Page 6 | Customer facing jobs, what winds you up?

BlueTongueSkink · 27/03/2018 11:59

I don't work there now but I used to work in a supermarket and there was an old man who used to come in quite regularly. He used to leer at the young women working there (most of us were about 17/18) and ask us to come to his house after our shift.

No thanks.

dandelion102017 · 27/03/2018 12:04

I worked on a supermarket till for years and my biggest gripe was people putting money in their mouth while they are packing and then hand me a wee soggy note?? I don't lick your change!!!
The amount of seriously stupid questions you get on a daily basis is unreal!!!!! could start a thread just on that!!! I also used to get asked daily how much I earned!!! fucking pardon!!!!!!!!!!

Wonkydonky1 · 27/03/2018 12:04

I LOVE this thread. I have worked in a customer facing environment for the last 8 years and still have my eyes opened. I could start a list about what annoys me, but I fear I could go on for ever.

One of many irritations is £1 coins and the amount of people who have loads and want to get rid of them because theyr heavy in their pockets or busting their purse. I dont mind a few but being a petrol station we can get several customers a day paying £20-30, on one or two occasions £60 in £1 coins and 50ps. We end up with so many, we re drowning in them, I try and hand £5 back out in change and seldom go past this as they are a pain. I make extra trips to the bank because of them, get complaints when they have to wait for them to be checked and have had it where they dump them on the counter, leave immediatly and there £3-4 short and theyve left the forecourt by the time Ive checked and tried to catch them.

I would love to have the view that its all money, it all spends, it is legal tender, but the customers that say this are the ones off loading a large amount of them on a regular basis and therefor relieving themselves of the nuisance of having them all, which is very conveniant.You sharp change your veiw when you recieve so many in such large quantities there such a pain in the A**E.
Now, if i see the have the notes I say politely say " Thanks but we already have plenty of change, may I have the notes please?"
They never have a problem thankfully it simply "oh ok no problem".

I hope non retail workers read this post, it would be a huge eye opener to them how their behaviour can make what should be a nice sociable job, utterly miserable!

Its funny that most of these annoying rude customers in a different environment would be lovely folk, but for them few minutes can be utterly horrid, rude or annoying.

Mightymucks · 27/03/2018 12:08

Yeah, but most of us get angry when the people are doing something unreasonable. Saying the need a later appointment is a completely acceptable thing to do.

Original poster

BigPinkBall · 27/03/2018 12:32

I just had another one,”I want an appointment in a branch on Friday” me: “it’s a bank holiday on Friday so the branch won’t be open” him: “why not? I thought you’d be open on a bank holiday” err because we’re a bank, we don’t open on bank holidays

OP posts:

tootsweet30 · 27/03/2018 12:32

I used to work in a company that checked dbs applications before sending them onto the government dept that authorised them. We had to get people to ring us if there was a mistake on their application.

The worst was childminders who needed a dbs check for their soon to be 18 year old and didn't think it was fair that we needed 2 forms of proof of ID!
A) I don't make the rules your angry at the wrong person
B) no I'm not implying your child is a criminal
C) shouting at me doesn't mean I can waive the rules- if I put it through without ID it would get rejected
D) if you wait 2 weeks before the deadline and then find out you need to apply for a drivers license/ open a bank account for your sprog (for ID) it's not my fault it'll be late !

Tbh I was pretty shocked at the number of late teens that hadn't got a bank account! And actually if it's needed for your career I DONT think it's unreasonable that you have to pay £20 for a drivers license they won't be using.

What I really hated about that role is having to stay polite when people were rude to me. So much pent up frustration!

blueshoes · 27/03/2018 12:35

Elend your gripe is reasonable. Troysmammy's is not. For the record, it is not the job.

IAmBreakmasterCylinder · 27/03/2018 12:55

Medical setting making appointments

'Can I make an appointment with Dr X'
'Yes, when would you like to be seen?'
'Hold on, I'll get my diary'

'Can I make an early morning appointment'
'Yes, I've got one at 8.30 tomorrow'
'Have you got anything later?'

'Can I see Dr X'
'He's on leave this week, can anyone else help?'
'But its urgent and I have to see him'
'I understand but he isn't in this week'
'He knows me, can you ask him to see me'
'He's not here all week, he'll be back on Monday'
'This place is fucking useless'

And my all time most hated and shockingly frequent 'well it will be your fault it I die/get pregnant/have an astma attack'

angryburd · 27/03/2018 12:56

People who say things like "I pay your wages" or "I spend a fortune in here", as though it's an excuse to treat staff like shit.

If anyone reading this has ever uttered those words, you are a weapons grade arsehole.

Mightymucks · 27/03/2018 13:00

Now those cylinder are annoying. My best one was years ago when a woman rang up and told me she wanted one of those special ear tests that stopped you getting cancer. She was absolutely adamant that a nurse could give her this ear test at the surgery and I was really stupid not to know about it because everybody was talking about it and I must not know my job if I didn’t know about them.

Went around and around the houses until she finally said ‘You know, a cervical ear test’.

It was around the time Jade Goody died. I did explain what it actually was to her. Otherwise she might have had a real shock at her appointment!

Lacucuracha · 27/03/2018 13:42

I work in a call centre and part of my job is to ask for customers sort code and account number, and 99 our of 100 people will give me it in that order, but there’s always one who says the account number first without giving me time to move to the box further down the page where that goes, and says the number really fast then gets annoyed when you ask them to repeat it.

Norm seems to be account number, then sort code, so I can see why people do this. Why not just ask people for their sort code, and then once you have that, ask for their account number?

Yokohamajojo · 27/03/2018 13:45

I used to work in a big department store in London and after christmas the amount of people who came in and tried to get money back or exchange christmas gifts were loads. The best ones were the ones who claimed they got it for christmas when it had been discontinued for years! so stupid

madein1995 · 27/03/2018 15:03

Ooh more -
Customers paying entirely in coins, when bill is something like 20 pound
I'm on break, on my phone. Have a basket with shopping in. Clearly not working. - rude ignorant - customer approaches, and demands to know where nail varnish is. I say 'excuse me' to the phone, look at her, say 'I'm not working sorry ' and walk off
Worst is customers approaching you after shift. I've got a trolley, my handbag and coat, I'm not working clearly. I don't mind saying milk is aisle 7 or whatever, but ask me a long winded question, I explain I'm not actually working - you carry on asking. I tell you I'm not working and to find someone in the aisles who can help you. Really irritates me (I do have sympathy for the disabled/elderly of course and will always help a child)
This thread is cathartic

ineedamoreadultieradult · 27/03/2018 15:09

Me: Please can I have the first line of your address and postcode
Customer: 10 Main Street
Me: and your postcode please
Customer: over exaggerated sigh before finally giving me the postcode

It's two related things I've asked you for surely you didn't forget the second thing in the time it took you to tell me the first thing!!!

Also "I'm not having a go at you but..." then proceed to swear and shout at me.

Teutonic · 27/03/2018 15:15

In my job I ask family if they could bring a photo of their recently deceased so I can make them look as presentable as possible for family or friends who may wish to view the deceased.
Sometimes they will turn up with a photo of their mum that was taken some 50 years ago with a head full of dark hair etc. Then get upset because I've not made her look exactly like that. I'm an embalmer, not a miracle worker!

Original poster

BigPinkBall · 27/03/2018 16:06

Norm seems to be account number, then sort code, so I can see why people do this.

I’ve worked for 3 banks and it’s always been sort code followed by account number, it’s printed on the cards and the statements in that order.

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 27/03/2018 16:08

I agree, sorting code followed by account number is the normal way around.

UnicornsandRainbows1 · 27/03/2018 19:09

I work in a small call center with different ones dotted around the country. Actually had some joyous guy complete fucker who got transferred to me (I was in the correct area to deal with his crap) who proceeded to tell me that all I had done was take a tracking number and tell him what was on the screen. No mate I'm telling you the information who the last person you spoke to clearly didn't have the balls to tell you. I bet they did seem lovely and helpful because they could just pass you along twat

He then proceeded to shout at me and eventually hung up. I can't change what our contract with the seller put your order through on, funnily enough we can only go by what they've done, whether you think or told you differently is irrelevant.

The amount of people who talk to you like crap because it's not what they want to hear. I really can't change the facts I'm telling you and I am actually a fellow human being, not some robot with no feelings.

UnicornsandRainbows1 · 27/03/2018 19:14

Oh I've also had a couple of 'I used do/do work for (insert sister company)'. Great, we're not that company so we do things differently here, thus you do not know the ins and outs of our procedure or company.

JBH316 · 27/03/2018 21:00

Work in a solicitors office, mainly criminal defence. Every week, there will be at least one complete tool ranting and raving about how they paid for the solicitors house/holiday/car/whatever so we should essentially be treating them like some kind of god. You are a drug addicted criminal who has never worked a day in your life. You, my friend, have paid for fuck all. My taxes on the other hand.......

RamblinRosie · 28/03/2018 02:03

I used to work in local government, I just loved the awkward squad who would demand that I did something "at once" because "I pay your salary".
No you don't, at best you pay £1 per year towards it! (I never said that, but I thought it). But you still got the service we were supposed to provide.

However, if you were polite, or even better nice, we'd send the necessary letters, then do loads more follow up than required.

whywhywhywhywhyyy · 28/03/2018 20:46

Thought of another - people bringing their kids to spend all their change (fine) but expecting me to count it all within five seconds while letting their kids mess up the piles I've made and scream and shout so I can't count. If you want me counting out £12.54 in change then give me a bloody chance!

As for how to get the tokens - if you want one you can ask and they'll give it. It's meant to be for people who buy the plastic bags, but I tended to give them to screaming kids (shuts them up amazingly), people who asked, and if I knew I was being assessed by my manager. Otherwise they were out for people to just take, it's a pain in the arse explaining to every other customer what they are when it says on the pot.

Freyanna · 29/03/2018 00:15

When I worked once there was a special offer on, 3 pairs of knickers for 2, on selected items.

Cue lots of ladies taking them from the non-offer selection and arguing until the were blue in the face to get 3 for 2.

kooshbin · 29/03/2018 22:26

I've just watched a documentary about Paddington Station. Most of it was about the effect of the Beast from the East, which resulted in the station being closed.

One of the reasons was because the concourse was dangerously slippery because of all the snow that had been blown in. One clip was of a man lecturing a member of the station staff about the marble flooring – "you wouldn't put marble flooring in a bathroom, would you!"

Well, not the staff member's decision about the concourse flooring; and, anyway, it's probably been there since the station was first built. With all that went on those few days of the Beast, I have to admire the composure of station staff who had to deal with people like that.

EastMidsMummy · 29/03/2018 22:52

All you miserable sales people are why internet shopping’s on the rise.