Gong cha New Westminster

On March 14th noon, I bought a brown sugar bubble tea. I asked the staff to add just a little bit of brown sugar, but they directly refused, saying that their policy requires a minimum of 30% sugar.

I explained that at the Langley location, they can adjust the amount based on customer requests, and since the brown sugar is added separately rather than pre-mixed into the milk tea, she could easily add just a little. I asked her to check again, but she arrogantly told me that she was the supervisor and firmly refused my request.

The so-called "supervisor" at this store is terrible.

But the reason I gave a three-star rating is that if I rate it three stars, you won’t be able to delete my review. My actual rating for today is one star.

On March 2, 2025 afternoon, I ordered a hot milk tea with added milk foam and no sugar. The lady made a mistake in adding 30% sugar as shown on the label. I kindly Informed about it and she got very defensive and didn’t offered to replace my drink but to add more water or tea instead. I emphasized that the issue doesn’t get resolved. I ordered no sugar and sugar was added. She claimed the sugar came from the milk foam but it’s not. I’ve had the same drinks for years and it shows on the label that 30% sugar was added.

She finally offered to remake the drink in an unpleasant tone and stated that she will not take the drink back nor throw the drink away. She was acting aggressively by banging all the cutlery and utensil loudly when remaking the drink.

I didn’t want her to ruin my Sunday gathering with my friends so I just leave it as is.

The attitude was unbelievable and not professional especially the drink was not made correctly. I didn’t expect this treatment when the drink costs almost $9 with tips. I was tempted to ask her to refund the tip that I paid.

Very low quality and trivial in comparison with the price

I usually prefer to keep my opinions to myself, but my last visit to this location left me disappointed. I used to come here every now and then because it was a great place to relax after a workday, and the female staff were always kind and welcoming.
However, after my recent experience, I can understand and agree with some of the negative reviews I've read.
I hope the individual involved takes the time to reflect on their customer service skills, as businesses depend on their customers, especially loyal ones. For now, I won't be returning to this location.

Very rude made my order wrong and still fighting for it

They have the slowest service, and the selection is not as big as the Surrey Central location. They took 15 mins to make my drink. Before me, other customers went to the counter to ask how long they had to wait for their drink, which showed how slow they were.

I went here because of the high-rating reviews, but now, I feel that these reviews are fake. They will offer free extra toppings if you give them a good review.

While the ambience is lovely, this place is not worth visiting.

So watery, barely taste the matcha

Terrible customer service from the manager. Used to make the effort of finding parking just to pick up from this location, but not anymore. Will never return and will tell everyone I know about my experience. Your managers need better customer service training.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Ordered BOGO via ubereats. In the order notes section, I requested for less ice as last 2 times I've ordered there's been inconsistencies with ice-drink ratios. I was told it would take 10 mins (which I was fine with) and that I can't order less ice in the notes because of the BOGO restrictions placed by ubereats. I had no problem waiting and understood the reasoning for accepting less ice as an option but kindly requested not to overflow the cup with ice as this has happened in the past. The discussion turned into a belittling argument that was completely nnecessary about how ubereats subsidized the BOGO by 30% which indicates to me that store is losing money with this promotion. The owner further goes on about uber delivery drivers are the problem to ice melting, which didn't make sense bc I wasn't an uber delivery driver and I was picking up my drink and also never ordered delivery from this store, only pickup. He then suggests that I order through their website to save money or order in person so they can allow the request for less ice.

To me, it seems that the owner isn't happy about this BOGO deal with ubereats. However, promos such as BOGOs are meant to encourage more traffic to the store and to increase business. If there's issues with drink customization, then the note section should be closed (other stores do this) so that would signal to the customer there's no extra requests that can be made, instead of arguing with customers after they've made their order through the app. It's unfortunate bc this is only bubbletea shop that's walkable distance for most people who live in the area. I'm shocked and extremely disappointed in the customer service that I received today.

The drinks are generally are on the average-good side of things. I understand that this is a one-off incident for the most part, the workers have been helpful and kind, even with ordering in person - such as making the wrong drink, etc. It's just sad when there's internal issues going between companies, that the customer has to pay the price.

[EDIT November 2024] I take back my previous comment about their good customer service. They gave me a 10% discount card valid for all drinks until December 2024, as an incentive for giving them a 5-star review here. However, when I placed an order over the phone and went to pick it up in person, the manager said he couldn’t apply the 10% discount to my two drinks after it was entered and claimed it was impossible to cancel the order and enter a new one. Ridiculous. They incentivize 5-star reviews (which is illegal, by the way), so I’d be wary of all their reviews because they’re likely fake. What a way to treat a customer over a 10% discount. I won’t be returning.

“Offering rewards for positive reviews, such as 5-star ratings, is generally considered deceptive and is illegal in Canada. Under the Competition Act, businesses are prohibited from making misleading claims or false representations, and incentivizing positive reviews falls under this. The Competition Bureau of Canada has taken a strong stance against fake or biased reviews as they can mislead consumers.”

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Disappointing Service at Gong Cha New West

I had a really frustrating experience at this location today. I stood at the counter for nearly 15 minutes, and despite being there before others, the only staff member on duty was focused on handling delivery orders instead of serving the customers who were physically present. The slow service was honestly unacceptable, and it was clear that the staff wasn’t prioritizing in-store customers. I understand deliveries are important, but basic customer service should always come first. Definitely won’t be returning if this continues.

I bought a hot drink, but the barista mistakenly gave me the iced version. I drank it without complaining at the time, but after a few sips, there was nothing left but ice. Essentially, I ended up paying for a cup of pure ice.

Nice ambience, lots of drink options, and the most food I've seen offered at a bby place. 10% off card with this review. Pearls are hard, unfortunately, wish they were better tasting.

very friendly staff ! ?

The best bubble waffle!!!!!!!