Holding businesses responsible for shit service

[Vergas buey]

I enjoy going to dinner with my wife, going shopping for electronics and generally just patronizing local businesses. My wife thinks im a little too much of a stickler and at times i rely on the whole, "dude please get your manager, your 'tude sucks" line way too much. I guess it just bothers me a tad much when i go out of my way to be the "easy" customer and still get shat on by these companies and their employees.

 

Should i shrug this off and stop sweating it? How do you handle interactions with miserable employees?

[luke viia]

you could try putting yourself in their shoes instead of telling them you can't be fucked to deal with their shitty attitude (a.k.a. making their day worse).

 

have you ever worked in any service industry?

[Guest Franklin]

I'm very much a stickler too. It all depends on the establishment however; if it's a place I need to shop I'll always ask for the manager if the employee is being a douche, but if it's a place I don't need to shop I tend to just laugh when they give the attitude or act a douche and leave wishing them luck.

 

Once in a while I'll cut a kid some slack cause nobody really wants to work in that kind of job usually... or maybe they're just having a bad day. never know right.

[chaosmachine]

any time someone is giving you a bad time, just imagine their dad died last week. and their girlfriend left them two days ago. and yesterday morning their dog ran away. and they got a flat tire on the way to work. also, they have cancer.

 

then you have an excuse for their behavior, and you don't have to worry about it anymore. it's easier to feel sorry for someone than to take it personally.

[Vergas buey]

You bet, but im more talking about these notorious companies local or otherwise that seem to never get their shit together and seem to always have the same kinds of service issues. I have had to take plenty of shit for 6 bucks an hour and yes it made me miserable. Im talking about the kind of inattentive braindead losers who purposefully fuck up my day just because they got a speeding ticket. Work is work, if youre in the service industry then do your job or quit and figure out how to make money otherwise.

[Vergas buey]

Agreed chaosmachine. Also, i do often cut people slack when i dont recognize them or can tell theyre exasperated. I really do try to be easy but i need to be satisfied that this company deserves my money, my business. I really think lots of people are just too willing to hand over their money even though theyre being treated like shit. Nonessential companies that jerk me around more than a few times, i let my money speak for me, so to speak.

[luke viia]

you have intriguing ideas about what standards a company and the individuals working for it ought to be giving you. they are already selling you a product, one which they have and you would like to have. if they repeatedly prove to you that they are incompetent assholes, go elsewhere. capitalism

[Vergas buey]

Yes it is very interesting especially when there are companies one MUST deal with, like my cable provider or my utility company.

 

And if i go to a bar/restaurant with some friends and i enjoy the drinks/food that is served but it is served by one braindead fuckup out of a dozen other servers, id rather try to get dickweed fired and out of my restaurant than have to forego great food, strong drinks etc.

[lumpenprol]

read the rules, newbs

[Vergas buey]

How about if i briefly peruse the rules?

[luke viia]

done

 

 

vergas, that's cool, use whatever style you want... but generally, mutual respect will get you a lot farther in the sort of settings you're describing than "trying to get dickweed fired and out of your (lol) restaurant"

[Vergas buey]

Im detecting a hint of anger behind your posts. Thats okay and if so i apologize as i really didnt mean to hit your sensitive spot. Are you in the service industry? Are you european or something? Im just trying to place where the sour grapes are coming from.

[luke viia]

nah i'm just kinda too used to being aggressive on forums. my apologies if i seem abrasive (working on it, i swear!)

 

but really being nice to people while they're working is my preferred tactic. yours is fine too... but i've served fried food that fell on the rather hairy floor to angry customers (at the waitresses request) a few times. just trying to answer your initial question (is your behavior making you a peen- y/n).

 

as for the computer-on-commission type salespeople, by all means, be a jerk to them. otherwise they never back off. at least, that's been my experience.

[chenGOD]

Yes it is very interesting especially when there are companies one MUST deal with, like my cable provider or my utility company.

 

And if i go to a bar/restaurant with some friends and i enjoy the drinks/food that is served but it is served by one braindead fuckup out of a dozen other servers, id rather try to get dickweed fired and out of my restaurant than have to forego great food, strong drinks etc.

 

You're a fucking dick. If you really don't like the service, don't tip.

 

and cable provider? if you have that many problems, vote with your wallet and cancel.

[oyster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrOhvSvKIhc

[Vergas buey]

See, ive never given someone less than a standard 15-20% tip, i feel like not giving someone a tip is kind of passive aggressive personal attack whereas my style of expressing a grievance involves killing the employee with kindness and expressing the problem to a manager. Im not out to fucking embarrass myself or the server in public by telling the employee he or she is fucking up. That's what management is for. And yes i know the tipping regardless thing is completely incongruous with my previous statements but i really try not to give rudeness to rudeness, as it is the ultimate Christian thing to do.

[Guest Space Coyote]

I agree with the original poster. I've worked in customer service and I know it can be hard and isn't really a desirable job but I go out of my way to be an easy customer and can still receive less than average service. If someone has problems in their life that prevent them from looking interested and acting helpful then they need to call in a sick day or something. Self-bias aside - the only time I am short or rude to a customer is because they have been consistantly so themselves. Otherwise I try go out of my way to keep a positive, or at least upbeat and interested attitude.

 

Other posters are right though, ultimately it is best just to vote with your wallet and your feet.

[chaosmachine]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrOhvSvKIhc

 

probably the greatest answering machine message of all time.

[Guest Franklin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrOhvSvKIhc

 

 

holy fuck this just made my entire night.

 

also shined up this shit thread nicely.

[Guest Adjective]

yes, you're a dickhead. the business is probably run by dickheads too. and the people working there probably have no other options and are working there just to survive, hate their jobs, and hate you. i'm sure they all want to tell you to fuck yourself, but don't want to be homeless

[chenGOD]

See, ive never given someone less than a standard 15-20% tip, i feel like not giving someone a tip is kind of passive aggressive personal attack whereas my style of expressing a grievance involves killing the employee with kindness and expressing the problem to a manager. Im not out to fucking embarrass myself or the server in public by telling the employee he or she is fucking up. That's what management is for. And yes i know the tipping regardless thing is completely incongruous with my previous statements but i really try not to give rudeness to rudeness, as it is the ultimate Christian thing to do.

 

So not only are you too fucking dickless to tell the person themselves they're doing a shitty job, you reward them for doing a shitty job, and then bitch about it to the management.

 

Here's how you do it. A couple of years ago, I was in a restaurant, having dinner with some friends. We ordered some wine, the waiter came out, and couldn't get the wine open, he corked the first bottle. The second bottle, he was having a bitch of a time. So my friend and I, who have both worked in the service industry as barmen, both agreed the only way was to show him. So my friend opened the bottle in the 4 seconds required to open a bottle and sent him on his way. We tipped him 10% and he learnt how to open a bottle of wine. Moreover, he still has his job, so he's not fucked and is still able to at least not be a total drain on society.

 

You sir, are the kind of person who deserves to be run over by a combine harvester. Fuck off with your "christian thing to do". The christian thing to do is to "turn the other cheek" which doesn't mean sneak behind his/her back to the management. You're like the kid in kindergarten who was always telling on the other kids. "teacher teacher, johnny put sand in the toilet" but on the playground you're all buddy buddy.

[Guest Coalbucket PI]

I don't understand why people need to complain to the management about petty service issues. Most of the time people do this just because they want free stuff so you're instantly suspected of being a scrounging tightfisted wiener when you do it.

 

The only time I would complain is if someone was actively offensive to me which has never happened, but being a bit slow or something, who cares. I've worked in bars, kitchens, cafes, shops. I know how it works and sometimes I really can't believe how little people understand about the situation they are in when dealing with a minimum wage service employee.

 

People expect them have some sort of expertise (eg Chen's wine opening thing) when really your only specialist skill is to accept a low wage. And the customer defines the tone of the interaction in most cases because they are the only variable. When working behind a bar everyone gets the same opening line and you can breed a bad atmosphere by being a dickhead customer straight away; for example people often appear enraged after the experience of having to wait to be served after people who got there first (god forbid!) and expect some sort of apology, or expect the barman to give a fuck if they threaten to go to a competitor... think about it, these people aren't on commission, they would rather you fuck off if you're going to be awkward about it.

 

I could go on; basically you don't need to put someone's job on the line because you didn't like how they served you, it won't make your life any better and it might make theirs a whole lot worse.

[Guest the anonymous forumite]

I used to work in the lost bags service at the airport. So many people blaming you for their missing bag and trying to get the manager when you tried to explain that their bag couldn't be here in less than 24 hours or that you couldn't get them a toothbrush for the night. Since then, I fucking hate sticklers like the OP, who really seems to be a douchebag. I believe sticklers have felt some lack of love during their lives, or have been bullied, and that they need to take it out on weaker people.

 

My mum always taught me that stickling was a bad thing to do, and I thank her for that. I have a friend of mine who, sadly, is like that, always complaining in public places or trying to get people fired. She was brought up like that, her father is the worse stickler ever. Funny that every time he goes out, there is some unsatisfation of some sort.

 

Sticklers think they know how to handle a situation, that nobody is gonna rip them off or something like that. They apparently need to prove something to themselves.

 

sticklers =

[chenGOD]

I don't understand why people need to complain to the management about petty service issues. Most of the time people do this just because they want free stuff so you're instantly suspected of being a scrounging tightfisted wiener when you do it.

 

The only time I would complain is if someone was actively offensive to me which has never happened, but being a bit slow or something, who cares. I've worked in bars, kitchens, cafes, shops. I know how it works and sometimes I really can't believe how little people understand about the situation they are in when dealing with a minimum wage service employee.

 

People expect them have some sort of expertise (eg Chen's wine opening thing) when really your only specialist skill is to accept a low wage. And the customer defines the tone of the interaction in most cases because they are the only variable. When working behind a bar everyone gets the same opening line and you can breed a bad atmosphere by being a dickhead customer straight away; for example people often appear enraged after the experience of having to wait to be served after people who got there first (god forbid!) and expect some sort of apology, or expect the barman to give a fuck if they threaten to go to a competitor... think about it, these people aren't on commission, they would rather you fuck off if you're going to be awkward about it.

 

 

I'd hardly consider opening a bottle of wine an "expert" skill. And if you're working in the food/beverage industry, it is a skill that you have to know. And having worked in the food/beverage industry as a server/barman/cook I can speak from experience. We were hardly dicks about it either - didn't berate him or call management or anything, just said "look, do it this way". Having skills enables the server to earn good tips - that's the whole point. So you tip him based on his efficiency - if he's slow, of course don't be a dick like the OP and go whining to management.

Plus management should have been thankful in my situation, cause the dude was clearly going to cork the second bottle - wastage is not cool :)

[essines]

only time i really harass any one is if something is wrong, say wrong meal (cold meal), paying for something i didn't get, etc etc etc. if someone is in a bad mood, that sucks. i'm in bad moods sometimes too. just move on, most of the time i'm glad someone is selling me smokes cause i wouldn't want to do it.