO Pano Christou doesn’t cope. It’s like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bringing back former PM David Cameron. Pret really need a COMPLETE shake-up as in, fire all the old top execs who are stuck in Pret’s old “love-bombing” way where they pride themselves to be hiring according to “personality” rather than skill! Replace the whole of HQ with innovative AND courageous leaders.
Recruiting for Personality rather than Skill can be Fatal!
.
16. April 2024 – Another side note: Some news outlets are still using the old Pret logo and haven’t realised yet that Pret was already banned by ASA in 2018 from claiming their food is “natural”. Pret then changed their marketing to “freshly made” food, but that’s also a lie as I know how it works behind the scenes and customers posting pictures of mouldy food to social media.
.
»Tech experts have suggested the main reason Pret has cracked down on account sharing is to harvest personal data about its customers, which it can then sell to advertisers.
Jake Moore, cybersecurity advisor at internet security firm ESET, said Pret will “have already planned to write off five coffees per customer”, knowing the cost will effectively be offset by data harvested through the app.« – Tom Haynes
.
The following is one of several articles around mid April 2024 that puts Julian Metcalfe in a positive light since the Pret app debacle. Here it seems the Telegraph is “siding” with Metcalfe while throwing Pret under the bus! Not sure if Metcalfe has connections to the Telegraph as he seems to be put to the forefront, while Pret are send to the naughty corner.
Yet, the Telegraph and the press in general don’t bother to look deeper into Metcalfe’s issues.
22. April 2024
.
»There have been tales of staff switching off machines for making iced coffee – and telling customers they are broken – because they simply can’t make the drinks fast enough to meet demand. Some customers complain that their favourite drinks are never available.
“It has put the members of staff under almost unbelievable pressure,” one former Pret employee says. “They suddenly threw thousands of extra people at the staff without the right equipment to cope with the demand.« – Gordon Reyner
.
I will update if the Telegraph crusade continues.
Here’s one, as I mentioned above that journalists mainly report when THEIR OWN pocket is affected, an insider allegedly shared that Pret send thousands of pounds worth of sandwiches to the Telegraph to appease the series of anti-Pret reports.
Vie Twitter/X:
.
.
.
For more recent press articles on Pret’s dodgy dealings, please see:
Bad Press for Bad Pret.
.
My blog is not monetized and I choose not to use ads.
.
Paypal
If you would like to donate, it would be appreciated. Thank you! I first put a minimum of £1 to select but find that people just donate £1 to see my PayPal details.
£10.00
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Please also see the MEDIA page for more.
NEW LinkTree
.
Thank you for reading/listening.
©2017 – Present: expret.org
Interview:
.
.
Unless otherwise stated or linked to, this website and all writings within this site are the property of expret.org and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction and distribution of my writings without written permission is prohibited.
©2017 – Present: expret.org unless otherwise stated. All Rights reserved. Disclaimer.
Bullied during bereavement in Pret A Manger 
You must be logged in to post a comment.