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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

More of a WWYD... Waitress dropped dish of olive oil onto my phone, now it's broken.

185 replies

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 22/05/2016 11:19

She was very appoogetic, and I wiped it over with a napkin and turned it upside down, but the oil has obviously got in to the piece where you hear people talking to you and you can't hear anything. So essentially, I can't make or receive calls.

Is there anything I can actually do about this? I mean, they're not going to replace my phone are they Confused... Is it just bad luck and move on?

OP posts:
sandrabedminster · 24/05/2016 10:52

Good result.

Tbh I wish somon would do that to my phone. I haven't made a call in months.

CaffeineDeficitDisorder · 24/05/2016 17:29

Good progress

whois · 24/05/2016 17:33

I'm not really in the habit of trying to get people in trouble, but she did damage my phone, and I do think it's reasonable to have your phone on the table.

Me too. Glad its sorted.

SuburbanRhonda · 24/05/2016 19:05

I hope they don't fire her Sad

SuperFlyHigh · 24/05/2016 22:17

To be honest echoing what cjbk1 says the waitress will feel terrible but if she's not doing well at the job or not suited to it (clumsiness isn't the best trait if she's prone to doing this) then best she's sort of held accountable for what happened.

A bit more serious but a SIL of a friend of mine had boiling hot water spilled down her back badly scalding her at a restaurant by a waitress though where it has good food and is popular it doesn't get rave reviews for the food, it's more "trendy" and "popular". Anyway it was an accident but still one I think shouldn't have happened my friend who was there (family meal out) said it was a mix of clumsiness and careless waitress. The SIL decided not to press charges but I certainly would! Doesn't help I'm a legal secretary! Just because it shouldn't happen and you don't know how many other times it has happened. Clumsiness and accidents are not wait staff attributes in my opinion (yes been a waitress for 2 months when 18 as part time work.

SuperFlyHigh · 24/05/2016 22:18

Suburban see my post, if she's clumsy etc then waiting isn't for her. Tough but true.

Wamaitha1 · 25/05/2016 00:44

I would give the waitress a hug.

AugustaFinkNottle · 25/05/2016 06:28

SuperFly, what charges could your friend's SIL have pressed? Accidentally spilling things isn't a criminal offence.

HoumousExpress · 25/05/2016 06:44

Yabu. You shouldn't have left your phone on the table, the table is there to have food and drinks placed on it which means something could easily be spilled. Pockets and handbags are where phones should be placed when not in use.

So now the waitress is in trouble and you've got your freebie.

SuburbanRhonda · 25/05/2016 07:48

Suburban see my post, if she's clumsy etc then waiting isn't for her. Tough but true.

True in your opinion. My DD has waited tables part-time for several years. She believes most seating in restaurants these days isn't designed for easy waiting. Bench seating against the wall is specially tricky, when you have to lean over one customer to place food in front of someone at the other side of the table, where there could be several phones, drinks, specials menus, oil bottles and so on to negotiate around. In general she says most customers are helpful and will move things out of the way or take the plate from her, but she's also had people carry on chatting, oblivious to the fact that there is no clear space for their food! She has spill led a drink in just this sort of situation. But she's also had some great online reviews and very generous tips, so in her case at least, one mistake didn't suddenly make her incompetent at her job.

JessieMcJessie · 25/05/2016 14:59

And no doubt her boss will think the same Suburban so no need to guilt trip the OP.

People don't seem to get that when insurance is available to the restaurant it's really no big deal to them to compensate a customer for a mistake.

Cagliostro · 25/05/2016 15:10

Hope you can have your free meal when she's not on a shift - that would be horribly awkward for her!

limitedperiodonly · 25/05/2016 15:23

If they are going to sack the waitress over an accidental spillage then they're the kind of people who'd sack her for anything. So if you're worried about places that treat their staff like that, you should be directing your anger at the employer rather than the customer.

SheHasAWildHeart · 25/05/2016 15:27

So now the waitress is in trouble and you've got your freebie.
I think you'll find her phone is more expensive than anyone free meal at ASK.

SuburbanRhonda · 25/05/2016 17:35

So if you're worried about places that treat their staff like that, you should be directing your anger at the employer rather than the customer.

I'm not worried about the restaurant, I'm worried about the waitress. And when you have people saying one spillage means she is clearly far too clumsy to be employed as a waitress, I hope you can see why.

corythatwas · 25/05/2016 17:45

"I'm not worried about the restaurant, I'm worried about the waitress. And when you have people saying one spillage means she is clearly far too clumsy to be employed as a waitress, I hope you can see why."

Do we have any reason to believe the waitress is in trouble? This has been dealt with by head office; why do we assume this will be passed down?

And if you read the thread, you will find that this was not one spillage: the OP did say that the waitress had already dropped the bread and her dd's drink. So 3 spillages (of which 2 major) involving one customer. That does seem a little unfortunate.

SuburbanRhonda · 25/05/2016 17:48

I'd be really surprised if the waitress wasn't in trouble if the customer complaint results in a cost to the restaurant.

SuperFlyHigh · 25/05/2016 17:57

Well as my friend said she was clumsy and careless eg in the way she was waiting and handling a hot teapot of water....

What more info do you want?! The waitress or waiter handling hot food or drink especially needs to be ultra careful with it. My friend told me it didn't seem like "an accident".

limitedperiodonly · 25/05/2016 17:59

SuburbanRhonda if it is a good place they will value their employees and deal with complaints diplomatically - maybe they'll have some fun with it.

When I was in my first job I made a mistake that was similar to spilling something over a customer if I had been a waitress.

My boss said I should have been more careful but it wasn't the end of the world. She told me to call the person back and apologise for my mistake and to say how the company would put things right. I did that.

The woman accepted that at first but later called the bigger boss because she thought I'd been let off too easily. She said that to him. He passed it back to my boss because he cba.

When she called, my boss put it on speakerphone. She listened to the complaint again and then said: 'You're right and I was wrong. I shouldn't have accepted that kind of incompetence. Limited, get out now. Stop crying. Just take your coat and go.'

All the while she was signalling to me that it was a joke. The woman was going on like: 'I didn't mean for her to lose her job' and my boss said: 'I've sacked her now. Isn't that what you wanted?'

Thirty years later my boss and I are still friends.

SuperFlyHigh · 25/05/2016 18:02

cory as I said a wait person who's especially clumsy shouldn't really be waiting staff, they could be at the bar instead.

suburban I agree with you to a degree about design but again care and also placement of access in and out needs to be thought out. I've worked a bit with interior designers for shop and eating places establishments and sadly some don't think about safety aspect which is key I think!

SuburbanRhonda · 25/05/2016 18:10

That's hilarious, limited Grin

limitedperiodonly · 25/05/2016 18:16

SuperFlyHigh as you are a legal secretary I'm surprised you think that people can press charges. They can report things to the police but only the Crown Prosecution Service can bring a criminal charge.

I'm also wondering what criminal charges your friend could have brought in connection to a waitress spilling hot water on her unless it was a deliberate assault.

The Health and Safety Executive might be involved in cases of accidents involving hot liquids in restaurants and bring a prosecution. I'm not an expert but think they probably have to liaise with the CPS. Is this what you meant?

SuperFlyHigh · 25/05/2016 18:17

Yes report to police! I don't work with PI claims so don't quote me!

limitedperiodonly · 25/05/2016 18:18

She was great Suburban. If only there were more like her.

SuperFlyHigh · 25/05/2016 18:19

My line of work is conveyancing, probate, wills, divorce etc so know nothing re PI but am strangely enough involved in a claim not against a waitress though!