Administrators Phil Parker Posted August 9, 2018 Administrators Share Posted August 9, 2018 I am not sure whether to find it comical or tragic (or maybe it is a tromedy?) that in order to further women's rights and protect the right of women to choose how they want to live that it seems plenty of people support banning various forms of dress favoured by Muslim women. If they're forced to wear that dress then I think there is an argument to intervene on their behalf, the problem is most of the evidence I have seen personally indicates that they wear it out of free choice. If that's the case I don't see anybody else has any right to dictate to them that they're not allowed to wear it. And this relates to customers in model shops how? I'd appreciate it if we can keep to the topic - Andy might be away, but I have the admin tools, but less finesse in deploying them... (And yes, I have worked in customer service. My tales of the appalling behaviour of the public in theatres will be kept for my next novel) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) Surely going off-topic and ranting about different things is exactly on-topic for this thread ? (Are we not 'customers' in RMweb's 'model shop' ?) Edited August 9, 2018 by Stubby47 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium njee20 Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 9, 2018 So is Fay in the C&M adverts related to the owner somehow? I must say I find their adverts in really poor taste regardless, but they do catch the eye! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 So is Fay in the C&M adverts related to the owner somehow? I must say I find their adverts in really poor taste regardless, but they do catch the eye! One of my colleagues visited there one day and was bitterly disappointed by what he didn't find! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big James Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 One of the funniest things is when someone comes in claiming they know all their rights when it comes to refunds and warranties. I’ve spent a long time in retail quite a few of them as a manager so I know most of the rules and those I don’t the people around me know them. I do like to shoot them down which I know is quite sad and petty but when they are swearing in my face and being quite intimidating it’s a small pleasure. Big James 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sails Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 So is Fay in the C&M adverts related to the owner somehow? I must say I find their adverts in really poor taste regardless, but they do catch the eye! I find the adverts quirky and bring a smile out, something different from what is an otherwise borefest of stock lists and brand logos. This months advert in the Hornby magazine is good one, Fay showing off her range Shame Carlisle is out of my way from Essex. Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 One of the funniest things is when someone comes in claiming they know all their rights when it comes to refunds and warranties. I’ve spent a long time in retail quite a few of them as a manager so I know most of the rules and those I don’t the people around me know them. I do like to shoot them down which I know is quite sad and petty but when they are swearing in my face and being quite intimidating it’s a small pleasure. Big James Its common now for people to claim to know their rights, but normally turns out they don't. Even more worryingly many fail to know their responsibilities, we have become a very selfish culture thinking only about ourselves. As for those who try and shout and bully others, there are two ways of dealing with them The first is confrontation which has been stated, bullies always back down, but sadly no one wins In my opinion its best to allow the customer to let off steam. Once they have finished (and have run out of steam) you can then deal with the issue, quite often you end up solving the problem and have a satisfied customer too boot, both sides winning 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmacc Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 What scale is she? I always think of small people as H0 scale people in a 00 scale world! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 9, 2018 Like so many walks of life, this hobby seems to bring out the worst in some folk, the best in others. I was brought up to be polite and I really believe there is no excuse for bad manners. Good manners cost nothing and can win you more favours than any amount of bad manners, language, abuse ever can. John. I have a relative who in the local supermarket, now only uses the self-serve check outs. He says its so he no longer has to deal with rude and surly staff. All I can say, I was with him when he rang up to report a fault with his phone line. He ranted at the person at the call centre, for asking for his address and DOB (an excellent way of proving ID - otherwise anyone could ring up and change the account or whatever). He went on that it was an invasion of his privacy, to have to provide this information and did so under extreme protest and on and on. Yes I can see why the supermarket staff dreaded him, because he'd always moan about the price of his purchases. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Yes I can see why the supermarket staff dreaded him, because he'd always moan about the price of his purchases. I know rail enthusiasts that'll think nothing of spending hundreds of pounds on something that they "must have" but complain when baked beans have gone up by a penny. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) Its common now for people to claim to know their rights, but normally turns out they don't. Even more worryingly many fail to know their responsibilities, we have become a very selfish culture thinking only about ourselves. As for those who try and shout and bully others, there are two ways of dealing with them The first is confrontation which has been stated, bullies always back down, but sadly no one wins In my opinion its best to allow the customer to let off steam. Once they have finished (and have run out of steam) you can then deal with the issue, quite often you end up solving the problem and have a satisfied customer too boot, both sides winning Agreed. I had a customer who complained about the 'sorry I missed you' card I put in his letter box. He rang up to say that I must have gone to the wrong house, as there were 9 people in the house & 3 cars in the drive! I knew this was a lie, as I'd been to the same house very recently. Anyway, the boss got me to go back that afternoon, which I did, to the exact same house, said nothing, just went about my business & resolved the issue. After thanks & saying good bye. I turned around & politely told him 'Next time, don't tell the office that you were home, when you weren't'! Got him, because he went bright red! Much better than an argument. Edited August 9, 2018 by kevinlms 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chamby Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) My nearest model shop is Janes Trains - it would be hard not to assume such a person could be manager. Not necessarily - have you ever phoned Olivia's Trains? The manager/owner turns out to be a very gruff, blunt speaking Yorkshire-person. Edited August 9, 2018 by Chamby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharris Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Not necessarily - have you ever phoned Olivia's Trains? The manager/owner turns out to be a very gruff, blunt speaking Yorkshire-person. Are you sure that isn't just what the women are like in Sheffield? (not really, well, not all of them anyway, I share an office with a woman from Sheffield, and she's not like that at all) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sails Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 My nearest model shop is Janes Trains - it would be hard not to assume such a person could be manager. Was living in Clapham up until last year, enjoyed my visits down to Tooting and Jane and the two gents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) Before Phil's intervention, its remarkable how some some rise to annoyance or even anger in the responses herein. Brian. Edited August 9, 2018 by brianusa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 In my opinion its best to allow the customer to let off steam. Once they have finished (and have run out of steam) you can then deal with the issue, quite often you end up solving the problem and have a satisfied customer too boot, both sides winning That's my usual tactic. Let them have their rant, wait for them to draw breath and then I say that I agree, the service is crap or whatever and they don't know how to respond. I then take advantage of those few seconds of bewilderment to find out where they are going to, then I can provide a solution to their problem even if it is only giving them a delay repay form. Most of the time I can't "fix" the problem (cancelled train) and I can't just put on a taxi for them (not a decision I can make - that's platform's job) but most eventually realise that the root cause of the problem is much higher up the food chain than me, and go away happy with the solution I have provided. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ruggedpeak Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2018 I wouldn't say it was patronising. If you had to place a bet on whether the owner of a model shop was going to be someone who possibly turned their hobby into a business with its shop lease and associated costs, I'd say the majority would not think it to be a young woman rather a middle aged man. I'd also say the statistics would back this up. Can you provide a link to the statistics? It's just that my local model shop is run by a young lady called Heather. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike at C&M Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 C&M stands for Clare and Mike - Clare, my wife, bought the business, and it is up to me to make a return upon her investment. So strictly, the business is my wife's. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3109 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 On a related topic, there are some advertisements on here that look a bit sexist to me. I assume you're on about those from Carlisle. Frankly I think they're great and a breath of fresh air in the current 'normality' of PC or Die. If we had a large number of fit birds who were into trains ( model or otherwise) then perhaps such ads would be irrelevant. We don't. So they're not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3109 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) Just to add. I'm absolutely in favour of those who keep the model train shops going, in this era of the inter web. What I'm not in favour of, is those who refuse to put price stickers on their offerings. I'm also iffy about those who can't give way a little on the price tag for bulk purchases, no wonder the online fraternity are cleaning up (Hatton's etc, plus eBay) and also no wonder the toyfairs are so popular. The vast majority of toyfair stalls welcome a bit of haggling, because they welcome the reality of return custom. Edited August 9, 2018 by E3109 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2018 Can you provide a link to the statistics? It's just that my local model shop is run by a young lady called Heather. No doubt it is, but the one's I frequent are owned by middle aged (either approaching or past) men and they do make up the majority of owners. There are women traders in the hobby but they are the minority. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 I am not so sure that the overbearing, brutish customer is a modern phenomenon. When I was an info clerk with Sealink at Victoria, in the 1970's, with queues going out the door and down the street in the summer, I had my fair share of unreasonable demands. Almost all such interactions were with Americans. One even had the temerity to ask if I cared whether he travelled with "my company" or not. As the, probably, two thousandth person to ask me to recite the entire timetable of trains/boats/trains to Paris that day, I looked up, looked around at the many hundreds still waiting for their turn, looked back at him, and said "no, not really.". Perhaps I am solely to blame for the following decades of customer care training courses we had to endure? But my favourite "trainer" was a relief station manager, when I was still technically in management training in 1981. I was told to go up to Strood to help him out, as, yet again, Strood Tunnel was shut due to flooding, and the service was in "chaos" (the tabloids had not yet picked up on that as the only possible description of any problems on the railways whatsoever). But this was real chaos, as it had happened so suddenly in the middle of the morning peak (turned out to have been caused by a contractor working above the tunnel, who had broken through). No buses and few taxis were immediately available, and we were frantically trying to arrange a spare train out of Gillingham to shuttle passengers back to Chatham or Rochester, so they could at least get to London, whilst at the same time trying to pass instructions to stranded crews and keep the Medway Valley service running with platforms already becoming clogged up. Amongst the two hundred plus passengers on the platform, one particular, well dressed "gentleman" had taken to following my esteemed colleague up and down the platform, in and out of the office, berating him at frequent intervals for not doing enough. My colleague eventually invited the gentleman to escort him to the far end of the platform, along with me. He duly obliged, appearing to get excited that he may now get the attention he believed he truly deserved. Once we had settled on a place for the due discourse, my colleague asked the gentleman if he would do him a very great service. "Yes, of course" he replied. "Good" said my colleague "f^^^ off, there's a good gentleman." And he did. Now that's what I call a satisfactory resolution. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 9, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2018 When I was an info clerk with Sealink at Victoria, in the 1970's, If you'd left by 1980/81 you were lucky enough not to have worked with my big brother, although you quite possibly met Brian Bartram . ..my commiserations. . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) I cannot help but feel that in this day and age there is always someone looking for sexism or racism or one of the many other isms when none is intended or even implied. Even the truth is no longer permitted if in someone's view it may possibly offend some group or other. DT There’s still enough of the real McCoy out there that you don’t have to look far, bud. Most of it is just down to ignorance though, rather than malice; it’s just a question of getting people to engage brain before opening mouth. There lies the challenge as there are still far too many who have still to master that skill, even at an advanced age. ;-) Davy. Edited August 10, 2018 by Mad McCann 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) That's my usual tactic. Let them have their rant, wait for them to draw breath and then I say that I agree, the service is crap or whatever and they don't know how to respond. I then take advantage of those few seconds of bewilderment....Not model railways related, but I had similar experiences as a truck driver. One that stands out in my memory was a delivery to a garden centre. Before I had even got out of the cab, the owner stormed over & shouted at me "Are they stupid in your office??!!" "Yes" I replied, nodding my head vigourously. That threw him He ended up accepting the delivery, which he'd actually cancelled over the phone the day before, & why he had been annoyed to see me. Edit - spelling!! Edited August 10, 2018 by F-UnitMad Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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