Have you ever sent a meal back in a restaurant?

I am not normally the kind of person who complains about things, because i am usually the quiet one who just sits and smiles and nods my head even when i know the hairdresser is giving me a bad haircut, because i don;t want to cause offence. But yesterday I very nearly broke the habit of a lifetime when i had the worst ever meal in a restaurant.
I wont name and shame the restaurant, but it was almost inedible. Even when the man came to take the plates away and could see that i hadn't eaten any of it, he still asked me if i enjoyed it, and like a fool i said yes. :embarassed:

have you ever sent a meal back in a restaurant? how bad did it have to be before you were driven to complain. Did they replace the meal for you?
I am always worried that if you complain they will simply cook another one and spit in it!

I've got a friend who sends back everything even if it's cooked okay. She'll try something new on the menu and if she doesn't like it, she'll make them take it back and get her something else.
I think that is a bit out of order because there's probably nothing wrong with it - her palate just didnt like the taste. But she gets away with it every time though, no one has ever said anything. I think they are so surprised that someone has complained that they just do as they're told.

my wife has several times made me ask them to take something back. She wont ask them herself, of course, because she is too embarassed. She doesnt mind making me do it though. And if i dont do it she'll just nag for the rest of the day about how terrible the meal was that i took her too

I am not shy and will shout if i have to. If i have received bad service, especially if they were rude as well, then you will not get me out of the shop until i have spoken to someoene above them. As soon as they know you are not going tro back down then they are more reasonable. They only reason they give you bad service is because they are lazy or they think they are going to get away with it. And that isnt going to work with me. im a screaming banshee when i get going! :mad: