What grinds my gears...

[Tommy G]

4 minutes ago, String fellow said:

Bank and building society closures. Barclays in Market Harborough finally shut up shop last Friday, and a sign inside the branch advised its customers to instead use Nationwide, just down the road, for some of Barclays' services. So what have Nationwide done, now that they might be slightly busier? Decided to close on Mondays and Wednesdays!

What do you need to go into a branch for?

[marbles]

4 hours ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

Grown adults that rush to buy football shirts on release day.

 

 

 

When are we supposed to buy them?

 

um, asking for a friend (not my wife, cause I don’t have one)

[marbles]

2 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

If that doesn't apply to you then fine but for others it does so why does that matter?

Isn’t this the “What grinds my gears” thread, not the “is it okay with you if this grinds my gears” thread?

[ajthefox]

I'm finding it increasingly common that email salespeople are following up their emails with a certain tone, as if I owe them a reply because they've obtained my email and sent me spam.

 

Sometimes I reply if I'm feeling particularly courteous but it is spam, I'm not going to feel obliged to reply if they spam me more.

[Izzy]

10 minutes ago, ajthefox said:

I'm finding it increasingly common that email salespeople are following up their emails with a certain tone, as if I owe them a reply because they've obtained my email and sent me spam.

 

Sometimes I reply if I'm feeling particularly courteous but it is spam, I'm not going to feel obliged to reply if they spam me more.

I must get 4 or 5 a day of these.

If it’s an initial ‘cold’ email and I don’t know them from Adam, it’s an instant block sender from me.

[Foxdiamond]

52 minutes ago, marbles said:

Isn’t this the “What grinds my gears” thread, not the “is it okay with you if this grinds my gears” thread?

Just trying to take the grind away for a more peaceful way of thinking

[HighPeakFox]

1 hour ago, Tommy G said:

What do you need to go into a branch for?

Legalistic stuff - I've recently had stuff to do with a parent's finance, and it's a nightmare.

[Tommy G]

5 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

Legalistic stuff - I've recently had stuff to do with a parent's finance, and it's a nightmare.

Fair enough, thought you were going in to pay a cheque in!

[HighPeakFox]

4 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Fair enough, thought you were going in to pay a cheque in!

I wasn't your original correspondent, but I thought I'd give you a working example of why branches are needed.

Edited 2 August 2023 by HighPeakFox

[Footballwipe]

RE: Banks. What do you want them to do? It's just another example of a private industry cutting costs to maximise profits. There's no legal requirement for them to have a bank/BS open, and it's a capitalist industry. If there's not enough footfall they'll shut it.

 

Times changes unfortunately and it's rubbish for those who have to do more in order to reach a branch. It does baffle me when people are up in arms when their village Santander shuts even though it might see only about 300 people per week. That's in no way sustainable.

 

I'd quite like there to be some legislation so that mobile banks or hubs are open in villages and locations to cater for the needs of people, but while there's not businesses will cut their cloth accordingly

[Blarmy]

1 hour ago, ajthefox said:

I'm finding it increasingly common that email salespeople are following up their emails with a certain tone, as if I owe them a reply because they've obtained my email and sent me spam.

 

Sometimes I reply if I'm feeling particularly courteous but it is spam, I'm not going to feel obliged to reply if they spam me more.

I like it when they “swing back around” to something I completely ignored.  

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, Footballwipe said:

 

Times changes unfortunately and it's rubbish for those who have to do more in order to reach a branch. It does baffle me when people are up in arms when their village Santander shuts even though it might see only about 300 people per week. That's in no way sustainable.

 

Isn't it?

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/bank-profits-natwest-lloyds-hsbc-santander-barclays-b1059325.html

[String fellow]

3 hours ago, Tommy G said:

What do you need to go into a branch for?

To deposit cash and cheques, and recently I had to organise power of attorney, which is completely impossible to do without visiting a branch, armed with numerous documents. I believe that Barclays now only has two branches in the whole of Leicestershire and Rutland (Haymarket Leicester and Loughborough). All the others (20 odd) have gradually disappeared in recent years, much to the annoyance of many of the older generations, who don't necessarily have the confidence or computer skills to do every financial transaction on-line. My own confidence in on-line banking was severely shaken a few years ago when I almost fell victim to a scam. Fortunately, Barclays security system stopped the transaction going through, because it was deemed suspicious.  

[Parafox]

6 hours ago, TJQuik said:

People who complain about customer service workers

 

6 hours ago, Izzy said:

Customer service workers have my upmost respect. I always try to be civil and courteous when dealing with them.

 

Often they’re paid a pittance and hamstrung by inadequate company procedures and policies.

 

I tend to find the nicer I am with them, the more often I get the result I wanted.

 

6 hours ago, bovril said:

 

In my experience a relatively large minority of them are belligerent and deliberately difficult. And often deserving of complaints. I think the whole "I want to talk to the manager" Karen meme is a bit of a psyop to shame people into accepting increasingly awful customer service.

 

However I'd probably agree that they are not helped by company policies and the working environment. 

 

I know this is a relatively rare experience but, a woman and her partner came into our charity shop (Air Ambulance, FWIW) and selected several items of clothing all priced at £3:95, the standard price for women's and men's tops, plus a couple of other thing

 

She literally chucked them all on the counter, in a heap. I tilled it up and it came to around £15:00. She asked if there was a better price. I said no. It's the price on the label.

 

She called me a name, told me to **** the charity and stormed off.

 

Also we had a woman come in and browse, then said she needed the toilet, did we have one. I said it was staff only as it wasn't on the shop floor. She swore at me and said she'd never use our charity ever again.

 

Let's hope these types of people appreciate the helicopter if they're ever in serious need at the roadside.

 

Fortunately the vast majority of customers are lovely.

Edited 2 August 2023 by Parafox

[Raj]

The Mrs had to deposit a cheque shes had for a few weeks at a Barclays.

Nearest one shut down last year so she went to Melton Road at 2.30.

Opening hours are 10 til 2!!!

Now she has to go into town and give Sir Soulsby a wad of cash to park for an hour forvtge privilege.

Edited 2 August 2023 by Raj

[Raj]

2 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

 

 

I know this is a relatively rare experience but, a woman and her partner came into our charity shop (Air Ambulance, FWIW) and selected several items of clothing all priced at £3:95, the standard price for women's and men's tops.

 

She literally chucked them all on the counter, in a heap. I tilled it up and it came to £12:90. She asked if there was a better price. I said no. It's the price on the label.

 

She called me a name, told me to **** the charity and stormed off.

 

Also we had a woman come in and browse, then said she needed the toilet, did we have one. I said it was staff only as it wasn't on the shop floor. She swore at me and said she'd never use our charity ever again.

 

Let's hope these types of people appreciate the helicopter if they're ever in serios need at the roadside.

 

Fortunately the vast majority of customers are lovely.

That just sucks of the entitlement  people think they should have.

Hope they got back home before Jeremy Kyle show(I know it's not on anymore)

[Parafox]

2 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

RE: Banks. What do you want them to do? It's just another example of a private industry cutting costs to maximise profits. There's no legal requirement for them to have a bank/BS open, and it's a capitalist industry. If there's not enough footfall they'll shut it.

 

Times changes unfortunately and it's rubbish for those who have to do more in order to reach a branch. It does baffle me when people are up in arms when their village Santander shuts even though it might see only about 300 people per week. That's in no way sustainable.

 

I'd quite like there to be some legislation so that mobile banks or hubs are open in villages and locations to cater for the needs of people, but while there's not businesses will cut their cloth accordingly

 

IIRC there was a bank, might have been Lloyd's, that were advertising mobile banks 

[TJQuik]

18 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

 

 

I know this is a relatively rare experience but, a woman and her partner came into our charity shop (Air Ambulance, FWIW) and selected several items of clothing all priced at £3:95, the standard price for women's and men's tops, plus a couple of other thing

 

She literally chucked them all on the counter, in a heap. I tilled it up and it came to around £15:00. She asked if there was a better price. I said no. It's the price on the label.

 

She called me a name, told me to **** the charity and stormed off.

 

Also we had a woman come in and browse, then said she needed the toilet, did we have one. I said it was staff only as it wasn't on the shop floor. She swore at me and said she'd never use our charity ever again.

 

Let's hope these types of people appreciate the helicopter if they're ever in serious need at the roadside.

 

Fortunately the vast majority of customers are lovely.

Sorry to hear that happened to you Parafox. Glad to hear that most of them are nice.

 

People see the service worker as an agent of the transaction which removes their humanity from the situation. It can only be remedied by a bit of intelligence, empathy and class consciousness.

 

If I'm ever in the shop again and I hear someone shout "you've done x" to the person working there because of the policy set by the company... you even see it on here with people insulting and moaning at the people who work at the KP. Bizarrely, often the same people who think the Srivaddhanaprabha family can do no wrong.

[StanSP]

Can't stand abusive customers. Or not even abusive, just rude.

 

I did a visit the other day. Was asked to go as our contractors had had issues accessing a property to put scaffolding up for guttering/roof works - there was dog mess in the garden which they hadn't cleared up.

 

I visited, barely even introduced myself and the customer said 'if this about the roof contractors they can fvcking do one'. Straight away I said why I was there and there was no need to swear, just here to politely remind you that the area needs to be clear so the contractors can do their work.

 

Neighbour had the same issue, and was totally opposite - she was fully understanding and accepting that there was an issue and I could see her garden had been cleared of all the dog shit.

 

Bizarrely, customer #1 comes storming over, bangs on the door, customer #2 opens it and #1 is shouting her face off in front of us. She continued her expletive-laden rant as I stood there visibly shocked. Even when I offered to speak to her again at her own property she refused. She said her and her neighbour had known each other for 5 years, they speak every day, and wouldn't mind speaking on her doorstep. She walked off like an angry 5-year old to her house. Customer #2 said she barely speaks to her .

 

Oh and she said she was in a mood (barely minutes earlier) because she was on the phone sorting funeral arrangements out - as if I was meant to know that before I knocked on the door .

[Jattdogg]

2 hours ago, StanSP said:

Can't stand abusive customers. Or not even abusive, just rude.

 

I did a visit the other day. Was asked to go as our contractors had had issues accessing a property to put scaffolding up for guttering/roof works - there was dog mess in the garden which they hadn't cleared up.

 

I visited, barely even introduced myself and the customer said 'if this about the roof contractors they can fvcking do one'. Straight away I said why I was there and there was no need to swear, just here to politely remind you that the area needs to be clear so the contractors can do their work.

 

Neighbour had the same issue, and was totally opposite - she was fully understanding and accepting that there was an issue and I could see her garden had been cleared of all the dog shit.

 

Bizarrely, customer #1 comes storming over, bangs on the door, customer #2 opens it and #1 is shouting her face off in front of us. She continued her expletive-laden rant as I stood there visibly shocked. Even when I offered to speak to her again at her own property she refused. She said her and her neighbour had known each other for 5 years, they speak every day, and wouldn't mind speaking on her doorstep. She walked off like an angry 5-year old to her house. Customer #2 said she barely speaks to her .

 

Oh and she said she was in a mood (barely minutes earlier) because she was on the phone sorting funeral arrangements out - as if I was meant to know that before I knocked on the door .

Poor  customer service. Why didnt you know every detail about your customer? Why dont you know she likes 6 inches but not 7? Pathetic!

 

 

 

 

 

Lol

 

 

The state of people these days is scary!

[Manini]

6 hours ago, ajthefox said:

I'm finding it increasingly common that email salespeople are following up their emails with a certain tone, as if I owe them a reply because they've obtained my email and sent me spam.

 

Sometimes I reply if I'm feeling particularly courteous but it is spam, I'm not going to feel obliged to reply if they spam me more.

So true. You don’t respond to their first email out of the blue and 24 hours later it’s “I guess you’re not interested in furthering your L+D strategy then”. ****. Off. 

[FoyleFox]

7 hours ago, ajthefox said:

I'm finding it increasingly common that email salespeople are following up their emails with a certain tone, as if I owe them a reply because they've obtained my email and sent me spam.

 

Sometimes I reply if I'm feeling particularly courteous but it is spam, I'm not going to feel obliged to reply if they spam me more.

I generally just delete but, recently had a persistent company emailing me to help with seeking new customers and how they could help research my ideal customers. I did reply in the end to point out they weren't a great advert for their research methods as, my company has been closed for 18 months...

[leicsmac]

On the topic of service workers, I'm reminded of a quote:

 

"You can tell a lot about a person's character by how they treat people they don't have to treat well."

[Free Falling Foxes]

15 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

I wasn't your original correspondent, but I thought I'd give you a working example of why branches are needed.

I needed to visit my (not so local now) branch recently, to chat to an advisor. She mentioned that more and more folk are using online services.

However, my appointment was shortly after opening time and there was a big queue outside the building society so clearly, many folk prefer or need the branches still.

[bovril]

20 hours ago, Izzy said:

I don’t believe people in customer service roles wake up each morning and decide to be deliberately difficult. 

I’d say rude, obnoxious customers with unrealistic expectations make their lives a misery.

Maybe not deliberately. But people don't like directness in Britain and then you have the whole 'be kind' / mental 'elf culture (like the ads you see plastered all over the tube telling the public to be nice) which I do believe some customer service people hide behind. A lot of customer service is shite here, let's be honest.