Don't be walked over...

[maryjoan]

Just a small point but worth thinking about.

My grocery shop was due to be delivered today between 11.00am - 12 noon. The carer was due to be here from 10.20 for 30 mins. so I briefly popped out to a friend, returning home at 10.45 in plenty of time for groceries.

Only to find the driver packing his van ready to go. I queried that he was early, by at least 20 mins, and he thought it was OK because the 'old gentleman' took delivery. I said my partner had dementia, to be told there was 'a woman' there - yes, in uniform because she was a carer.

No explanation of why he was so early. Indoors, the groceries were all over the place, the milk was leaking, and my partner was shoving stuff in the fridge higgledy piggledy because he was confused. Milk leaking in fridge also.

So, I could have sat back and just sorted it - but I decided to phone supermarket, and complain. I have ended up with the milk refunded and a £5 voucher, and an explanation that the driver should have phoned to say he was coming early - he didn't.

I was also advised to put a note on my internet order that the groceries must NOT be delivered early in future.

So, good result all round, I will do as advised, my partner will not be confused by multitudinous groceries, and I should not get stressed again.

 

[Lindy50]

Well done @maryjoan
While not quite the same circumstances, I have also been compensated by grocery delivery company when I've complained

 

[love.dad.but..]

Well done..as I get older I now do the same...just got back from a 45 mins queue in the bank. Only 1 person on the till...3 tills not being used...lots of machines of course...3 floating staff asking if they can help! i object to being forced to use a machine if I don't want to by the bank cutting till staff and actually what I needed to do couldn't be done at a machine. What about old folk and/or people who don't do online banking. Complained to one floater who refused to open another till, the lady on the till poor thing who looked exhausted by late morning and now have the name of the manager to write and complain..no customer service or good experience this morning. It will make no difference to the cost cutting of course and no doubt they will say the changes and closing of branches is to improve the customer experience following customer feedback

Sorry Maryjoan I seem to have hijacked your rant with a Victor Meldrew type one of one own but ww probably both feel better now! Apologies to anyone who works in a bank.

 

[maryjoan]

Well done..as I get older I now do the same...just got back from a 45 mins queue in the bank. Only 1 person on the till...3 tills not being used...lots of machines of course...3 floating staff asking if they can help! i object to being forced to use a machine if I don't want to by the bank cutting till staff and actually what I needed to do couldn't be done at a machine. What about old folk and/or people who don't do online banking. Complained to one floater who refused to open another till, the lady on the till poor thing who looked exhausted by late morning and now have the name of the manager to write and complain..no customer service or good experience this morning. It will make no difference to the cost cutting of course and no doubt they will say the changes and closing of branches is to improve the customer experience following customer feedback

Sorry Maryjoan I seem to have hijacked your rant with a Victor Meldrew type one of one own but ww probably both feel better now! Apologies to anyone who works in a bank.

I used to work for Barclays in the days when we had a 'messenger' in uniform to welcome customers, a First Cashier - who headed the team of 6 cashiers on the counter at all times, an enquiry desk with a very experienced clerk, interview rooms, and woe betide the staff if any customer at all was ever kept waiting................ on a different tack, my bank branch closed recently - no communication from them, did not even know which branch now had my account, and was totally unable to pay cheques in ( yes, some people do still use them)

 

[love.dad.but..]

I used to work for Barclays in the days when we had a 'messenger' in uniform to welcome customers, a First Cashier - who headed the team of 6 cashiers on the counter at all times, an enquiry desk with a very experienced clerk, interview rooms, and woe betide the staff if any customer at all was ever kept waiting................ on a different tack, my bank branch closed recently - no communication from them, did not even know which branch now had my account, and was totally unable to pay cheques in ( yes, some people do still use them)

I do still as well...I am of an age when you could only withdraw cash at a bank by writing a cheque to yourself! Banks,supermarkets,GP surgeries all changes apparently designed now to give a better customer experience for us all...which means they are not

 

[love.dad.but..]

I used to work for Barclays in the days when we had a 'messenger' in uniform to welcome customers, a First Cashier - who headed the team of 6 cashiers on the counter at all times, an enquiry desk with a very experienced clerk, interview rooms, and woe betide the staff if any customer at all was ever kept waiting................ on a different tack, my bank branch closed recently - no communication from them, did not even know which branch now had my account, and was totally unable to pay cheques in ( yes, some people do still use them)

Your description of how things used to be also reminded me of a letter I found in FILs files a letter from the bank manager in the 1940s...so polite and ending with ...if there is anything at all I can help you with do not hesitate to call me personally...your obedient servant. Fat chance now of even being served!

 

[DeMartin]

I frequently remind the person that directs me to the *machines* that if not for us fossils they would be out of a job.
I like a breathing person.

 

[Thethirdmrsc]

Well done!! I frequently get on line shopping, and luckily this has not happened yet!! My husband would put all the frozen stuff in the fridge, as he thinks that is also the freezer!!

 

[AliceA]

I used to work for Barclays in the days when we had a 'messenger' in uniform to welcome customers, a First Cashier - who headed the team of 6 cashiers on the counter at all times, an enquiry desk with a very experienced clerk, interview rooms, and woe betide the staff if any customer at all was ever kept waiting................ on a different tack, my bank branch closed recently - no communication from them, did not even know which branch now had my account, and was totally unable to pay cheques in ( yes, some people do still use them)

When we opened a Barclays joint account in 1957 we paid in a pound. The manager interviewed us and gave fatherly advice! They had a 'Bible' as they called it with a clients history. This followed us around the country.

 

[maryjoan]

The sad thing about present times is that you could go into a supermarket, and do all your own shopping and scanning, and pay at the computerised tills. Then you could go to the post office, and do likewise, then on to WH Smith and do the same again and trundle home, all shopping completed and not having spoken to a single human person.

I once tried to pay a bill on the phone talking to a computer, it felt very strange, but I went along with the whole procedure, and just at the end, I happened to sneeze, the computer did not understand a sneeze and cancelled the whole rigmarole!!! Give me a human person please, but not one in Bangladesh, who calls himself 'David' - Please do me the honour of not pretending you are in this country!

 

[LadyA]

Long queues in the bank are my mum's bugbear! She has to use crutches to walk, and can't stand for very long. But she also refuses to use the machines, she's frightened of making a mistake. Occasionally, the "floater" will ask her if she'd like to sit down, indicating the chairs over by the window. Which is stupid, because other customers would then just take mum's place in the queue, and she'd be there all day!

 

[Fullticket]

I was totally astounded in Barclays just after mum died. I had to take her death certificate in to them with some ID. Mum's branch is in London, we live in Somerset and I was not able to make an appointment at the local branch and told definitely not to post it off to them, just to attend the bank. I tried to do this at a 'quiet' time but there was a queue of about 10 people when I went in, no floating staff. When it was my turn, instead of summoning someone from behind the locked doors, the cashier came out and sat me down at a desk and dealt with all the rigmarole, leaving a dozen people behind me in the queue waiting to be served. Not even a floating 'body' to advise them. It was fairly straightforward but must have taken 15 minutes. I doubt I was popular with those behind me in the queue but totally not my fault.

 

[AliceA]

The sad thing about present times is that you could go into a supermarket, and do all your own shopping and scanning, and pay at the computerised tills. Then you could go to the post office, and do likewise, then on to WH Smith and do the same again and trundle home, all shopping completed and not having spoken to a single human person.

I once tried to pay a bill on the phone talking to a computer, it felt very strange, but I went along with the whole procedure, and just at the end, I happened to sneeze, the computer did not understand a sneeze and cancelled the whole rigmarole!!! Give me a human person please, but not one in Bangladesh, who calls himself 'David' - Please do me the honour of not pretending you are in this country!

Sorry, I really am, but it made me laugh! Probably the laugh of a mad woman though! I cannot believe the world has come to this! Then money is spent on research on why loneliness is such a problem.

 

[AliceA]

I was totally astounded in Barclays just after mum died. I had to take her death certificate in to them with some ID. Mum's branch is in London, we live in Somerset and I was not able to make an appointment at the local branch and told definitely not to post it off to them, just to attend the bank. I tried to do this at a 'quiet' time but there was a queue of about 10 people when I went in, no floating staff. When it was my turn, instead of summoning someone from behind the locked doors, the cashier came out and sat me down at a desk and dealt with all the rigmarole, leaving a dozen people behind me in the queue waiting to be served. Not even a floating 'body' to advise them. It was fairly straightforward but must have taken 15 minutes. I doubt I was popular with those behind me in the queue but totally not my fault.

Horrifying, especially at such a time.

 

[Saffie]

Funnily enough I was thinking of times past this morning. I have a light on my dashboard indicating tyre pressure so I have to go and put air in my tyres. The cost of doing this was 20 pence but is now 50. Not a lot but I just wondered why the cost of air had gone up and it reminded me of my mother stopping at a garage and, not moving from her seat, asking the petrol pump attendant for petrol and then asking if he’d check her tyres and put air in if necessary.
Just a small thing but once you start thinking of all the things that we are now expected to do ourselves and which used to be just a part of the service it’s no wonder we get more stressed nowadays! I rarely use a self-service till in a supermarket as a matter of principle - and because when I do it invariably goes wrong!

The sad thing about present times is that you could go into a supermarket, and do all your own shopping and scanning, and pay at the computerised tills. Then you could go to the post office, and do likewise, then on to WH Smith and do the same again and trundle home, all shopping completed and not having spoken to a single human person.

I once tried to pay a bill on the phone talking to a computer, it felt very strange, but I went along with the whole procedure, and just at the end, I happened to sneeze, the computer did not understand a sneeze and cancelled the whole rigmarole!!! Give me a human person please, but not one in Bangladesh, who calls himself 'David' - Please do me the honour of not pretending you are in this country!

 

[maryjoan]

Exactly! And I also think we are doing people out of jobs.
There are now quite large towns in the southwest, that no longer have a single bank branch in them - they are just waiting for us older people to die off, and then there will no longer be any High St bank branches - what would Capt Mainwaring and Sgt Wilson say?
Again, I remember about 43 years ago, out for a drive when we were thinking of buying our first home, we saw one with a home made For Sale sign in the window, I rang my former colleague, an Assistant Manager at Barclays, at home, in the evening, and asked him for a loan for the house - and without any formalities, or anything, he said 'Of Course!' - now those were the days.

 

[Lindy50]

I was totally astounded in Barclays just after mum died. I had to take her death certificate in to them with some ID. Mum's branch is in London, we live in Somerset and I was not able to make an appointment at the local branch and told definitely not to post it off to them, just to attend the bank. I tried to do this at a 'quiet' time but there was a queue of about 10 people when I went in, no floating staff. When it was my turn, instead of summoning someone from behind the locked doors, the cashier came out and sat me down at a desk and dealt with all the rigmarole, leaving a dozen people behind me in the queue waiting to be served. Not even a floating 'body' to advise them. It was fairly straightforward but must have taken 15 minutes. I doubt I was popular with those behind me in the queue but totally not my fault.

This is truly appalling @Fullticket
Whoever 'manages' that branch should be ashamed xx

 

[Lindy50]

Funnily enough I was thinking of times past this morning. I have a light on my dashboard indicating tyre pressure so I have to go and out air in my tyres. The cost of doing this was 20 pence but is now 50. Not a lot but I just wondered why the cost of air had gone up and it reminded me of my mother stopping at a garage and, not moving from her seat, asking the petrol pump attendant for petrol and then asking if he’d check her tyres and put air in if necessary.
Just a small thing but once you start thinking of all the things that we are now expected to do ourselves and which used to be just a part of the service it’s no wonder we get more stressed nowadays! I rarely use a self-service till in a supermarket as a matter of principle - and because when I do it invariably goes wrong!

You're so right @Saffie.
Yesterday for example I was sorting out online banking including online ISAs, registering our new TV to use Amazon Prime, printing off medical forms for daughter, etc, etc, figuring out codes and passwords for things all day It came as quite a relief to simply cook the evening meal
Regarding garages, I make a point of using the one near mum's nursing home. It's an old fashioned one that will put air in tyres, check screen wash etc if I ask. Costs a couple of pence more per litre for the petrol but I consider it worth it to support them

 

[Lindy50]

Sorry, I really am, but it made me laugh! Probably the laugh of a mad woman though! I cannot believe the world has come to this! Then money is spent on research on why loneliness is such a problem.

Exactly the point, @AliceA - pithy as ever! X

 

[AliceA]

Exactly the point, @AliceA - pithy as ever! X