WORST customer care ever - Am I being unreasonable?

[dollybird1000]

Hello fellow MumsNetters,

I rarely post on her but I have experienced the most most outrageous customer care from a cafe. I'm still in disbelief.

Bear with me - its a long one -

Scenario:
So I regularly visited X cafe as lovely coffee/food and quiet ( so you'd think they would want to keep customers ) either just before I collect my 3yr daughter or after I drop her at nursery school.

So I would imagine I have spent at least £100 in there since the beginning of Term. Visting 2 to 3 times a week.

Yesterday I collected my daughter and 3 year olds being as they are .. as we got to the top of the road - near the cafe - she announced she needed a wee and was desperate.

I thought - no worries " quick we will just nip in my fav cafe and you can go and then maybe we will stay for a treat "

I went into the cafe and just happened to say " oo do you mind if she quickly nips to the toilet"

For the sake of clarity - I will be DD and the cafe BH:

The member of Staff I asked turned and said bluntly
BH: " No you have to be a customer"

DD: " But I am a customer , I come here regularly .. pls can she just go to the toilet shes desperate"

BH: " Well you will have to buy something then "

DD: " Are you serious ?"

BH: " Yes you have to buy something the toilet is only for customers now " again - NO sorry our any notion of understanding..

DD: " Are you telling me my 3 year old cannot use the toilet .. really ??.. I think your attitude is disgusting, I am shocked .. I am a customer.... er"

By the time I had to leave as my daughter HAD to go. I left saying

DD: " I want to speak to the manager"

BH: " Hes not here, he will be in the morning"

DD: " I am totally disgusted by your attitude and I will be back to complain"

BH : " you do that "

The staff was rude, blunt and totally got my back up - I was so so so angry on behalf of my daughter.

I had to take her out to wee on the street ( which is ok as Im not uptight about those things ) and would have just done that in the first place.

SO I went back this morning and spoke to the manager. I AM ASTOUNDED this place has ANY customers still- really-

me DD: " Hi , Im sure you have heard about an incident that happened yesterday regarding my daughter needing to use the toilet quickly - and the response I got and gave "

BH Manger : Bluntly " Its not a public toilet and yes I heard about it "

DD : shocked " um seriously you treat your cutomers like this ? Also this lady was quite rude in her mannner .. instead of saying " im really sorry my manager has told us strictly we cant allow non-current customers to use the toilet "

BH Manager : " well apparently YOU were rude and aggressive "

DD: " Yes I said the attitude was disgusting as I was furious , and your member of staffs manner was so abrasive "

BH Manager : " well its your word against hers "

DD: " I cant believe it, well you have definitely lost a customer "

Where upon the Manager just shrugged..

I am SO shocked. I have never in my life experienced such appalling attitudes towards customers or children.

If they had a sign up stating toilets for customers only OR if I kept going in after school and letting my daughter use the toilet and not buying anything OR if I had never been/use the cafe. Or if it was for me.. not a 3 year old.
I might ( might ) feel differently.

I am also very sad as I loved going there and was planning to take my mum there today to show how fab I thought it was.

I would also like to add - they only take cash , I had none on me but had planned to go to a cash point and return for a treat... although the staff did not know this.

I am posting on here for many reasons :

1. Am I going mad ? Was I wrong to think I could nip in for my daughter to use the toilet??
2. Has anyone else experienced this in cafes - and how did you feel ??

Comments / Replys Please .. !!

Well on the whole if they recongised you and you are a regular customer my feeling is that your DD should have been allowed to use the toilet. But they were under no obligation to let you as the toilet is for the use of the customers in the cafe and not anybody who happened to be passing but went in the cafe last week.

YANBU . Several times I have nipped into my hairdressers when my DS was desperate. What about approaching the local press?

Yes indeed, Daily Fail, arms crossed, sad faces. Oh dear.

Don't know anything about previous thread etc. but if OP has painted a true picture, it is very unreasonable of the cafe.
I used to work in a city centre pub and would let any one use the loo if they put some money in the charity box on the bar. Everyone won.
I have gone back to places that have let me use their loo when need be - their kindness paid off for them too.
Weeing in the street though? Euch! Is this normally done? I have never seen it (other than horrible drunk men).

You were unreasonable to expect them to say yes.

They were being silly to say no.

You were even sillier to bother asking.

I really wanted this coffee shop to be great, I read about it in Time Out and tried it a few days later. I visited with my friend and her 14 month old baby. We were made to feel very unwelcome. The staff were rude and abrupt and acted like we were inconveniencing them I can only asume this is because we had a baby and pushchair. Even though we asked for no special treatment and the baby was well behaved. I am childless by choice and understand that the world does not revolve around children and parents, but people have different needs and it is disgusting that my friend was made to feel she and her baby were unwelcome. It might be hip but it has no heart! It is so disappointing we didn't have the good experience other people have reflected in their reviews.
On a positive not my salted Carmel brownie was great and it looks ver stylish.

Review

April

I read the first thread have a bloody good memory, looked in my history as I clicked the link and found the cafe's Fb page. As I said, way up there ^^, they say they take cards, not just cash! So, on that basis alone, I do call bullshit on the OP saying she was going to go to the cashpoint and come back or even buy a treat at all.

I sat their all day conducting interviews, they didn't seem overjoyed to have me there, but tolerated it! I made sure I ordered something every hour - the people I interviewed also bought a drink or snack of some sort during their stay - so win-win as far as I'm concerned.

sept

Op

Isn't it sad, no one thinks its mean to allow a little girl to use the loo, even if you had never put a penny in their till?

How sad and mean.

There is a campaign to open up loo's in pubs and cafe;s because finding a loo sometimes is a problem.

I do not believe for one second people saying you are being OTT would not expect to be allowed to use the loo of say their local pub etc in similar circs, I think they would be just as upset.

Very sad attitudes.

INFACT

Op, the problem here is clear isn't it.

You visit the cafe without your DD don't you, then you turn up with her and you are persona non grata.

There you have your answer and from the reviews above they simply do not want to be a child friendly cafe!

Feel your pain op yanbu how short sighted and literal of them show some warmth and decency fgs. Same thing happened to me was in poncey deli cafe rated by guardian etc i was regular when suddenly felt very very sick ( early into very difficult first pregnancy). I was told i wasnt permitted to use loo for staff only apparently said in very snotty way. So I vomited all over the floor.

We'll said pastelmacaroons!

Pastel I wouldn't expect to use anyone's loo in similar circumstances.

'no one thinks its mean'?

Loads of people have said they think its mean!

How sad and mean

Dahlen

How is that a glaringly obvious repercussion? Is the OP going to start walking round wearing a sandwich board saying "non-paying customers are welcome to use the facilities at cafe X" Is there a website where people go on and enter a postcode to find cafes that allow non-paying customers to use their loos? Will the existing customers in the cafe at the time even register that the toilet user hasn't bought anything, let alone go and tell all-and-sundry about the exciting event they witnessed that day?

Hilarious!!! It could get that far....this has really blown up....it may even go viral

Do you know something Wits, I had a good laugh at your link, but on the other hand, when you have had a shit day, and think you are welcome somewhere and you are a good customer, this example of shit customer service could mean that you end up - as per photo. Because its the last straw of the day sometimes isn't it?

I am referring to the picture of the distraught woman, not the picture of the puppet although sometimes...

You know what so they don't want children in their cafe, big deal. It's not compulsory for everywhere to welcome the little darlings and sometimes its nice to escape them. I read those bad reviews and everyone wanted the rules not to apply to them ie they don't allow prams in but I should have been allowed to take mine! You know what else I sometimes when I get the chance enjoy going to places with no children there.

OP I agree with you in principal and I would consider it bad form not to let a child use the loo in the circumstances outlined.

I do think yabu.
Think if every parent just nips in then no wonder they have this rule. Think its harsh everyone moaning at the employee. Clearly it came from management, what was she supposed to do??
Plus just from the way op has posted that maybe she wasnt that nice to the employee so no wonder her back was up. The fact the employee told the manager makes me think op had probably been rude towards her.