Woman complained to manager about DD

[Bearaque]

So my DD works at McDonalds whilst she’s at sixth form and today she’s come home upset. She was working at the window, handing out the food.

This woman made a complaint to the manager that DD didn’t say a single word to her or look at her when she passing her the drink and food and that she was too busy talking to her friend. Complained to manager who had words with them both.

DD said this was true but at the end of the day it’s McDonald’s, it’s full of teenagers, as long as you get your food quickly does it even matter what the service is like?!

I'm sure we can all remember what is what like during lockdown when we had extremely limited contact with other people. For a lot of people, this was one of the most difficult aspects of lockdown and the thing we remember most about that time

But for people who live alone, lack of contact can be the norm. Contact with shop staff and hospitality services is sometimes all we have. A chirpy greeting and a smile can make all the difference to our day, trust me

Is it too much to ask?

Please share this with your DD, OP

Presumably your daughter is now looking for a job which does not involve getting feedback. Good luck with that.

OK “mum”

Well I can totally see who she takes after. You are so rude.

You say a few times it’s Mc Donald’s! And ….

Lesson learned for dd not to be so rude.

Hmmm….Yes she was right to complain. Nothing you’ve said suggests that your daughter would have reacted well to a face to face complaint from a customer- in fact I suspect she would have been very rude and made the situation worse.

you sound very young and defensive OP

It's a good life lesson. You defending her does her no favours. The best lessons are ones that upset us as these are the ones we remember in the future. If you tell her she was ok to chat, she'll keep thinking it's ok to do. It's bad customer service whatever age employee you are.

Wow you’re being quite feisty aren’t you OP? For no real reason too.

as long as you get your food quickly does it even matter what the service is like?!

Yes, it does matter. Your daughter works in a customer facing role to provide customer service. Why shouldn’t we matter what the service is like? Paying customers aren’t wrong to expect a simple ‘hi, would you like any sauce, bye.’ It’s really the bare minimum.

The fact that you said the customer should have just spoken to your daughter instead of complaining to a manager is telling really. You’re focusing all your energy on the customer and not your daughter who was actually in the wrong….

Just tell your daughter to be polite to customers in work. It's a lesson that will be valuable in life.

I expect polite customer service in macdonlds , Greggs and Selfridges. Manners cost nothing

Also guessing your daughter was pretty rude if the women took the time to complain

I'm afraid I'm with the consensus. Manners maketh men and women.

Well this tells me everything about why the daughter has this appalling attitude.

What's your AIBU?
What have you said to your DD?
I think McDonald's are good employers, if your dd wants to keep her job she needs to listen to her manager.

She was right to complain.

Your dd was wrong to be so blasé and rude but it's a learning point for her.

You are wrong for being so rude You should be a better example

She needs to learn to have respect for the customers. She is there to serve them not to chat to her pal.

It's pretty obvious where your daughter's attitude comes from.

How would you feel if a customer was rude to your daughter as she only works at McDonald's?

I've known lots of friends)family have their first jobs there and the first basic part of training is being polite to the customers, telling them to have a nice day etc. Her manager should be pulling her up on rude behaviour as she's not fulfilling the brief of her job.

I'd understand your daughter being upset if she was told off for something she didn't do but she admits she did this and sees nothing wrong with it. I have a DC that will be looking for jobs in the next few years and I'd absolutely tell her she was in the wrong if she behaved like this.

I hope this is the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the mum, and we're just seeing where the daughter got her attitude problems from.

As a teen I worked in a tiny bistro in a working class town. It was the smallest place but the owner had had a long career in hospitality back in the day , so he was fastidious about good wine, good music, good lighting , good food and above all else, good service. To us it was all a laugh and he had delusions of grandeur but jobs were thin on the ground so we towed the line for fear of being sacked.
I had a customer who dined alone every evening for the ‘early doors ‘ special , and liked to chat and tell me about his travels .
On my last night there I told him I was off to university, and he offered to make a few calls to help me find a job in the new city, as he had connections in hospitality.
Turns out he’d been a master patissier in his day and had worked for everyone from royalty to celebrities. His connections in the industry were unreal and he lined me up with the most extraordinary job , which led to many years of incredible opportunities.
I always tell my children about this because every customer has the potential to change your life , and you theirs.

Both you and your daughter have no manners. Most decent humans by that age know social manners - she obviously has none (learned from you), and you obviously have none and are not a nice person based off of your replies. I can't believe you actually came to a public forum to complain your dd got reprimanded for being rude.

You are being defensive because you know that GoingRoundInTriangularCircles was right.

Regardless of where you work, whether it is a menial NMW job or you are a CEO, it is never OK to treat customers with contempt. It's just basic manners.

If I was the McDonalds manager I would expect my staff to be polite to all the cutomers, and I would want to know if they had been rude. McDonalds don't want a reputation of only employing rude staff.

And stressedespresso is right. The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.

That's such an awesome story!

I think they are expected to suck it up when a customer is rude to them. My daughter certainly did.

It doesn't matter whether one buys something from the pound shop or an Hermes handbag in Bond Street.

The person serving should smile and say please and thank you. As should the customer. I always treat others well and courteously and expect it to be mutual.

The customer was right to complain as basic good manners are very important. In the UK they require eye contact, a smile and please and thank you. The manager was right to raise it with your dd. It is reprehensible that your dd does not know this in the first place and that you are not reinforcing the manager's telling off.

@Bearaque you need to raise your bar in relation to your expectations of customer service and your dd's delivery of service.

@Cabbageandcoconut something similar happened to me. I have always treated customers and suppliers with respect and politeness. As a result, in over 40 years in the same industry I have only had one official job interview (and that was for a promotion in the same company) because I have been headhunted each time.

As they say, be careful who you are rude to on the way up because you never know who you will meet on the way down.