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?!

This. ^ And it's not just teenagers who do this! I get this in Tesco, and Sainsburys too, when I am paying for my shopping at a checkout. Members of staff (often up to 55-60 y.o.) engaging in conversation with each other, and laughing and joking, and sharing private jokes, whilst completely ignoring me.

It happens sometimes in Aldi too when I am at the checkout; staff members talking to one another via their 'walkie talkie' earpiece thing, and barely acknowledging me! I return the favour when they do this (when any shop staff do this type of thing,) and ignore the fuck out of them too. No thank you, or goodbye, or anything. But I don't complain. I think I might start complaining though, as it's getting worse!

@Bearaque YABVU. Your daughter's behaviour was unacceptable, and you are being unreasonable defending her! Good on the woman for complaining about her. 'Oh but it's only McDonalds' is a ghastly attitude. The woman was a CUSTOMER. It's easy to see why your daughter is behaving like this if that is your attitude.

Agree with all the comments. Can't believe you are trying to justify her behaviour at work.

On the flip side there are some young people in retail that seem to have maturity above their years.

Of course it matters!

If she thinks so little of her place of employment as to consider customers unworthy of common decency she should leave and work elsewhere.

Manners cost nothing.

I think the customer who complained is likely to be very rude herself, I don't think a nice normal kind person would complain in those circumstances at all.

Once the complaint was raised though of course the manager would have words with them, it doesn't sound like a big deal at all though.

I pulled up outside a KFC drive-thru recently and the lady inside the booth was asleep! I kind of felt bad waking her up, so I knocked gently and she woke up and we just laughed about it. She was about my age (so late middle-age) and hadn't had a customer for a while so had had 40 winks accidentally. I think that's less rude than your daughter- in Costa, they have to make eye contact and say something to you, their staff always seem incredibly pleasant and upbeat.

Customer complained about my daughter’s shit customer service because she gave shit customer service. It’s not fair though because they’re all shit and none of the customers complained about the others.

Is that about it?

It's clear where your daughter got her appalling manners from. Have a think why you got all these responses and why the woman complained. Could it be she's in the wrong?

My 18 yr old has worked there 2 years. She finds her managers fair. They expect staff to work but will step in when customers are being rude.
Talking to your mate while serving is rude.

It’s a service job she’s being paid to do, so of course it right to address a legitimate customer complaint,

If she’s not mature enough to work in a customer facing job she shouldn’t be working there.

Teenagers aren’t the only ones McDonalds caters to so she needs to adapt to serving older customers as well.

Of course it's right to complain.....and maybe your daughter isn't being as honest with you as she could be?

OP’s DD was hired in a customer facing role, where being polite and pleasant is a massive part of the job. Instead of doing this she rudely ignored the customer and decided to neglect her job to gossip with a friend. There is nothing rude about a customer making a valid complaint about awful service, if anything this will be a good wake up call for both OP and her DD. A well needed attitude change will benefit her in future jobs. No matter where you work manners are not optional.

Do you work, OP?

Of course it matters! Jesus, the entitlement. I hate when staff act like this. I walk out. Clearly, they don't want my money.

Sometimes I read mumsnet and think 'are people really this insane?' This is one of those moments. Your child was reprimanded at work for being unprofessional in front of paying customers. Fair enough. What is her boss supposed to do? Then you come to post about this on a forum because you are so enraged by it? What? How do you cope with life?

My local MDs is staffed with lovely adults happy to have the job while kids are at school earning the same crappy wage they always serve you happily and say stuff like enjoy your coffee with a smile ....maybe some teenagers are spoilt by their mummies

Never come across a member of McDonald's staff that behaved like that, they are always polite, to the point where I imagine it's part of the training.

The attitude that it's only McDonald's is appalling, people support their families in these jobs, it isn't all ignorant teens like your dd.

@Bearaque i’d be annoyed too if I was a customer. It’s VU to use the fact they’re teenagers working at McDonalds to try and excuse it too - it’s a customer facing role and it was bad customer service. What do they expect?

I believe only rude people would complain about that. There's no changing my mind on that!

She's rude. If she was my child I'd tell her I hope she took notice of the manager and doesn't do it again.

You're enabling her bad behaviour - what happens when it's somewhere else?!

Even if its is macdonalds I still expect good customer service if I'm spending my well earned money there

This pretty much sums it up, @Bearaque

OP, in the course of a day your average McDoof will have everything from families on restricted budgets coming in for a treat to multimillionaires calling in for a quick coffee or snack on the way to a meeting.

Each and every one of them is entitled to respect and excellent customer service, and (your and) your teenager's woeful attitude is not what sets the standard here.

If you would only realise it, she is being offered a wonderful opportunity to interact with all of the public, and learn how to serve them appropriately and communicate with them. This is sheer gold in terms of life experience and transferable skills for work.

Raise your game.

"Yes she shouldn’t have been rude but the woman could have just said that, she didn’t need to go complain to a manager."

It isn't the customer's job to get involved in managing staff - she did the right thing to go to the manager.
If the daughter hasn't learned how to behave with people it's time she did - being at MacDonalds does not make rudeness ok.

Pretty much exact same thing happened to me as a sixth former working at Sainsbury's. I was on the till and spent my time chatting to the bag packing boy. Customer phoned in and complained. I was very upset as I got an informal warning. I am late 40s and still remember it very clearly. It was a good lesson.

McD staff are usually friendly

In the drive thru near me, they say hi and have a nice day etc.

whilst I do agree the complainer might have been a bit petty, I bet that she wasn’t the only customer to have been completely ignored by your dd/her friend. Most people wouldn’t even get out of their car to complain. Your dd might have done it to this woman more than once and to several other customers. She’s being paid to do a job facing customers. I think it’s fair to expect her not to ignore customers.