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?!

And this is why we have a huge part of today's generation so useless and can't cope with anything. Your daughter was damn rude and corrected in her place of work. So instead of feeling embarrassed that at 16 your daughter has no common sense on how to behave in a workplace you complain about the manager, degrade the job and still fight that you're right.

You know those pathetic adults who can't manage with a little bit of life's ups and down's, this is how it starts.

Plenty of teenagers know how to smile and be polite to customers when working in places like McDonalds. There is no excuse really - all of these young people have experienced friendly service elsewhere and should know how to reciprocate it. But most young people I meet don't do as you describe.

It is a service job so I'm afraid you've got to learn to give service, yes, even at a McDonalds, perhaps especially at McDonalds. If someone's had a hard day, having some attentive service and a smile can make it a tiny bit better - feeling like someone serving you is treating you as a sort of inconvenience they have to deal because they're being paid and paying more attention to talking to someone else can feel pretty depressing.

She needs to see it as useful feedback rather than an attack on her.

Do you think that McDonalds customers are less deserving of service? Your DD won’t suddenly become more service oriented in future jobs if she doesn’t learn so in this job.

The only response to your DD relaying this story should have been, good on the customer for expecting curtesy from you and highlighting when she wasn’t shown it.

A lot of Health Care Assistants in the National Health Service are on National Minimum Wage.

You could have asked for clarification but instead you went for being rude. Most of your replies come across as striking out at others rather than taking responses on the chin. The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree has it?

You both should consider jobs at Karen's Diner. You'd make a fortune in tips.

I'll always remember the funeral director at my DP's funeral . . . as I got out of the car when they dropped me home at the end of the day he said very gently "Now, you take very good care of yourself"

I'm absolutely certain that this is what he said to every person he dealt with, day in and day out, but he said it so sincerely

It might not sound like much but it can really make all the difference . . . .

None of us know what sort of day the lady who made the complaint may have had, but it could be that she had had a horrendous day and a smile and a few words may have helped her

I do so hope that OP & her DD take on board all the helpful advice that has been shared on this thread

YABVU. I probably wouldn't have complained myself but it's part of customer service to be polite. Valuable feedback for your DD. I work in customer services (phone and email not face to face) and we get daily surveys back from customers as to how we've performed. It's the job.

Your daughter was obviously rude. I would be concerned that her lack of common sense and critical thinking skills would affect her job search in the future. and possibly education too.

The most mature thing to do would be to accept she needs to improve and work on it. As with all jobs we have annual reviews, goals and KPI’s to meet.

You both should consider jobs at Karen's Diner. You'd make a fortune in tips.

😂😂 👏👏👏

Maybe the company doesn’t think they pay her to talk to friends. If she wants to work in a factory then I’m sure it’s not an issue to work and chat. But customer facing is just that. Ridiculous thread. Good on the woman for complaining.

Perfectly put. No wonder the daughter has a shit attitude.

She needs to learn better manners. End of.

All she’s got to say is “enjoy your food” and give a half smile.

Wow. Yup. You can see where the attitude comes from. What will she do when “even McDonald’s” won’t employ her?

Your dd’s attitude/behaviour to that customer must have been exceptionally bad for them to complain.
I have encountered some lovely teens working at McDonald’s, friendly and polite.
Its really not difficult.
If your dd struggles with the absolute basic of manners perhaps she needs to rethink her job.
she messed up, she was reprimanded, and you’re moaning she got upset!
because it’s ‘just McDonald’s’.
just wow really.
if my teen came home complaining about being told off for something they did that was rude and ignorant I’ll tell them what did they expect! But then I’d also hope I’d raised them better than that.
if she got upset over being called out for something she actually DID, and that was a basic minimum standard for that sort of job then god help her in other jobs she may get.

You’re doing her no favours at all by pampering to that.

Gosh yeah. Very good point

The kid sounds like an entitled brat. Anyone who is in customer service knows they need to speak and converse with customers. She sounds like a right pain in the arse and so does the mother!

I'm not sure what you're asking in your OP?
Your daughter was rude to a customer, customer complained and her manager picked her up on it. That's a manager's job.

What wage would you expect a sixteen year old, with presumably no experience, to be getting?

It takes very little effort to smile at a customer and say here's your food, enjoy, or something along those lines. It is rude to chat with her colleague and barely acknowledge the customer, checking everything is okay with the order etc. She probably feels embarrassed after being told off but it is important for her to understand basic customer service.

It doesn’t matter where your DD is working at all. She was still rude. If she’s serving she has to be attentive to the customer, not chatting to her friend and even acknowledging the customer.

The customer was right to complain to the Manager.

i complained once when I was greeted by a “yes” by a teenager working in a pharmacy. No “hello - how can I help”, but just “yes”. The Manager was mortified. And I would have been mortified it if was my teenager being so rude.

You need to side with the Manager here and explain to your DD why she was complained about. It’s the only way she’s going to learn so there won’t be a next time. If you side with her she’ll know it’s ok.

This is why we have such a problem with some youngsters at the moment. Back chatting in school, being rude to teachers, being aggressive etc. Because the parents don’t reprimand bad behaviour / they think their child can do no wrong.

On this occasion your DD was WRONG and needed to be told.

I don’t think this is anyone’s mum. This reads like a teenager. ‘… that deep…’ is a very in thing to say at the moment. As a teacher I’ve had ‘it’s only homework, it isn’t early that deep.’ a fair few times this term.

Also not knowing NMW - national minimum wage etc… this isn’t an adult but a whiny, self obsessed teenager who thinks working in a fast food restaurant is beneath her and is miffed she has been called up on her bad manners.

In general, the UK is shocking at customer service. My view is don't work in a customer-facing hospitality environment if you have no character and conversational skills.
That includes Mcdonalds.

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?!

Well it obviously does matter to some customers.

With an attitude like that, your DD doesn't deserve to work in retail, or in any job TBH.

I can’t find the original post to reply to but also, it’s not minimum wage. A lot of people are really down on McDonald’s but the staff work fucking hard and deal with abuse a lot of the time. Part of the reason they’re treated badly by customers is that they’re considered to be menial idiots by some, people like OP’s daughter (and OP) perpetuate that myth and by virtue maintain the cycle of poor treatment. However, the reason they’re paid more than minimum wage is because they’re valued by the company and the managers understand that they’re good staff and they encourage good service.