Brakes Avis 

I concur with a lot of other reviews at this time Brakes sudden "Temporary Block" on accounts is a total disgrace and it shows the level of customer service with the standard response.
Having just come off the phone I was told it is not the fact they have product shortages, they have had to put care homes and schools on block as well because of lack of drivers. That comment is an even bigger cause for concern and showed the total lack of empathy for the customer.
Like all major companies and corporations you should rename customer service as customer lip service because the intention is not to support but to fob off because "computer says no". I feel sorry for your employees who are put in the position of complete uselessness.

Zero Star Actually
Absolutely shocking.....soon be out of business I hope.
Been using you for 15 years and now you don't give a damn about my custom. Won't be using you anymore, I'll stick with people who care about my business and offer a great service....HOLDSWORTH!!!!
Carole Burton, The Three Crowns, Barrow upon Soar

The service from account team and customer care team is great, however the delivery side, I would personally not recommend as all my deliveries have been incorrect and takes too much time resolving each one, either shortages or incorrect products sent. A driver when doing a collection took products that they shouldn't and not even record them. Don't use Brakes is my opinion as a new business who has recently started up.

Only got one star coz wouldn't let me leave 0 ... this company have let down so many small businesses they have no loyalty whatsoever !!! They only want the big money now everything is open and are screwing over the small fish !!!! Shame on you.brakes your a disgrace !! UPDATE ACCOUNT HAS BEEN IN MY NAME SINCE 2019 WHEN MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY ... YOU ARE FULLY AWARE OF THIS YET YOUR RESPONSE IS SENT TO MY LATE HUSBAND ... WAY TO GO BRAKES WAY TO GO !!!!

Do you own a small business? AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Like all the below we have been loyal customers to Brakes for years and yes we have also been dropped via automated message with no warning. My deliveries never turned up and they couldn’t care less. **** your automated reply. How about you stick it to the chains and make a statement. Support those who supported you throughout the pandemic because those you have chosen to keep on your books certainly weren’t those keeping you going by the sounds of things.

The lack of HGV drivers isn’t an excuse … every other food delivery service is coping with these unprecedented times … MAYBE there is another reason they don't want to work for you..

We will never use you again.

Absolutely disgusted by the so called service of this company, as many others have started, we have been a loyal customer for years, and the just dropped without notice. Rude staff I’m the customers services department. This is greed at its finest! Surely this is a time to support smaller businesses. All other decent catering companies are dealing with the “unprecedented” demand. Cue the automatic response that really sums up what you you mean to this company.

I have been using Brakes for the last year and was disgusted to find out today 29th June 2021 that they will no longer be supplying our business. I was basically told we are small account holders and they have to prioritise larger companies. Small businesses don't count anymore. Our money isn't enough for this company. Shame on you Brakes, you have let all the small businesses down through your greed. Mrs C Eken

I’ve been reading all your reviews regarding how other customers have been treated recently.
Your so called apology reply should read “Our teams have been working tirelessly to maintain service to our larger customers & forget/remove our smaller business’

We’ve been a loyal customer for eight years. To be informed by a automated message that we can no longer use you is appalling. Very poor communication not to even email or write to us.
Will never use your company again!

Unbelievably poor service. Cancellation of orders without notice for the last several weeks, and now they won't even accept orders. Completely killing our small business. Breach of contract. No apology. Laughably, they blame 'high demand'. Was that somehow unexpected as pubs and restaurants reopen? Other suppliers seem to have predicted it and are coping. Brakes blame lack of HGV drivers too - which is a direct result of Brexit and the government's failure to allow EU HGV drivers to work in the UK - but they way they have handled this is utterly appalling. Looking for alternatives so we never have to go back to this untrustworthy shower.

Would love to give a zero but can't!!

Absolutely disgusting customer service.
I was a new customer when the lockdown started to lift in April. "No problem you can order day before up to 5pm for next day delivery"
Several times this was not true, without notice they would say you can't order etc.
I placed an order on Tuesday 22nd for Thursday 24th delivery, was told the depot was busy so might not be Thursday but Friday instead. Great no problem, just happy to place the order as I hadn't been able to the week before. I got the confirmation email and thought no more.
I then received an email at 4.41pm on Wednesday to say they have cancelled my order and hope I can find alternative.
I emailed my account manager 2 weeks ago when I first had an issue, who had an automated message saying out of office helping in tele-sales and not monitoring emails!!! Phoned and asked to speak to her, not available will call you back. Didn't for 2 weeks and when she finally did it was to tell me my account has been suspended due to not enough drivers in the area and I wasn't a priority. So my order will not be coming it is Friday now and I am supposed to open in the evening with no stuff.

Can still log in on my account online and the order is still there confirmed and coming 24th June apparently.

Don't waste your time, asked to close my account and she refused as in minimum of 4 weeks I might be able to order with them again. Are they delusional!? Why would I want to trade with them after they treat me like that.

Like many others on here my young business which has been using Brakes for nearly two years is now saying I'm too small to bother with! Charming that is, can't get half the supplies from anywhere else so thank you very much Brakes. I could forgive them for occasionally palming me off with near out of date stock but this is unforgiveable and irresponsible. Shame on you Brakes, I encourage any budding entrepreneurs to avoid them like the plague!

Should be zero…
After 8 years dealing with Brakes, I like many others received an email telling me they could no longer supply my business.
The reply to my email was just a cut & paste from the original email, did not respond to my questions at all.
I know our orders have been small since lockdown, but to be treated like this as a long standing customer is diabolical.
I would go so far as to say ‘cowardly’ that they couldn’t even ring & gave the bad news by email instead.
My advice take your business elsewhere, where perhaps you will be valued.
Hang your head in shame Brakes!!

Oh dear. It seems Brakes have treated us, like so many others, with complete and utter contempt. We're a small independent business. Been a Brakes Customer for 4 years - continued to order throughout lockdown. Today been told that due to high demand, they will no longer supply us and that we should shop elsewhere. Basically, our business is not as important as the bigger accounts. Shameful way to treat a loyal customer. So, you know what, I Will shop elsewhere and never, never use Brakes again. And I strongly suggest anyone else thinking of using them to think again. You are not important to them..

In reply to Brakes response:

Brakes, you miss the point completely. You have not stopped delivering to everyone. As demand has increased, you have carefully selected which accounts you'll deliver to - and which ones you will not. Despite being a regular customer (for a number of years) and despite continuing to order throughout lockdown, you have decided that, right now, our business is not as important and not as valued. If demand vs capacity is the issue then, morally, the best thing to do would be to continue supplying all those businesses that continued through lockdown (and so supported you through lockdown) and ask the others to wait until your capacity increases. Instead you've dumped us, and it seems many, many other small businesses, in favour of the bigger accounts. That is shameful. You are a disgrace.

Worst ever delivery company I have ever used, they cancelled our delivery days, so many missing items and appalling customer service

OK, brakes, worst food delivering company we had dealt with. First of all, increase the minimum to £250, then change our delivery date without telling us, blaming high demand after reopening, come on, you do know that you are not the only one who provide the service to restaurants. Other companies sticks to what they promised to their customers. Now, just got an email that they wont be able to deliver to us at all, really? Is it a joke? You do know that WE the small independent business had been supporting you through the lock down, I hope that there will not be another lockdown, you don't deserve to be in the food business. If you are a small business, steer clear from Brakes, they don't care about small business at all. Greedy company. Hope you go bancruprt soon.

I can only agree with the other customers on this website. I don't think i've ever resorted to having to search out a review page to leave a bad review but it's a last resort.

I have been placing orders with Brakes for over a year and on Friday my order didn't arrive and was cancelled on Sunday (2 days after it should have arrived!)

They have taken over £300 out of my account and all I've been told is that I will get it refunded in a couple of days. Even though part of it was for an order that I didn't even make (i'd edited an existing order.)

I ended up having to goo out and get other ingredients. We've all been busy during lockdown, I've been working 6/7 days a week since May last year. If you're too busy, don't take the orders on in the first place.

so bad service! £ 250 min crazy...

Didn’t think I would be writing those review always loved brakes never had a problem until last 3 weeks , terrible service , minimum order value of £250 not a problem for us , ordered Monday 9 am for Tuesday delivery , then ordered Monday afternoon for Thursday delivery , Tuesday delivery cancelled delivered Wednesday and Thursday delivery cancelled then Friday get a call at 3 pm to say cancelled order , who knows what will happen to Tuesdays order I put in last Tuesday!
I won’t be phoning in by the way to speak to customer service or manager already done it , was told it’s really not going to be sorted out in next couple of weeks best to go else where so I am and I won’t be coming back , supported breaks all through covid every week as still been open , terrible way of treating customers , they needed to talk to us , find better solutions and stick to when they say are going to deliver and stop emailing me promotions!

After weeks of damaged deliveries, missing items, poor communication and no notice cancellations I am sorry to say that I can no longer trust this company.

A huge order scheduled and confirmed for Friday 11 June, simply didn’t arrive, after so many attempts to find out where my order was I got a phone call at 4pm telling me due to a lack of drivers my order would be cancelled! 4pm on a Friday, every item we needed for weekend service. Left me high and dry.

To top it off, they debited the money and now over a week later I am chasing refunds.

Absolutely avoid this company. I would rather drive around and pick everything up myself than trust Brakes to actually deliver what I pay for.

Such a shame.

I always believe that all business should be given a fair chance of putting things right as all businesses suffer from tough times. During the pandemic, we have always ordered from them and I felt that I was actually a customer. Since then, they have gone from ok to bad to frustrating to worse to nonsense!

From wedding catering that was half baked because of them, orders being missing and then charging it and orders being promised on a certain date, then moved back NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, NOT THRICE BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES!

Now they are enforcing a £250 minimum order saying that this will help, what if I order within the minimum and it doesn't arrive? Who loses out? All you get is an automated phonemail saying 'due to unprecedented demand, we....'.

No account manager calling, apparently working flat out to help. If Brakes are really doing something, why isn't it getting better?

Instead of me getting a survey call from a company you pay about how we feel about our delivery, maybe you should spend those resources into getting more staff or drivers!

We businesses don't want false promises or false hopes, we have a livelihood to run and frankly, you are affecting it! We businesses don't want to hear any apologies, we want solutions! Just because we are a small business doesn't mean that you should prioritise the big companies that brings you more money! That's greed! Remember, we were there when they were not!

For those thinking of joining Brakes, think carefully, I don't discourage or encourage you. You need to decide for yourselves. Just remember the points I have raised because I was in your position before!

If there are other companies there that treats all business equally, whether they are small or big, please do message me.