You must be a........

DamienH

I used to work in CS for a big online retailer. Now we handled calls from UK and Ireland but mostly people form the UK called.

So one day this Indian guy rings me up says that he has a problem with his DVD player. I go through all the normal things, like contact the manufacturer for tech support. He gets pissed off then that I can't help him. So then I say that we can't have a working knowledge of all the products on the site. Then he hits the roof starts shouting and screaming, really loosing it.

Then he asks me how long am I working in the " Services Sector , " It was my summer job so I'd been there for about a month. When he heard this he started scoffing down the line and then he said that he had been in this " sector," for 15 years. I congratulated him on his successful career as I was getting pretty pissed at this stage, didn't help much tbh.

Then he started asking me if I empathised with him. I said I understand that it can be a bit complicated at times. Then, for like 1 minute, all he said was " Why won't you empathise with me? " which quickly just became " EMPATHISE WITH ME!!!" I put him on loudspeaker for a while so everyone could hear and then asked him if he would like to speak to my manager. Everyone was like wtf.


Another time, this American woman rang in at like 8:10am in the morning. She said that she was calling from America and that it was 3am in the morning over there. Then she berated me because she had to wait up until this time to call us. " I HAVE A DEGREE IN BUSINESS, THIS IS TERRIBLE PRACTICE!! " Then I said calmly that she could of had gone to sleep and called us at a time that was good for her. She lost it then and said she'd call us whenever she wanted blah blah blah .......

From working there I'm after realising that some people really need to chill. Really liked it though because it showed all the nutters in the world

JayRoc

I'm working as a security guard on the reception of an office at the moment.
It's an easy job and I get to read a lot and basically do my own thing, so I prefer it vastly to the job I used to have for years, which was working for a multinational corporation (the same one that Dragan still works for as it happens)- I was in finance when I left.

The only thing that bugs me about the job is the assumptions people can sometimes make. They're usually amazed that I'm Irish first of all, like it's a job that would be beneath anyone who wasn't desperate for any kind of work.

And after talking to me for more than a minute and figuring out that the shaven-headed security guy on reception might potentially possess an education, and actually has what in many cases is a better vocabulary than the glassy-eyed office drones, with their grey,bored faces and their oh-so-insincere banter, they become confused and curious..

They ask me why (as so many on this thread have said has happened to them) is a "guy like you" working here and "have you no ambition?" they're truly appalled that someone could actually voluntarily give up a "real job" and choose to spend some time doing what I do.
It's like they think I've committed some kind of middle class treason or something!

daiixi

JayRoc: so, do you have no ambition? (sorry, couldn't resist). Most of the security guys at our reception are Irish and lovely blokes.

I used to work in a cafe in the middle of one of the business districts in London. People of course used to think I was an idiot because I worked there but in reality I had just arrived in London and I was enjoying the waitressing work I was doing.

The worst part of the job was when people would whinge about their coffees or food for example asking for a bacon sandwich and complaining that it wasn't toasted or whinging that their latte wasn't half filled with foam. We had one woman who liked her toast *just right* and we'd have to do it five times to get it perfect. I was ready to tell her to go shove it but my boss wouldn't let me.

Seriously, I never piss off the person making my food unless I can see them making it in front of me and never plan to go back.

il gatto

I'm never surprised to hear these sort of stories, and much worse. I avoid any job dealing with the public if I can. Hateful bastards. Gets to the point where you get home and remember the nice person you met that day, rather than the pricks.
A few years ago, I worked as a janitor for a contract cleaning company. It suited me and the money was fine. Very few were assholes towards me, probably because I look a bit sullen and nasty (I'm not, I assure you:D )
One place I worked in was a Government building. In one office, shared by two women, I would almost daily find thousands of punched out bits of paper scattered all over the ground. The bin would have almost none in it. She either tipped them on the floor, or on her desk, and then scattered them with her hand. Nine times out of ten, they'd be on the floor and not in the bin. There was a cover on the base of the puncher. It was blatently intentional. It pissed me off that she not only had disregard for the cleaners, but actively tried to make our job worse by creating such a mess. The other woman in the office was tidy.
Somebody I worked with left a snotty note asking her to use the bin, but it was ignored. I met her in the corridor one evening, and she had the neck to say a polite hello. I ignored her. There was little I could do, as if I confronted her and she showed her belittling attitude, I would have given her the mother of all lectures on why she was a nasty, condecending little bitch, and how her obnoxiousness clearly stemmed from inadequate teaching of manners by her parents, and how it's no longer the fifties, and being a civil servent is no longer regarded as being akin to being one of the chosen few. I then would've told her that, should she deem it wise to commit the act again, that the following morning, she would find her hole puncher scattered about the office in tiny pieces. I don't crave confrontation, and I don't like shouting at women, so I left it alone. But God, I hated that bitch.

The Sweeper

Hill Billy's flight story reminded me the last time I took a plane to Dublin - I was travelling Aer Lingus and the attendants came around with the trolley - the guy in the row in front asked for a couple of items and was surprised when he was asked to pay. The steward said "Sir it is a paying bar, the announcement was made at the start of the flight. Shall I take the items back or do you still want them?"

The passenger threw the items at the Steward and started shouting about having paid £90 for his flight and how ridiculous it was. The Steward put the items back on the trolley and held his hand up to the passenger: "Sir, it's all right, really. You don't have to have anything."

I thought that was marvellous, and then the elderly lady on my right plucked my shirt sleeve.

"I think yer man was ripped off" she whispered.

Oh no, I thought, here comes the rant about having to pay for a drink and a packet of crisps. But no.

"£90 for this flight?" she said, "I only paid £50 for mine!"

Agent Smith

i went to scotland on the 13th of September 2001. Paied for the Flight the evening of the 11th. Cost me 18 euro return.

I work in retail, and its So depressing to see Staff being abused by customers. the VAST majority of my co-workers and I are treated like dirt, by coustomers and management[/U] because they think this is what we'll amount to.

it really makes me sick.

Degsy

I work event security every so ofetn and one particular gig our brief was to man a bunch of barricades that protected a building.One of the blokes on my team further down suddenly lifted up the barrier and let two blokes in.I ran up and it turns out one of them was a juggler/fire-eater type thing and he wantet a clear area to perform but also somehwere he could get audience members to join in with his act.I explained to him that the buildings were alarmed and the windows could be broken if we let people in past the barrier,the juggler bloke was okay about it and was about to leave wherupon the bloke with him,in his fifties with a walky talky exploded saying "i'm with ***,and we're providing the acts for this concert,do you know who you're talking to?".I said "And i'm with ***** and you're trespassing on private property,you should move or i'll have my marshalls remove you!".Arrogant twat looked like a burst balloon as he slunk off.

Femelade

I am what you could call a "promotions girl" some people think i am a bimbo. they take free stuff from me without a word of thanks..people like that think i owe them something..they really get on me tits.

bucks73

After 15 years working in the same place and earning a good living, the company closed. I have my own car and home in a nice part of Limerick thanks to being a little bit sensible in the previous 10 years.

The brother owns a pub so I decided to do some bar work for a few months and not rush into a job I didnt like.

One Sunday night an ex-garda gave me a €1 coin as a tip. I nearly started laughing my ass off in his face. Another night one of the regulars and I were chatting while having a smoke and he was asking me where I lived. He was quite surprised when I told him and he actually nearly asked me how I could afford that working in a bar.

Mr Magnolia

bucks73 wrote:

One Sunday night an ex-garda gave me a €1 coin as a tip. I nearly started laughing my ass off in his face.

If every one you served gave you a €1 tip you would have made a few bob that night though. How many peeple did you serve and gave you nothing???

Dragan

bucks73 wrote:

I have my own car and home in a nice part of Limerick thanks to being a little bit sensible in the previous 10 years.............. he was asking me where I lived. He was quite surprised when I told him and he actually nearly asked me how I could afford that working in a bar.

Nearly has to be Parteen so, it's one of the few area's of Limerick that would inspire such a reaction!!!

Also, thanks to everyone for pitching in!!! I would now ask the question have any of you ever treated someone poorly just because of there job????

Degsy

Dragan wrote:

Nearly has to be Parteen so, it's one of the few area's of Limerick that would inspire such a reaction!!!

Also, thanks to everyone for pitching in!!! I would now ask the question have any of you ever treated someone poorly just because of there job????

Yep!!I hate petty officials in airports.I hate the way they treat everybody like ****e especially when they're not very high up in the pecking order.For example,the civilian airport "police" speaking in a schoolmaster voice,clicking fingers and gesturing officiously.It ruins thier day when you say something to them like "dont mention it" or "sorry? what was that" when they dont say please-thank-you-or-kiss-my-arse.Bloody stuck-up nobodies.

bucks73

Sparks400 wrote:

If every one you served gave you a €1 tip you would have made a few bob that night though. How many peeple did you serve and gave you nothing???

That is true but it was the way he did it. Almost like "heres a euro, have a drink on me"

At least others would say "and whatever youre having yourself" when paying for a round. Much better.

me and the biz

A few years ago I was working in a shop and an old well to do guy with his wife was paying (I think it was a dvd player or something) with his credit card. The thing had to be autorized over the phone, I explained this and he said fine. I could see the rage building in his eyes haha. Anyway, I was put on hold as always... after a minute he completely lost his head, screaming and shouting at me while his wife made a half arsed attempt to calm him down.

At the time I was pretty young, really shook me up. I was only doing my (****ty paid) job..

bucks73

Dragan wrote:

Nearly has to be Parteen so, it's one of the few area's of Limerick that would inspire such a reaction!!!

Also, thanks to everyone for pitching in!!! I would now ask the question have any of you ever treated someone poorly just because of there job????

Nope. Dooradoyle. I think its nice anyway.

I certainly have more respect for bar workers now. Dont think I have treated anyone badly because of their job. Losing your job sorts that out pretty quick.

daiixi

Dragan wrote:

Also, thanks to everyone for pitching in!!! I would now ask the question have any of you ever treated someone poorly just because of there job????

I don't treat people poorly because of their job but I do deserve the right to get pissed off when people can't do their job properly.

tribulus

I like to think i'm fairly polite to people while they do their jobs. Having worked in various shops/supermarkets for a few years i'll always remember to give a little smile and say please and thank you (which is just common courtesy imo)

Macha

I used to work in an Irish pub in Norway, well in Oslo. One day a group of about 6 people came in. When they had finished eating & drinking, I had to explain to them that because the pub was so busy & I was on my own, they couldn't pay separately. And what was one woman's response to this? She said:

"What the **** is wrong with you? Do you have your period or something?"

I think if it had been a guy, I would have been so indignant, I would have put him in his place. But because it was a woman who said it to me, I was in shock. Sounds stupid but I felt really betrayed by her!

The whole table went really quiet, and went even quieter when I got the big chef to come out & tell them to "get up, pay and get the f**k out" I was behind him goint "yeah! get out!" That felt good

rainbow kirby

I work in a game shop... one thing I really hate is when people assume that I have absolutely no technical knowledge just because I'm a girl. There's been a few times when people have rang the shop with technical questions, and asked "Can I speak to a man please, I have a technical question". The funniest part is when I put them on to one of my male coworkers about 80% of the time the call ends up coming back to me anyway...
I tend to be pretty nice to other people who work in shops - I know how it feels, considering I've spent more than 4 years of my life working retail jobs. The one group of customer service people that really grinds my gears is AIB though, I usually want to throw stuff or break stuff or just cry after dealing with them.