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Original poster

To think it's rude to I ignore customers in person, in preference for the phone

79 replies

LardLizard · 20/04/2016 20:38

V annoyed today, dd turned up to a sporting lesson, ten mins early to get checked in and start on time

Anyway we stood at the reception desk being ignored for customers on the phone, phoning to make bookings

Waited patiently the first time, but when she had finished one call, and thought, oh she will just about deal with us to get us in on time, she took another bloody phone call

I said we are here for the such and such at such a such time, and replied I'm in the phone, as if I was the one bring rude

OP posts:
SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 21/04/2016 17:34

In general, and definitely in a leisure centre, YANBU at all.

The one exception I can think of was when I worked as a GP's receptionist. We were told to answer the phone as quickly as possible as you can see the person in front of you isn't having difficulty breathing, collapsed on the floor etc. etc. - but you've no idea about the one on the end of the phone.

That said, I used to answer the phone and then ask the caller to hold for a couple of minutes if people had been waiting longer at the desk - but only once I knew what the caller needed. Be it routine appointment, test results etc. The trouble with just saying "are you OK to hold?" or "is your call urgent?" is that some people will say they aren't OK to hold or see their sore throat as incredibly urgent whilst others will say "oh yes, no problem dear, not urgent" - and then, when you return to them, proceed to tell you about their chest pains or (something which actually happened to me) that he thought his mother had just passed away!

Actually the "thank you for holding. How can I help you?" "I think my mum has just died" conversation was probably the one to change the way I assessed whether callers could reasonably wait Blush.

lollypops1976 · 21/04/2016 17:37

As a teacher, I used to take my class swimming each week to local leisure centre. ( without a TA sometimes) one week, I found some random women in the group changing room naked! They made no attempt to cover up and continued to walk about! I ushered the class back out, and headed to reception to inform them. I said excuse me and then informed her what had happened and we needed a member of staff, to assist, as the group changing room is meant to be closed off to the public, at swim times! . The receptionist, ( who knew I was the class teacher) listened to me and then barked at me, "How rude, there is a whole queue of customers here, wait till I deal with them and learn to wait your turn!" She then turned to a customer and said, "How rude, now how can I help you!" I was rather gobsmacked and this time I did interrupt to say, " I had 30 children presently without a class teacher and I wanted a member of staff to follow me!" It took a member of staff going into the change room to ask them ( again) to leave and to lock the doors, that were meant to be locked leading to other change rooms! I was so upset about incident and how she shouted at me! Needless to say I spoke to the leisure centre, as soon as we were back in school and school requested a safe guarding meeting with the pool! I couldn't believe she called me rude and I hadn't even interrupted her, I just hadn't gone and stood in a long queue, leaving 30 kids!

A4Document · 21/04/2016 17:48

Pinot Grin

blindsider · 21/04/2016 17:50

In the past I have leant across the counter and terminated the call, explaining. "I was already waiting when you took that call"

purplevase · 21/04/2016 17:51

the face to face person would be happy to wait as they could see/hear the phone

Not this face to face person. I'm there. I was there first. I get served first. Person on phone has to wait.

The people who come up with that don't actually work in shops themselves. They clearly don't shop in them either.

The person phoning the hotel could be cancelling the reservation. The person who's there obviously wants their room and will pay for it.

There's just something about phones ringing which requires a response. How many people interrupt a meal to answer their phone?

TeddTess · 21/04/2016 17:58

yes you should complain

they are clearly understaffed. drives me mad in the UK, nowhere has enough staff. go to the US and there are people everywhere serving, helping, waiting to help. no idea why.

magratvonlipwig · 21/04/2016 18:50

I've often Been tempted to phone up when I'm in the queue.....

kimhp · 21/04/2016 19:56

Pet hate!! What harm is it in saying "please excuse me I'll be right with you"
You're then acknowledging their precense instead of ignoring them

DeadGood · 21/04/2016 20:08

I once queued up outside my GP, to get an appointment first thing, as I'd woken up with something that needed checking out, but I was still able to go in to work.
I was the first person through the door at 8.30, and was given an appointment at 9.45. Where had all the early appointments gone? I was the first person there for god's sake. Answer? "We give the priority to the people who call in" ... Ok then ...

gleam · 21/04/2016 21:06

Some years ago, I went in person to get insurance for my bike about half an hour before the office closed. I needed it that day. The office was heaving and they weren't letting anyone else in.

I nipped to the phonebox and got it sorted within 5 minutes. Wrong but effective.

Twowrongsdontmakearight · 21/04/2016 21:23

Where I work the person in front gets priority. I'd be furious if someone stopped serving me so they could answer the phone.

A4Document · 21/04/2016 21:26

Also if there's a queue and another till is opened, they shouldn't ask the people from the back of the queue "if you'd like to come round" so they get served before people who've been waiting longer.

fatmomma99 · 22/04/2016 00:00

Lollypops - I hope it ended well!

blindside - have you really, really done this in RL? How many times? What happened???? You leant over the counter and pressed a button on a phone? Honest? You aren't just saying???

blindsider · 22/04/2016 09:33

The assistant was a little bit taken aback but I explained to her that I had taken the trouble to visit her shop and queue up rather than just sit on my backside and ring her. I also said I would have been fine if she had answered the phone and told the caller that she was dealing with another customer but she didn't., so I hung up for her.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 22/04/2016 09:49

Ohhhh I HATE it when the phone is answered and then asked to hold. Takes me back years when I was on a pay phone and the dentist did it and I couldn't afford to call back Angry I'd never do that. It's incredibly rude because sometimes you're not happy to hold and don't get given a choice.

Always deal with the customer in front. If someone kept answering the phone I would just leave

HunterHearstHelmsley · 22/04/2016 09:50

Dentist again but years later. The receptionist kept answering the phone when I was trying to pay and I had to get the bus for work. I left then she kept phoning to ask for payment. Well you're just going to have to wait until I'm in town next as I tried to pay

RedSoloCup · 22/04/2016 14:29

I work in a bar / restaurant and the bloody phone seems to always be ringing!! We would never answer it if there was a customer waiting, in fact we often have to turn the ringer off so note please phone to book tables between the times of 3pm - 6pm and after 9:30pm and we will be happy to help you

MidniteScribbler · 22/04/2016 14:55

Surely it's just a bit of professionalism from the staffer, and a bit of common sense and patience from the customers (both on the phone, and in the store) and everyone can get along?

Most staff in a store don't have receptionists, and have to do their best. It's not going to ruin my day if the staffer answers the phone and asks them to hold, or deals with their request quickly. If they're chatting away to someone from another office for five minutes, then that is obviously different, but most staff are juggling everything in a day and just trying to do their best.

kali110 · 22/04/2016 19:39

minty yes that was our bloody policy too!
blind you do realise that the frontline staff don't make these rules up you know? You could have gotten that person into trouble alSo for hanging up Angry i think that is ruder.

Hygge · 23/04/2016 00:20

Years ago I changed my bank because of this.

For five out of six weeks (one week in the middle they were working, then were out of order again) they cash machines were out of order, so people had to go into the bank, where we stood like idiots while phone call after phone call was answered and the queue of people in the bank was ignored.

It does annoy me to ring and wait for the phone to be answered, but it annoys me more to be ignored in person.

During the fifth time when I was finally served I surprised myself by loudly closing my account and demanding all my money, with no cancelation fee, because their machines were out of order and their phone calls were more important.

SpaceDinosaur · 23/04/2016 11:29

Kudos to you hygge

I am thankful that I have never been "frontline" in a company which has both customers facing you and phone calls. It must be challenging.

I worked in a department store as a teen/student in the days where if you wanted to order from John lewis, you phoned the store and they completed the order over the phone. Christmas was a challenge but we were always trained to prioritise customers in store.

I couldn't ignore people in real life. It feels so so rude.

LadyAntonella · 23/04/2016 11:36

I was a hotel receptionist about a hundred years ago and we were told we must answer the phone within three rings, even if there was a queue of people waiting! I thought it was ridiculous and used my common sense instead. That was easy for me though, as I was just doing a summer job type thing and didn't really mind too much if I was risking my job.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 23/04/2016 11:44

I work for a dentist. I am not allowed to not answer phone but I will put people on hold. Sometimes I have had people holding for ages and have to go back to them too.

People do really talk about reception staff in such a derogatory way. Not OP particularly. I guess you are the people who speak to them like crap too.

NapQueen · 23/04/2016 11:50

I work in a hotel which, a few years ago, took its phone off the reception desk and moved in into the back. They staff the back office specifically, and also took some extra tasks from other departments within the hotel to justify having someone in there. It works really really well, and now other departments get their administration dine by that phone person so they benefit too. Our reception team really appreciate no ringing phones and our guests do too.

If I go to a hotel and the phone is ringing constantly I just want to pick it up and put it back down again so so distracting!

ElviraCondomine · 23/04/2016 11:58

The local arts centre is terrible for this. On one occasion I was ignored as I stood at the desk for nearly 10 minutes while the box office person answered the phone twice without ever acknowledging my presence, making eye contact etc (if she'd only indicated she'd be with me in a minute I'd have been happier.) At the ten minute mark I finally put my credit card away and we left. I did however inform the centre manager next time I saw him that they'd lost the revenue from a group of 6 attending something, and he was very apologetic.