Resolving disputes.

Lando Griffin

This morning as I was adding milk into my black coffee in the coffee shop in town a middle aged poshly spoken lady started a rant to the two attendants behind the counter.
Out loudly said it was a disgrace that the toilets were upstairs and she could have the place shut down for Health and Safety reasons and the they would have no jobs to go to.
Before things got out of hand I stepped in and explained that probably they would be better off on welfare and rent allowance than wasting their time in a minimul wage job and walked out leaving the three of them hurling abuse at me.
Have you ever stepped into a dispute that had nothing to do with you and solved it by taking the flack?

wazky

Lando Griffin wrote: »

.
Have you ever stepped into a dispute that had nothing to do with you and solved it by taking the flack?

Taking the flack isn't really solving it though, is it?

NegativeCreep

No. I don't want to get stabbed for something stupid.

.Henry Sellers.

How was the coffee?

Banjo String

Have you ever stepped into a dispute that had nothing to do with you and solved it by taking the flack?

USA military springs to mind here.

Old Dan Tucker

The middle aged lady probably had a point. Why didn't you mind your own business?

Lando Griffin

.Henry Sellers. wrote: »

How was the coffee?

Very nice thank you; and it tasted extra special with a sence of wellbeing from it.

iMac_Hunt

No. What other people argue about is of no concern to me. I've enough to do without butting in on other peoples trivial arguments.

wazky

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Very nice thank you; and it tasted extra special with a sence of wellbeing from it.

Did it not taste like interfering know it all?

Femme_Fatale

iMac_Hunt wrote: »

No. What other people argue about is of no concern to me. I've enough to do without butting in on other peoples trivial arguments.

wazky wrote: »

Did it not taste like interfering know it all?

If the incident is true, the woman was being a horrible witch. It's disingenuous to say there was something wrong with standing up to her when the two staff members weren't able to.

Mariasofia

Another fine example of putting someone in their place Lando .

SCOOP 64

Read this twice now still don't understand it,old lady having a moan at staff and you got up told staff they are better off on welfare and walked out. i know ive read this wrong.

Overheal

Because you were all wondering:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1988/en/si/0147.html#zzsi147y1988a9

There is no requirement that the toilet be wheelchair accessible or anything. And I'm guessing the cranky bitch was well able, as well.

Why you chose to argue with all 3 of them I will never know, just correct the stupid cow and carry on.

PizzamanIRL

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Have you ever stepped into a dispute that had nothing to do with you and solved it by taking the flack?

You don't care about our stories, you just wanted an excuse to tell us that story.

hfallada

I work retail and learnt to today, that a customer complained about me for the following reasons: 1) That I have "no personality, or that it is extremely well hidden" 2) That I have "no manners"( it was written twice in the email). Even though I tell every customer " hi, would like a bag" and say "please" and "thank you" automatically , so much so, that when people say thank you, I automatically say "good bye".

But what pissed me off the most was that the customer was angry that I handed him his plastic bag to "load his own groceries". Yes I earn €8,65 an hour, but that doesnt make me your slave. I dont think a person can fairly judge you within 2 mins of dealing with you. But that because I allegedly was rude( I always use please and thank you) and I dont engage in BS talk, that the customer thought it was acceptable to report me.

I did work experience in a shop in 4th year and because of the way I was treated in one week. I decided I must go to college and now Im studying business and Economics so I dont hopefully dont have to be treated like **** for the rest of my life. I have so much respect for people in services industry. You get treated like **** and paid ****.

Systemic Risk

Lando Griffin wrote: »

This morning as I was adding milk into my black coffee in the coffee shop in town a middle aged poshly spoken lady started a rant to the two attendants behind the counter.
Out loudly said it was a disgrace that the toilets were upstairs and she could have the place shut down for Health and Safety reasons and the they would have no jobs to go to.
Before things got out of hand I stepped in and explained that probably they would be better off on welfare and rent allowance than wasting their time in a minimul wage job and walked out leaving the three of them hurling abuse at me.
Have you ever stepped into a dispute that had nothing to do with you and solved it by taking the flack?

This is a classic example of someone spending waaaay too much time in AH and then applying the behaviour learned therein to real life.

Overheal

hfallada wrote: »

I work retail and learnt to today, that a customer complained about me for the following reasons: 1) That I have "no personality, or that it is extremely well hidden" 2) That I have "no manners"( it was written twice in the email). Even though I tell every customer " hi, would like a bag" and say "please" and "thank you" automatically , so much so, that when people say thank you, I automatically say "good bye".

But what pissed me off the most was that the customer was angry that I handed him his plastic bag to "load his own groceries". Yes I earn €8,65 an hour, but that doesnt make me your slave. I dont think a person can fairly judge you within 2 mins of dealing with you. But that because I allegedly was rude( I always use please and thank you) and I dont engage in BS talk, that the customer thought it was acceptable to report me.

I did work experience in a shop in 4th year and because of the way I was treated in one week. I decided I must go to college and now Im studying business and Economics so I dont hopefully dont have to be treated like **** for the rest of my life. I have so much respect for people in services industry. You get treated like **** and paid ****.

Hopefully you aren't in an industry that would mean that in that situation you would get written up by your boss because it gives your store a bad survey score and your boss' boss is hard done by that make believe digit.

Access Granted to Ranting and Raving, btw. please read the charter

iMac_Hunt

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

If the incident is true, the woman was being a horrible witch. It's disingenuous to say there was something wrong with standing up to her when the two staff members weren't able to.

There are horrible people all over. Unless their rant is aimed at me, I wouldn't bother getting involved, especially if was as something as trivial as the above.

Artful_Badger

Yeah, I was once reffing a karate match and when the guys went at it a bit too heavy I kicked the **** out of the both of them.

WoollyRedHat

I would of have a go at the uppity bitch but not the staff member.

These are the type of people whose life is so boring and dull that they have to complain about EVERYTHING. Most of the time, they're wrong.

Yes - twelve or so years ago and i got a fat lip for my troubles.

Lando Griffin

Overheal wrote: »

Because you were all wondering:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1988/en/si/0147.html#zzsi147y1988a9

There is no requirement that the toilet be wheelchair accessible or anything. And I'm guessing the cranky bitch was well able, as well.

Why you chose to argue with all 3 of them I will never know, just correct the stupid cow and carry on.

Wish I had known that now.
I was only pointing out to the lady that they mightnt be to bothered about loosing their jobs as they didnt seem to take a tack of notice about her rant

Have done once or twice. I hate hate hate seeing people being treated like sh*t. It's so easy to respect other people so why not just do it?

One time I remember is a time when I was in the post office during lunch time. The queue was long and there weren't very many staff at the counter. One woman in the queue decided to start shouting across the post office at one member of staff who was dealing with another customer. Shouting "where are all the staff?" "this is a disgrace" still standing in the queue and borderline abused the guy at the window while he was just trying to do his job.

Everyone else just looked at her, but I opened my gob, told her to leave him alone, he is just a member of staff trying to do his job, and what logic is there in shouting about there being no staff at the person who IS there. She gave me a dirty look and shut up. The guy thanked me afterwards. What an absolute weapon.

I'd have no issue stepping in in those situations, I cannot abide rudeness. It is completely unnecessary.

Neyite

Deleted User wrote: »

Have done once or twice. I hate hate hate seeing people being treated like sh*t. It's so easy to respect other people so why not just do it?

One time I remember is a time when I was in the post office during lunch time. The queue was long and there weren't very many staff at the counter. One woman in the queue decided to start shouting across the post office at one member of staff who was dealing with another customer. Shouting "where are all the staff?" "this is a disgrace" still standing in the queue and borderline abused the guy at the window while he was just trying to do his job.

Everyone else just looked at her, but I opened my gob, told her to leave him alone, he is just a member of staff trying to do his job, and what logic is there in shouting about there being no staff at the person who IS there. She gave me a dirty look and shut up. The guy thanked me afterwards. What an absolute weapon.

I'd have no issue stepping in in those situations, I cannot abide rudeness. It is completely unnecessary.

I would tend to be a bit shyer, would love to do what you did. Usually the best I can manage is I make a point of telling the staffer after the complainer has left that they were downright wrong, an idiot and not to let it get to them.

And any friend/ date who treats shop/waiting staff like sh!t, I have no interest in associating with an arse like that. I once walked out of a first date dinner because the guy was a dick to the waiting staff and I told him there was no point in taking it past the starter with him because of that. Proud of that one.

Smiles35

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

If the incident is true, the woman was being a horrible witch. It's disingenuous to say there was something wrong with standing up to her when the two staff members weren't able to.

Whoo there. Maybe the old lady nearly broke her neck going up those stairs.

hfallada

hfallada wrote: »

But what pissed me off the most was that the customer was angry that I handed him his plastic bag to "load his own groceries". Yes I earn €8,65 an hour, but that doesnt make me your slave..

I worked in a supermarket when I was younger and had an absolute wagon of a customer who wouldn't work to warm herself. She wanted THREE bag packers to run around after her while she was at my checkout. I explained very nicely that there were no more staff members available, she shouts at me and told me that she "pays my wages", I very quickly responded "you left me two hours short last week". She made a complaint about me but my manager didn't believe her because I always so nice to everyone :pac:

Big Nasty

Deleted User wrote: »

Have done once or twice. I hate hate hate seeing people being treated like sh*t. It's so easy to respect other people so why not just do it?

One time I remember is a time when I was in the post office during lunch time. The queue was long and there weren't very many staff at the counter. One woman in the queue decided to start shouting across the post office at one member of staff who was dealing with another customer. Shouting "where are all the staff?" "this is a disgrace" still standing in the queue and borderline abused the guy at the window while he was just trying to do his job.

Everyone else just looked at her, but I opened my gob, told her to leave him alone, he is just a member of staff trying to do his job, and what logic is there in shouting about there being no staff at the person who IS there. She gave me a dirty look and shut up. The guy thanked me afterwards. What an absolute weapon.

I'd have no issue stepping in in those situations, I cannot abide rudeness. It is completely unnecessary.

That's cool and fair play but I'm gonna throw a different spin on it. I have worked in jobs that require good customer service in one way or the other for years so I understand the position of the understaffed employee, or even just the employee that gets caught out when a number of customers arrive at once making that employee under pressure.

However, no matter how busy you are you must (IMO) acknowledge waiting customers. Once people are acknowledged they are cool as opposed to a staff member keeping their eyes down where they 'cannot see' waiting customers that they damn well know are there. Just today I was in a busy Vodafone shop and standing at the desk while THE MANAGER blatantly ignored me until she had time to talk to me. I understood that she was busy and dealing with another customer but if she had just flicked her eyes up, smiled, and said ''I'll be with you as soon as I can' as opposed to ignoring me I would have gladly waited patiently for an hour as opposed to seething for the ten minutes I was waiting and being blanked.

Big Nasty

Big Nasty wrote: »

That's cool and fair play but I'm gonna throw a different spin on it. I have worked in jobs that require good customer service in one way or the other for years so I understand the position of the understaffed employee, or even just the employee that gets caught out when a number of customers arrive at once making that employee under pressure.

However, no matter how busy you are you must (IMO) acknowledge waiting customers. Once people are acknowledged they are cool as opposed to a staff member keeping their eyes down where they 'cannot see' waiting customers that they damn well know are there. Just today I was in a busy Vodafone shop and standing at the desk while THE MANAGER blatantly ignored me until she had time to talk to me. I understood that she was busy and dealing with another customer but if she had just flicked her eyes up, smiled, and said ''I'll be with you as soon as I can' as opposed to ignoring me I would have gladly waited patiently for an hour as opposed to seething for the ten minutes I was waiting and being blanked.

That's a very different situation though, this is a very defined queue in a very large main post office with an electronic calling system "please go to counter 7" it would not be feasible to acknowledge customers. It would be akin to the motor tax office system say. You know when your turn is, shouting at the staff isn't the best way to make that turn come quicker.

Big Nasty

Deleted User wrote: »

That's a very different situation though, this is a very defined queue in a very large main post office with an electronic calling system "please go to counter 7" it would not be feasible to acknowledge customers. It would be akin to the motor tax office system say. You know when your turn is, shouting at the staff isn't the best way to make that turn come quicker.

For sure but you've more than likely been in the situation I described yourself and know how frustrating it is.

Big Nasty

Big Nasty wrote: »

For sure but you've more than likely been in the situation I described yourself and know how frustrating it is.

But it's got nothing to do with the situation I posted - entirely different scenario!

I've never been in a position where I felt it was acceptable to shout across a room at a person trying to do their job.

Big Nasty

Deleted User wrote: »

But it's got nothing to do with the situation I posted - entirely different scenario!

I've never been in a position where I felt it was acceptable to shout across a room at a person trying to do their job.

Me neither, but I've felt like it on numerous occasions by being ignored by staff.

A little acknowledgement goes a long way.

jobeenfitz

Deleted User wrote: »

Have done once or twice. I hate hate hate seeing people being treated like sh*t. It's so easy to respect other people so why not just do it?

One time I remember is a time when I was in the post office during lunch time. The queue was long and there weren't very many staff at the counter. One woman in the queue decided to start shouting across the post office at one member of staff who was dealing with another customer. Shouting "where are all the staff?" "this is a disgrace" still standing in the queue and borderline abused the guy at the window while he was just trying to do his job.

Everyone else just looked at her, but I opened my gob, told her to leave him alone, he is just a member of staff trying to do his job, and what logic is there in shouting about there being no staff at the person who IS there. She gave me a dirty look and shut up. The guy thanked me afterwards. What an absolute weapon.

I'd have no issue stepping in in those situations, I cannot abide rudeness. It is completely unnecessary.

Aw thats terrible, you chastised that poor stressed out lady. Bully.

jobeenfitz

jobeenfitz wrote: »

Aw thats terrible, you chastised that poor stressed out lady. Bully.

Yeh. Well. She started it. :mad:

Hilly Bill

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I'd have found it hard to keep my lip bitten if I encountered such a thundering **** as that woman. I'd have tried to get the manager to tell them their staff were being harassed (if one of them wasn't the manager in the first place).

I get it every day.

Smiles35

Well, opening a diuretic shop and putting the toilet in a treehouse is a no-no imo.

For Forks Sake

Personally, I think people should go back to challenging each other to duels to resolve trivial disagreements.

Overheal

Deleted User wrote: »

Have done once or twice. I hate hate hate seeing people being treated like sh*t. It's so easy to respect other people so why not just do it?

One time I remember is a time when I was in the post office during lunch time. The queue was long and there weren't very many staff at the counter. One woman in the queue decided to start shouting across the post office at one member of staff who was dealing with another customer. Shouting "where are all the staff?" "this is a disgrace" still standing in the queue and borderline abused the guy at the window while he was just trying to do his job.

Everyone else just looked at her, but I opened my gob, told her to leave him alone, he is just a member of staff trying to do his job, and what logic is there in shouting about there being no staff at the person who IS there. She gave me a dirty look and shut up. The guy thanked me afterwards. What an absolute weapon.

I'd have no issue stepping in in those situations, I cannot abide rudeness. It is completely unnecessary.

Thats my entire life story during the holidays. Trying to help one customer to get to the next customer behind them and some battleaxe will barge in to the middle of your interaction to bemoan the lack of help.

Folks, thats about as logical as stopping a paramedic when he gets on to the scene of a wreck to ask what took him so long to get there.

dobman88

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Very nice thank you; and it tasted extra special with a sence of wellbeing from it.

PARK LIFE!!!!

Femme_Fatale

Smell Badda wrote: »

Whoo there. Maybe the old lady nearly broke her neck going up those stairs.

Yeh, stairs - so unusual.

Savoir.Faire

One thing I can't abide is lippy service workers. Its not asking much to show a sunny disposition and courtesy to the people who pay their wages. I'm not shy about reminding them of that too.

Femme_Fatale

Savoir.Faire wrote: »

One thing I can't abide is lippy service workers. Its not asking much to show a sunny disposition and courtesy to the people who pay their wages. I'm not shy about reminding them of that too.

I agree with you that rude service workers (a rarity in my experience) deserve rudeness back, but this "I pay your wages" thing is way too sneering. All of us who work and buy stuff are putting money into the economy, so we're all effectively paying towards everyone's wages.

Zen65

Artful_Badger wrote: »

Yeah, I was once reffing a karate match and when the guys went at it a bit too heavy I kicked the **** out of the both of them.

Was that the clip that appeared all over the internet in the last few weeks and was obviously fake?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7x0QRB5ghk

DoozerT6

Savoir.Faire wrote: »

One thing I can't abide is lippy service workers. Its not asking much to show a sunny disposition and courtesy to the people who pay their wages. I'm not shy about reminding them of that too.

Why do I imagine you wearing a tweed jacket, coming in from a hard day's pheasant shoot, and saying that to Jenkins while you hand him your mud encrusted boots?

Seriously though, that's a pretty snobby attitude to have towards people who probably do a crappy job that you probably wouldn't want to do if you had a choice, and who most likely listen to people whinge at them all day for stuff that's not their fault. All for the princely sum of minimum wage or thereabouts.

Realistically, nobody, no matter how nice they are or what their job is, can be sunny and smiley all day. A grumpy shop assistant doesn't usually give me cause for concern - deliberately rude or incompetent, yes, but if they're just a bit grumpy or obviously don't want to be there, I just let it go. They probably hate their job and maybe it's their way of coping.

I say this as someone who has worked in service industries in the past and hated it. General public be crazy, yo.

Zen65

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

. . . but this "I pay your wages" thing is way too sneering. All of us who work and buy stuff are putting money into the economy, so we're all effectively paying towards everyone's wages.

Yes, I see that "I pay your wages" comment all too frequently about Public Service workers (for whom I have no great love but I find them no better nor worse than workers anywhere else). How come nobody says that about their dentist?

Z

No Pants

Smell Badda wrote: »

Whoo there. Maybe the old lady nearly broke her neck going up those stairs.

She will the next time if those two are still working there.

krudler

Middle aged women are the worst customers in the world, fact. Self entitled battleaxes that probably haven't had a good ride since television stopped being black and white so take every chance they can to take it out on others. Make it their business to complain about every trivial thing they can and usually haven't worked themselves in decades.

I have a load of stories from dealing with them, once this woman who wa having an absolute minor issue with something on her bill, fixed it in a few mouse clicks and refunded her, felt the need to drop "my husband is a well respected doctor" in at the beginning of the call, ehh, ok? good for him, that's not going magically change the issue.

I used to work with a lad who was a hero for dealing with asshole customers, this oul wan marched up past a huge christmas week queue in the shop once with a cd in the small paper bag, held out the bag without taking out the cd and just snorted "return this" and he just goes "ah you're grand sure we have loads of bags look, you keep that one yourself" and pulled out a stack of them from the counter, a few customers bust out laughing and she stormed off :pac:

krudler

Savoir.Faire wrote: »

One thing I can't abide is lippy service workers. Its not asking much to show a sunny disposition and courtesy to the people who pay their wages. I'm not shy about reminding them of that too.

Their employers pay their wages, not you.

No Pants

Zen65 wrote: »

Yes, I see that "I pay your wages" comment all too frequently about Public Service workers (for whom I have no great love but I find them no better nor worse than workers anywhere else). How come nobody says that about their dentist?

Dentist normally has his/her hands in your mouth, maybe a couple of tools too.

Hitchens

I was in a Tesco one day and a guy in an electric wheelchair bumped into a lady shopper, then told her to "get the **** out of the way."

When I told him to watch his mouth, he got up and shoved me into a shelf.

Just a few minutes prior, he'd been shouting that he was paralyzed from the waist down.

dirtyden

Hitchens wrote: »

I was in a Tesco one day and a guy in an electric wheelchair bumped into a lady shopper, then told her to "get the **** out of the way."

When I told him to watch his mouth, he got up and shoved me into a shelf.

Just a few minutes prior, he'd been shouting that he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Little Britain?

Femme_Fatale

krudler wrote: »

Their employers pay their wages, not you.

Yeh, whether the person who uses the line "I pay your wages" shops there or not, the employee is still going to get paid, and not a penny less. It's a horrible line.