Dealing with an angry customer
11 August 2009, 05:16 PM
#33
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Hats off to you for standing up to him. If it were me I would have called the police after he had being like, especially as you say that people who behave like that come back for me. The sooner you can get some assistance on the way, the better. Not to mention that in law the person who calls to report the offence is normally assumed to be the victim unless proven otherwise.
At and rate the coppers would follow it up with the chap, and could inform him that you had bared him from the premises. That would stand you in good stead if he ever came back for more, you'd have independent proof that you had bared him from returning.
At and rate the coppers would follow it up with the chap, and could inform him that you had bared him from the premises. That would stand you in good stead if he ever came back for more, you'd have independent proof that you had bared him from returning.
11 August 2009, 05:19 PM
#34
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sticky with the hassles youve had with the police probably not worth bothering.
You should carry a sheet of a4 paper with you, and during any confrontations get it out of your pocket (or clipboard would be better) and start folding it in front of them, this will make them curious and they will ask you what your doing.
Tell them you are trained in the art of origami and if there is any trouble you will be forced to use it
You should carry a sheet of a4 paper with you, and during any confrontations get it out of your pocket (or clipboard would be better) and start folding it in front of them, this will make them curious and they will ask you what your doing.
Tell them you are trained in the art of origami and if there is any trouble you will be forced to use it
11 August 2009, 05:45 PM
#35
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Nahh, i would be reluctant to deal with the police unless i really needed to due to previous hassles, they did arrive in record time about 4 years back when somebody tried to rob the place, although they said from the footage that they were doubtful they could find them, or do anything about it 
11 August 2009, 06:41 PM
#36
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Once i got him back into his car and inside the wash, i actually rang up customer care, and informed them that they might be getting a call from an irate bloke, who has just threatened to paste my face in 
As has always been the case in the past with incidents like this, they usually come back for more, and this bloke did, he parked up and came back around for another turn.
I had told customer care that i would not be dealing with him any more due to his aggression, and i would be passing him on, when the knobber came back around for more finger waving, i told him i refused to get into an argument with him and that customer care will now be dealing with him, and he should ring them up for a chat
The bloke is a tool, he deserved to be knocked out IMHO
Its not the first time, probably wont be the last time either.
Some bloke last year tried to grab one of the staff by the scruff of the neck and drag him into the carwash while he was still in the car once
Hence why this new camera was put up in the ideal position, right at the front of the wash
As has always been the case in the past with incidents like this, they usually come back for more, and this bloke did, he parked up and came back around for another turn.
I had told customer care that i would not be dealing with him any more due to his aggression, and i would be passing him on, when the knobber came back around for more finger waving, i told him i refused to get into an argument with him and that customer care will now be dealing with him, and he should ring them up for a chat
The bloke is a tool, he deserved to be knocked out IMHO
Its not the first time, probably wont be the last time either.
Some bloke last year tried to grab one of the staff by the scruff of the neck and drag him into the carwash while he was still in the car once
Hence why this new camera was put up in the ideal position, right at the front of the wash
Manners make the man as they say.....and also keep you out of casualty!
11 August 2009, 06:52 PM
#37
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I thought you ran your own business ?
Where does the Customer Care bit fit in, or do you just manage a car wash that is owned by someone else
going back to the topic, if the guy with the finger pointing is the alleged assailant then I would hazard a guess that the footage alone will not be enough as it doesnt really identify him enough
My Bro in law had cctv footage of a yob slashing his tyres with a large knife and he looked directly at the camera and was told by the police that it was insufficient evidence on its own
11 August 2009, 07:01 PM
#38
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I cant help but think that if you talk to customers they way you lay text down here, then you will inevitably come up against people like him today.
But thats me jumping to conclusions.
I think you did well from what you have said and the picture on the CCTV.
One huge mistake IMHO is that you let him get so close, I will never let an aggressor get in my airspace, once they go beyond the exclusion zone (of say 12 inches) I will go into self defence mode, especially if they are doing the snarling/spitting/pointing act.
I have found that the guys who spout off in your face as to what they are going to do, very rarely return and do it, but on occasion they will (see below)...
What they tend to do is return alot later and damage your car/property or other snidey, sh1thouse tricks which will annoy you, but leave them out of the picture and harms way.
They hate to lose face especially in front of their wife/girlfriend/mates, so they tend to get back at you somehow, then bragg to their mates as to what they did to teach you a lesson.
The guys who are cool, calm and collected are the ones to watch out for, but they wont spout off, they just get to it, get it done, then think about the consequences later.
I think one of the major problems you have at your work place is that if you have a snarl, people always know where you are, or at least where you are 6 and half days of the week, they also know your car as the model will not exactly blend in, and with the private plate it makes it easier to single out.
If it was me, and he had threatened this, that and the other, and used local well known names, I would be watching for people hanging around my car, following me home, or generally sitting off and watching my movements.
I wouldnt wipe the tape yet either, I would make a hard copy and keep it.
I know you are brushing this off as no big deal, but I know what its like and it plays on your mind, the strange thing is the more it happens, the easier it is to forget about, if it doesnt happen often it rattles you for a while.
I had a disagreement with a guy in the LateLounge on BoldSt Liverpool, to keep it brief he threatened to shoot me, I laughed it off, he came back 20 minutes later and let off two barrels of a sawn off into the doorway of the bar from his car.
Because it was a sawn off the pellets spray out side ways rather than sticking together when its a long barrel, so the damage was limited. Yet it shatered the glass doors and reached the DJ stand which was 40 yards into the Bar.
I wasnt hit but customers were, and my mate who was stood six foot away from me was hit by 12 pellets to the side of his head, he needed to have them surgically removed.
One was lodged in his ear and is still there today, as they deemed it too dangerous to his hearing to remove it. The side of his face is pocked and looks tatooed.
There are nutters out there, but there are also gobsh1tes who will talk the talk, but wont walk the walk....lets hope yours is the later.
But thats me jumping to conclusions.
I think you did well from what you have said and the picture on the CCTV.
One huge mistake IMHO is that you let him get so close, I will never let an aggressor get in my airspace, once they go beyond the exclusion zone (of say 12 inches) I will go into self defence mode, especially if they are doing the snarling/spitting/pointing act.
I have found that the guys who spout off in your face as to what they are going to do, very rarely return and do it, but on occasion they will (see below)...
What they tend to do is return alot later and damage your car/property or other snidey, sh1thouse tricks which will annoy you, but leave them out of the picture and harms way.
They hate to lose face especially in front of their wife/girlfriend/mates, so they tend to get back at you somehow, then bragg to their mates as to what they did to teach you a lesson.
The guys who are cool, calm and collected are the ones to watch out for, but they wont spout off, they just get to it, get it done, then think about the consequences later.
I think one of the major problems you have at your work place is that if you have a snarl, people always know where you are, or at least where you are 6 and half days of the week, they also know your car as the model will not exactly blend in, and with the private plate it makes it easier to single out.
If it was me, and he had threatened this, that and the other, and used local well known names, I would be watching for people hanging around my car, following me home, or generally sitting off and watching my movements.
I wouldnt wipe the tape yet either, I would make a hard copy and keep it.
I know you are brushing this off as no big deal, but I know what its like and it plays on your mind, the strange thing is the more it happens, the easier it is to forget about, if it doesnt happen often it rattles you for a while.
I had a disagreement with a guy in the LateLounge on BoldSt Liverpool, to keep it brief he threatened to shoot me, I laughed it off, he came back 20 minutes later and let off two barrels of a sawn off into the doorway of the bar from his car.
Because it was a sawn off the pellets spray out side ways rather than sticking together when its a long barrel, so the damage was limited. Yet it shatered the glass doors and reached the DJ stand which was 40 yards into the Bar.
I wasnt hit but customers were, and my mate who was stood six foot away from me was hit by 12 pellets to the side of his head, he needed to have them surgically removed.
One was lodged in his ear and is still there today, as they deemed it too dangerous to his hearing to remove it. The side of his face is pocked and looks tatooed.
There are nutters out there, but there are also gobsh1tes who will talk the talk, but wont walk the walk....lets hope yours is the later.
11 August 2009, 07:03 PM
#39
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What will the police do if you strike first, dont hold out any hope of them giving you any sympathy of your safety feeling threatened.
I got arrested about 7 years ago after 3 lads had a pop at me and my wife as she's Japanese and we're proper in our faces (they where drunk). One of them pushed me so I went at them and decked two of them and pasted the third who ran off! Police turn up, see two lads on the floor bloody and bruised but completely not interested in listening to me, arrested me and my mate who was totally bewildered as to how quick i'd decked these lads and left both our wifes stranded in the town centre with no money, wallets, etc...
Arrested for assault, taken to the station, desk sergent - uninterest, both spent the night in the cells, and released without charge as these lads didnt want to press charges. All throughout the police where not interested in listening to our side of the story, or my mates story as he was an innocent bystander.
Different situation but my experience of the police.
I got arrested about 7 years ago after 3 lads had a pop at me and my wife as she's Japanese and we're proper in our faces (they where drunk). One of them pushed me so I went at them and decked two of them and pasted the third who ran off! Police turn up, see two lads on the floor bloody and bruised but completely not interested in listening to me, arrested me and my mate who was totally bewildered as to how quick i'd decked these lads and left both our wifes stranded in the town centre with no money, wallets, etc...
Arrested for assault, taken to the station, desk sergent - uninterest, both spent the night in the cells, and released without charge as these lads didnt want to press charges. All throughout the police where not interested in listening to our side of the story, or my mates story as he was an innocent bystander.
Different situation but my experience of the police.
11 August 2009, 07:13 PM
#40
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one sentence required in this situation....
"Look mate, from you threatening behavior you're not welcome here, i've made a note of your registration number and car details and will be forwarding them to the police, Just so you know"
i would then call the police straight away. and turn off the machine etc...
whats he gonna do then??
maybe shout a bit more..... until plod arrives...
as said above, good on ya for standing your ground... maybe a bottle of "brake fluid" pre-cleaner would have been good!! hahhahah
hope its the last you see of the fat dead beat
"Look mate, from you threatening behavior you're not welcome here, i've made a note of your registration number and car details and will be forwarding them to the police, Just so you know"
i would then call the police straight away. and turn off the machine etc...
whats he gonna do then??
maybe shout a bit more..... until plod arrives...
as said above, good on ya for standing your ground... maybe a bottle of "brake fluid" pre-cleaner would have been good!! hahhahah
hope its the last you see of the fat dead beat
11 August 2009, 07:22 PM
#41
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Credit to you mate for staying calm, my temper is appauling and I just know that I couldn't have stood there with that guy in my face.
A couple of years ago I was approaching a zebra crossing and could see a guy on a bike appearing to be riding past it, all of a sudden he swerved onto the crossing and I had to break harsh to let him accross. I obviously decided to voice my opinion (and if I'm honest quite angrily) on him riding his bike accross the crossing without a care in the world for anything else. The guy got off his bike and rammed it into the front bumper of my car and started back at me. I got out of the car and he squared up to me just like your photo so I hit him, he fell over his bike and all of a sudden the Police appeared and I was carted off (at this point work were really p**sed because it was my lunch break). I made my statement etc and Police obtained CCTV footage of the incidednt. I ended up being charged with battery and the other guy was given a caution for causing damage to the car. I still had to cough up the £210 to repair and paint the bumper.
I know its a bit longwinded but I genuinely thought I was in the right on this. I think you saved yourself alot of agro by being the man and not rising to him.
A couple of years ago I was approaching a zebra crossing and could see a guy on a bike appearing to be riding past it, all of a sudden he swerved onto the crossing and I had to break harsh to let him accross. I obviously decided to voice my opinion (and if I'm honest quite angrily) on him riding his bike accross the crossing without a care in the world for anything else. The guy got off his bike and rammed it into the front bumper of my car and started back at me. I got out of the car and he squared up to me just like your photo so I hit him, he fell over his bike and all of a sudden the Police appeared and I was carted off (at this point work were really p**sed because it was my lunch break). I made my statement etc and Police obtained CCTV footage of the incidednt. I ended up being charged with battery and the other guy was given a caution for causing damage to the car. I still had to cough up the £210 to repair and paint the bumper.
I know its a bit longwinded but I genuinely thought I was in the right on this. I think you saved yourself alot of agro by being the man and not rising to him.
11 August 2009, 08:00 PM
#43
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Tony Martin
The Public Order Act covers quite a lot. Even swearing at someone is an offence under the Public Order Act, if it's intended to cause alarm or distress, (section 4a, I think, whereas swearing generally in public such that you are likely to cause offence or distress to someone who may hear is covered by section 5). Whether the police would act on it without having witnessed it themselves is another matter, as is what would be considered reasonable as a response.
Personally I would say that from the video still it looked like he was intending to cause alarm so this should be covered by the Act.
As for anyone pathetic enough to kick off over a car wash,
. If he's not happy with the service offered he should just **** off somewhere else.
Personally I would say that from the video still it looked like he was intending to cause alarm so this should be covered by the Act.
As for anyone pathetic enough to kick off over a car wash,
. If he's not happy with the service offered he should just **** off somewhere else.
11 August 2009, 08:44 PM
#45
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Its a funny setup, as every wash is actually run, by a different named valeting company, with its own self employed boss, who employs his own staff under his own business, but we all trade under the main brand, and all have the same corparate image.
11 August 2009, 08:50 PM
#46
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I have found that the guys who spout off in your face as to what they are going to do, very rarely return and do it, but on occasion they will (see below)...
What they tend to do is return alot later and damage your car/property or other snidey, sh1thouse tricks which will annoy you, but leave them out of the picture and harms way.
What they tend to do is return alot later and damage your car/property or other snidey, sh1thouse tricks which will annoy you, but leave them out of the picture and harms way.
The bloke may return later and cause problems, he can damage the property as much as he wants, i don't own the actual building, so anything that is damaged is not fixed by me
He could also damage my car, although that is not a problem, as i drive a 6 year old MGRover worth nothing at all, that i don't really care about in the slightest
This bloke was just a fat old chump, blowing off some steam because his bull**** plan did not wash, when he was getting back in his car to leave, he waved at me and blew me a kiss, not sure if he actually thought i was bothered in any way, shape or form, so i blew him one back and gave him a cheery wave, he probably went home and told his neighbour about how he gave me a right good kicking
11 August 2009, 09:07 PM
#47
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The carwash is a kind of franchise, i actually own the valeting business, which trades under a different name (A1 Plus Valeting) the customer care centre will deal with any wash related incidents, which comes in handy in situations like this, as you can offload them onto somebody else, and get rid of the hassle, in 5 years i have only ever had 1 complain regarding a valet, yet we, and most other sites seam to get wash complaints quite regular
Its a funny setup, as every wash is actually run, by a different named valeting company, with its own self employed boss, who employs his own staff under his own business, but we all trade under the main brand, and all have the same corparate image.
Its a funny setup, as every wash is actually run, by a different named valeting company, with its own self employed boss, who employs his own staff under his own business, but we all trade under the main brand, and all have the same corparate image.
And tut tut under the old system you would have been hung drawn and infractionated for sneaking an advert in
11 August 2009, 11:51 PM
#49
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Originally Posted by StickyMicky
...can I **** him, like?...
Simon
12 August 2009, 08:28 AM
#51
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I slept with both eyes open, as i was awake most of the fecking night due to the wifeys fecken wriggling around in bed 
And they were not the pleasant type of wriggles either
And they were not the pleasant type of wriggles either
12 August 2009, 08:32 AM
#52
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Why on earth did you allow him get so close to you? Big, big mistake. You wouldn't have had time to react if he gave you a Glasgow kiss. Atleast with some distance you have time to counterattack.
12 August 2009, 09:25 AM
#54
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I was not scared of him, if he had of hit me, then i had his car reg, plus his face on camera so he could be traced.
At no point did i ever feel that he was actually going to hit me.
As soon as he started being a **** i judged him as a loud mouth wannabe, who never had the ***** to actually do anything.
He wanted me to run away, step back, show some kind of fear, he wanted some kind of confirmation that he was the alpha-king.
If he had of got out from the car, saying nothing and ran towards me, i may have judged him differently, but when somebody is contantly telling you they are going to knock your head clean off, its usually (as said above) complete bollocks
Besides, i have bigger ***** then him :d
At no point did i ever feel that he was actually going to hit me.
As soon as he started being a **** i judged him as a loud mouth wannabe, who never had the ***** to actually do anything.
He wanted me to run away, step back, show some kind of fear, he wanted some kind of confirmation that he was the alpha-king.
If he had of got out from the car, saying nothing and ran towards me, i may have judged him differently, but when somebody is contantly telling you they are going to knock your head clean off, its usually (as said above) complete bollocks
Besides, i have bigger ***** then him :d
12 August 2009, 10:12 AM
#55
Looking at that clip of your cctv you did very very well to take it, out of pure reaction i think id of had ascuffle,won or lost i dont know,but someone jabbing me/you,takes alot of restraint to take it so well done !!!!!!
12 August 2009, 10:40 AM
#56
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I can't stand people getting in my face like that and would take some spectacular restraint not to have done something prior to him getting that close.
Not everyone that blows off like that won't react, some people may well be different and could have reacted after kicking off.
Fair play to standing there and not reacting to that.
Not everyone that blows off like that won't react, some people may well be different and could have reacted after kicking off.
Fair play to standing there and not reacting to that.
12 August 2009, 11:56 AM
#59
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Anyone that "in your face" would get a right hook from me, if some even looks like there gonna kick off its best to get a decent punch in first, 9 times out of ten it will either drop them like a sack of spuds or give them enough of a shock to make them think twice!
How you kept your cool i dont know!
Fair play though, you reckon he will come back?
How you kept your cool i dont know!
Fair play though, you reckon he will come back?
12 August 2009, 12:13 PM
#60
Ok so i have just had to deal with an angry bloke, basically he decieded that he was going to kill me
And called me quite a killer names, before realising that i was not intimidated at all, and told me he was going to get out of his car to smash my face in
Basically he was lied about being a regular, and how the staff usually give him freebies, although he could not remember the last time he was in, could not remember the lads who give him the freebies, and thought i was a newbie who would not give in to his demands
And called me quite a killer names, before realising that i was not intimidated at all, and told me he was going to get out of his car to smash my face in
Basically he was lied about being a regular, and how the staff usually give him freebies, although he could not remember the last time he was in, could not remember the lads who give him the freebies, and thought i was a newbie who would not give in to his demands
Well done for keeping your cool though!