To think that Covid has become a convenient excuse for poor service ?

[Mellonsprite]

For some firms (not all) ?
Just come back from a couple of days away in the Uk. Lots of car parks still closed, public toilets not opened, Not many inside activities like museums and castles re-opened yet, the officious-ness of the clipboard wielding all in the name of Covid? The hotel Meal meal (Prepaid) was cancelled at last minute, then acting like refunding my fee paid upfront was highly generous of them, apparently they’d ‘mis-calculated due to Covid’. Neglecting the fact that it left us completely high and dry, unable to speak to guest relations via email or phone. Bars closing at 9pm with staff asking customers can we pay up & leave!

My local GP surgery were awesome - I had a timed phonr appointment, GP agreed I needed a face to face appointment and booked me one for two days later. Within 4 days I was referred to the breast clinic. All was thankfully okay but can't fault my surgery.

Thames Water and Eon on the other hand, have been dire.

I have been trying to ring my water company for months to ask why they have stopped taking payments. There has been no problem with our water supply but I fear they will suddenly tell me we are hundreds of pounds in arrears and want it back in massive chunks. Their phone number states that they will not speak to customers unless it is an emergency (I.e. no water supply), and I haven't even able to find a way to get in touch by email or instant chat.

Yep, Sky!

Put up their shitty prices!

But you can't call the bastards because only emergencies for 4 fcg months.

And iD mobile, add to the list.

Sorry

Can I add my housing association?

Sorry, rant factor warning.

Furlonged - alongside legitimate aspects - also covid-code for doing FA. Not that they were doing much before in case of Sovereigh HA (if anyones' interested). Nothing got done unless you asked 10 times. Even then, zilch.

Yes for some businesses

Smaller business I think many are so overwhelmed by all the guidelines and many are trying their hardest to follow them, keep staff safe and customers safe but it’s a struggle as many people forget, less concerned about social distancing now they are wearing masks or have just relaxed a little too much into our new way of life. It must be exhausting for some shop/restaurant owners to keep reminding customers to keep in mind how they have set up their business

How some are managing I really don’t know.
I feel desperately sorry as so many will struggle for a long time

I didn’t have to call them thankfully but apparently Virgin in lockdown were only speaking to key workers by telephone. Is no one else entitled to the service they pay for then?

Obviously Madame. I mean, cop on, whats the prob?

Just to add, I'm being ironic, in case I upset anyone .

Energy supplier for my flat I rent out have taken months to correct the bill this started pre lockdown.

Many many emails finally corrected (basically billing my tenant and myself for use) the they sent me a bill for late payment charges what these late payment charges relate to have all been deleted from the system as they were paid by the tenant

@GlassStar

Yep, Sky!

Put up their shitty prices!

But you can't call the bastards because only emergencies for 4 fcg months.

And iD mobile, add to the list.

Sorry

Same with BT. Early August got an email saying they were changing the package and increasing the price, but that we could phone to cancel or change the package to avoid the price hike. Of course, they're completely impossible to contact. What kind of idiot makes a decision to change package and invite people to phone at the same time their call centres are closed and they've withdrawn the live chat feature? Absolutely hopeless.

Not sure about lockdown but sky almost stalked me once I left. 4/5 calls a week asking why ide left.

Dvla over 500 phone calls to them (since beginning of August) and only 3 connected. The rest of the time it just said line busty.
Another 30/40 minute wait to actually speak to someone which tbf were all lovely when I finally got through.

I contacted Thames Water on Facebook and I wrote an actual letter to E.on

Haven't read the whole thread but I needed to speak to the DWP a couple of weeks ago and ended up having to take a day's holiday due to them only being available 9-3.30.

Understand a few changes at the beginning of lockdown whilst new processes being set up, but months later?? If you can be available until 3.30 you can be available until 5?

Royal Mail. Deliveries taking time or not coming at all. Our local parcel collection office is now only open 7am-9am 'due to Covid' yet the card they put through the door says they're open normal times - something I only discovered when I went to pick up my parcel on Wednesday, when they weren't open at all (the card said they were open 7am-8pm)

Due to corona virus we will be withdrawing our service on weekends

Name changed as outing.
I work for a high street bank and from my own experience, the opening hours are what they are for several reasons. At first they were changed to allow staff to not have to travel during peak times. Now it’s more a logistical decision.
Our branch is several staff members down for different reasons (shielding/maternity/bereavement for e.g.) and if we are open 10-2 we do not need a break during that time. We are, however expected to work til 5 but can all take break at same time once branch is shut. Once opening hours extend, so does our entitlement to a break during those hours. We can’t take our breaks at the same time (we never have but obviously now there’s the added issue of social distancing and trying to manage that for customers as well) so we will have to stagger them.
If we’ve got 6 members of staff entitled to an hour’s break (in the case of normal opening hours) that’s 6 hours that we are a staff member down, so pretty much the whole day. Now add Saturday opening and those staff working Saturday now need a day off in the week. Also consider the staff that suddenly need to isolate because they or a member of their household have symptoms. If they test positive that potentially means branch closure for 2 weeks.
We aim to have two staff on the counter and 2 out the front to help customers who don’t need the counter. A call to fraud can take an hour or more, a bereavement/POA takes around half an hour. In most cases these can be done from home. It’s a very impersonal experience in the branch right now, but understandably, customers come to branch.
We try to see these customers in the office but if there are several people all with complex transactions, this will inevitably hold things up (the queue being the main issue). We try to book these customers so they can be seen with as little impact on other customers as possible.
There are also regulatory/risk elements that we HAVE to comply with. This may mean a member of staff has to come away from the counter/desk. It is full-on all.the.time. and we really are trying our best.
We were open throughout lockdown and considered ‘key workers’ but not with any of the recognition.
We cancelled all face-to-face appointments but still dealt with bereavements and Power of Attorneys as they are essential. We had little to no PPE, as I’m sure many places experienced.
Then we had to become Covid secure so that shielding staff could return safely. This means cleaning everything to within an inch of it’s life between each customer, own stationary, only one person in staff room at a time etc etc. We still often have to buy our own cleaners because there’s a shortage.
At the start of lockdown I enjoyed my work. I really felt we were helping customers and they appreciated us being open. Now, currently on annual leave, the thought of returning is making me feel physically sick. We are not robots or wizards. We are human beings. Please treat us as such.

I went into metro bank soon after initial lockdown had lifted. I had my DC with me but was not allowed to bring them into the bank (fair enough - they are 10 and 14... but not sure if it would apply to younger children, I wouldnt be happy leaving younger children outside, and my DH works full time) I wore a mask and waited to be let in, stood on the marked spaces on the floor etc. There were only 2 out of 5 cashier spaces open (again fine) ....but they were 2 next to each other! I couldnt understand why they had taken so many precautions with customers and yet instead of leaving an empty till/cashier space between the 2 staff, they were about a metre apart!

@NameChangr9000 We let young children in with a parent. If another adult is available we expect them all to wait outside.
We try to limit the amount of people in the banking hall but sometimes have to use a common sense approach.
With regards to the till positions, if there is a screen between staff and customers, then that’s ok. It may have just been that there were not enough staff to man others while carrying out other duties, or that these were best placed for another logistical reason (lower till for wheelchair access, or another till being opened blocked a passage in some way).
If there was no screen for staff or customers then that was silly 😛

@GlassStar Just found their Twitter feed and saw this................WTF!

twitter.com/GeaterMaria/status/1299082125568811011?s=20

YANBU. I went into John Lewis today to try and buy a pair of shorts for running.

The electronic doors, we're closed and I couldn't get in. I could see a few customers insude but couldn't work out how to get in! So I walked into the shopping centre where the main doors are and went in, only to be confronted by two staff members, who lectured me for a god 2 minutes about why those doors couldn't be used for entrance, only exit, and giving me complicated directions about going to an upper level in the mall, using this doors then coming down in the escalator again!

5 minutes later, I managed to get to the ground floor where the sports department used to be. All men's clothing now. So I approached two staff members doing nothing at the tills, and they basically laughed at me when they told me that sports clothing was "all online now". Quite the funny little double act they were.

What an utterly pointless exercise!

The DVLA has been mentioned a couple of times, not least by me as no driving licence means no DBS equals I can’t take up my new position working with kids without it. The major frustration was getting through on the phone but I bit the bullet, used the 7p a minute number, held for 30 minutes and spoke to someone but I spoke to them politely and they were polite back, I’m aware it’s not the individuals fault and feel disgusted at the abuse you guys are getting, no excuses for that 🌸

@crazy I mentioned the dvla too but again once I got through everyone I spoke to couldnt of been nicer.
Their website seems to have very limited information on how long to wait with covid before you ring up to enquire. I was told 6 weeks so rang after 10 weeks (even though website still saying 3 weeks) when you've got birth certificate, log books etc its nerve wracking wondering if the dvla have got them, have they been lost in the post. Like I say cant fault them when I spoke to them very polite and professional.

Yes! All of it shit. I barely leave the house, I'm sick of it .

Also, people's general behaviour - everyone has turned into an arsehole.