What do you want to rant about today? #16

[Lalla]

I feel like customer service disappeared after Corona virus ended. It's like anyone who works in retail or food just can't be bothered anymore. When I worked in a jewellery shop customer service was extremely important and it definitely has changed now. It says on job descriptions to be polite and helpful in these jobs yet they are still hired. Also when your shopping and the staff are just having their own loud conversation and laughing as if your not there is another one that grinds my gears, and that's everywhere now.
I've been browsing before in a second hand shop and the bloke who owned it shouted out to me 'SMILE!!!' .
I've also said hello as I enter shops just to be stared at in silence. It reminds me of the league of the gentlemen in that local shop. Are you local? We'll have no trouble here. Honestly it feels that way.

This is so true!
My friend's mum worked in a department store in the 80s and staff were expressly forbidden to use the customer lifts or escalators - they had to use the stairs (or any staff with mobility issues could use the goods lift), the point being that customers shouldn't be inconvenienced, or have to share lifts with staff moving stock around etc.

Those customer is king days are long gone, which is odd when you think about it because we now have so many more ways to complain, yet the service we receive gets worse and worse. I do always acknowledge and praise good service - but when I think about it, a lot of the service I do praise is just staff doing the job properly, and being pleasant/ helpful, which should be a given.

 

[themuffinwoman]

Who knew travelling by bus was so problematic. My view is that you don't 'own' the seats around you, just the one you're sitting on, passengers can sit wherever they want, you don't get to make your own rules up.

It's inconsiderate to take the aisle seat if the window seat is free, that is common sense as it is forcing someone to ask if they want to sit there, how pointless and unnecessary.
Anyone can feel uncomfortable if someone sits next to them, but you are safe travelling on a bus in public. 'Grown man sitting next to young female' is not the only potential risky scenario, weirdos come in all shapes and sizes.

Actually people round here have been stabbed on the bus and reports of men touching and exposing themselves on buses so no, you’re not necessarily safe on the bus.

This is so ridiculous. If someone is in an empty bus, and someone sits next to them, when the whole bus is available, that is weird.

 

[peachesandcreamz]

This is so true!
My friend's mum worked in a department store in the 80s and staff were expressly forbidden to use the customer lifts or escalators - they had to use the stairs (or any staff with mobility issues could use the goods lift), the point being that customers shouldn't be inconvenienced, or have to share lifts with staff moving stock around etc.

Those customer is king days are long gone, which is odd when you think about it because we now have so many more ways to complain, yet the service we receive gets worse and worse. I do always acknowledge and praise good service - but when I think about it, a lot of the service I do praise is just staff doing the job properly, and being pleasant/ helpful, which should be a given.

Absolutely! "Above and beyond" seems to be a thing of the past. I'm sure it's a sign of ageing, but I will happily pay extra to buy the same item with better service wherever I can.

 

[Mamacita]

I feel like customer service disappeared after Corona virus ended. It's like anyone who works in retail or food just can't be bothered anymore. When I worked in a jewellery shop customer service was extremely important and it definitely has changed now. It says on job descriptions to be polite and helpful in these jobs yet they are still hired. Also when your shopping and the staff are just having their own loud conversation and laughing as if your not there is another one that grinds my gears, and that's everywhere now.
I've been browsing before in a second hand shop and the bloke who owned it shouted out to me 'SMILE!!!' .
I've also said hello as I enter shops just to be stared at in silence. It reminds me of the league of the gentlemen in that local shop. Are you local? We'll have no trouble here. Honestly it feels that way.

I think a lot of people who work in customer facing roles also noticed that general public got way worse since the pandemic. People are more rude and impatient. I'm not surprised it's a struggle to maintain positivity and helpfulness, if you're subject to that every day, coupled with minimum wage that barely allows for affording to live.

 

[BaxterBillions]

It's a horrible expression, and so dismissive of women of a certain age group, especially, imo.

In my experience that is the group I've found to be the most entitled pain in the arses, whether in a shop, in the workplace, wherever. I think it's generally because their looks are gone and they get really bitter that people won't trip over themselves to give them want they want anymore

 

[Captainmouse]

I feel like customer service disappeared after Corona virus ended. It's like anyone who works in retail or food just can't be bothered anymore. When I worked in a jewellery shop customer service was extremely important and it definitely has changed now. It says on job descriptions to be polite and helpful in these jobs yet they are still hired. Also when your shopping and the staff are just having their own loud conversation and laughing as if your not there is another one that grinds my gears, and that's everywhere now.
I've been browsing before in a second hand shop and the bloke who owned it shouted out to me 'SMILE!!!' .
I've also said hello as I enter shops just to be stared at in silence. It reminds me of the league of the gentlemen in that local shop. Are you local? We'll have no trouble here. Honestly it feels that way.

How many companies no longer have a number you can ring? I wanted to do a click and collect order, but the submit button was greyed out, can I contact them? No, online chat is no longer an option, no telephone number, if you download an app you can contact them between 1-4. No thanks I don’t want yet another app. So I went to a store, which didn’t have some of the items I wanted. So I asked them if they could check which stores had the items, no. So they clearly do not want my business so I shopped elsewhere.

 

[Ilaariaa]

I am an intern at a company and I like the job and the team, but I don't feel very supported by my coworkers and my supervisor
They all have flexible hours so what they do is they go in early in the morning and leave early in the afternoon. I can't do that, I have set hours and I leave at 5. That means that there's about an hour and a half every day at the end of day when in the office it's just me and another newly hired person who is about as clueless as I am.
So what happens is that any last minute emergencies with anyone's accounts fall onto me because there's no one else there other than the other new guy. And if they have urgent stuff that they didn't have time to do, instead of doing overtime or just putting it off until tomorrow, they just leave it with me because I have to be there for another hour anyway. So I have to scramble to put out everyone's fires as best I can. And I have no experience and I still don't know the job very well so I just have to wing it and hope for the best. Technically I can't even do overtime for insurance purposes, and it wouldn't be paid anyway.
I don't know I just feel like when you have an intern at the office that you're training you shouldn't expect them to be a 1:1 replacement for a team member. Like I feel like they should at least make sure one of the experienced team members does "normal" hours so there's someone to take care of any end of day emergencies. At least the first few months when the newer employees are still learning.
And even if there are big urgent things still pending and my coworkers know they need to be solved before end of day (maybe they're waiting for a document or a reply from someone), they just leave and expect me to handle them without even telling me what to do if they aren't solved or even making sure I'm keeping an eye on them.
I don't expect to be babysat in everything I do, nor to never be left alone in the office, I'm not a child. But I'm an intern, I just started doing this job and I get paid peanuts, I shouldn't be left alone to deal with emergencies or last minute issues every single day just because I can't work flexible hours and everyone else leaves before I do.

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

I hate the popularisation of 'Karen' being used to deride women who stand up for themselves. I've complained about a couple of things in the last year (one of which was waiting a month for an "in stock" product to be dispatched only to be told when I enquired that they don't even sell it anymore!!! The other was that I got my nails done and they started peeling off the next day) and I hate complaining anyway, I'd rather not, but it makes it worse that most people just consider you a whiny Karen if you dare to say something is unacceptable. I always leave good feedback where it's due and I don't feel it's unfair to leave bad feedback where it's due either, as long as you're being polite about it. I saw a clip from an interview with Millie Bobby Brown where she mentioned she feels it's important to complain if something is wrong, and the interviewer (also a young woman) immediately responded: "Millie! Are you a Karen?!"

I can't bear it either. I don't find it easy to complain unless I am seriously pissed off or it's on behalf of someone else (weird I know) so let a lot of things slide especially in places like restaurants. I had an incident at a Harvester on Monday night and spent about 3 days thinking about complaining now I think the moments passed and I'm annoyed with myself.

I had a problem at a Toby not so long ago and complained to the manager at the time and got a very unsatisfactory response so complained to the company. Got a response to contact the manager at the restaurant I'd been too .... so a lot of the time you do wonder if it's worth it.

 

[whoareyouu]

I am an intern at a company and I like the job and the team, but I don't feel very supported by my coworkers and my supervisor
They all have flexible hours so what they do is they go in early in the morning and leave early in the afternoon. I can't do that, I have set hours and I leave at 5. That means that there's about an hour and a half every day at the end of day when in the office it's just me and another newly hired person who is about as clueless as I am.
So what happens is that any last minute emergencies with anyone's accounts fall onto me because there's no one else there other than the other new guy. And if they have urgent stuff that they didn't have time to do, instead of doing overtime or just putting it off until tomorrow, they just leave it with me because I have to be there for another hour anyway. So I have to scramble to put out everyone's fires as best I can. And I have no experience and I still don't know the job very well so I just have to wing it and hope for the best. Technically I can't even do overtime for insurance purposes, and it wouldn't be paid anyway.
I don't know I just feel like when you have an intern at the office that you're training you shouldn't expect them to be a 1:1 replacement for a team member. Like I feel like they should at least make sure one of the experienced team members does "normal" hours so there's someone to take care of any end of day emergencies. At least the first few months when the newer employees are still learning.
And even if there are big urgent things still pending and my coworkers know they need to be solved before end of day (maybe they're waiting for a document or a reply from someone), they just leave and expect me to handle them without even telling me what to do if they aren't solved or even making sure I'm keeping an eye on them.
I don't expect to be babysat in everything I do, nor to never be left alone in the office, I'm not a child. But I'm an intern, I just started doing this job and I get paid peanuts, I shouldn't be left alone to deal with emergencies or last minute issues every single day just because I can't work flexible hours and everyone else leaves before I do.

Unfortunately this is commonplace now and it’s not fair at all.

I need to hire someone to do my job when I move into a management role but they want me to hire an assistant not a senior *insert my occupation* which isn’t like for like. So the assistant, who should assist rather than leading projects, will be expected to do the work of senior but paid a junior wage.

it’s not right.

 

[grumpy-nosy-cow]

This is so true!
My friend's mum worked in a department store in the 80s and staff were expressly forbidden to use the customer lifts or escalators - they had to use the stairs (or any staff with mobility issues could use the goods lift), the point being that customers shouldn't be inconvenienced, or have to share lifts with staff moving stock around etc.

Those customer is king days are long gone, which is odd when you think about it because we now have so many more ways to complain, yet the service we receive gets worse and worse. I do always acknowledge and praise good service - but when I think about it, a lot of the service I do praise is just staff doing the job properly, and being pleasant/ helpful, which should be a given.

Shops such as Waitrose, John Lewis and M&S used to pride themselves on having really great customer service and helpful staff. sometimes if i go into one of these stores now i wonder how the hell some of the staff managed to get employed there as John Lewis / Waitrose recruitment tests are really quite difficult (and one of the few employers where having family or friends working there doesnt get you in) because they are so unhelpful with cba attitude and have no customer or personal skills!
My daughter managed to get through the tests for a xmas temp job and received little or training and was left to train other new starters on black friday after one week of employment. managers were never anywhere to be found and permanent staff went out of their way to be unhelpful to the seasonal staff! (some were very open about to her about it as they thought she was a part time employee not seasonal!)

 

[themuffinwoman]

Shops such as Waitrose, John Lewis and M&S used to pride themselves on having really great customer service and helpful staff. sometimes if i go into one of these stores now i wonder how the hell some of the staff managed to get employed there as John Lewis / Waitrose recruitment tests are really quite difficult (and one of the few employers where having family or friends working there doesnt get you in) because they are so unhelpful with cba attitude and have no customer or personal skills!
My daughter managed to get through the tests for a xmas temp job and received little or training and was left to train other new starters on black friday after one week of employment. managers were never anywhere to be found and permanent staff went out of their way to be unhelpful to the seasonal staff! (some were very open about to her about it as they thought she was a part time employee not seasonal!)

That’s really shocking. I worked at Waitrose when I was 17 (so, a while ago ) and the customer service training aimed to go above and beyond. You would drop everything to help a customer, if someone asked for something you would offer to get it for them whilst they continued their shopping, always ask how they are and offer to pack their bags. You did lots of training for a good while to bring you up to speed on everything. Shame it’s gone downhill.

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

This is so true!
My friend's mum worked in a department store in the 80s and staff were expressly forbidden to use the customer lifts or escalators - they had to use the stairs (or any staff with mobility issues could use the goods lift), the point being that customers shouldn't be inconvenienced, or have to share lifts with staff moving stock around etc.

sounds like Debenhams. I worked in one in a home section and quite often the good lift wuld break. got stuck in it once and scared myself to death as I kept calling and calling thguys in a basement but not getting an answer because most of them had gone home. I get out go to supervisor and tell her this. I then have to put a few things out on display etc. she forbids me to use the customer escalators. the goods lift then breaks down on me 4 times that same shift. each time I am thinking i'm stuck in here I am going to die etc . she refuses to let me stop using the broken goods lift.

Reader this was 2010. Ever since then I have been scared of lifts. I wasn't before that
---

I can't bear it either. I don't find it easy to complain unless I am seriously pissed off or it's on behalf of someone else (weird I know) so let a lot of things slide especially in places like restaurants. I had an incident at a Harvester on Monday night and spent about 3 days thinking about complaining now I think the moments passed and I'm annoyed with myself.

I had a problem at a Toby not so long ago and complained to the manager at the time and got a very unsatisfactory response so complained to the company. Got a response to contact the manager at the restaurant I'd been too .... so a lot of the time you do wonder if it's worth it.

similar.. I was hungry coming home from the station on Wednesday after a work event at an outside venue that was catered with really small portions so i thought I will pick up something on the way home. I passed Chipotle as I didnt want to spend £9 when I was only a tiny bit hungry and could grab food when I got in. So called at this chicken shop on the way home.. its always very busy and has loads of drivers outside etc. I go in and choose the lower priced option of lemon and herb chicken. I have to wait ages despite the shop being almost empty. I get home open the bag and its one scratty greasy leg not breast with hardly any meat on full of gristle and fat. I eat it cos jeez i paid £4 for it and thats a lot of money to me.Weird because the stuff they serve up to people eating in when you walk past does NOT look like this

The next day i'm WFH and felt very ill all day. I walk past that place several times a day since on the way to town and I am still wondering ifI really should have complained or if it would have been wasting my time

 

[Interestingbitsnbats]

Customers doing very crappy customer views or pressing 1s the lowest score we can get but putting great service etc shop staff done loads for customers today. We end up with a 1s what should of been a good one, a 2s that they didn't get loads of ketchup (hello it costs money you get 2 per meal) and a 3s with no reason why what staff need to do to get a 5s give them a pint of blood

 

[DinosaurSenior]

Was meant to be going to a birthday party at a restaurant which has three branches in my city. The person who organised and booked it managed to tell half the group to go to one restaurant, and the other half another branch.

I just came home instead and had a bag of quavers.

 

[Interestingbitsnbats]

Was meant to be going to a birthday party at a restaurant which has three branches in my city. The person who organised and booked it managed to tell half the group to go to one restaurant, and the other half another branch.

I just came home instead and had a bag of quavers.

Hopefully the birthday person knows you made the effort and that you got sent the wrong restaurant x

 

[DinosaurSenior]

Hopefully the birthday person knows you made the effort and that you got sent the wrong restaurant x

Yes... Before I flounced I gave my card to one of the others to give to the birthday gal. Every time I go out with this particular group, there is some kind of chaos. I had no qualms about flouncing..... It was just... Nope!!

 

[grumpy-nosy-cow]

That’s really shocking. I worked at Waitrose when I was 17 (so, a while ago ) and the customer service training aimed to go above and beyond. You would drop everything to help a customer, if someone asked for something you would offer to get it for them whilst they continued their shopping, always ask how they are and offer to pack their bags. You did lots of training for a good while to bring you up to speed on everything. Shame it’s gone downhill.

i was quite shocked as we had a couple of family members that had worked there in different areas of the country and they had gone through extensive in person training sessions as new staff members.
i had also helped with recruiting for a new waitrose store when i worked for DWP and they were very particular about type of people they were looking to employ.we cherry picked people from our casebooks who we thought had the required qualities especially people who lost city jobs in 2008 recession. They were still very much wanting the very best employees back then.
My daughter got her job there just after covid so maybe that had an impact but they were literally thrown in at the deep end with a couple of e learning videos! so this might explain the drop in service

 

[klarakluckbag]

I had a very snotty automated text message from my mum's GP, stating that from 1st April, she "must" book all appointments or medication requests through the NHS app. The app which needs photo I.D., an email account and a device with Internet access. My mum is in her late 80's, with terminal cancer and dementia. How the duck is she supposed to use an app?

 

[ElektraWintour]

I’m in my late 30s and I have a big red spot in the middle of my forehead

 

[Blond3g1rl]

I think a lot of people who work in customer facing roles also noticed that general public got way worse since the pandemic. People are more rude and impatient. I'm not surprised it's a struggle to maintain positivity and helpfulness, if you're subject to that every day, coupled with minimum wage that barely allows for affording to live.

My job involves customer service but only over the phone and email. People are getting worse. At least I don’t have to have speak with them face to face.