Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

To be pissed off that I was accused of discrimination against disabled!

20 replies

lilacclaire · 22/02/2008 18:42

It was at work and I know I shouldn't take it personally, but am so annoyed!!
Basically was told that me AND my company were discriminating against a disabled person as we do not accept direct debits as a form of repayment [hmmm]

We do not do direct debit, so we do not have to store peoples account details.

We do however do standing order so they can happily have our account details.

If someone could tell me why this is discrimination I will happily phone the old bastard back on Monday and apologise

Sorry, bad day !!

OP posts:

JingleyJen · 22/02/2008 18:43

YANBU
they were probably having a bad day and sadly passing it on to you..

edam · 22/02/2008 18:44

Can't think what sort of disability would leave you perfectly capable of setting up a DD but render you incapable of dealing with a standing order. Suspect was just an angry man looking for an excuse to have a go. Unless someone else knows better...

2shoes · 22/02/2008 18:44

sorry don't get the connection between being disabled and direct debits.

Tortington · 22/02/2008 18:45

your being oldest there - watch it

coastalmum · 22/02/2008 18:46

Friday is the day of the week that people love to complain.

I work in a complaints dept, the most outragous and unsubstantiated complaints always come in on Fridays.

Lulumama · 22/02/2008 18:46

becasue if they are disabled in some way, they might not be able to get to the bank or wherever to pay a bill....might be housebound for exmaple

needmorecoffee · 22/02/2008 18:47

if you can do one you can do the other. Unless its that extremely rare 'standing order syndrome'

Original poster

lilacclaire · 22/02/2008 18:48

Sorry Custardo, that should f b.

OP posts:

Tnog · 22/02/2008 18:53

I guess as a debt collector you're not exactly going to be perceived by all your customers in a very good light, disabled or otherwise.

like you say, you had a bad day and I 'd imagine for the disabled customer everyday is going to be quite difficult one way or another.

Hopefully they can sort out a standing order.

MsHighwater · 22/02/2008 18:59

It's true that a lot of people who complain about discrimination against disabled people (or any other group) really just mean "you won't do what I want and that must be wrong". Did you "customer" not elaborate on why he thought so?

Could be worse. He could have cited his "Human Rights"!

flowerybeanbag · 22/02/2008 19:01

That's a hurtful thing to be accused of, what a shame. Sounds as though he was annoyed he couldn't get what he wanted and unfortunately had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Original poster

lilacclaire · 22/02/2008 19:10

Yip flowery it was pretty hurtful, I guess that why i got so annoyed about it, I usually bend over backwards to try and accomodate people and their circumstances(yes, i know i know, but we're not all bad)!

Ms HighWater he would not elaborate and I did ask why, just that he was going to report me to the discrimination against disabled something which I told him to go right ahead and do.

Lulumama, his legs work perfectly, he was/is blind but his daughter was on hand to help but said she couldn't go out during daytime as she works nights (what do other night shift workers do?)

Now im sounding like a witch, ugh, glass of wine and feet up me thinks, tis friday after all.

OP posts:

MsHighwater · 22/02/2008 19:14

I would hazard a guess that if he had a good reason (and I can't think of one offhand either) he would have been able to tell you what it was.

I have had similar accusations at work but, since I work in a local authority providing a service to disabled people, it kind of goes with the territory. The Human Rights thing comes up from time to time, as well.

Enjoy your wine. (we're overdue a trip to Majestic)

2shoes · 22/02/2008 19:17

nmc you are on a roll today

needmorecoffee · 22/02/2008 19:24

Do you think disabled people are more complainy than ablies?
I think we have to fuss louder to get stuff and deal with more stupid obstructive rules than ablies generally encounter in their day to day lives (apaprt from the Child Tax credit people. They really are in a class of their own...)

effinL · 22/02/2008 19:25

I had a solicitors letter the other day because a person referred to my work scheme moved house after his conviction and didn't tell us. The solicitor thought we were denying his client an opportunity by not writing to him at his new address.
Were we supposed to have consulted the heavens or a psychic??
Bloody legal aid.

ChorusLine · 22/02/2008 19:43

You could say i was accused today by my whole team - we have currently been displaced due to a restructure - a lady in our team has a disability and she has applied for a job and was nervous about submitting this. I tried to give her some support by saying 'because your disabled at least you know your application will be prioritised' . I obviously meant displaced as internal apps from displaced people do get priority....

I was mortified, luckily i have worked with her for over 5 years so she knew what i meant. So all afternoon the team have been taking the p**s. To top it off I work in HR!!!

MsHighwater · 22/02/2008 20:02

needmorecoffee, who were you addressing with your question?

I don't think that disabled people are more "complainy" than anyone else. My "customers" are exclusively disabled people and their families so that's the nature of the complaints I have to deal with. Also, I work in a public service so everyone, disabled people included, pay for what I do out of their taxes (and Council Tax) but don't have the degree of control over the service they receive that they would like (or that anyone would like) so complaints, or at least a degree of dissatisfaction at least, are not that unusual.

Peachy · 22/02/2008 20:08

Oh I complain a lot more (on behalf of the kids) than non SN famillies- but you have to. Its just the way.

SO- supposed to be set up and managed by your bank, so you have to go in and fill the forms in.

DD- set up by the receiving end so you can do them by post and the receiptor manages the account.

or at least was when I worked in low finance many years ago.

needmorecoffee · 22/02/2008 20:41

it was a genarl question. I'm disabled myself and a wheelchair user.

Flip