To expect people in customer facing roles to be polite and friendly?

[digitalpaintartist]

I am 39 weeks pregnant so wondering if I'm being hormonal here but in the last week I have come across some of the rudest people! Approached a booking clerk at antenatal, to book a scan. She barely acknowledged me and seemed agitated that I needed her to book a scan. When she couldn't book me in for when my consultant wanted to see me and I asked if there was a another option, she glared at me and said, 'Speak to your consultant, I just book what is available!'
Then today, I needed to grab a prescription. I went to a supermarket pharmacy and cheerily said hi as I approached the woman at the counter, she said nothing back, took my prescription out of my hand and walked to the back before returning to tell me they don't have it!

I mean, is it just me? I get that people can have shitty days but I seem to be coming across these rude people on a daily basis. If you are going to work in a role where you have to deal with people, then smack a smile on and be pleasant or AIBU?

Some of the rudest people I have ever dealt with in my life have been NHS receptionists. I get that for them it's just another work day, but dealing with patients - not customers but patients - surely demands a little bit extra? I will never forget turning up at the early pregnancy unit in floods of tears because I was miscarrying, and the two people behind the counter could not have given less of a shit. Barely looked up, monosyllabic, totally lacking in any compassion. All situations since have been less dramatic but the attitude of most receptionists has been the same, to the extent that when I occasionally have come across a kind, smiley person it has really stuck in my mind.

I've recently started a new job and spent most of the last month travelling so had a security pass authorised in a US office.

Turned up to office this morning buzzed myself in and security had a go at me because he hadn't assigned me a pass. I explained I'd had it done in HQ and spoken with his colleague (in our office) last week and he ranted that "he wasnt his colleague he was just a stand in" . Proper stand up finger wagging rudeness as if I'd said the most offensive thing known to man.

When I left the building this evening and said a cheery good night he actually blanked me

Mind you I've just spent two days in Rome and the service made basil fawlty look like a paragon

If you find every customer service person you deal with is rude... It's probably you...

I've worked in retail and call centres for years and while I might not always be super chatty (human here!) I am never outright rude and only have any sort of attitude with people who give me attitude first.

If a customer 'gives you attitude' you should deal with it professionally. It's your job to help them, not the other way around.

Obviously clutching very tightly at straws here, but. Could she be having fertility difficulties. She's been having a bad day and saw you a pregnant women and she's felt a bit down. Yes I know in the ideal world receptionists are not allowed their off days,
But then you wouldn't go in to a job where you were dealing with expectant mothers if you couldn't handle being around them.

My job is customer facing, I was abused and spat at, but I had to carry on with the politeness to everyone, even though I was feeling the rage.

There's no need for rudeness at all IMO

I work customer services and seriously you want to be treated as a person, treat us as people. Not just a name tag.

I had a old guy have a ten minute rant at me that my generation ruined him. How we destroyed everything he tried to build with technology. All because I asked him to put his card in the machine to withdraw money. Really... In the end I just said 'do you want the money or not'

Oh and when I'm dealing with a customer and another walks straight over and starts shouting at me because finding the bread right now is obviously life or death.

A little tip from someone who was customer facing for 8 years- if you say hi and smile in a friendly tone & make eye contact you will be taken care of. So many people don't take their tone into account or give eye contact.

I think it's difficult to understand how draining interacting with people all day is (regardless of any social anxieties for emails). People can't smile and be nice all day

Was at a pub in the North York Moors and the waitress had such s sneering attitude that we walked. Trendy gastro pub etc. She must have been under 20 and had such an attitude, lord above. I should thank her for being allowed into this precious pub.

They need to learn from the US.

Sugar, I worked 8 hour shifts at b&q in my teens and I was nice all the time.

So it can be done.

Just put a bloody smile on your face!

^wss no one, in any field of work can be perfect 100% of the time. We are all human, customer facing roles are no different.

I am torn on this because Its not okay for people in these roles to be rude when ever and where ever because they feel they can but we all have moments where we're not performing at our best.

Wss was aimed at sugar by the way

I did roll my eyes at a colleague once at the end of either a 12 or a 14 hour shift and got told off for it because a customer might have seen it, and I did once snap slightly at a woman who had been shouting at me for 10 minutes about something that wasn't my fault - even then I probably wouldn't have, except she finished up with "I won't be spoken to like that by someone like you", when she'd not let me get a word in or even call another member of staff over to take over on the fitting room so I had to carry on counting items and showing people in and out as best I could while also trying to manage the situation with her as if I hadn't I'd have had a bollocking from security as well!

But I was polite through "you look about the same size as my wife, would you mind trying this jumper on?", very drunk people trying on football shirts two or three sizes too small and asking loudly "do I look gay in this", slimy types putting their arm round me, having armfuls of stock thrown at me, being told off by my manager for not smiling at a customer when they were in buying clothes for their children to wear to their mother's funeral, being told off for letting a father take his (disabled) child into the fitting room, the stroppy liars who insist they paid full price last week for something that was over two years old or bring stuff back claiming it had never been worn when it clearly had etc, the over sharing some customers do about their life/family situation, people who think they know their rights when they don't and a million other things.

I spent last summer in Australia. Customer service there couldn't have been better. Friendly, helpful, attentive, common sensical, non jobsworthy, but not obsequious like the US can be.

Bliss.

I got home after a week in California yesterday. Equal mix of rude buggers over there so nothing to do with "service in England". In fact more infuriating when when you are clearly from elsewhere and get snapped at for not knowing the specific procedures on their buses h

YANBU

I am not expecting much, being looked in the eyes, hello/hi and ideally a smile.
TBF most of the time customer facing employees are nice and polite, ask how is your day etc.
But there are the ones that are always grumpy!
NHS receptionists from the 3 practices I went to don't say hello, don't smile, usually they don't even acknowledge your presence while they finish some other task (to the point that I am wondering if it is on purpose).
And one cashier from my local Waitrose. I always feel like it is bothering her to do her job, acts as if every request is annoying her (do you want a plastic bag? Yes please. She sighs)

And to the ones saying they could be having a bad day, well the ones I am talking about are acting this way all the time, so I really believe they think it is acceptable.

I work in a customer facing role, and I always do my best to be up beat and cheerful. But there are times when I have been screamed at, spat at, threatened etc and It has upset me, and I may not have been on my top game for the next client. We all have off moments, and maybe you were just unfortunate enough to come in at a point where the receptionist etc had just had to deal with a very difficult person. In an ideal world receptionists wouldnt be rude, but equally clients wouldn't be rude and entitled either.

I've complained to a manager today for shocking customer service.

We are at a haven site, and dh asked the lady at the bar if they where showing the old firm game, lad on the bar glares at dh and and says "nah" showing the other game" and then put his head on the bar with his arms over his head... Absolutely sticking of stale beer! Dh asks if there is sports bar or pub near by... Totally ignored him

By this point I've tapped him on his arm and asked to speak to his manager, he asked me "why the hell like" I stated I'd prefer to speak to his manager!

He goes out the back and gets manager, I stated the above and tell her I don't pay £487 + activities, for a 4 night stay to be served by a clearly hungover man child!

All the while he's protesting that he didn't, I ask if the bar has CCTV and she says it did, he soon shut up.

I'd recommend that I thought it best he sleep his hangover at home... He then called me a fucking psycho bitch! In front of his manger!

Which I then took to the receptionist, I've now asked for a refund either on my ds activities or partial refund for our stay!

Waiting for the site manager to call me back! We only asked him a bloody simple question!

hope you get a decent response MsJamie!

He's been sacked, I got a full refund.

MsJamie not sure if I've understood but that sounds like quite the overreaction on your part - he was sacked!

I don't think MsJamie asked for him to be sacked, but that he was sacked after a series of events (including calling her a 'fucking psycho bitch' in front of his manager and on CCTV - what might he have done or said had they been alone?).

I will always remember what one of my first managers told me "Don't let rude customers affect your day or service, just note down their personal details and remember that revenge is a dish best served cold".