Is anywhere else as 'anti-social' as Britain?

Alain Quay

I'm amazed at how many threads in this forum are about cyclists being
verbally abused, etc etc. Is anywhere else in the world as bad in this regard? :roll:

STEFANOS4784

Try cycling In the Lebanon

robmanic1

The US can be bad I've heard. Rednecks in pick-up's trying to run you off the road etc. Also India in the more populated cities (if you read "Why don't you fly", a travel biog) sounds like a complete 'mare.

spen666

There are also plenty of threads on this site where it appears cyclists are as abusive to other road users as well to be fair

scottgeniusltd2005

insumatra they run you off the road in trucks, buses, cards, but at least they are polite. it's just a case that cyclist are bottom of road food chain.

Crapaud

spen666 wrote:

There are also plenty of threads on this site where it appears cyclists are as abusive to other road users as well to be fair

True.

It's not a cyclist and/or motorist thing, though, it's a cultural thing.

There was a report on the radio news today that there's been a dramatic increase in shop workers being verbally abused. Something to do with the credit crunch, apparently.

teagar

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

Try cycling In the Lebanon

Careful...

teagar

Crapaud wrote:

spen666 wrote:

There are also plenty of threads on this site where it appears cyclists are as abusive to other road users as well to be fair

True.

It's not a cyclist and/or motorist thing, though, it's a cultural thing.

There was a report on the radio news today that there's been a dramatic increase in shop workers being verbally abused. Something to do with the credit crunch, apparently.

Either that or shops have decided to stop training them. Talentless shop assistants are as useful as a butt plug during a crap.

Chaz.Harding

I'd say Afghanistan. Wouldn't want to be MTB'ing through any poppy fields for SURE. Even though there are some awesome mountains...



Ahh well, always got PLENTY of other places like the Alps, Rockies, Sierra Nevada etc etc.

Wahooo! 8)

shogunsteve

Experienced this yesterday whilst out on a singletrack in my local woods (forest of dean).

Person was walking dog and informed me that I was a nuisance and shouldnt be there!! Nice!

I countered with "I bet I've stepped in dog shit more often that you have been run over by a mountain biker".

Its open access policy anyway and for donkeys years mine workers etc used to cycle between pits through the woods :roll:

teagar

bigchazrocks wrote:

I'd say Afghanistan. Wouldn't want to be MTB'ing through any poppy fields for SURE. Even though there are some awesome mountains...

I'm sure most of the locals would be friendly. It's the people who don't know the area with guns i'd be worried about 8)

dbb

it's no better or worse here than in Australia :shock:

guilliano

INCREASE in abuse to shop workers???? Not possible! Shop workers have always taken a load of abuse from customers, especially in shops where they have to deal with warrantee problems or bills (such as mobile phone shops. The amount of times I was sworn at or threatened working for O2 was unbelievable..... and all because we were so limited in what we were allowed to do, or because we had to tell people that their handset had been damaged by water ingress. There is a reason why the word customers has a strategically placed "NT" put in by retail workers

teagar

guilliano wrote:

INCREASE in abuse to shop workers???? Not possible! Shop workers have always taken a load of abuse from customers, especially in shops where they have to deal with warrantee problems or bills (such as mobile phone shops. The amount of times I was sworn at or threatened working for O2 was unbelievable..... and all because we were so limited in what we were allowed to do, or because we had to tell people that their handset had been damaged by water ingress. There is a reason why the word customers has a strategically placed "NT" put in by retail workers

Like I said, as useful as...

guilliano

So it's the shop worker's fault that some customers expect the world to bend over and be shafted by them? Or could it just be that people as a whole are getting more demanding and ruder when people don't do whatever they want?

teagar

guilliano wrote:

So it's the shop worker's fault that some customers expect the world to bend over and be shafted by them? Or could it just be that people as a whole are getting more demanding and ruder when people don't do whatever they want?

I would have thought the bosses taught you the customer is always right? Sure if they can't train the staff they're bound to be useless. In that respect, it's probably not the shop workers' fault. Still uselss though.

It's the "computer says no" syndrome.

Last time I tried to get something delivered to where I live they said "that address doesn't exist".. Errr..

gabriel959

It is like today, I go into a roundabout and suddenly a 4x4 comes in charging in like if she hadn't seen me - I turn back and she says what the fuck are you looking at? ... well, I said back "fuck off you fucking fat twat" ... and well deserved, I gave her the fingers as well. She nearly ran me over ffs!

guilliano

Nope, the bosses (safely holed up away from customers) taught us to follow company policy. They also taught customer service centre staff to say "go to your local shop, they'll sort it out". The fact remains however, that customers whose mobile phones were clearly damaged beyond repair often kicked up a stink and became abusive in the belief that by shouting and swearing they would get an exchange under warrantee, despite it not being a warrantee problem. Others would become threatening and insulting or generally nasty if we simply couldn't do exactly what they wanted us to do, even if it was illegal, there and then ie unbarring a handset that had an outstanding bill or had been stolen and then bought by the customer from a "friend of a friend"

guilliano

And customers are not always right. I would not expect to have my word taken if I said that some local shop had a Dura Ace chainset for sale for £20..... I also would not expect to walk into my LBS with a frame that had quite clearly been sawn in half and expect it to be replaced under warrantee because I said it snapped whilst on a gentle ride

teagar

It's a good job you've never served me then guilliano!

guilliano

I'm happy to bend over backwards to help a customer that is fair and accepts that I am simply a person doing a job. When they come in with the attitude that I am there to do whatever they say and that I am sub-human, even if they have never spent a penny with me, they don't get the service they expect. I think that's fair

By the way Teagar..... if I came into your work and started swearing at you, shouting and calling you names should I expect to be greeted like a returning hero worthy of worship?

Bhima

bigchazrocks wrote:

I'd say Afghanistan. Wouldn't want to be MTB'ing through any poppy fields for SURE. Even though there are some awesome mountains...

It's fine if you know where to go. According to my mate, anyway - he's just got back from a 1.5 week MTB trip there! :shock:

Headhuunter

shogunsteve wrote:

Experienced this yesterday whilst out on a singletrack in my local woods (forest of dean).

Person was walking dog and informed me that I was a nuisance and shouldnt be there!! Nice!

I countered with "I bet I've stepped in dog shoot more often that you have been run over by a mountain biker".

Its open access policy anyway and for donkeys years mine workers etc used to cycle between pits through the woods :roll:

I had similar experiences back in my teens when I used to go MTBing in the Chilterns near Luton where I lived with my parents. The local council gave permission to build a large housing estate over some of the farm land, making the countryside that little bit further away. Not only this but commuters from London bought up the houses rather than local people, and then descended on the Chilterns with their city views of a bucolic countryside expecting buttercups and cows lowing in the fields and suddenly we got comments like "you shouldn't be here" or muttered "you're a nuisance" type comments.

OffTheBackAdam

It boils down to kids aren't taught manners by their parent(s), can't be taught manners in school because it might mentally scar them if they're told off, can't be beaten within an inch of their lives if they give any lip and this has been the case for the past 20 years!

shogunsteve

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

It boils down to kids aren't taught manners by their parent(s), can't be taught manners in school because it might mentally scar them if they're told off, can't be beaten within an inch of their lives if they give any lip and this has been the case for the past 20 years!

Everything is so bloody PC these days.

:roll:

dbb

shogunsteve wrote:

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

It boils down to kids aren't taught manners by their parent(s), can't be taught manners in school because it might mentally scar them if they're told off, can't be beaten within an inch of their lives if they give any lip and this has been the case for the past 20 years!

Everything is so bloody PC these days.

:roll:

you can't say that! :shock:



(sorry - just kidding)
i agree with you

penugent

guilliano wrote:

I'm happy to bend over backwards to help a customer that is fair and accepts that I am simply a person doing a job. When they come in with the attitude that I am there to do whatever they say and that I am sub-human, even if they have never spent a penny with me, they don't get the service they expect. I think that's fair

By the way Teagar..... if I came into your work and started swearing at you, shouting and calling you names should I expect to be greeted like a returning hero worthy of worship?

I have read your posts on this thread with interest.

My wife and I retired a few years ago and took part-time work to add to our pensions - my wife picked a job in retail.

My wife is an intelligent, well mannered and most helpful individual. After 4 years working part-time in retail she has almost lost faith in humanity. The tales she tells me each evening beggar belief.

All I can say is that the poster arguing against you hasn't an F'ing clue. And for what it's worth - the customer is mostly wrong - I wouldn't take their crap for a single second.

teagar

penugent wrote:

guilliano wrote:

I'm happy to bend over backwards to help a customer that is fair and accepts that I am simply a person doing a job. When they come in with the attitude that I am there to do whatever they say and that I am sub-human, even if they have never spent a penny with me, they don't get the service they expect. I think that's fair

By the way Teagar..... if I came into your work and started swearing at you, shouting and calling you names should I expect to be greeted like a returning hero worthy of worship?

I have read your posts on this thread with interest.

My wife and I retired a few years ago and took part-time work to add to our pensions - my wife picked a job in retail.

My wife is an intelligent, well mannered and most helpful individual. After 4 years working part-time in retail she has almost lost faith in humanity. The tales she tells me each evening beggar belief.

All I can say is that the poster arguing against you hasn't an F'ing clue. And for what it's worth - the customer is mostly wrong - I wouldn't take their crap for a single second.

The poster has a name! Sheesh!

It's fair for a customer to feel agrieved if the assistant has a mentality that they hate you and don't trust you before you even enter the shop.

Where I originally come form, shopowners etc would thank you for being in their shop at all! After all, the customer is keeping them going.

Who pays the wages eh?!

Starwasp

I am afraid there are some horrible people out there. Get promoted, and stay out of their way. That's my sage advice.

Not sure it is fair to say that the Country is getting worse, though. Wellington said of his army " I don't know what they do to the enemy, but by God they scare me"....this was at the same time as Jane Austen was writing about Georgian Rectories, and tea and scones.

chuckcork

Well, I did give an (emailed broadside) to a mortgage broker the other day myself.

I think the guy was maybe depressed about something, it might have been his own firm, but neither he or his staff seemed to really give a sh!t about us being customers, we were just some problem to be dealt with in return for money.

Strangely enough after I sent him an email thanking him for his (complete lack) of help, he didn't want our business anymore, I could only say given how arrogant he was that was for the best.

I think some people, like this guy, just shouldn't be there.

dbb

and then when he goes out of business -"it isn't his fault - it's because of the recession" or some other outside factor! :shock: