To wonder if people are really so ignorant about some jobs?

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Or do they just pretend to be ?

It just seems to me like some people just sit there criticising every shop assistant they come across, bus driver, waiter, CM, cleaner, airport staff, and of course....teacher.

And the ignorance about what people in those jobs do or the ignorance about employment law is unbelievable. Are really grown ups there who don't know that bus drivers work with timetable, that restaurants rely on turnover, that all employees are entitled to lunch break and holidays, that CMs, cleaners, builders, plumbers, are S.E. and the the difference between SE and employee or that teachers don't work only the hours they teach? Basic facts about job duties, rights, tax, profit etc.

AIBU to think that some people should try and do these jobs? Or at least try to learn about them.

"Are really grown ups there who don't know that bus drivers work with timetable,"

I wish someone would tell the bus driver that On my bus route you can wait between 20 - 30 minutes for a bus that's supposed to run every 10 minutes. In fact there's an old joke about waiting ages for a bus and 3 turning up at once. I've experienced it on quite a few occasions now.

Purple I couldn't do your job. If it only involved talking then, yes, I could. I can talk/listen to most people so long as we can find some sort of common ground.

Wrt waitressing then I'd complain to the waitress if the food was cold/badly cooked. It wouldn't occur to me to walk into the kitchen to complain to the chef, I suspect I'd just get told to get out if I tried it. Tbh I would only complain if it was really bad as to be completely inedible. Otherwise I probably wouldn't complain but wouldn't go back again either.

eggy I'm the same way, I was a waitress for many years and while it generally makes me more understanding of any problems that come up, it also means I can tell when someone is just being lazy or giving bad service, and then I probably have less patience than most people.

For example, if a server told me it wasn't her job to handle problems with the food....

I was a social worker before retiring, and a huge amount of people believe that if you work with children, you either snatch children from innocent parents and falsely accuse them of abuse; and leave abused children with horrible parents to die. If you work with older people, you just shove them in a care home and force them to sell their house and give the council all the money.
A colleague was introduced to someone at a party, who asked what she did, and when she told him, he just said in a snotty voice, "I don't like social workers" and turned his back. Good for her for putting him in his place for his rudeness though!

I respect everybody's job. However, if that job is providing a service and I receive a bad service, then I am entitled to complain about it.

I do not need to know how many hours of training a bus driver has undertaken to know that they should stop at the bus stop and not drive past people who have waited half an hour - just so they can catch up with their timetable. Pretty pointless having a bus service that doesn't pick passengers up!

Equally, I would expect a certain standard of service in shops and restaurants.

I will judge on the service provided. That may or may not be the fault of the individual person that I am dealing with - they may be short staffed due to poor management of rotas for example - but I can still complain about the service without knowing the ins and outs of everything.

YA so NBU!!!! I despise it when people assume that because I work at a college that I only do term times 9 - 4. I could slap people who say things about long holidays, part time days etc etc. I have to be there about 8:30 to 5 for one thing (I know that's not that bad but it's not a part time day either) and I have to work some of the holidays (I get 7 weeks, again I know it's not bad but it's comparable to many other professions and not 13 weeks). I'd love these people who bang on about me having a cushy part time number to try a day getting oiky teens to learn algebra and then come back and talk easy job! Oooh I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it! I always get DS1 (and will DS2 when he's older) to thank shop assistants, bus drivers etc for their help and to not moan about things that are beyond the person's control. I hate twatty people who start on bus drivers because they can't leave immediately or shop assistants because a product is out of stock. They think they are big and know their rights but actually they are nob heads rather silly.

@Chaotic:'I wish someone would tell the bus driver that'.
I admit that you are right and this was bad example

By lissielou 'There is a big difference between expecting good customer service and expecting the world to revolve around you imo'.

I agree 100% with this.

I have worked as a waitress and in shops. I currently work in a shop and the abuse is terrible.

I have literally been shouted at whilst serving a customer who bought rolls of wrapping paper because we don't stock special wrapping paper bags or large bags for them to go in. All you can tell them when they're like that is "I know it's a pain, but it isn't my fault and I'm sorry if it's inconvenient."

It's so refreshing to have a customer with basic manners who say "Yes, please" when you ask them if they'd like a bag. Lots get very moody when you ask this if they've bought a lot, like "Well WHAT do you expect me to do with it without a bag" "Er, well lots of people now bring their own".

YANBU -my dh runs a restaurant and the grief he gets is unbelievable - I've seen it and had to stop myself from laughing. What I've noticed is that in restaurants alot of it is to do with
a) guys giving waiting staff grief so they look 'big' in front of their new girlfriend
b) people trying to get a discount off the bill.
Luckilly my dh will back up his staff where needed.

.I expect good customer service but I think that lots of customers are spoiling for a fight and and act in that way. Personally I find my call centre banking much better than in branch. But in branch I find that front line staff rarely have managers to back them up. These people don't have easy jobs.

ah, i see. yes it is a bit of a cheek to expect to be able to lounge indefinitely in a commercial space.

People actually don't care about other people's jobs.

Accept it and it helps foster a calm and pleasant atmosphere.

There seems to now be a misunderstanding now from somebody who is a waitress and somebody that works in a shop that customers shouldn't complain to you because it is not your fault.

Of course customers should complain in a civil manner, but as the person who is employed to be the organisation's representative who deals with customers, it is your responsibility to deal with the complaints of the customer, and then find another person to deal with the complaint if it is not within your level of authority to resolve.

This gets particular bad with call centre employees, who will tell you they will not deal with your complaint and can you contact XYZ three weeks on Tuesday. Well, no, I shouldn't have to because I don't work for your organisation - you do. You should be contacting XYZ and resolving the matter.

DH has just had this with BT. Their equipment is broken but they want us to phone a different BT centre and inform an engineer. W don't work for them and they are contractually responsible for the equipment not on our property, so why are we having to pass messages between their employees?

I think a lot of this is based on this misunderstanding that employees have that they are not representatives of their organisation and so do not have to help somebody unless it is over something that they consider is 'their fault.'

Pointydog, but they care enough if they don't think they are doing it properly. And by properly I mean going against all guidelines to accomodate them

Pointydog, but they care enough if they don't think they are doing it properly. And by properly I mean going against all guidelines to accomodate them

My DH is a Firefighter but apparently all he does is sit around drinking tea and eating donuts! Its not just fires, but rescues traffice collisons and body recovery. - If someone jumps the bridge or dies on a boat its the local Firefighters who get to reovery the body.
YANBU

lissie, people care about themselves. Precisely.

So smile, learn people skills and ease your way out of all sorts of people-related work problems. You don't need to get cross about them.

So smile, learn people skills and ease your way out of all sorts of people-related work problems. You don't need to get cross about them

Um, is that actually aimed at me? I have actually never had an issue with customer complaints. I was the go-to person for dealing with them and ran workshops on it. They have never fazed me. If something isn't right, you should complain. But there are some people who complain about everything, from the position of the table to the ice melting in their drinks. And they do it because they think they are superior to the person serving them. Because they do the menial jobs, not a real one. That pisses me off. People skills are my career, I don't need to learn them. Wish I could say the same for some of the people I've served.

So smile, learn people skills and ease your way out of all sorts of people-related work problems. You don't need to get cross about them

Um, is that actually aimed at me? I have actually never had an issue with customer complaints. I was the go-to person for dealing with them and ran workshops on it. They have never fazed me. If something isn't right, you should complain. But there are some people who complain about everything, from the position of the table to the ice melting in their drinks. And they do it because they think they are superior to the person serving them. Because they do the menial jobs, not a real one. That pisses me off. People skills are my career, I don't need to learn them. Wish I could say the same for some of the people I've served.

No it's not aimed at you. Just meant to be a general comment. 'One' should... that sort of comment

Ah, I'm sorry. Wrong end of the stick, beer and hormones

Ah, I'm sorry. Wrong end of the stick, beer and hormones

I work in a shop, and as soon as people hear that they pressume that I am stupid and can't do better than work in a shop

I love my job -I love the variety it brings, I deal with customer service, logistics, merchandising, payroll, cash management, HR -and I can sweep with the best of them lol

I see so many people who are office based complaining about being bored etc but no 2 days of mine are the same

I love resolving customer issues, or just having a chat with a regular customer who comes in our store because she knows she will be treated really well and she has no one else to talk to (which is actually really sad but I am proud that we brighten her day and give her a reason to leave the house)

however people's expectations are frequently unrealistic
shop workers work mainly for minimum wage, work early mornings, late nights weekends and bank holidays
shops shut at a certain time and that's what time they stop getting paid, but the staff are expected to wait until customers have finished browsing, then lock up etc
we sell over 4,000 items -I would defy anyone to be an expert on all of those things yet that seems to be the expectation

and all shops would love more staff by the way lol

Ahhh yes.

I'm a practice nurse. Like most nurses I've had my fill of patronising, ignorant and downright rude comments. I've heard:

Did you have to do any training to be a nurse?

No I don't want to see you, I want to see someone qualified like a doctor.

So all you do is wipe bums and clean up puke then? Why would you need a degree to do that then?

I smile through gritted teeth whilst wanting to say "hmm so the last 18 years I've been training and studying pretty much constantly. I hold numerous qualifications including a degree, diplomas, postqualifying certificates and am planning to do a Masters when my children are older. I have more knoweldge regarding the Management of Asthma and COPD than the GPs I work for (they come to me for advice as I have the diplomas and they don't) and I'm currently helping to train our new GP trainee (qualified doc but new to General Practice) in cervical cytology, family planning and sexual health.

But hey I'm only a nurse, what do I know?

I a receptionist. I don't think some people realise why receptionists are employed.

We are employed in general, not only as a meet & greet service but to screen visitors. Essentially to stop you seeing who you want to see (because they are trying to actually get some work done). In case you missed it my job is to stop you seeing who you want to see on their instruction - not mine. If they wanted to see you they wouldn't employ me. Quite frankly it would make my life a hell of a lot easier if I could just phone them and say x is here, rather than dealing with all the aggro. But then I get yelled at, official complaints put in, and they still won't see you.

Occasionally there are exceptions - you might be one of them granted but please bear in mind that everyone thinks they are an exception to the rule. 99% aren't.

Also like most receptionists I also provide admin support, information to the public (including who you actually need to speak to) and am often first point of contact for complaints and emergencies (whether building or person related), I take messages and generally bug people. So please don't tell me you don't know what the point of me is as I clearly don't do anything (apart from preventing you seeing who you want to see, obviously).

I do enjoy my job. And I have had bad experiences with other receptionists as a customer myself (and I have high expectations).

Not me but one of my parents worked in MI5. So obviously can't tell people that.....even when I have they think I'm kidding or a bit mad !!!! Lol I always explain that someones parent must do it and no they are no James bond