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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That this is unacceptable

148 replies

bongobaby · 14/08/2012 14:30

I went into a well know phone shop at the weekend to purchase a mobile phone. The sales advisor was a young chap who was helpful when speaking to me. We were having a conversation about a network provider to which he then replied " yeah they are a bunch of c*s". It was a tumbleweed blowing past moment as I looked at him and then looked at my DC who was happily sitting beside me in the shop and had just clearly heard what had been said.

I quickly told the sales advisor to sush and not to say that word to which he just laughed!!. DC said mummy why did that man say that naughty word...
I have complained to the customer service but all they said was sorry. AIBU to think and want a better response than that. I,M disgusted by the word being used infront of DC.

OP posts:
Original poster
bongobaby · 14/08/2012 15:20

JennerO thankyou for your reply, as I totaly agree that he should not of laughed it off and thats a fact. At no point did he himself say sorry.
no I do not want a free phone or componsation. I,m at a loss to see that some MNS think it,s ok to be spoken to like this in a shop. Loopy it,s a word Cunt. Cunty cunt cunt yes I really care that much. Thats why kids have no respect nowadays when hearing an adult speak like that and to think that it,s ok. Baying for blood is a stupid response and you are missing the point. lets all go about saying morning cunt and using the offensive term shall we. speak to your boss like that and their kids and see how far it goes

OP posts:
danteV · 14/08/2012 15:21

So you want him to lose his job? What if every other moment of the day, everytime he works he is excellent. He probably laughed put of shock, that he said it and embarrassment.
You really want him to have no job because he slipped up, once.
If he said 'you Madame are a cunt' I could kind of understand. But honestly yabu to want anymore than an apology.

JennerOSity · 14/08/2012 15:21

Loopy Oh I seeee - I hadn't picked up the baying for blood. Though I don't think OP is trying to get him out of his job - said he is probably in the wrong job if he can't keep his language clean - but that's not the same as trying to have him thrown out of his job. Agree, not sure what else other than an apology can be hoped for however.

mrsrosieb · 14/08/2012 15:23

You have had an apology and I bet the guy has been given a dressing down for his foul language. I think that is all you can expect really.

If you are still not happy, contact the company again and say you expect some goodwill gesture. The worst they can say is no.

You are right it is a horrible word and not something your daughter should hear.

danteV · 14/08/2012 15:23

Seriously OP your last post is very unreasonable.
I hope to god you never make a mistake either in employment or parenting. You'll never forgive yourself.

DozyDuck · 14/08/2012 15:24

He had a slip of the tongue. Once. It's hardly the crime of the century. He will probably be spoken to about it. You were apologised to so they obviously thought it was inappropriate of him.

It wasn't ok for him to say that word. But was probably an accident.

But
It's not going to damage your DC.

LadyBeagleEyes · 14/08/2012 15:26

Sounds like a slip of the tongue to me too.
Clearly he shouldn't have said it but you've had an apology.
So what do you want to happen next OP?

JennerOSity · 14/08/2012 15:26

I would have told him he had just lost his sale and left - probably wouldn't have altered anything one jot (and he clearly has no sense of what language is suitable for that situation sadly, and a bad attitude to boot in my opinion) but would have made me feel better.

I used to manage a mobile phone store and neither I nor any of my staff would have thought this OK and anyone who had cause to complain about it would have had a sincere apology and the person in question would have been in deep trouble.

Even if it was a slip up, if you are used to giving good customer service the apology for it on having it pointed out would have come naturally IMO.

danteV · 14/08/2012 15:26

He is in the wrong job because he made a mistake? Have you never said something you immediately regretted?

Original poster
bongobaby · 14/08/2012 15:28

I would of hoped for the response to be we will better train our staff to not use language like that whatsoever. NOVACK i am supermum thankyou for your wise compliment. If you had read other post you would of know that DC had heard that word from another adult in a park last week leaving me to explain the term when asked what did that word mean. I take it you are a shop assistant that thinks it,s ok to speak to people in that way. Or maybe you are the head of the phone shop.

OP posts:
JennerOSity · 14/08/2012 15:30

I think people are being quite hard on OP. Many a thread has been started for less, she isn't saying her kids are damaged for life - she is expressing disappointment that someone could say a widely regarded very offensive term, in a professional capacity, and then not give a monkeys when asked not to.

Who in OP's shoes would not bat an eyelid, buy the phone you wanted from the guy in question and give him a cheery wave on your way out as you thought, 'what a super chap to do business with'?

I don't understand why people are being so FFS with OP about this.

OK so she isn't going to get more than the apology, but she is sharing her dismay - isn't that what zillions of people on mn do every day?

akaemmafrost · 14/08/2012 15:33

Well I wouldn't like it either and would have said so. Then I would have left the shop and forgotten about it. Think people are just not sure what the OP wants now. Hung, drawn and quartered perhaps?

usualsuspect · 14/08/2012 15:34

Was he talking about the 3 network? because they are a bunch of cunts TBH.

NovackNGood · 14/08/2012 15:34

Ok super mum then make sure you teach your child it is would HAVE not would of.

Sirzy · 14/08/2012 15:36

They have apologised. If the response had been "so what" she would have had a point but what more can they do other than apologise?

LadyBeagleEyes · 14/08/2012 15:37

Grin at usual.
It wouldn't have bothered me, I'd have been a bit surprised, but would have probably laughed.

usualsuspect · 14/08/2012 15:39

I would have been a bit Hmm but would probably have laughed afterwards.

Original poster
bongobaby · 14/08/2012 15:39

Dantev, I would never make the mistake of calling DC a Cunt do not have me down on your level of what you think is acceptable. Marks and Spencers, British Airways, All high street stores would never speak in this way. At no point did or I want the chap to lose his job. I expected a better response than sorry from call centre staff. Along the lines of our staff should not behave in this way.
What is wrong with society today that such venom in replys point out to me being unreasonable in all this " yeah bunch of cunts". Apart from the reasonable responses from common sense people on here...

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 14/08/2012 15:39

"I,m at a loss to see that some MNS think it,s ok to be spoken to like this in a shop"

If he had called YOU a cunt, then fair enough, but he didnt speak to YOU like that, he just swore in front of your child. OK, that was probably a slip of the tongue, and he needs to be more careful, but he was not deliberately insulting you personally.

Fanjita · 14/08/2012 15:39

YANBU. I'm not a pearl clutcher either but that was bang out of order. You can't just make mistakes like that in a public service role. Where do you draw the line to what is just a "slip of the tongue"?

LadyBeagleEyes · 14/08/2012 15:42

So "Sorry, our staff should not behave this way" would have satisfied you Confused.
That's pretty much implied by the apology really isn't it.

MrsKeithRichards · 14/08/2012 15:42

I fail. If I swear when I'm not meant to I cover my mouth and go 'oh shit sorry'. It's like an automatic reaction!

danteV · 14/08/2012 15:43

How dare you OP, assume I would say that to my child. You clearly think you are better than everyone else.
I said a mistake, I didn't say you will call your child a cunt. Not all mistakes result in the word cunt.
I guess you are a perfect person and parent. Never made a mistake ever.
Your attitude Stinks.

wankpants · 14/08/2012 15:45

I think, OP, you have posted in the wrong section.

JennerOSity · 14/08/2012 15:46

IME people who swear in situations which most others would not, do it because swearing is an habitual thing which they then struggle to filter because it is like breathing to them - not a one-off error (like my colleague who said 'shit' in a job interview because every other word for her is a swear word, so she just couldn't turn it off when it came to it - didn't get the job unsurprisingly).

So I would doubt he is a person who usually uses clean language and made a one-off slip-up, he probably does it often, which is also probably why he thought it funny OP didn't like it - to him it is normal. This isn't ideal in his job though is it, in the real world where you are dealing with customers from all walks of life and need to be able to communicate in a suitable fashion.