I just had a woman come to the desk. She walked in the door all attitude. I don't know what burr ran up her butt, but it certainly had nothing to do with me. I greeted her courteously and professionally, and she had no reason to be upset at me.
Things probably would have been fine. I have dealt with women like her plenty of times before. They get their room and everything is efficient. They do not, however, get a smile or friendly chat from me. I have no interest in establishing rappor with someone who cannot act decently to someone they've never met before.
However, she had the wrong hotel. This happens a lot. There are two hotels owned by the Marcus corporation (though we will soon change hands to La Quinta) within two blocks of one another. We are the Baymont Inn & Suites and they are the Woodfield Suites. While we are completely different in amenities, appearance and cost, we are joined by similar ownership. So, for some unexplained reason, they are sometimes called "Baymont Inn Suites Woodfield" in some travel agent's systems. It's only two blocks so it's normally not a problem for the average business traveller. This was the unfortunate exception.
For some reason, her company is too cheap to rent her even a crappy economy car. So, she took a cab from the airport (about $50). Well, he obviously dropped her off at the wrong hotel because either she only said "Baymont Inn in Glendale" and didn't give him the address, or he only glanced at the exact directions on the stupid piece of paper she showed me.
I thought maybe the Woodfield had a shuttle service (they have far more amenities than us) so I gave them a call. Unfortunately, it was a no-go on that. So, I offered to call her a cab.
Now, while I certainly didn't go far out of my way to help her, I did offer a few things to ease her burden. I called her correct hotel to see if they could cart her over. I also offered to find her alternate transportation. These things are not amazing customer service, but I could have blown her off just the same. So, she really had no right to go off on me.
But she did. She got all hopping mad and started blaming me for being at the wrong hotel. She just met me. It's two blocks away. I had nothing to do with it. She was the one who didn't look closely at the address or the name of the hotel.
So, I let her have it. I didn't yell. I didn't even raise my voice. I did, however, go all Vulcan on her ascot.
I made sure she knew, with exacting detail, the error of her every complaint. I explained that it was her travel agent, not us that had the information inputted incorrectly into her system. I explained that yelling at me was an absolutely pointless exercise and that there was nothing more that I could do for her, since she had refused the only help that I could offer. I told her that, no, we were not being deceptive or confusing about the names of our hotels since they are completely different and we have no control whatsoever on what her travel agent or the manufacturer of her travel agent's software inputs as the name for our hotel or the name for the Woodfield.
I then walked behind the desk and let her stand there and piss on the wall for all I cared. I had no further discussion for someone so completely stupid and emotional that they would blame me for their idiotic problems.
posted
I'd just like to say that, just now, I had the same exact thing happen, and the guy took it far better. He just shrugged and asked how far it was and then walked it.
posted
The problem is women thinking they can travel alone. If her husband were driving her around like he should have been, this never would have happened.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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I get women travellers all the time who are cool and confident about the whole thing. They know what's up and who's responsible for what. This lady is the exception, not the rule.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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I'm not sure why I believed that you did. You're just so unpredictable that suprises have become the norm.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I can relate to just getting fed up with someone who can't be satisfied. Years ago (roughly 23) I was a waiter in a Country Kitchen restaurant> I was waiting on a table with two couples. Ottawa being a small town meant that I kinda knew several of customers.
I enjoyed being a waiter and I was pretty darn good at it. I like people and I am blessed with decent social antenna. I gave these folks good service all while getting grief from one of the women. She complained about something every time I checked on their table. Every complaint she made I tried to solve or ameliorate.
When they were leaving I was at the cash register to accept their money. The complainer was the one that was paying. I said my normal, " Thank you for dining at Country Kitchen. Was everything to your liking?" or something similar.
The woman unloaded on me and commenced to badmouth, me, the chef, the owners and anyone else she could think of. After listening to this for a bit I said, "Ma'am, I've got a suggestion for you. Since you didn't enjoy eating here and we didn't enjoy serving you, you can save us both a lot of heartache by never coming back.
I got in a bit of trouble but it was worth it to see the look on her face as she stormed out.
Edit to add the final e to the word here. Prior to this addition my story had a slight lesbian porno tilt.
posted
I think everyone should have to wait tables at one point in their life, at very least to prevent against those kinds of incidences, punwit. I love the waitress scene from Return to Me. It encompassees how I wanted to act to every snotty customer I ever had. "No, actually some are boiled in Swiss water."Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I work at a summer camp and we get some horrible parents sometimes. When they come to pick up their kids at the end of the week, they have to show an idea to their child's unit leader, and then they get the group picture, any badges they earned, and a slip of paper signed by the unit leader saying they are indeed allowed to leave with that child. One woman decided to get her stuff, drop it off in the car, and then try to find her daughter. My group happened to be the first the parents saw, but it was still a decent walk from the parking lot. When she asked for her kid we explained to her that we couldn't release any campers without that little slip of paper. Even after I tried to explain to her that it was an issue of safety ("You wouldn't want us to let your camper leave with anyone who happened to guess her name?") she still had nothing to say except that she shouldn't have to hike all the back in flip flops. She was there at the beginning of the week to drop the kid off, she knew how far she would have to walk to pick her up. And I don't even think her daughter was in my group, mine just happened to be the first one she saw.
Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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As far as waiting tables, I worked in Pizza Inn in grad school as a cook, delivery driver, and buffet manager. I had a lot of experiences like that. What chapped me most was people who assumed I must be a moronic underachiever because I was working in a restaurant.
I've gotten attitude like that several times in my teaching career. Sadly, it's all too common, particularly among the class of people who measure a person's worth by their salary. I still remember the woman, eight years or so ago, who told me, in front of her daughter and my principal, that I owed her daughter an apology for the stress I caused her by giving her an Incomplete in my course. She had missed a couple dozen days or so, missed quizzes and tests and never made any effort to make them up, I had warned her that an Incomplete was imminent, and an Incomplete is not a bad grade, just more time to make up the work! (Luckily, I haven't faced anything like this in the last year or so. I think eventually your battle scars make people less likely to mess with you.)
I enjoyed both of your comebacks, PC and pw. Wish I could have been there to see both! Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I think everyone should have to interact with parents and their children at some point in their lives.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
In the Phoenix airport, while waiting in line for a bagel, I witnessed rudeness which made me almost explode. I have learned to keep my mouth shut these days, so I stuffed it in, but I was livid.
It was OBVIOUSLY a self-serve kind of place. You ordered pre=made sandwiches. They handed you a coffee, and pointed you to a cream and sugar bar. The man asked for a bagel with butter. The woman handed him a bagel and two patties of butter. He said, "Could youbutter that for me?" She said, "No." He said, "I am catching a PLANE." (I thought, and you are the only one in this airport doing that, obviously) She said, confused and a little scared: "No," and tried to hand him the butter. (She was not English-speaking, at least she did not speak too well) He tossed the bagel at her and said something nasty and stalked off. Oooh, I am STILL mad at him.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Almost tops the bus driver who started yelling at the old woman on a walker because she was "moving so slowly she was going to make him late for his other stops."
posted
Isn't that kind of the reverse? The passenger was the customer and the bus driver was the employee.
I'm sure there are lots of those kind of stories.
Like the time I had a blockbuster employee (mind you, this was a "in the ghetto" blockbuster) threaten to beat me up. My then girlfriend and I went to rent a movie. We found whatever it is that we wanted to rent and stepped up to the line to be served. We probably waited 15 minutes or so. We were the only people in line and there were three employees behind the desk. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever that we should have waited for more than 1 minute without getting at least an explaination as to why we were waiting for so long.
So, we waited until my blood started to boil. Then we just decided to leave. I put the tape on top of somethingorother and, on the way out the door, mumbled something like "This is the worst service I have ever recieved" or "This is a complete waste of time" or "Wow, that's the worst service I've ever had." Something along those lines. I never made any sort of rude comment about any of the employees personally. I just commented on their bad customer service.
Well, a few paces outside of the store, I hear the door behind me slam. The next thing I know, some dude is acting all ghetto and crap and is threatening to beat me up. Mind you, I'm towering over this 5'8" guy who obviously has it out for me, but whom I would smash if I so chose. So, I tell him that whatever he heard on the way out the door, he was mistaken. That I only said they performed bad service and that I'd have his job and his ass handed to me on a silver platter if he so much as flinched or said one more word. I left him with an interesting expression on his face. It was something like a small child who wants to hit his little brother, but knows he can't get away with it.
posted
"The next thing I know, some dude is acting all ghetto and crap and is threatening to beat me up."
Which is why I bit my lip. It took me half an hour to recover. But I have had some scary moments. I tend to give the finger while driving. Ahem. One night, this carload of young men chased me. Scared the crap out of me, so I keep my mouth shut now, and my middle finger alongside the other three. I just go and get help, instead.
My husband is a bartender at a very fancy restaurant. I have seen him be polite to the rudest people, and then have him explode at home. (Not in a bad way, but in a "Can you believe this guy!" kind of way.)
Let me tell you, for anyone who hasn't figured it out:
Money can never buy class.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I was thinking more along the lines of Elizabeth's "I'm still mad at him" comment - I'm still ticked at the bus driver but you're right, the story doesn't count.
On the idea of upsetting cars of men - an old friend's now ex-wife picked me up at the airport for their wedding. I'm stretched out in the back seat when she starts leaning on the horn and cussing with the occasional hand gesture thrown in for good measure.
I sit up and look at a car full of guys, all of them bigger than I am. The car had a prominently displayed "United States Marine Corps" sticker in the back window.
I asked her if she didn't like my choice of cologne. She was puzzled until I explained that if it wasn't the cologne, I was at a loss as to why she was trying to get me killed.
posted
Ah. Now that reminds me of the last time (well, okay, the first time too) I ever ate in an Indian restaurant.
There was a disagreement over the proper way to apply one of those Entertainment Card coupons, which was not that big a deal. Except that the waiter said he would find out for us, but only got back to us with an answer well after we had ordered and received our food. Fine; no big deal. We did wait a long time for our food--maybe 30 or 40 minutes. Then Cor asked for dessert while my friend David and I asked for some more bread to entertain us while we waited. We waited about fifteen minutes for bread, and another twenty minutes or so after that for dessert. Never any apologies or explanations, just abandonment. Cor and David wanted me to leave to tip, but I went easy on the guy (I thought) and left a couple of dollars. Not a generous tip, but better than the guy deserved.
When we walked out to the car, the owner of the place followed me out to curse me out. He said to me that if it was about the coupon, I should not punich the server, because that was my fault. He stood right in my face, less than six inches or so away. As in your story, he was also a good four or five inches shorter than I. I told him the poor tip was for bad service in general, and that any tipping at all was at my discretion, and then we left. But I still can't believe I got into a shouting match with the owner of a restaurant in his parking lot!
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Let's see. In my various jobs through the years, I've had things thrown at me. I've had people hit me. I've been told I'm stupid. I've been forced to listen to racist jokes (and told by the manager that I had to act like I agreed with those who told them). I've been sexually harassaed.
Yeah. I've pretty much had it with working with the public, thanks.
Oh, and PC, don't you just love the ones who can't conceive that maybe they were the one who was wrong?
When I was a young, foolish girl in high school, I once was driving home from school when this jerk in red sports car passed me with attitude and cut me off. I flipped him the bird.
He immediately slammed on his brakes, almost making me run into the back of him. He came to a complete stop in the roadway and jumped out of his car and came back to mine (I had the window down because it was summer).
and he yelled at me, "Little girl, don't you ever fly that thing (the bird) unless you intend to follow up on it!"
Then he stormed back to his car and drove off, leaving me visibly shaken.
Needless to say, I have never done that to anyone since...
posted
Farmgirl, My favorite bird-flipping episode was on the Massachusetts Turnpike (a.k.a the Mass Pike)My husband cut someone off by accident, or the other driver perceived that he did. They drove up to the side of him, and he looked over. The whole car full of people flipped him off. It was a family with three young kids! ha ha. We just burst out laughing, couldn't help it.
I can just hear the mother saying, "OK, kids, on three..."
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Farmgirl, I had something similar happen when I was sixteen. Traffic was a little backed up because of the person ahead of me wanting to turn left. When they were finally able to turn I started going again, only to discover that one of the cars behind me was attempting to go around me on my right (this was on a small residential street). I discovered this when they laid on the horn. I was completely in the right, legally, and it seemed to me that they were being an ass, so I flipped them off. They gunned it, passed me on the left, and pulled their car up so that it was perpendicular to mine at the next stopsign, forcing me to stop. The driver got out, came to my window, and proceeded to scream at me, veins buldging from his forehead and throat, threatening to break my finger, beat me up, etc. Meanwhile his passenger, who was even bigger than he was, just stood there behind him with his arms folded, looking, I thought, much scarier than the other guy. Scared the living crap out of me. If I'd had a gun in the car I'd have shot both of them without hesitation. Repeatedly. I really thought that my life might be in danger. They gave me the option of apologizing for my rude behavior ('cause, you know, these guys were the model of civility. Seriously, WTF?) or having them beat an apology out of me. I chose option A, and they drove off. I haven't flipped anybody off in traffic since then, I have to say.
posted
Great stories! They sure bring back memories . . .
I had a table full of obnoxious teens very loudly and graphically discussing a variety of sex acts one night in a family dining establishment - the table next to them had a mom, grandma, and about age 7 little girl. My temper blew on seeing the shame and mortification on these faces as I set their dinner down. I excused myself and told them I would be right back after I dealt with the table next to them.
I leaned on the backseat and excused my interrupting their ever so interesting and enlightening discussion and invited them to immediately change the topic as they were discomfiting several guests both with their general rowdiness and their choice of conversational wit. When they protested, I put on my best serious air and explained - oh so gently -that they were in a family dining establishment and that if they could not behave in a socially acceptable manner they could march their behinds out of the restaurant.
As I turned around to tender my apologies to the family next to them, I found my boss standing right behind me. "Am I right?" I asked. "Oh yes," he said fixing the table with a significant glare. They were very well behaved after that.
My other excitement in the service delivery field happened when I was bending over to unpack a box of Harley Davidson parts (I worked in a Harley shop at the time) and a biker patted me on the fanny. I shot up and slammed the knife I was using to open boxes with on the counter between his thumb and forefinger and suggested that if he cared to retain all his fingers he keep his hands from my butt.
My boss had a private discussion with him regarding the merits of my suggestion later. The man was perfectly well-behaved from that time forth.
And just think, there are days I miss the excitement and adrenaline of working in the service field.
*Heads off to work grateful for her windowseat and safe liilt corner nook*
posted
Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from flipping someone off on the road is the fear that they will turn out to be someone I know--and worse, someone I am friends with.
But isn't it fun to trap the tailgater or the guy who is swerving in and out of lanes trying to gain a few inches on everyone else? I love getting them behind me and then slowing down just enough so they can't get around me. It's probably a dumb thing to do, but it feels so right.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I don't pay enough attention to the other drivers on the road to want to do any of the above. This, of course, creates it's own problems. After I got into four rear-enders (all my fault) two years, I stopped driving on the highway and started taking a route through the city to get to work. That's working out fine.
The point of that is that I probably do get flipped off occasionaly, but if it is ever you, I can assure you I wasn't paying attention. Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
Even if I hadn't had that expereince I talked about above, I probably wouldn't be in the habit of flipping off other drivers now. That was more an artifact of being 16 than a representation of my character, I think. I generally have a fair amount of sympathy for people who do stupid things while driving, having been in their position a time or two.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Primey, I know you feel better, but that's why I can't vote for you.
To what do you refer? I have made many comments on this thread. Is it the thread title? If it is, remember that my cares are cold and therefore, your desire to vote or not vote for me is met with quizzical indifference and not suprise and hurt. I honestly don't care and my comment in the other thread was merely to get a laugh, not to gain your sympathy.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Bringing this topic back a little closer to its original purpose, the worst treatment I've ever received from a customer was when I was working in fast food. It was relatively late, so I was one of just two people working, and I was taking out the trash. Some jackass attempted to run me down in the parking lot. Seriously. I don't just mean that they drove through the lot too quickly and came uncomfortably close to me. They were actually aiming for me, corrected their course to make sure they didn't miss me, and finally failed to hit me only because I leapt out of the way at the last second. Then they pulled up to the drive through and had the gall to order food from me. That's the only time I ever did anything bad to a customer's order. If it were the 2004 iteration of me in that position, I'd just refuse to serve them and tell them why in no uncertain terms.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I do have mild road rage issues, but I try to rein it in when I'm anywhere near school. I'd hate to flip off one of my students or their parents. (For all I know, it may have already happened!)
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posted
"No, seriously, it's new Bitter Almond flavor Dr. Pepper. Drink up though--you'll want to have the whole thing for the full effect"
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Probably my most surreal experience working at said fast food restaurant was going out to take out the trash one night, shortly before we were going to close, and seeing two guys in cowboy hats grinning hugely at me from the cab of their beatup old pickup, then gunning it out of the parking lot. I thought that this was odd in and of itself, but it would have been quickly forgotten, had I not discovered, when walking back from the dumpster, that they had left a semi-mummified severed cow's leg, matted straw still stuck to it in places, draped over the drive through menu board.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I was turning left from a two-lane road yesterday. The road is just barely wide enough for a car turning right to squeeze in next to a left-turner without grazing the car, even though there's not technically a lane there, so they aren't really in the right. They basically have to pull onto the dirt shoulder to accomplish it.
Usually, I try to stop in the middle of the lane and block the people from turning right illegally, because what happens is, in order to see, they have to pull up farther than the front of my car, blocking my view of the cars coming from the right. (It isn't a long wait, it generally takes me less than fifteen seconds to turn left, and it's usually nothing more than the obligatory stop.) Then I get to forfeit my turn while they go. In essence, they are cutting me in line, because they are making it so that there is no way for me to go without turning blindly.
Anyway, yesterday I forgot to stop in the middle of the lane and an entire line of cars turned right next to me. It's not life threatening, or anything. But I can not describe how angry and sad it made me. I had to sit there while person after person pulled up in my line of sight and turn without regard to me.
It's one thing to have someone be a jerk to you in traffic, because then you can think, "What a jerk". But when all of Tucson traffic acted as if I wasn't there, it made me consider nuclear war against the city I live in. It made me want to move to the jungle. It made me want to die, rather than to have to live another 60 years, stuck on a planet with nothing but people like that. Society sucks.
If there is one lane, then please let the person who's first GO first. I can't imagine what kind of blindness would allow everyone on the road that day to ignore the fact that they were blocking my view. Why don't people realize that if they can't see because a car is in their way, then pulling in front of the car will make THAT person unable to see? My options are basically that people are stupid, or don't care. I hate it.
/rant
edit: This was pretty unrelated but I had to get it out of my system.
posted
It's just that people generally don't think. That's my theory anyway. They want to turn right, and see a stream of people ahead of them doing so, and just assume that it's okay, because everybody else is doing it, and nobody is getting into an accident as a result. People turn their minds off all the time. It's a strange thing.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Why does someone turning right block your view? I'm not sure I'm imagining this correctly, because I make a point of pulling left enough and forward enough for people to sneak by me. I see no reason why they should have to wait until after I turn when a right turn doesn't need gaps in both sides of the road. I can still see the traffic coming from the right, though, because it's on the far side of the road, and so at a greater than right angle. (Unless all the cars around you are trucks or something!) I also appreciate it when people leave me space to do the same thing.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I'll join in and relate an experience I had as a Wal-Mart cashier.
I worked overnights, and we were short-staffed. At the time, we had 2 cashiers and 2 CSMs. The other cashier took a four-day vacation Friday through Monday. Those days of the week are also the CSMs' days off - John worked Friday and Saturday night and took off Sunday and Monday night, while Mike had the opposite nights off.
Despite the fact that there were only 2 people working, we still had to do all the work - sorting pallets of break-boxes and cleaning registers and straightening the candy wall and so on - that we would normally do with four people.
Okay, it's Tuesday morning, nearly 7 a.m. and the end of my shift. I have worked 4 nights with only one other person trying to do the work of 4 people with only 2. A customer came in and wanted to match ad prices from another store on beer.
I had been told a few days before by CSM John that Wal-Mart doesn't match prices on alcohol or tobacco, so I told the customer, "my CSM has told me that we don't match prices on alcohol or tobacco products. Let me check with the day CSM and see what she says." I flipped my light so the day CSM would come over.
Customer: "Don't you know you match prices on stuff?"
Me: "Yes, I know that. I'm one of the people who pulls the ads out of the paper so we have them at the registers. However, my CSM told me that we don't match prices on alcohol or tobacco. Let me see what the day CSM says."
The day CSM came over, and said that Wal-Mart does match prices on alcohol and tobacco. The customer asked her, "Don't you train your people?"
Also during the conversation, the customer said, "I have to get to work. I don't have time for jacking off." (I didn't ask why he had to have the beer when he's on his way to work.)
Finally, I rang up the order and the customer left. I didn't smart off to the customer - I kept talking calmly, although I was seething inside. It's nice to know that I'm an ignorant, untrained jack-off.
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
It's hard to explain, Icarus, but it isn't a nornal four-way stop type thing. The road that we pull on to is curved and dangerous with cactuses blocking the way. If I pulled out past them enough to see, I would be in the middle of the road.
Oh, and the road isn't much wider than the car...people pull up onto the shoulder to accomplish it, which is illegal anyway.
posted
PSI - what really makes my blood boil is the people in gianormous SUVs that do that same thing. They could see over your car without a problem, but no, they insist on pulling up so they block your line of sight.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Annie
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She was there at the beginning of the week to drop the kid off, she knew how far she would have to walk to pick her up. And I don't even think her daughter was in my group, mine just happened to be the first one she saw.
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