Yesterday I got spoken too like absolute dirt

[Rowenaravenclawsdiadem]

And I really can’t shake it off.

I’m in the service industry but from time to
time I help a friend with her rental flat. An elderly couple arrived last night. It’s a small place so I took them up to the flat. They dumped their bags on me so I carried them in, Put them down and I basically got shouted at for 5 minutes. The room wasn’t what they expected, no lift, there was no food provided in the flat. No PC (what??!) Every time I tried to explain or show them how to use something I got talked over, they accused me of misrepresentation but when I’ve checked everything is as described. It’s not even my place I was just helping out! In the end the woman looked me up and down and said ‘just leave’.

I’m a 40 year old mother of 3 and I just wanted to cry. I’m no stranger to criticism or afraid of it. But I was absolutely taken back. Today I’m still really upset. To be fair some of it might be PMT.

Why are people so fucking rude!

OK, I'll take this at face value and assume this isn't just another loud, arrogant, rude, old American tourist froth bait thread.I live in the USA and, to be fair, standards of hotel/holiday accommodation and service in general are much higher here and there is an expectation that even the cheapest rentals will have a certain minimum of facilities. I hear complaints all the time from Americans about pretty piss poor accommodations when visiting Europe, the U.K. in particular. In all honesty, having become accustomed to what is the norm here, I have to agree with them.

That said, even here, it's totally unacceptable to shout at, bully and talk down to service industry employees and I know very few people here, old or otherwise, who would behave in that manner. Yes they'll complain but they don't take it out on the employees they take it up with management or owners.

If this couple had been misled as to the facilities available in the accommodation they may have had cause for complaint but they need to take that up with the person with whom they made the booking.

I'm sorry that happened to you OP and yes, you should block them and advise your friend she needs to find someone else to deal with them.

Believe me I don’t have the time to make up this shit. I wish I did.

Americans are incrediably self absorbed and small minded about stuff like this aren't they? If they don't like the way people do things in other countries they can always stay in Trumpland.

The exchange rate for Americans is very good at the moment. This means the place they are renting should be extremely good value.

I’ve gone back through all the documentation that they have been sent. It’s quite clear what they are getting there is no misreporting and I’m looking at it as an outsider.

Good value? I visited the UK in May/June this year paying £170 a night for a hotel near my family and got a poky room with a slightly larger than single bed and a bathroom the size of an airing cupboard which hadn't even been cleaned on my arrival. The shower? Well let's just say I could spit harder than that thing and the towels were thinner than the bedsheets! Had to ring down for a hairdryer and then go down and get it myself from the front desk with dripping hair because there were no housekeeping staff available to bring it up. Oh and the curtain rail fell down the second night, I had to wait until the following day for someone to come and fix it because the Night Porter was "all alone and can't leave the front desk."

For the same price in different hotels in NYC, Philadelphia and Washington DC three weeks ago I got city centre hotels offering palatial rooms with fabulous views, massive beds, sparkling bathrooms with power showers and polite, friendly employees who couldn't do enough for guests. Small-minded and self-absorbed must have rubbed off on me in my time here because I know which I prefer.

I’ve gone back through all the documentation that they have been sent. It’s quite clear what they are getting there is no misreporting and I’m looking at it as an outsider.

Even if there was a genuine problem, their behaviour would still be unacceptable.

I remember being very shocked (quite a few years ago) the first time I was treated in this way. Unfortunately people like this do exist, and nothing you did would have changed how they acted. Honestly, the best thing you can do is block them from your phone and think about nice things for the rest of the day.

It’s £90 a night for a one bed flat in central London. It’s immaculate, a one minute walk from a tube station. The cheapest hotel nearby is £300 a night.

OP, I'm not excusing the treatment you have been subjected to and if the flat is as described when they booked they have no reason for complaint. I do object to certain posters stereotyping all Americans as rude and entitled because they are used to what is bog standard in the USA (regardless of what they're paying) and are therefore decidedly underwhelmed by what they are often offered by comparison in the UK.

Ribbon I agree with you and tried to write something similar earlier but it sounded all wrong. I am American but have lived in London my whole life. Spend a lot of time in the us. It’s hard for us in uk to comprehend quite how shocked wealthy ( and middle income) Americans can be by things we totally take for granted here. Also I am constantly bowled over by American service standards and eagerness for everything to be ok etc.

Not at all suggesting op or the flat were coming up short. That couple sound a nightmare.

It doesn’t help to call the us ‘trumpland’ There are hundreds of millions of Americans who detest/ object/protest his politics. Granted it’s so awful that it’s hard to balance any view about the us at the moment !!!!

Think my hundreds of millions was a slight exaggeration. Think population is somewhere around 360 million but you get the point.

Op, if it is Airbnb can you look at previous reviews from and about this couple?

Why haven't you blocked their number? You said you were going to.

Rowena would you mind pm’ing me a link to your friends’ flat? Sound like one for my list.

Print out an itinerary of your convo, what they challenged and how their point was made. Noting each instance of where the accommodate matched perfectly the description. Including no mention of PC (when I read that I literally thought omg another new MN acronym to get my head around!!).
Note that you stepped in to help a friend and if they considered you a 'lobby' asst why weren't you tipped!!! You carried their bags upstairs!! How bloody rude.
Then note at the bottom that this is the customer feedback you will be giving on them!
I am sorry these behaviours still exist and you've been subjected to them.
Coda: all nationalitys and ages are capable of it.

Majority of voters were against him and are now suffering. Tis a shame

And need deets...sounds a steal

shriek recitative - indeed !

It’s not a regular let she just rents it when she goes away a couple of times a year unfortunately.

The couple in question were verified but had no reviews. Also members for 3 years so maybe no one reviewed them because they were arseholes to everyone who knows! I’ve blocked them now.

I agree with Huskylover - the age of the rude fuckers is totally relevant here.

If I'd been alone in a flat being shouted at by 2 strangers, it would make a huge difference whether they were in their 70s or in, say, their 20s. Just like it would make a big difference whether they were male or female.

It's also useful to know in terms of getting a ballpark idea of what their cultural expectations/outlook may have been (as is their nationality).

Anyone who thinks that giving that info amounts to ageism is, frankly, barking. I'm not saying there's no ageism on Mumsnet, but crying ageism at every mention of anyone's age anywhere is just plain wrong, and reduces the chances of genuine ageism being taken seriously.

@heronlanyon indeed?

shriekYour ‘coda’. Was agreeing with your post with another music term.

Oh gawd yes!...complete ly wrong! Early onset dementia is a worry! Where on earth?! I didn't mean coda at all.

Well then I’m in trouble dementia-wise because I thought it was a particularly lovely use of the lovely word ! Oh gawd ! 😬

Is it an Airbnb? Get your friend to leave them a stinker of a review, I'm sure they'll not hold back with theirs.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they might have had a long flight, uncomfortable journey and have arrived in a flat that they expected to be much more luxurious than it is, possibly they didn't listen/understand when you said it wasn't your flat. Everyone has bad days (but most people manage to not be shits about them).