Do you deal with the public......

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Freddie Goodwin.

Well-known member
Mar 31, 2007
7,186
Brighton
....as part of your job?

If so then do try and remember that each customer is different and although you may have had a gutfull don't take it out on the next poor sod.

My g/daughter, prone to panic, caught the wrath of a ticket sales person at Worthing station today. There's some new regulation and, after he shouted at her to read a notice, she couldn't read it and the next outburst sent her into a panic attack.

A couple of hours later she had a complete shutdown and ended up in an ambulance. I don't doubt (& would certainly hope) that staff at Worthing are more aware now that not all disabled people come with wheelchairs.

What a change from last week, when she had another incident on a train coming into Brighton and the public, rail staff, BT police and paramedics where so kind to her.

I'd not seen her have an attack before. It's not the hissy fit or flounce I expected. She totally shuts down and her body shakes, pretty scarey.
 




Beach Hut

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 5, 2003
72,327
Living In a Box
I don't but you have to remember that a lot of people who serve the public take a serious amount of abuse therefore at times their patience is severely stretched.
 


Freddie Goodwin.

Well-known member
Mar 31, 2007
7,186
Brighton
Oh I do because I also have to deal with some very syressed, difficult & angry people but the next person should not have to take the backlash for what a previous customer might have done.
 


Ninja Elephant

Doctor Elephant
Feb 16, 2009
18,855
Try working in my shop. You will not believe what you get from some people. I agree with the sentiment, and personally I think that I generally treat people very well. There a couple of folks on here in a better position to assess that though. It's difficult working with the public because there are a lot more fragile and vulnerable people than you might think, I don't really think it matters where you work or in what capacity, you see all sides of humanity and all sorts of people.
 


Peever

New member
Sep 5, 2010
1,733
Canada
Manager at a restaurant and as you can imagine I deal with the Public ALOT. Having been in the hospitality industry for a little over 5 years now I am pretty well tuned to not take out my frustration from a previous guest on another guest. I generally just go out for a cig and calm down when I am super frustrated. Take alot of abuse but to do this you need a thick skin in the first place.
 






British Bulldog

The great escape
Feb 6, 2006
10,974
I don't but you have to remember that a lot of people who serve the public take a serious amount of abuse therefore at times their patience is severely stretched.

I see what your saying but at the end of the day these people are paid to serve the public and if they cant take a bit of stick and abuse without passing it on to other members of the public then they're in the wrong job, Unfortantely these days there's too many people in this line of work who forget what they're job is all about and just see and treat members of the public as an inconvenience. As for the person at Worthing station who shouted at FG's G/Daughter well thats just disgraceful and should never be allowed to happen.
 


bhaexpress

New member
Jul 7, 2003
27,627
Kent
Two sides to this argument. I work with the public and people only contact me when they have a problem or want something Whilst most people are reasonable you will always get somebody who cannot see why you can't make a problem go away with a wave of your hand. The recent Blackberry foul up is a classic case in point, whilst most users realised it was beyond our control we do have some (I call them idiots) who cannot understand why we can't tell them when they'll be getting the mail again. Now I am not in anyway condoning the behaviour of the person at Worthing Station but on the other hand I have seen the abuse (both physical and verbal) that travel staff in general take. I sympathise with your daughter but how was the person who shouted at her supposed to know that she has a disability and not just some chavy slapper who treats people like him or her with contempt ?
 




bhaexpress

New member
Jul 7, 2003
27,627
Kent
I see what your saying but at the end of the day these people are paid to serve the public and if they cant take a bit of stick and abuse without passing it on to other members of the public then they're in the wrong job, Unfortantely these days there's too many people in this line of work who forget what they're job is all about and just see and treat members of the public as an inconvenience. As for the person at Worthing station who shouted at FG's G/Daughter well thats just disgraceful and should never be allowed to happen.

Do you speak from personal experience ? Do you get your parentage or sexual preferences questioned on a regular basis in the process of just doing your job ?
 


D

Deleted User X18H

Guest
Try working in my shop. You will not believe what you get from some people. I agree with the sentiment, and personally I think that I generally treat people very well. There a couple of folks on here in a better position to assess that though. It's difficult working with the public because there are a lot more fragile and vulnerable people than you might think, I don't really think it matters where you work or in what capacity, you see all sides of humanity and all sorts of people.

Have you seen a return of the slow count fraud?
 


British Bulldog

The great escape
Feb 6, 2006
10,974
Do you speak from personal experience ? Do you get your parentage or sexual preferences questioned on a regular basis in the process of just doing your job ?

It does'nt affect me any more as I no longer work but after 34 years on the railway I have had dealings with the public and very rarely had to raise a voice to anyone other than when there's been a life at risk.
 












Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee

You can't change fighters
NSC Patron
Jul 25, 2005
10,911
on a pig farm
im a service engineer, deal with 8-12 customers each day in their own homes.
some people can be right arses and put you in a foul mood.
i have 2 rules that ive been following for 20+ years

1. i treat the customer as i would like to be treated
2. if a customer does wind me up, and i do get in a strop...remember its not
the next customers fault.


there are ways of getting your own back on an arsey customer without being rude.

even though i may have a part on the van.......
'sorry mr customer, i'll have to order that bit and come back next week'
:)
 


kip

New member
Aug 2, 2011
610
I was a cab driver for 14 years. Try sitting next to drunk people all night. Looking back I was quite patient although I did snap a few times. People can be right twats when they are drunk.
 


adrian29uk

New member
Sep 10, 2003
3,389
Brother works as a cleaner at well known burger chain.

A few times people have thrown rubbish out of their car window deliberately in front of him. My brother has learning difficulties, but he stood up to one guy and asked him politely to pick his rubbish up and put it in the bin. Bloke turned around and told him to f*(k off. Completely out of order. Some customers are real scum bags.
 


Everest

Me
Jul 5, 2003
20,741
Southwick
I was a cab driver for 14 years. Try sitting next to drunk people all night. Looking back I was quite patient although I did snap a few times. People can be right twats when they are drunk.

Some can also be right twats when they're sober.

I have a rule in my cab...
"The customer is always right... until they get in and shut the door"
 




Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,482
Brighton
Amazing how many people you see (especially in the UK) working in customer-facing jobs, who hate dealing with customers.

Get a different job.
 


piersa

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2011
3,155
London
Some can also be right twats when they're sober.

I have a rule in my cab...
"The customer is always right... until they get in and shut the door"

A LOT of cabbies are incredibly unreasonable.
 


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