When tradesmen call you 'darling'

[Marie0001]

I just had a call from a Dyno Rod appointment - they are coming out today to fix an issue and the man was perfectly polite but then proceeded to call me darling on the phone. This does make me feel uncomfortable! AIBU?

This does make me feel uncomfortable! AIBU
Well if that's how you feel, that's how you feel, I guess.
Context is everything though. If it is everyday conversation, I don't have a problem with it.
Women use it as well but if it is said by someone to patronise or put me down , that's different.

TomeTome
In Devon they call you “my lover”. A bit unexpected the first time 🤣🤣🤣

I call them ‘sweetcheeks’ or ‘dearest love’ back and when they look taken aback I say ‘I thought we were on those kinds of terms!’ No one does it twice.

I hate it when people call me love, darling, sweetheart or anything like that unless it's a nickname or from a close friend/family member.
I especially hate it when men do it but also women.

I just suck it up and generally don't say anything if it's someone I won't meet again so a trade or someone in a shop. The exception is if there's any issue/complaint/dispute and I will correct them. Then it feels loaded and rude and not just someone being 'friendly'.

I had a dispute with our pet insurance provider (over our dog who had recently died) and the person handling it repeatedly called me 'love' whilst being a dick to me so I told her to stop, then again and then I told her she was being over personal and needed to learn that people might not like this during a complaints process.

I've done lots of customer service/phone work when I was younger and we were all told not to use pet names or be over familiar as it can really get people's backs up.

They absolutely do in Yorkshire! Men call each other love. I promise! Sourtherners often find this hard to believe though

@CurlewKate I’m in Leeds and men definitely do here. Bus drivers do it daily, as to the men in shops I frequent every day.

Well it’s better than being called cunt or twat I guess

@TorviShieldMaiden Fair enough. Must be entirely different bits of Yorkshire to where my large extended family live. Because the last time this came up I checked and it had never happened to any of them. Oh, except for someone who remembered someone serving him in a pub calling him "love" in the 1950s.

I always say it back...

But how do you say it, in a comical way where you're obviously sending him up?

I've had cheeky young lads in the gym call me love and I tend to respond with a gruff cockney 'awight mate'