Sorry, toilet's out of order

dr.fuzzenstein

I have noticed that in many fast food outlets and petrol stations around Limerick there's a permanent "out of order" sign on the door.
There is a Texaco station where the toilet has been closed for years now and yesterday I went to a Supermacs restaurant adjoining a shop and garage where once again the out of order sign hung on the door.
The staff member informed me to go to the shop next door, while in the shop I was informed to go next door to Supermacs if I wanted the toilet.
When I said they send me over in the first place all I got was a stupid grin.
I was informed "oh we lost the key to our toilet months ago and can't get in"
In the history of lame excuses this surely ranks right up there.
In the aforementioned Texaco garage I once decided I wanted an answer and was told there where "goings on" in the toilet.
Now I don't care about their lame excuses or what people get up to in there, but I have to go.
Mind if I piss up against your backwall?

source

I'm open to correction on this but, I know restaurants have to provide toilet facilities, but as far as I know petrol stations do not. So they can if they wish remove said public toilet facilities for any reason they wish, and also without reason.

dr.fuzzenstein

foinse wrote: »

I'm open to correction on this but, I know restaurants have to provide toilet facilities, but as far as I know petrol stations do not. So they can if they wish remove said public toilet facilities for any reason they wish, and also without reason.

It's all about customer service to me.
Yes, we'll take your money for petrol, groceries, phone credit, breakfast rolls, car wash and everything else they sell, but when it comes to facilities the thinking is "oh no, if I give you something for free I'll loose out". It betrays an inability to think of the larger picture, that people will come to your shop because of the service and the facilities.
I understand that a small petrol station (i..e. a shed with a pump) can hardly provide a bathroom, but when you decide to start selling tea, coffee and food along with groceries, people expect a bit more, you'll have to go the extra mile.
I hate nothing more than to come to a petrol station and be told "yes, everything that costs money works just fine, but the toilet, airline and waterbucket are out of order".
I can only urge people to say "my wallet's out of order, I go to the next station that provides these services"

Berty

If you provide seats you must provide a toilet, legally. Tell them that and you will normally get the key.

However, did you ever clean toilets? When I was younger I had to clean public toilets and if I could lock the public out I WOULD!

dr.fuzzenstein

Berty wrote: »

If you provide seats you must provide a toilet, legally. Tell them that and you will normally get the key.

However, did you ever clean toilets? When I was younger I had to clean public toilets and if I could lock the public out I WOULD!

Point taken, the great, unwashed public can be pigs.
The problem is with the general lack of facilities when travelling in Ireland and restrooms conveniently being "out of order" all along the way. This then leads to sights like an entire coachload of guys getting out beside the road, stand on the hard shoulder and pissing.
The reason for that is that people have to go and there's no way around it.
Thinking "Oh, if I simply barricade the toilet, it won't get dirty, brilliant, problem solved!" is just another indicator to how people here think.
You wouldn't see this anywhere else in the entirety of Europe at any day of the year.
Only in Ireland can something that is a given, that you don't even have to think about, be an insurmountable obstacle.

Sunnyisland

A lot of these places dont want people just coming in to use the toilets,they have to be paying customers also some are wary of having public toilets due to people using them for drinking or taking drugs in cubicles and they haven't the manpower to supervise or clean them.

dr.fuzzenstein

realies wrote: »

A lot of these places dont want people just coming in to use the toilets,they have to be paying customers also some are wary of having public toilets due to people using them for drinking or taking drugs in cubicles and they haven't the manpower to supervise or clean them.

Personally I would be a paying customer.
But some people might just be caught short. Would you turn away some old lady because she might shoot up in the lav?
In the future I will walk in before buying anything and say I would like to buy some petrol, litre of oil, some groceries, a snack, a coffee and maybe even get my car washed.
Then I will ask if their toilet is working.
If the answer is "no" I will say that I really have to go and is there another petrol station that DOES have working toilets?
I might not wear an Armani suit or drive a Rolls Royce, but if you looked at me you hopefully wouldn't think that I will take a prostitute and some drugs into the loo and then sh*t on the floor.
There is a minority of people in Ireland that misbehaves, but that always seems to get trotted out as an excuse to skimp on facilities.
And once again, I'm talking about bigger stations here, petrol, car wash, hot food counter, coffee, etc...
To my mind if you serve food there should be a restroom.

Sunnyisland

Totally agree with you.

LB6

Yep have to agree with you all re providing a toilet service and actually laughed when I saw this post. The issue raised it's head this afternoon at the Maxol station beside the Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle. I was being served at the counter when a lad ran in behind me and asked in a panicked state to use the facilities and was told there was no loo in the building. Then he asked where to the staff go, only to be told that yes there was a staff toilet only! He was told to go up to the Southcourt Hotel and his answer was - "my kid won't be able to hold it that long"...

BTW this is a big station that has seating outside the door. Should they by law then have toilet facilities? They have plenty of room for it. The door doesn't have to be left open for all 'n' sundry to use it at "will".

seachto7

toilets like most public facilities in Ireland get vandalised, so I wouldn't blame them for keeping them locked....

Berty

LB6 wrote: »

BTW this is a big station that has seating outside the door. Should they by law then have toilet facilities? They have plenty of room for it. The door doesn't have to be left open for all 'n' sundry to use it at "will".

The seating, aka a bench, is outside so it doesn't apply. If there is seating within the building you must provide it.

Take Spar on Henry Street/Lr Mallow St. They have seating outside but don't provide it. They had tables and stools inside by the Coffee machine but the HSE said to either put in a toilet or get rids of the chairs. The chairs were dumped out the back for good.

I worked in the Shell in Corbally and the aul bint working with us used to only let people she liked the look of into the toilet and once followed a man out berating him for leaving a mess.

Humans beings can be filthy animals to be fair. Read over on the R&R forum(if you have access) where retail staff complain about women who p*ss and sh*t in the changing rooms in shops. Seriously, WHY?????

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy

Costa in Dublin also have this thing, you've to buy something and you get a code you can only use once to get into the bathrooms

realies wrote: »

some are wary of having public toilets due to people using them for drinking or taking drugs in cubicles and they haven't the manpower to supervise or clean them.

I hear they use UV lights to stop people being able to see their veins, only found that out yesterday.

The_Dave

Berty wrote: »

I worked in the Shell in Corbally and the aul bint working with us used to only let people she liked the look of into the toilet and once followed a man out berating him for leaving a mess.

Woah, flashback, think I recall her alright, like Aggie...

dr.fuzzenstein

Sera wrote: »

Costa in Dublin also have this thing, you've to buy something and you get a code you can only use once to get into the bathroomsI hear they use UV lights to stop people being able to see their veins, only found that out yesterday.

On the code thing, good idea!
Many restroom facilities in Germany have a permanent staffmember who keeps everything spotless and you are asked to donate somewhere between 20-30 cents, on some motorway reststations you need to buy a token and go through a turnstile.
I've no objections whatsoever to paying a tiny bit to spend a penny.

On the UV light thing::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

phog

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

On the code thing, good idea!
Many restroom facilities in Germany have a permanent staffmember who keeps everything spotless and you are asked to donate somewhere between 20-30 cents, on some motorway reststations you need to buy a token and go through a turnstile.
I've no objections whatsoever to paying a tiny bit to spend a penny.

On the UV light thing::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Arthur's quay charge but the place stinks to high heaven :mad:

pinkfloyd34

Berty wrote: »

The seating, aka a bench, is outside so it doesn't apply. If there is seating within the building you must provide it.

Take Spar on Henry Street/Lr Mallow St. They have seating outside but don't provide it. They had tables and stools inside by the Coffee machine but the HSE said to either put in a toilet or get rids of the chairs. The chairs were dumped out the back for good.

????

no the maxol near the hospital in dooradoyle does have seating outside, its like garden furniture tables and chairs

LB6

BTW - there is also seating inside the building too at the maxol, by the hospital - high stools up against the shelf for eating from - just inside the door on the RHS.

Berty

phog wrote: »

Arthur's quay charge but the place stinks to high heaven :mad:

True for you. My missus, due to medical reasons need to use a toilet more often than most, so we have places we use instead.

Head upstairs in the 5* Savoy hotel for "TEA" but don't have tea. Let her wander into the toilet, sit down read a paper and bat off the staff members saying "I'm just waiting on a guest".

Naryclaire

From what I hear there is very good reason for that toilet being out of order, have you seen what's hanging around Raheen/Dooradoyle these days? Friend of mine works in there, and it's a constant stress trying to deal with the newly arrived scummers.