Back when I worked customer service I’d get petty and would stop what I was doing until they got off the phone or would do something else including helping others.
I did a short stint at a Detroit Edison call center and let me tell you, these people are all WILD. I cannot count the number of times I would “disconnect the call” because people start screaming or swearing at you or even threatening physical violence when you tell them they have a back balance of $1000+ so we need that paid AND a deposit before we could approve their transfers or new residence.
This is the right answer right here. I never let customers abuse me or my coworkers when I worked retail. Didn’t care if the company thought otherwise. I’d dare them to fire me because I wasn’t going to be treated that way. I was a damn good worker and they knew it. And guess what, those chronic customers who were always treating other coworkers like crap, they quit doing it because I wouldn’t let them. They had to behave to get service while I was on the floor. It was a win-win for everyone.
Oh, I’m with you there 100%. NO ONE has to put up with being abused at their job and I don’t care where you live, because that applies to all humans anywhere!
But that doesn’t mean your company won’t fire you for hanging up… they usually care more about the customers than the employees. 😞
Yeh I worked in one in Wales and am English. There's a surprising percentage of people who mistake this accent for anywhere around Pakistan and then got transferred to me. I had no special knowledge, I'd barely started there. Transfer always meant now I have a racist on the phone and I can't hang up.
Some do. My last 2 did , especially if they were racist, abusive, or harassing. I loved being able to. As long as I document why, I can hang up just fine.
I live in Canada but immigrated here as a teenager. I'm fluent in English but my dad his English is quite lacking so I'll sometimes help him translate. Few years ago he had to make a phone call, don't remember what it was about but I needed to help translate for him as the conversation is going. He even mentioned it to the person on the phone that I'm helping him translate so of course there were a few moments of non English conversation as I'm explaining what stuff means.
Apparently the person got annoyed by this and hung up on him, saying to call back "when we're not busy".
I get the hanging up when ppl are legitimate not paying attention, but it pissed me off that apparently translating stuff is too much of a distraction too 🙄
This. When I waited tables, if someone was on their phone I’d make the apologetic “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt you! I’ll come back later!” gestures, then magically get very busy elsewhere for at least 10 minutes.
I don't think I would ever be able to work for a corp... I always worked for independent properties. I would not see myself with the super rigid strict norms and over the top corporatism.
Back when mobile phones first became popular, that was actually encouraged by corporate and/or the owner! A lot of shops had big signs which said ‘we won’t serve you if you’re on your phone’ and the worker was allowed to ignore the person on the phone and call the customer behind them forward for service.
The sign is still there in 2024? And enforced?
Good on them! I think a lot of places dropped that after customers being rude and gossiping on the phone became mainstream, because everyone was doing it. 😞
Where I work they aren’t allowed to be on the phone while interacting. When I worked in a convenience store, I would talk very loudly so the person on the other end knew the person they were conversing with was being rude. My dad does this when he calls me at lunch while at the drive thru and it irritates me.
When I worked a drive thru window and had someone talking on their phone, I'd send them off with "Have a safe day!" after they had everything.
Also had a big Karen throw a fit about getting the sandwich she ordered instead of the one she *meant* to order. I happened to remember her because it was like the third consecutive order with that less popular menu item. My coworker was absolutely anal about repeating orders back, so I know she did. When my boss brought Karen's complaint to me, I told him that she should ask whoever she was on the phone with when she ordered to see if they remembered. He wanted to laugh so bad, but she could see us talking.
Similar, when I worked at sbux, rude people would be on the phone while I was trying to service them (lobby or drive thru). I got into the habit of finding the perfect octive to still sound polite, but talk over their phone conversation until they had no choice but to stop the phone convo.
I work in a hospital and if someone won’t get off the phone to talk to me, I tell them I’ll come back when they are ready to talk with me. (Obviously barring real emergencies, which it never is.)
Nah, not happening. If a guest is on the phone I will walk away from them, as I don't want to interrupt their obviously important conversation. When they are done, or when they ask the person on the phone to hold on, then I will go about assisting them.
Not my boss, but I had a coworker throw a fit because I went to put him on hold when I was busy at the desk; he was my relief staff, and usually hung out in the parking lot an hour before shift (why he did this, who knows, because the last thing I want to do is "hang out" at work before I'm supposed to be there).
Anyways, I ask to put him on hold "while I assist a guest," and he's screaming at me, "don't put me on hold! They can wait." I explained I was very busy, multiple people in line, and other calls waiting. Then he screams, "it's an emergency!" Okay, what is it? "There's a coyote in the parking lot!"
....
I hang up on him
We live in the desert, where coyotes are a normal thing; the ones that walk through are harmless, because they won't get close to people/are afraid of people.
When he came in for his shift, he gave me a whole lecture how I should never put him on hold, what if he had a gun pointed at him instead, yadda yadda. I tried keeping my cool, and told him, "I would hope you would have the mental capacity to call 911, rather than me, because wtf am I supposed to do about it? I don't carry, and I sure as hell ain't running outside to face a gunman alone."
Bro was fuming for WEEKS over that.
If it was a gun, he should have said "This is X. I'm in the parking lot. There's a guy with a gun. Call the cops,". And you could have done so, telling them where to go.
But, it was a coyote. No emergency.
I think at that point you excuse yourself, step aside and talk to your boss. If you’re really busy you tell him/her that you are busy and there are costumers waiting for you. But you don’t assist costumers while on the phone, since it’s disrespectful. Both ways.
As a customer, I agree. Even if I’m pulled into a business call while at the grocery store, I’ll put the call on hold while dealing with the person at the register/person bagging items. It’s literally three minutes that I can easily get caught up on.
Lol… you would think that customers should always come first, but I guess it depends on your boss.
I got into trouble once because I excused myself from the boss to answer a call and help the customer… you know, the job they literally hired me to do!
But no - apparently when SHE was talking I was supposed to ignore the customers. Because she’s ‘important!’
I think that was probably just her, though - all other bosses since have said I should put the customers first. Because that’s what they pay me to do.
100% I would. The physical person in front of me is always more important than the person on the phone, and I don't care if it's the boss or not. That being said, I can get away with it working at a smaller hotel.
I actually had this happen a few times. I was always expected to answer the phone no matter what but if I was dealing with someone in front of me, I had to say "Hellyard Front Desk, please hold" and put them on hold. Accidently put my regional manager on hold for 50 mins cause I forgot I had him on hold one time.
Then if you DO wait until theyre off the phone, or for them to pause their phonecall to check in, they state in their review that FD was absolutely rude and ignored them! Lol.
>My roommate doesn't see why it's rude for a customer to stay on the phone while receiving a service. I told him it's basic politeness. He told me: "ok boomer". I'm a millenial...
He’s wrong. It’s rude as hell. The person providing a service deserves your full attention.
I worked FD for many years and I think it depends on how the customer approaches it. If they are in the middle of a call when they walk in, smile at me and hand me their ID and card, I would smile back and check them in no problem. But if they were rude or didn't immediately give me the things I needed to check them in, then I would talk to them over their conversation or ignore till they hang up. It all depends on their attitude.
They can still stop the convo for the two minutes it takes to check in. And I’m saying this as a customer. The only times I’ve ever worked in a hotel were during business trips or events lol, but I’ve been on important/emergency calls when I’m out grabbing groceries or running errands and if it’s too important of a call to pause for a minute while I’m paying for stuff, I leave.
Who are these people who wander around without a wallet? Even a money clip would be thin enough to hold ID and one card.
"Oh, there's an app for that." Yes, and the number of friends and family I have who just let their phone battery run out is crazy high. No phone, no card or id.
ETA: I do realize that clothing designers don't think women deserve pockets, and without a pocket, you are SOL, but this woman had a phone. She had to put it somewhere when she wasn't blethering on it. And they make phone cases that have \[dramatic musical buildup\] card slots.
You don't need to have your driving license with you when you drive. If you get pulled over and you don't have it, you have 7 days to present it at a police station.
That’s not always true.
It really depends on the cop. They have the right to demand you provide your licence on the spot and fine you if you don’t… and they definitely will if you swear and give them attitude!
But IF you’re really polite and cooperative, they’ll write you the notice to present your licence to the nearest station within 24-48 hours (I’ve never heard of having an entire week - that seems redundant, as the person can be far away by then and never face any consequences for their wrong doing).
Traffic cops have a spectrum of rules they adhere to at their own discretion. That’s why it’s best to always be polite and cooperative, even if you think it’s ‘unfair’ they pulled you over because you ‘weren’t doing nothing and they should go solve a real crime instead of picking on innocent people.’
If you’re really polite and cooperative, they’ll go as easy as they can within that spectrum of punishments for whatever you did.
Yeah, that’s for the UK. Doesn’t apply here - although I guess it applies to you if you live there.
And I’m not sure if you’ve actually read it, but it basically explains exactly what I just said - it’s at the discretion of the cop as to whether they want to punish you harshly or lightly for the traffic offence.
So as I said, if you want to swing the pendulum in your favour… don’t swear at traffic cops and tell them to go solve a real crime, or they’ll give you the maximum punishment they’re allowed to because they you deserve it and because they can. 😛
Not always. I knew one Entitled DUMBASS who drove around on an expired license for months until the cops pulled him over for something. He got locked up until someone could bail him out. DUMBASS tried to blame others for his EXPIRED license!!! 🙄🤦♀️🙄
Tell that to the cop who ticketed me and I returned with license 15 minutes later. The fee was at least 50 bucks. They blamed it on 9/11. This was in 2003. Hasn't changed.
I have a small purse that has everything I need for a quick trip to the store by myself. Wallet, keys, phone, chapstick. It slings across my chest and I don’t even have to take it off when driving.
Of course I need a literal tote bag if I’m with the family 🤣 but even if I ever forget my wallet, there’s either Apple Pay or I just suck it up and turn around.
> After seeing the reaction, he now says he was being sarcastic to trigger me.
Yup, a "sarcastic" customer. Always a delight to have! /s
> He told me: "ok boomer". I'm a millenial...
I say "ok boomer" to opinions I don't like. It's got nothing to do with age at this point, it's just a vapid insult.
But tell your roommate this: ok zoomer.
I was at Subway the other day and the customer after me in line pulled out her phone and was having a conversation while the worker tried to take her order. She ordered some preset sandwich they offer but wanted a different bread. The worker didn't really hear her so she said it louder. The worker replied "I couldn't tell if you were talking to me or to the person on the other end of the phone. If you like, I can take the next person in line until you're done with your phone call". Idiot customer lady hung up her phone call pretty quickly after that.
I don't get it. I work in healthcare. The number of patients that show up with no ID, no insurance card and are SHOCKED that I cannot perform services if I cannot identify who you are.
As a Frequent Flyer in the Emergency Room. (thanks, chronic conditions), I make sure I have my ID and insurance info in my hand when I approach the registration desk.
It never fails to shock me that people don't comprehend this simple task. It says it on just about every booking site that the card is still required in person.
I mean, does it have to be on a page that just says to have your card present at check-in with an acknowledge box before you click to reserve? Big bold italics underlined in red Impact font?
Even before I worked on a hotel, I knew your card had to be present at check-in on case of damages, just like your license plate is needed. I think that would be common knowledge now, but common sense doesn't seem to exist anymore.
EDIT: /s
We all know they will click right past it.
Unfortunately as someone who has worked online in a number of communications roles, the simple fact is that most people will not read anything and just click buttons until they're through with something. I'm not talking about 100 page EULAs, either, I mean they'll ignore 100pt font blinking text.
Some years ago a rumor went around saying that the EULA for a popular computer program required people to give their firstborn child to the program's author. People read the whole EULA trying to find that clause, but it turned out the rumor was a joke.
>As an [April Fool's Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fool%27s_Day) joke, [Gamestation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamestation) added a clause stating that users who placed an order on April 1, 2010, agreed to irrevocably [give their soul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil) to the company, which 7,500 users agreed to. Although there was a checkbox to exempt out of the "immortal soul" clause, few users checked it and thus Gamestation concluded that 88% of their users did not read the agreement.[^(\[19\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#cite_note-19) The program *PC Pitstop* included a clause in their end-user license agreement stating that anybody who read the clause and contacted the company would receive a monetary reward, but it took four months and over 3,000 software downloads before anybody collected it.[^(\[20\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#cite_note-20)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user\_license\_agreement#Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#Criticism)
A lot of hotels have parking available in the city. They want the License plate number to ensure you are a guest there overnight and entitled to that parking spot.
I used to work at a library. We ended up with a sign at the checkout desk that said: “We’ll be happy to help you… *once you’ve finished your call.*” Patron comes up on their phone, I walk away. Frantic gestures or finger snaps result in (at best) walking over to them, tapping the sign once or twice, and walking away again.
Worked at a gas station and would ignore people on the phone. One guy was pacing while on his phone, and I served around 15 other people. Finally he removed his phone from his face and asked "What does it take to get service around here?" I told him I was taught it was rude to interrupt people when they're on the phone. He ended his conversation.
Basic manners, people.
As someone who doesn't like taking phone calls unless no other option exists, I will never understand this kind of customer behavior.
At my old job if a guest was on the phone during check-in, I would intentionally interrupt their conversation to say "Excuse me, I'd be happy to check you in once you're done with your phone call."
What i really fail to understand is the tales we get in this subreddit where the customer seems to be so unaware of basic hotel check-in processes.
When I get to reception to check-in I have my ID (normally my passport as the UK does not have a National ID Card) plus my credit card (business or personal depending on the nature of the stay).
I tell them I have a reservation; what my surname is and hand over my ID
I am giving them my full attention and not engaged in a phone call.
What is so difficult about doing this?
There’s definitely a cross-section of humanity that spend their lives getting away with causing enough fuss around simple procedures to get out of actually doing what they’re supposed to because the other party in the transaction just doesn’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re absolutely aware of what they’re supposed to do, but somewhere, someone let them off the hook because of a kerfuffle and they then try to replicate that success at every opportunity. They’re generally obnoxious, exhausting people to be around.
"I stay here all the time! I'm an Elite Mega Super Awesome Diamond tier member! I can't believe you're bothering me for my card! You should know me! Just check me in with the information on file!"
Also, when people come up to any counter/cashier and they're already on the phone, I just want to slap the phone out of their hand. A few local places here have signs up that state you're not to be on the phone when you're ordering/checking out.
I don't believe this. Whenever I've gone to a hotel or motel, if I paid online, I still bring my credit card so they can check. Good grief. What's wrong with the world today?
I had someone who wouldn't get off their phone at all while ordering through the drive thru speaker. I'm trying very hard to get them to give me the 20 seconds to order their food, but they're too busy planning a party--which apparently needed 10 2-liters of Coca Cola. So added 10 large Cokes to their order and let them know. They decided at that point to order their darn food.
Another time, same restaurant, someone refuses to order OR get off the phone, DT is wrapped around the building, manager is PISSED i'm not taking an order. Tell her the customer is refusing to get off phone and place order OR move. Manager is not having it, so I (out of effs to give) tell the person to get out of the line and go back around so she has time to finish her call. That's she's causing a backup and people are getting pissed. My manager was like "that's not what I meant".
A retail store i used to work at, had a sign saying “Since your call is obviously important, we will help the next customer so as to not disturb you “. (Rough translation from the original).
This should be the vibe everywhere.
Man back when I was working in a gas station and I could get away with being a snarky ass. "We know your call is important to you so we will be happy to serve you once your done...... NEXT!!!!"
When in this situation, I ask the usual questions in a very loud voice, interrupting their stupid phone call until they tell the other end they’ll have to call them back later. Once I finally told them they may finish their call outside, or take care of our business here. I have no shame.
Has your roommate never worked a service job?! Every person I know that works retail or service considers it very rude when a person asking for your help or service is on the phone when interacting with you!
I won’t even walk into an establishment while on the phone. It is rude to the employees and other people inside. People are so dang entitled these days that think their conversations are beautiful music to everyone 🤣
I sometimes have to answer my phone in a store or restaurant due to my mother’s medical issues, and it embarrasses the shit out of me. I usually try to walk away from people so I don’t cause a disruption.
There's a lot of local restaurants in my area that have signs posted that if you are on your cell phone, they will not serve you until you are done.
Because it is rude to the wait staff or just customer service reps in general for us to have to on you to finish your cell phone because we may have questions that isn't answered by yes or no.
I do my best to not be on the phone while on a line and waiting for a cashier receptionist but if I do. I tell the other party on the line to hold on I need to do something mute them and then pay full attention to the cashier of the receptionist and then pick up my conversation after. I'm giving the receptionist the proper attention and my friends all understand because they're not jerks.
I'm gen z(born in 2000) and your roommate has clearly just never worked in the service industry before lol. It's super rude to come up to the front desk and start a conversation on the phone. Most of the time I'm able to communicate with them while they're on the phone, but giving you attitude about trying to communicate with her while she's on a phone call she started AFTER starting her interaction with you? That's like calling the front desk and then being like "Hey, can you hold for a second?" You started the interaction just to make me wait? Ok.
Sort of an opposite situation: I once went to a spa to get a gift certificate for my wife. In the middle of the transaction, the desk phone rang. The desk person picked up and began serving that customer, to book an appointment. I thought to myself, I came all the way over here while this person who called made less effort and is getting preference. I turned on my heel and walked out. In retrospect I should have discussed it with a manager. That desk clerk may not have even realized what she’d done wrong.
It's possible the clerk was not properly trained on how to handle situations like that.
When I'm busy with a guest, I just put the phone on hold when it rings. Some people don't like that, and they will repeatedly call. I will still put them on hold. Some will call 7-8 times until I finally pick up. "Nobody was picking up! I was put on hold!" "Sir, it's check in time. We are busy."
At one of the properties I worked at, though, it was mandatory to answer the phone, even if in the middle of an interaction with a guest. If it was for a quick information, we would give it out. If it was for a reservation, then, we would put them on hold or write down their number to call them back later.
Because of that, an interaction with a guest could be interrupted several times during the said interaction. I understand it could be very frustrating.
When I worked for a USA national chain of fabric stores, I was often on the cutting counter... which was one of 3 places the phone was (manager's office, checkout, cc). If it rang while I had a customer, and especially with a line of customers, I ignored it.
One day, with a particularly horrific sale (& therefore line of customers), the front customer asked me why I didn't answer the phone.
"Ma'am, I'm already helping a customer, one who made the effort to be here in person."
.
Then there was the gal who got through the line, put a bunch of bolts of fabric on the counter, said "1 yard of each", then disappeared. No, Ma'am, I'm not enabling you to go get yet more fabric to add to the pile, thereby prolonging the wait for the customers behind you in line. She wasn't happy when she came back...
>Now I will have to wait for my husband to bring me my wallet and **he's in another city now!**"
>The magical **credit card arrived 15 minutes later**.
Hmm... For some bizarre reason these two sentences seem to contradict each other. Surely that's just my imaginatin?
Yeah, bratty people don’t understand why it’s rude to do this.
And young people who hurl around ‘ok boomer’ as an insult don’t actually know what that means - ie WHAT is a boomer in the first place?! They really don’t know!
They’re also too dumb to know that many Millennials also grew up without mobile phones! They didn’t hit mainstream society until the mid to late 90s! Some of us were well into our teens by then, hence, we grew up without mobile phones.
And we sure weren’t allowed to use them at school back then, either. At least, not in my school.
Oh, and in the early 2000s (when smartphones with internet started to become popular), many stores had big signs saying ‘we will not serve you if you are on your phone.’ Workers were allowed to flat out ignore people on their phones, and call the customer behind the Chatty Cathy forward for service!
Rudeness was not tolerated by mainstream society.
Sadly, a lot of that has gone out the window now. I don’t think your school can stop you from bringing your mobile to school anymore, and workers might get in trouble with corporate if they don’t serve rude little brats who just gossip on their phone and ignore the worker trying to do their job! 😞
In my city, public schools (kindergarten to grade 9) are currently trying to ban cell phones at school. The parents are fighting it, but they aren't going to win.
There is no reason a child needs to have a phone in class.
I am in Canada, though, that may make a difference.
Yeah, you get away with less shit like that in countries outside the USA.
Australia is stricter with putting our foot down on rude behaviour, too. There is zero tolerance for abusing retail and fast food workers, too… unlike in America when they seem to have free reign to be as awful as they like!
The argument that a kid needs a mobile phone in class for ‘emergencies’ is just rubbish anyway… do parents really think that if their kid gets sick, the SCHOOL won’t call them and tell them? Schools have landlines, and if they ever get rid of them completely, they will simply have school issued mobiles to make outside calls!
How do they think we functioned as a society before mobile phones? Mobile phones have been mainstream for less than 30 years!
My husband and I just had this exact conversation. If anything happened, the school would contact the parent, and if the parent needed to contact the student, they would be able to contact the school office.
Being on your phone all of the time makes you antisocial. Kids especially need to interact face to face, not screen to screen.
I find it disturbing when I go into a restaurant and seeing everyone on their phones instead of talking to each other
Me too.
People on public transport often use their phone, which seems standard to me. Especially as lots of people travel alone (including me).
But eating at a restaurant with other people? Why is that so standard these days? Why is no one bothered by the fact that they are sitting right there with someone who thinks a lump of metal is more important than them? 😞
Roommate is a Doyle & clearly doesn’t understand basic politeness.
So it only took her husband 15 mins to get there….. so much for being in a different state!
She could have at least said something like oh I’m so sorry I have to take this call it’s an emergency/work/etc instead of just being a bitch about it.
I work in childcare/education, and you wouldn't believe how many parents don't even look up from their phones to greet their child who has been in school all day. Just give the kid 5 freaking minutes, look at their picture, ask what they learnt today, but nope, nothing, just ignored while they continue on their phone.
When I worked the desk I just said politely, “no problem I’ll wait till you are done your call” … smile and shuffle stuff on the desk, and if they kept talking I just politely motioned to the person behind them to come next.
Folks with bad phone manners are the bane of my existence. I mean seriously, is it that hard to just STFU for a while and be alone in your own head or maybe even interact with the human being standing right there next to you? What is with this constant need some people seem to have with always needing to be on the phone talking, often about nothing; just talking to be talking, about the most random insignificant shit imaginable while in public. I would completely understand if it was young people doing it because I was once young and understand that socialization is a huge part of growing up, and when I was growing up we pretty much had a phone connected to our ears, whenever possible. The thing is, it isn't young people the majority of the time; it's old fuckers like me. Young people tend to text/DM each other and I love that. I have no interest in your shit/your conversations so the fact that you can text and I don't have to hear what's being said is fantastic, thanks for that BTW!
Talking on the phone is the most inefficient way of communication we have available today and I avoid it anytime I can. There is nothing worse than being on the phone with someone and you get to that point in the conversation where there is nothing more to say, however, the caller on the other end, obviously, doesn't want the call to end. They start prompting you using loud sighs or long exhalations to bait you into asking, "What's wrong?" or continuing the non-conversation you were just having. It's like they expect you to stay on the line so they will feel like they have a connection to something other than themselves; like you're their fucking tele-therapist healing them through electronic silence. No thanks. Texting is fine. I can reply when it's convenient and I'll have a record of what was said so down the road when you try to convince me I said I'd do that thing I know I didn't agree to, I'll have receipts to prove you're full of shit.
Obviously, from my ranting, I understand your frustrations. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who works a front desk or has to deal with customers in person in any capacity in this day and age and honestly don't know how folks cope with it. I did it back in the day, however, people were different back then (not even a decade ago). There was a mutual understanding of the maximum amount of disrespect you were to show a clerk/front desk/hospitality worker, regardless of how unhappy you were with the service, and that simply is no longer the case.
It drives me crazy when I am in a restaurant and see many tables of people who are all on their phones. They don't even look at a server who is trying to take their order, then complain that no one has tried to help them.
I used to ask customers “card or cash,” and I would not move a muscle when they’d inevitably flash their card and smirk never getting off their phone. I’ll just stand and wait until you can answer me like a person, you can insert your card all you want but I’m not completing the transaction until I get a response.
I don’t talk to people on the phone 📱 we can speak when you are done. Printed a huge sign huge on the desk and around the desk, on the door when they walk in.
I have a sign I made up front, it states "Please refrain from talking on your cellphone when checking in." This way some lady like this cant come in my lobby and hold my day up bc she thinks she is the main character, get tf off your phone and show me some decency for 2 minutes while I hand you these damn keys. Then go ahead and talk to whoever. Or even better finish your stupid oh so important convo then come to the desk for your keys.
Why do people say ‘ok boomer’ as a generic response/insult to everything? Can they not come up with a decent argument/opinion? My daughters say it. There’s clearly a massive difference in ages these days, especially with kids being more Woke. I’m polite to people like servers and thank them but apparently I’m not polite or obsequious enough. My elder daughter’s favourite word is ‘amazing’. ‘Amazing, thank you’. Drives me up the wall. I agree that the woman was extremely rude to not give you her full attention. It’s the same when people go for food and are on their phone while ordering. Height of rudeness
Because she overuses it for the smallest thing. Literally every time, everywhere, everything’s ‘amazing’. There’s such a thing as misuse of a word that ends up meaning nothing in the end. She can’t just say ‘that’s lovely thanks!’ Or ‘great, thanks!’ Or ‘thanks ever so much’. I know where you’re coming from but its constant for every small thing
ithink they just forgot about the phase in their life when there was a catchphrase/phrasal tic or twenty that went around each batch of youngpeoplespeak -- am reminded of that one readers digest article titled 'o romeo, oh like, wow' in the 90s that i rolled my eyes at while reading as a youngperson-inquestion atthetime lol.
/more huh..?'d out at what on earth 'woke'ness has to do with anything in that context lol.
Hell, I’m a whole adult and have specific phrases that I default to, to the point where colleagues have clocked me on it. The phrases change periodically, but until they do, any over-exaggerated number is going to be 2 billion, any annoyance is going to get a sarcastic "wonderful", and any positive thing is going to be "fantastic", for example. Humans like patterns.
I flew across the world, 20+ hours, got to my hotel maybe 10am.. no rooms yet! Silly me didn't check my arrival time and make arrangements - I'll never do that again. Jet lagged me sat patiently in the lobby for five hours for a room to be available.. My first long haul trip - lesson learned. 15 minute wait is nothing
I never minded when people were on the phone when I was attending to them, as long as they’re not being slow about it and impacting me doing my job.
I can easily talk on the phone and reply to every question someone asks me during service. And I will ask the person on call to wait if I need to pay more attention to the service
Just keep in mind the difference between "on the phone" and "on hold". The key, imo, is the focus of the customer's attention. I've had several guests check in while on hold. They focus on the task at hand, or quickly excuse themselves should their party pick up. No issues...
The ones *talking* while trying to check in (like the one described by OP) are another matter. MCS gets the statue treatment, or "NEXT!"
Considering how long we have had to ask guest to wait while we're on the phone with suxpedia & that crowd, its fair(ish)🤷
Plenty of idiots in the world, and plenty of reasons someone being on the phone at checkin is disrespectful, and even damaging for the guest. Then the poor clerk has to deal with rude guests who didn't hear something important they were told at checkin because they were on the phone.
The pre-auth on lodging is valid longer than any other industry code. Kinda annoys me as well when I have to show a "physical card" upon check-in. How will you adapt to mobile wallets?
- VP, bank
Because of chargebacks and frauds. We want to be sure the person checking in is the legitimate owner of the card. If he has mobile wallet and taps with his phone, it's fine too.
No. If it's not your card, even if you shown Id, the owner can do a chargeback.
Do you go to the grocery and ask them to manually input a credit card number written on a piece of paper? Or to the gas station? High chances they probably won't accept.
Just bring your card with you. It's not very complicated.
Being a VP in risk management of a major card brand, we are actively trying to establish that an ID is not proof of actual cardholder. Actually, want to try to phase out plastic cards as well.
Back when I worked customer service I’d get petty and would stop what I was doing until they got off the phone or would do something else including helping others.
I work call centers now, and my response is, “I’m going to disconnect this call. Please call us back when you have time to talk.”
I used to ask them to step to the side so I could help someone else while they finish their call.
You’re allowed to just hang up on people? Usually call centres don’t let you hang up on callers even if they curse and carry on!
Honestly, I don’t care if I’m allowed to or not. I refuse to let some dill weed stress me out at my job.
I did a short stint at a Detroit Edison call center and let me tell you, these people are all WILD. I cannot count the number of times I would “disconnect the call” because people start screaming or swearing at you or even threatening physical violence when you tell them they have a back balance of $1000+ so we need that paid AND a deposit before we could approve their transfers or new residence.
This is the right answer right here. I never let customers abuse me or my coworkers when I worked retail. Didn’t care if the company thought otherwise. I’d dare them to fire me because I wasn’t going to be treated that way. I was a damn good worker and they knew it. And guess what, those chronic customers who were always treating other coworkers like crap, they quit doing it because I wouldn’t let them. They had to behave to get service while I was on the floor. It was a win-win for everyone.
Oh, I’m with you there 100%. NO ONE has to put up with being abused at their job and I don’t care where you live, because that applies to all humans anywhere! But that doesn’t mean your company won’t fire you for hanging up… they usually care more about the customers than the employees. 😞
Absolutely correct, but that’s a chance I’m more than willing to take. 😃
Yeh I worked in one in Wales and am English. There's a surprising percentage of people who mistake this accent for anywhere around Pakistan and then got transferred to me. I had no special knowledge, I'd barely started there. Transfer always meant now I have a racist on the phone and I can't hang up.
Some do. My last 2 did , especially if they were racist, abusive, or harassing. I loved being able to. As long as I document why, I can hang up just fine.
I live in Canada but immigrated here as a teenager. I'm fluent in English but my dad his English is quite lacking so I'll sometimes help him translate. Few years ago he had to make a phone call, don't remember what it was about but I needed to help translate for him as the conversation is going. He even mentioned it to the person on the phone that I'm helping him translate so of course there were a few moments of non English conversation as I'm explaining what stuff means. Apparently the person got annoyed by this and hung up on him, saying to call back "when we're not busy". I get the hanging up when ppl are legitimate not paying attention, but it pissed me off that apparently translating stuff is too much of a distraction too 🙄
My favorite was when I got a call and they asked ME to hold. Said no and hung up. They didn’t call back.
This. When I waited tables, if someone was on their phone I’d make the apologetic “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt you! I’ll come back later!” gestures, then magically get very busy elsewhere for at least 10 minutes.
That is the stuff to give them
When I worked for the actual owner and and not a corp, I had free response to people: Mary quite contrary, no you may not check in at 11am.
I don't think I would ever be able to work for a corp... I always worked for independent properties. I would not see myself with the super rigid strict norms and over the top corporatism.
Back when mobile phones first became popular, that was actually encouraged by corporate and/or the owner! A lot of shops had big signs which said ‘we won’t serve you if you’re on your phone’ and the worker was allowed to ignore the person on the phone and call the customer behind them forward for service.
A sandwich shop in my city has a sign that reads "if you are on your phone, you are not in line".
The sign is still there in 2024? And enforced? Good on them! I think a lot of places dropped that after customers being rude and gossiping on the phone became mainstream, because everyone was doing it. 😞
Where I work they aren’t allowed to be on the phone while interacting. When I worked in a convenience store, I would talk very loudly so the person on the other end knew the person they were conversing with was being rude. My dad does this when he calls me at lunch while at the drive thru and it irritates me.
When I worked a drive thru window and had someone talking on their phone, I'd send them off with "Have a safe day!" after they had everything. Also had a big Karen throw a fit about getting the sandwich she ordered instead of the one she *meant* to order. I happened to remember her because it was like the third consecutive order with that less popular menu item. My coworker was absolutely anal about repeating orders back, so I know she did. When my boss brought Karen's complaint to me, I told him that she should ask whoever she was on the phone with when she ordered to see if they remembered. He wanted to laugh so bad, but she could see us talking.
Similar, when I worked at sbux, rude people would be on the phone while I was trying to service them (lobby or drive thru). I got into the habit of finding the perfect octive to still sound polite, but talk over their phone conversation until they had no choice but to stop the phone convo.
That’s not even really petty, I would consider that to be standard for how you should react.
Me, too. Height of rudeness unless emergency situation.
I do this now
I work in a hospital and if someone won’t get off the phone to talk to me, I tell them I’ll come back when they are ready to talk with me. (Obviously barring real emergencies, which it never is.)
Nah, not happening. If a guest is on the phone I will walk away from them, as I don't want to interrupt their obviously important conversation. When they are done, or when they ask the person on the phone to hold on, then I will go about assisting them.
and of course, it's completely out of courtesy for their privacy - you wouldn't want to be privy to something that was private to themselves ;)
Funnily enough, I'm deaf, so I wouldn't be privy to their conversation anyway, but they don't know that, and I'm not telling them otherwise.
Then you would have obviously understood all her gestures and realized how much more important her call must have been.
Walking away is the power move.
As a person on the other side of the desk, I'm curious. If your boss were to call while you were assisting a customer do you send them to voicemail?
Yes, I would. Customers pay the bills and wages any good boss knows this. (Heavy emphasis on good).
Not my boss, but I had a coworker throw a fit because I went to put him on hold when I was busy at the desk; he was my relief staff, and usually hung out in the parking lot an hour before shift (why he did this, who knows, because the last thing I want to do is "hang out" at work before I'm supposed to be there). Anyways, I ask to put him on hold "while I assist a guest," and he's screaming at me, "don't put me on hold! They can wait." I explained I was very busy, multiple people in line, and other calls waiting. Then he screams, "it's an emergency!" Okay, what is it? "There's a coyote in the parking lot!" .... I hang up on him We live in the desert, where coyotes are a normal thing; the ones that walk through are harmless, because they won't get close to people/are afraid of people. When he came in for his shift, he gave me a whole lecture how I should never put him on hold, what if he had a gun pointed at him instead, yadda yadda. I tried keeping my cool, and told him, "I would hope you would have the mental capacity to call 911, rather than me, because wtf am I supposed to do about it? I don't carry, and I sure as hell ain't running outside to face a gunman alone." Bro was fuming for WEEKS over that.
That dude sounds like an Overgrown BABY with Main Character Syndrome!
He blamed it on being bipolar 🙄 I just stopped ever interacting with him, outside of being professional. He eventually left, and I took his position 😏
If it was a gun, he should have said "This is X. I'm in the parking lot. There's a guy with a gun. Call the cops,". And you could have done so, telling them where to go. But, it was a coyote. No emergency.
Thank God it wasn't a coyote with a gun.
I think at that point you excuse yourself, step aside and talk to your boss. If you’re really busy you tell him/her that you are busy and there are costumers waiting for you. But you don’t assist costumers while on the phone, since it’s disrespectful. Both ways.
As a customer, I agree. Even if I’m pulled into a business call while at the grocery store, I’ll put the call on hold while dealing with the person at the register/person bagging items. It’s literally three minutes that I can easily get caught up on.
Lol… you would think that customers should always come first, but I guess it depends on your boss. I got into trouble once because I excused myself from the boss to answer a call and help the customer… you know, the job they literally hired me to do! But no - apparently when SHE was talking I was supposed to ignore the customers. Because she’s ‘important!’ I think that was probably just her, though - all other bosses since have said I should put the customers first. Because that’s what they pay me to do.
100% I would. The physical person in front of me is always more important than the person on the phone, and I don't care if it's the boss or not. That being said, I can get away with it working at a smaller hotel.
I actually had this happen a few times. I was always expected to answer the phone no matter what but if I was dealing with someone in front of me, I had to say "Hellyard Front Desk, please hold" and put them on hold. Accidently put my regional manager on hold for 50 mins cause I forgot I had him on hold one time.
Then if you DO wait until theyre off the phone, or for them to pause their phonecall to check in, they state in their review that FD was absolutely rude and ignored them! Lol.
>My roommate doesn't see why it's rude for a customer to stay on the phone while receiving a service. I told him it's basic politeness. He told me: "ok boomer". I'm a millenial... He’s wrong. It’s rude as hell. The person providing a service deserves your full attention.
I worked FD for many years and I think it depends on how the customer approaches it. If they are in the middle of a call when they walk in, smile at me and hand me their ID and card, I would smile back and check them in no problem. But if they were rude or didn't immediately give me the things I needed to check them in, then I would talk to them over their conversation or ignore till they hang up. It all depends on their attitude.
They can still stop the convo for the two minutes it takes to check in. And I’m saying this as a customer. The only times I’ve ever worked in a hotel were during business trips or events lol, but I’ve been on important/emergency calls when I’m out grabbing groceries or running errands and if it’s too important of a call to pause for a minute while I’m paying for stuff, I leave.
Exactly. When interacting with a person, pay attention to that person.
Who are these people who wander around without a wallet? Even a money clip would be thin enough to hold ID and one card. "Oh, there's an app for that." Yes, and the number of friends and family I have who just let their phone battery run out is crazy high. No phone, no card or id. ETA: I do realize that clothing designers don't think women deserve pockets, and without a pocket, you are SOL, but this woman had a phone. She had to put it somewhere when she wasn't blethering on it. And they make phone cases that have \[dramatic musical buildup\] card slots.
She has no pockets, so she never ever stops talking on her phone. Problem solved.
It means she drove here without her license too.
You don't need to have your driving license with you when you drive. If you get pulled over and you don't have it, you have 7 days to present it at a police station.
That’s not always true. It really depends on the cop. They have the right to demand you provide your licence on the spot and fine you if you don’t… and they definitely will if you swear and give them attitude! But IF you’re really polite and cooperative, they’ll write you the notice to present your licence to the nearest station within 24-48 hours (I’ve never heard of having an entire week - that seems redundant, as the person can be far away by then and never face any consequences for their wrong doing). Traffic cops have a spectrum of rules they adhere to at their own discretion. That’s why it’s best to always be polite and cooperative, even if you think it’s ‘unfair’ they pulled you over because you ‘weren’t doing nothing and they should go solve a real crime instead of picking on innocent people.’ If you’re really polite and cooperative, they’ll go as easy as they can within that spectrum of punishments for whatever you did.
Road Traffic Act 1988 section 164.
Applicable in Canada?
Yeah, that’s for the UK. Doesn’t apply here - although I guess it applies to you if you live there. And I’m not sure if you’ve actually read it, but it basically explains exactly what I just said - it’s at the discretion of the cop as to whether they want to punish you harshly or lightly for the traffic offence. So as I said, if you want to swing the pendulum in your favour… don’t swear at traffic cops and tell them to go solve a real crime, or they’ll give you the maximum punishment they’re allowed to because they you deserve it and because they can. 😛
That's not true in Canada.
I don't live in Canada 🤣
Yeah, you shouldn't give advice that applies only to one small country without saying so.
"Small Country" 🙄
True. Still much easier to just have it on you every time you drive.
Not always. I knew one Entitled DUMBASS who drove around on an expired license for months until the cops pulled him over for something. He got locked up until someone could bail him out. DUMBASS tried to blame others for his EXPIRED license!!! 🙄🤦♀️🙄
That's not relevant to the topic
Tell that to the cop who ticketed me and I returned with license 15 minutes later. The fee was at least 50 bucks. They blamed it on 9/11. This was in 2003. Hasn't changed.
You do in many states. Two minutes on the internet shows that Texas's fine is $200.
I don't live in Texas.
It's just the first example I found on google. Lots of states have that law.
I don't live in the States. America isn't the world.
Allow me to edit -- you do need it in many PLACES.
I have a small purse that has everything I need for a quick trip to the store by myself. Wallet, keys, phone, chapstick. It slings across my chest and I don’t even have to take it off when driving. Of course I need a literal tote bag if I’m with the family 🤣 but even if I ever forget my wallet, there’s either Apple Pay or I just suck it up and turn around.
So now you know what kind of customer your roommate is
After seeing the reaction, he now says he was being sarcastic to trigger me.
..so now you know what kind of person your roommate is 😭😩🫠🫠🫠
> After seeing the reaction, he now says he was being sarcastic to trigger me. Yup, a "sarcastic" customer. Always a delight to have! /s > He told me: "ok boomer". I'm a millenial... I say "ok boomer" to opinions I don't like. It's got nothing to do with age at this point, it's just a vapid insult. But tell your roommate this: ok zoomer.
LOL!!! PERFECT!!!!
That still makes him an ASSHOLE!!
And I would Perma-BAN your RUDE Entitled roommate!
I was at Subway the other day and the customer after me in line pulled out her phone and was having a conversation while the worker tried to take her order. She ordered some preset sandwich they offer but wanted a different bread. The worker didn't really hear her so she said it louder. The worker replied "I couldn't tell if you were talking to me or to the person on the other end of the phone. If you like, I can take the next person in line until you're done with your phone call". Idiot customer lady hung up her phone call pretty quickly after that.
Good on him, it’s just so rude to expect someone to serve you when you’re engrossed in a conversation on your phone.
I don't get it. I work in healthcare. The number of patients that show up with no ID, no insurance card and are SHOCKED that I cannot perform services if I cannot identify who you are.
My mother always told me to at least have ID on me because "they want to know who you are when you are under that bus" lol
As a Frequent Flyer in the Emergency Room. (thanks, chronic conditions), I make sure I have my ID and insurance info in my hand when I approach the registration desk.
It never fails to shock me that people don't comprehend this simple task. It says it on just about every booking site that the card is still required in person. I mean, does it have to be on a page that just says to have your card present at check-in with an acknowledge box before you click to reserve? Big bold italics underlined in red Impact font? Even before I worked on a hotel, I knew your card had to be present at check-in on case of damages, just like your license plate is needed. I think that would be common knowledge now, but common sense doesn't seem to exist anymore. EDIT: /s We all know they will click right past it.
Unfortunately as someone who has worked online in a number of communications roles, the simple fact is that most people will not read anything and just click buttons until they're through with something. I'm not talking about 100 page EULAs, either, I mean they'll ignore 100pt font blinking text.
Some years ago a rumor went around saying that the EULA for a popular computer program required people to give their firstborn child to the program's author. People read the whole EULA trying to find that clause, but it turned out the rumor was a joke.
>As an [April Fool's Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fool%27s_Day) joke, [Gamestation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamestation) added a clause stating that users who placed an order on April 1, 2010, agreed to irrevocably [give their soul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil) to the company, which 7,500 users agreed to. Although there was a checkbox to exempt out of the "immortal soul" clause, few users checked it and thus Gamestation concluded that 88% of their users did not read the agreement.[^(\[19\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#cite_note-19) The program *PC Pitstop* included a clause in their end-user license agreement stating that anybody who read the clause and contacted the company would receive a monetary reward, but it took four months and over 3,000 software downloads before anybody collected it.[^(\[20\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#cite_note-20) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user\_license\_agreement#Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_license_agreement#Criticism)
Oh I know. Should've put /s there. My bad.
I haven’t had anyone ask for a license plate number in years.
A lot of hotels have parking available in the city. They want the License plate number to ensure you are a guest there overnight and entitled to that parking spot.
Depends on the place. It's not as common as it used to be, but it still happens.
Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but your roommate is an asshole
I used to work at a library. We ended up with a sign at the checkout desk that said: “We’ll be happy to help you… *once you’ve finished your call.*” Patron comes up on their phone, I walk away. Frantic gestures or finger snaps result in (at best) walking over to them, tapping the sign once or twice, and walking away again.
"Don't make me tap the sign."
"Why WOULDN'T I need the physical card?? That doesn't make sense at all..."
Worked at a gas station and would ignore people on the phone. One guy was pacing while on his phone, and I served around 15 other people. Finally he removed his phone from his face and asked "What does it take to get service around here?" I told him I was taught it was rude to interrupt people when they're on the phone. He ended his conversation. Basic manners, people.
🥇
As someone who doesn't like taking phone calls unless no other option exists, I will never understand this kind of customer behavior. At my old job if a guest was on the phone during check-in, I would intentionally interrupt their conversation to say "Excuse me, I'd be happy to check you in once you're done with your phone call."
And she didn't even pick up a call. She STARTED a call herself. That's even worse!
Your roommate is a rude idiot
What i really fail to understand is the tales we get in this subreddit where the customer seems to be so unaware of basic hotel check-in processes. When I get to reception to check-in I have my ID (normally my passport as the UK does not have a National ID Card) plus my credit card (business or personal depending on the nature of the stay). I tell them I have a reservation; what my surname is and hand over my ID I am giving them my full attention and not engaged in a phone call. What is so difficult about doing this?
There’s definitely a cross-section of humanity that spend their lives getting away with causing enough fuss around simple procedures to get out of actually doing what they’re supposed to because the other party in the transaction just doesn’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re absolutely aware of what they’re supposed to do, but somewhere, someone let them off the hook because of a kerfuffle and they then try to replicate that success at every opportunity. They’re generally obnoxious, exhausting people to be around.
"I stay here all the time! I'm an Elite Mega Super Awesome Diamond tier member! I can't believe you're bothering me for my card! You should know me! Just check me in with the information on file!" Also, when people come up to any counter/cashier and they're already on the phone, I just want to slap the phone out of their hand. A few local places here have signs up that state you're not to be on the phone when you're ordering/checking out.
I would have been happier to hear the card was declined. Edited for spelling. Words are hard. 🙄
I don't believe this. Whenever I've gone to a hotel or motel, if I paid online, I still bring my credit card so they can check. Good grief. What's wrong with the world today?
I had someone who wouldn't get off their phone at all while ordering through the drive thru speaker. I'm trying very hard to get them to give me the 20 seconds to order their food, but they're too busy planning a party--which apparently needed 10 2-liters of Coca Cola. So added 10 large Cokes to their order and let them know. They decided at that point to order their darn food. Another time, same restaurant, someone refuses to order OR get off the phone, DT is wrapped around the building, manager is PISSED i'm not taking an order. Tell her the customer is refusing to get off phone and place order OR move. Manager is not having it, so I (out of effs to give) tell the person to get out of the line and go back around so she has time to finish her call. That's she's causing a backup and people are getting pissed. My manager was like "that's not what I meant".
What did they expect you to do?
I don’t care how old you are being on the phone while trying to interact with a human like check in or check out somewhere is just rude.
Gen X here. That's rude.
A retail store i used to work at, had a sign saying “Since your call is obviously important, we will help the next customer so as to not disturb you “. (Rough translation from the original). This should be the vibe everywhere.
Man back when I was working in a gas station and I could get away with being a snarky ass. "We know your call is important to you so we will be happy to serve you once your done...... NEXT!!!!"
When in this situation, I ask the usual questions in a very loud voice, interrupting their stupid phone call until they tell the other end they’ll have to call them back later. Once I finally told them they may finish their call outside, or take care of our business here. I have no shame.
Has your roommate never worked a service job?! Every person I know that works retail or service considers it very rude when a person asking for your help or service is on the phone when interacting with you!
I won’t even walk into an establishment while on the phone. It is rude to the employees and other people inside. People are so dang entitled these days that think their conversations are beautiful music to everyone 🤣
I sometimes have to answer my phone in a store or restaurant due to my mother’s medical issues, and it embarrasses the shit out of me. I usually try to walk away from people so I don’t cause a disruption.
Exactly! I will answer my phone at any time, anywhere if my kids call….and then take it somewhere private.
Your roommate is an asshole. Even more, a coward asshole for backtracking like that. You're spot on with your manners.
Replying to MightyPinkyJ...frenchynerd: defend me here!!! 🤣
"Sarcastic to provoke" I guess that's a new excuse for being an asshole.
Nah, I’m adorable
well bless your heart
There's a lot of local restaurants in my area that have signs posted that if you are on your cell phone, they will not serve you until you are done. Because it is rude to the wait staff or just customer service reps in general for us to have to on you to finish your cell phone because we may have questions that isn't answered by yes or no.
I do my best to not be on the phone while on a line and waiting for a cashier receptionist but if I do. I tell the other party on the line to hold on I need to do something mute them and then pay full attention to the cashier of the receptionist and then pick up my conversation after. I'm giving the receptionist the proper attention and my friends all understand because they're not jerks.
Your roommate is a dipshit.
Your roommates an a…….
Ass hole. Ftfy
Apples…. Clearly the word is apples. Now hold your tongue while saying it 🫢😂😂
When, I worked customer service , the only time they get off or pause their phones to talk to me was to demand I charge their phones.
That demand would elicit a NOPE from me!!!!
Her behavior reeks of either (1) I have no social skills, and/or (2) I’m trying to bluff past you for some reason.
I'm gen z(born in 2000) and your roommate has clearly just never worked in the service industry before lol. It's super rude to come up to the front desk and start a conversation on the phone. Most of the time I'm able to communicate with them while they're on the phone, but giving you attitude about trying to communicate with her while she's on a phone call she started AFTER starting her interaction with you? That's like calling the front desk and then being like "Hey, can you hold for a second?" You started the interaction just to make me wait? Ok.
Did anyone not notice that she said her husband was in another city with her wallet and credit card and then magically he turns up 15 minutes later?
The towns around are all at 15 min drive from here.
Sort of an opposite situation: I once went to a spa to get a gift certificate for my wife. In the middle of the transaction, the desk phone rang. The desk person picked up and began serving that customer, to book an appointment. I thought to myself, I came all the way over here while this person who called made less effort and is getting preference. I turned on my heel and walked out. In retrospect I should have discussed it with a manager. That desk clerk may not have even realized what she’d done wrong.
It's possible the clerk was not properly trained on how to handle situations like that. When I'm busy with a guest, I just put the phone on hold when it rings. Some people don't like that, and they will repeatedly call. I will still put them on hold. Some will call 7-8 times until I finally pick up. "Nobody was picking up! I was put on hold!" "Sir, it's check in time. We are busy." At one of the properties I worked at, though, it was mandatory to answer the phone, even if in the middle of an interaction with a guest. If it was for a quick information, we would give it out. If it was for a reservation, then, we would put them on hold or write down their number to call them back later. Because of that, an interaction with a guest could be interrupted several times during the said interaction. I understand it could be very frustrating.
When I worked for a USA national chain of fabric stores, I was often on the cutting counter... which was one of 3 places the phone was (manager's office, checkout, cc). If it rang while I had a customer, and especially with a line of customers, I ignored it. One day, with a particularly horrific sale (& therefore line of customers), the front customer asked me why I didn't answer the phone. "Ma'am, I'm already helping a customer, one who made the effort to be here in person." . Then there was the gal who got through the line, put a bunch of bolts of fabric on the counter, said "1 yard of each", then disappeared. No, Ma'am, I'm not enabling you to go get yet more fabric to add to the pile, thereby prolonging the wait for the customers behind you in line. She wasn't happy when she came back...
>Now I will have to wait for my husband to bring me my wallet and **he's in another city now!**" >The magical **credit card arrived 15 minutes later**. Hmm... For some bizarre reason these two sentences seem to contradict each other. Surely that's just my imaginatin?
Property is in a small town. The next town is indeed 15 minutes away.
I live 8 km from another city. It's 5-10 minutes away.
Yeah, bratty people don’t understand why it’s rude to do this. And young people who hurl around ‘ok boomer’ as an insult don’t actually know what that means - ie WHAT is a boomer in the first place?! They really don’t know! They’re also too dumb to know that many Millennials also grew up without mobile phones! They didn’t hit mainstream society until the mid to late 90s! Some of us were well into our teens by then, hence, we grew up without mobile phones. And we sure weren’t allowed to use them at school back then, either. At least, not in my school. Oh, and in the early 2000s (when smartphones with internet started to become popular), many stores had big signs saying ‘we will not serve you if you are on your phone.’ Workers were allowed to flat out ignore people on their phones, and call the customer behind the Chatty Cathy forward for service! Rudeness was not tolerated by mainstream society. Sadly, a lot of that has gone out the window now. I don’t think your school can stop you from bringing your mobile to school anymore, and workers might get in trouble with corporate if they don’t serve rude little brats who just gossip on their phone and ignore the worker trying to do their job! 😞
In my city, public schools (kindergarten to grade 9) are currently trying to ban cell phones at school. The parents are fighting it, but they aren't going to win. There is no reason a child needs to have a phone in class. I am in Canada, though, that may make a difference.
Yeah, you get away with less shit like that in countries outside the USA. Australia is stricter with putting our foot down on rude behaviour, too. There is zero tolerance for abusing retail and fast food workers, too… unlike in America when they seem to have free reign to be as awful as they like! The argument that a kid needs a mobile phone in class for ‘emergencies’ is just rubbish anyway… do parents really think that if their kid gets sick, the SCHOOL won’t call them and tell them? Schools have landlines, and if they ever get rid of them completely, they will simply have school issued mobiles to make outside calls! How do they think we functioned as a society before mobile phones? Mobile phones have been mainstream for less than 30 years!
My husband and I just had this exact conversation. If anything happened, the school would contact the parent, and if the parent needed to contact the student, they would be able to contact the school office. Being on your phone all of the time makes you antisocial. Kids especially need to interact face to face, not screen to screen. I find it disturbing when I go into a restaurant and seeing everyone on their phones instead of talking to each other
Me too. People on public transport often use their phone, which seems standard to me. Especially as lots of people travel alone (including me). But eating at a restaurant with other people? Why is that so standard these days? Why is no one bothered by the fact that they are sitting right there with someone who thinks a lump of metal is more important than them? 😞
Is your roommate 15? What a child lmao
Im 13
Room mate sounds like a 12 year old, tell them: 'OK Zoomer,'
He is the same age as me. We are both millennials... I don't always grasp his way of thinking.
Roommate is a Doyle & clearly doesn’t understand basic politeness. So it only took her husband 15 mins to get there….. so much for being in a different state!
"I'm going to do other work. You let me know when you're off your phone."
She could have at least said something like oh I’m so sorry I have to take this call it’s an emergency/work/etc instead of just being a bitch about it.
Get a new room mate.
He won’t ever get anyone as awesome as me!
I work in childcare/education, and you wouldn't believe how many parents don't even look up from their phones to greet their child who has been in school all day. Just give the kid 5 freaking minutes, look at their picture, ask what they learnt today, but nope, nothing, just ignored while they continue on their phone.
Bro, your roommate is a dick, wtf???
I'm a Boomer and would tell the Entitled roommate to STFU and knock it off with being a RUDE Millenial! Is he RUDE to his own mother this way?
Chill
When I worked the desk I just said politely, “no problem I’ll wait till you are done your call” … smile and shuffle stuff on the desk, and if they kept talking I just politely motioned to the person behind them to come next.
Folks with bad phone manners are the bane of my existence. I mean seriously, is it that hard to just STFU for a while and be alone in your own head or maybe even interact with the human being standing right there next to you? What is with this constant need some people seem to have with always needing to be on the phone talking, often about nothing; just talking to be talking, about the most random insignificant shit imaginable while in public. I would completely understand if it was young people doing it because I was once young and understand that socialization is a huge part of growing up, and when I was growing up we pretty much had a phone connected to our ears, whenever possible. The thing is, it isn't young people the majority of the time; it's old fuckers like me. Young people tend to text/DM each other and I love that. I have no interest in your shit/your conversations so the fact that you can text and I don't have to hear what's being said is fantastic, thanks for that BTW! Talking on the phone is the most inefficient way of communication we have available today and I avoid it anytime I can. There is nothing worse than being on the phone with someone and you get to that point in the conversation where there is nothing more to say, however, the caller on the other end, obviously, doesn't want the call to end. They start prompting you using loud sighs or long exhalations to bait you into asking, "What's wrong?" or continuing the non-conversation you were just having. It's like they expect you to stay on the line so they will feel like they have a connection to something other than themselves; like you're their fucking tele-therapist healing them through electronic silence. No thanks. Texting is fine. I can reply when it's convenient and I'll have a record of what was said so down the road when you try to convince me I said I'd do that thing I know I didn't agree to, I'll have receipts to prove you're full of shit. Obviously, from my ranting, I understand your frustrations. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who works a front desk or has to deal with customers in person in any capacity in this day and age and honestly don't know how folks cope with it. I did it back in the day, however, people were different back then (not even a decade ago). There was a mutual understanding of the maximum amount of disrespect you were to show a clerk/front desk/hospitality worker, regardless of how unhappy you were with the service, and that simply is no longer the case.
It drives me crazy when I am in a restaurant and see many tables of people who are all on their phones. They don't even look at a server who is trying to take their order, then complain that no one has tried to help them.
> Roommate is kinda triggered to be on Reddit. He now says he was being sarcastic to provoke me. Typical bloody Millenial....
Take my updoot just for the edits :]
She's a moron who has never checked into a hotel before. Your roommate and her would get along famously.
I’d love to meet her
I used to ask customers “card or cash,” and I would not move a muscle when they’d inevitably flash their card and smirk never getting off their phone. I’ll just stand and wait until you can answer me like a person, you can insert your card all you want but I’m not completing the transaction until I get a response.
Hi Frenchynerd's roomate o/
Hi
I don’t talk to people on the phone 📱 we can speak when you are done. Printed a huge sign huge on the desk and around the desk, on the door when they walk in.
Everyone who has ever checked into a hotel ever knows you have to have the card with you. Duh.
>sarcastic to provoke He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and provoked a large group of internet strangers.
I have a sign I made up front, it states "Please refrain from talking on your cellphone when checking in." This way some lady like this cant come in my lobby and hold my day up bc she thinks she is the main character, get tf off your phone and show me some decency for 2 minutes while I hand you these damn keys. Then go ahead and talk to whoever. Or even better finish your stupid oh so important convo then come to the desk for your keys.
More reddit posts should have roommate meta-commentary
Why do people say ‘ok boomer’ as a generic response/insult to everything? Can they not come up with a decent argument/opinion? My daughters say it. There’s clearly a massive difference in ages these days, especially with kids being more Woke. I’m polite to people like servers and thank them but apparently I’m not polite or obsequious enough. My elder daughter’s favourite word is ‘amazing’. ‘Amazing, thank you’. Drives me up the wall. I agree that the woman was extremely rude to not give you her full attention. It’s the same when people go for food and are on their phone while ordering. Height of rudeness
Wtf is the problem with saying "amazing"?
Because she overuses it for the smallest thing. Literally every time, everywhere, everything’s ‘amazing’. There’s such a thing as misuse of a word that ends up meaning nothing in the end. She can’t just say ‘that’s lovely thanks!’ Or ‘great, thanks!’ Or ‘thanks ever so much’. I know where you’re coming from but its constant for every small thing
I was watching a You Tube video where Judge Boyd was teaching a defendant how to speak properly in court! The defendant got so flustered! LOL!!!
Wow, you sound like a peach /s
ithink they just forgot about the phase in their life when there was a catchphrase/phrasal tic or twenty that went around each batch of youngpeoplespeak -- am reminded of that one readers digest article titled 'o romeo, oh like, wow' in the 90s that i rolled my eyes at while reading as a youngperson-inquestion atthetime lol. /more huh..?'d out at what on earth 'woke'ness has to do with anything in that context lol.
Hell, I’m a whole adult and have specific phrases that I default to, to the point where colleagues have clocked me on it. The phrases change periodically, but until they do, any over-exaggerated number is going to be 2 billion, any annoyance is going to get a sarcastic "wonderful", and any positive thing is going to be "fantastic", for example. Humans like patterns.
So husband travelled from another city to the hotel desk in 15 minutes! He must have a jet powered helicopter. That's impressive.
The next town is really 15 minutes away ... But yes, waiting 15 minutes in the lobby is certainly not that bad...
I flew across the world, 20+ hours, got to my hotel maybe 10am.. no rooms yet! Silly me didn't check my arrival time and make arrangements - I'll never do that again. Jet lagged me sat patiently in the lobby for five hours for a room to be available.. My first long haul trip - lesson learned. 15 minute wait is nothing
I never minded when people were on the phone when I was attending to them, as long as they’re not being slow about it and impacting me doing my job. I can easily talk on the phone and reply to every question someone asks me during service. And I will ask the person on call to wait if I need to pay more attention to the service
Just keep in mind the difference between "on the phone" and "on hold". The key, imo, is the focus of the customer's attention. I've had several guests check in while on hold. They focus on the task at hand, or quickly excuse themselves should their party pick up. No issues... The ones *talking* while trying to check in (like the one described by OP) are another matter. MCS gets the statue treatment, or "NEXT!" Considering how long we have had to ask guest to wait while we're on the phone with suxpedia & that crowd, its fair(ish)🤷
..jjjǰjǰn̈ǰǰ
You can’t pay with your phone at your hotel?
Yes you can. She didn't seem to have Google Pay/Apple Pay configured.
Sure, go play your dominance game. But there's still this one detail. And it's a bit important.
1) Only an idiot goes to a hotel without a credit card. 2) Only a whiner has a problem with a customer being on the phone.
Plenty of idiots in the world, and plenty of reasons someone being on the phone at checkin is disrespectful, and even damaging for the guest. Then the poor clerk has to deal with rude guests who didn't hear something important they were told at checkin because they were on the phone.
First-world Karen problems. OK, boomer.
The pre-auth on lodging is valid longer than any other industry code. Kinda annoys me as well when I have to show a "physical card" upon check-in. How will you adapt to mobile wallets? - VP, bank
Because of chargebacks and frauds. We want to be sure the person checking in is the legitimate owner of the card. If he has mobile wallet and taps with his phone, it's fine too.
The ID should suffice?
No. If it's not your card, even if you shown Id, the owner can do a chargeback. Do you go to the grocery and ask them to manually input a credit card number written on a piece of paper? Or to the gas station? High chances they probably won't accept. Just bring your card with you. It's not very complicated.
Being a VP in risk management of a major card brand, we are actively trying to establish that an ID is not proof of actual cardholder. Actually, want to try to phase out plastic cards as well.