To have said something to Asda employee

[FantaLemon4]

I went food shopping late last night and decided to get fuel on my way back at an Asda express petrol station. I pulled in and I admit there were a couple of cones out at the front of the forecourt but not blocking the entire entrance (my usual petrol station normally closes everything off) and the pumps on the right hand side had out of order signs on them but the ones on the left didn't. There were also two cars parked up so I just assumed that side was open. I tried to put fuel in but after a few seconds realised it wasn't working, no harm done but before I'd even had the chance to put it back and get in my car, a man walked over, looked at me (no hi/hello) and said "there's a reason why the cones are out" in a really stern voice and pointed to the cones. You would have thought I’d murdered his entire family the way he looked at me and then walked off.

I think he expected me to just drive off so it took him by surprise when I turned around and shouted over the pump “there’s no need to be so rude”. He turned around and started arguing with me saying he wasn’t being rude, he was just telling me that they weren’t working. I told him he was rude by making a sarcastic comment when all he had to say was “it’s out of order”. Also looked at me like a piece of shit basically. We were arguing back and forth at this point and he shouted “whatever” at me and then walked back into the shop. I really don’t think he would have spoken to me like that had I been a man or with a man.

Honestly, was there any need for his reaction? I understand it was an inconvenience for him to get up and tell me, but clearly it was a genuine mistake. I wasn’t doing it for the fun of it or to piss him off. I just wanted to get bloody fuel. Also don’t buy the “but he’s probably on minimum wage” excuses. I don’t earn much more than minimum wage myself, also facing redundancy at the minute and generally just have a lot of shit going in my life but I don’t think that’s a reason to speak to people like shit, especially paying customers.

AIBU?

Let it go. It's not worth steaming over the day after.

I think Covid saw the end of customer service as we knew it, too much power and authority went to their heads and now now it's customer is always wrong/annoying/inconvenience/entitled etc.
Still want your money though.

Looking at your username, I'm assuming you're a man?
Thanks for sharing how you feel about woman.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. He sounds rude, you didn't need to start, and continue, arguing back. Also it was obviously closed so you gain an extra YABU point for stupidity.

Yeah this for me, it sounds like you made a mistake then deflected your embarrassment of this onto the employee because he didn’t use a tone you found acceptable.

It was something and absolutely nothing.

Really not worth thinking about now.

@Trickabrick I wasn't embarrassed, everyone makes mistakes right 🤷🏼‍♀️ it's just one of those things. I wasn't even bothered as I was about to get back in my car and go somewhere else. It just got my back up the way he spoke to me that's all.

Yes you should have realised the forecourt was shut but he was definitely rude to you. Especially the arguing back. I’d out in a complaint, he’s working in a customer facing role and representing the company. He behaved like a dick and you’re right he probably wouldn’t have spoken to a man like that.

You should have taking his photo or better still recorded the event and put it on social media. I'm sure he'd apologise then.

You made a mistake. You should have apologised.

He sounds arrogant but I don't think I could bring myself to make a complaint in case he lost his job and had a child at home who then suffered.
I agree he was a bit anal in his approach but what a thing to lose your job over, especially if he's on his last warning and that ended up being the last straw.

We have no idea how he would have spoken to you if you were a man because you aren't.
He could have been politer but you were rude to him as well, as for looking at you like shit I have been accused of that quite a few times but its just my face unfortunately👺

Goodness, the replies on here and the rush to put the boot in.

Pretty much all the petrol stations here will partially cordon off half the pumps, the ones not in use have a cone and do not use signs. But the others are free to be used. If the tanker is there, then the entrance is coned off and it's obviously not in use.
I'd have done exactly the same as the PP.

And yes, the employee was being a sarky bugger. I'd have ignored and then ruminated all the way home thinking up sharp retorts that I could have said.

I would have thought he was a bit rude, I will watch out more then moved on

@intheloft I'm not going to put in a complaint, I was just having a moan on here lol. I wouldn't want anyone to lose their job either, I just think he needs some training on how to speak to customers that all.

He was really rude. I've been spoken to like that on several occasions as well and the intention is to put me in my place and make me feel as stupid as they think I am (sorry, s**d).

Covid didn't help but customer service was generally crap long before it.

He was prob fed up of telling people you prob weren't the first. We all have bad days. Don't dwell on it.

If lots of people were doing it, it kind of proves there weren't enough cones!

Yes he was rude, and no I don't think you were unreasonable to call him out on it.

I suspect his rudeness was probably out of frustration of people ignoring the cones...I'm guessing you weren't the first person to have done that that day!

Which begs the question of how obvious and effective the cones were at demonstrating the pumps were closed.

From what you've said it's not like you got out of your car, moved the cones, then carried on so there must have been at least a car's width gap. Not very effective imo!

Cones?! All we get is a yellow plastic tag.

He didn’t need to interact with you at all, the cones were there for a reason - a pretty obvious one imo. But you proceeded anyway. He probably gets a ton of abuse throughout the day for having to go out and tell people to stop buggering about.

YANBU I’ve seen petrol stations that do this, they should block the entrance properly with cones not just put a measly few out to the side.

It was unnecessary for him to be rude and I agree it’s unlikely he would have said that if you were a man.

Presumably his shift was at an end, he'd probably been dealing with rude customers all day and possibly thought you were going to go in the shop and complain because the pumps weren't working so decided to tell you the petrol station was closed. Also you have things going on in your life he probably does too.
You were rude and so was he but you were in the wrong, why did you think there were any cones out? And then why argue with him, knowing you were wrong? And I have seen men being spoken to rudely and aggressively, pretty sure that even if you were a man he'd still have said the cones were out for a reason

I mean - maybe you were not the first person to do it - maybe he only had 2 cones because the rest have been stolen, i dont know, but you were rude, and you knew that probably cones out meant it was closed, you chanced it, and he got annoyed. YABU.

No…it’s because it’s obviously shut.