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I don't know what it was about people today but we dealt with multiple entitled people today. By the end of my shift I was more than ready to peace out and run away from the spa before I had to deal with one more complete tool.
The day started with one of our registered massage therapists calling out sick. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't one of the ones we usually expect to call out. Thankfully, we managed to cover all her massages except one, but such is life sometimes. That one client though...she was irate and couldn't understand why she couldn't be fit in with somebody else. Y'see, we tried to see if it was possible before we called her to cancel, but we simply had no more room to put her. At least we called her before she showed up, right? Apparently, that wasn't good enough because we should have known the day before - a holiday when there was nobody working at the spa in the first place - and called her then. Yeah. No.
Then a missus came in and was upset that she couldn't get her massage when she wanted it. As in first thing that morning. Even though it had been scheduled for the afternoon after the rest of her services had been completed. It took the spa manager stepping in and explaining to her that we would not rearrange an entire day's schedule just to fit what she was demanding. She managed to get all her services but still left angry with us. I guess she was pissed off over not getting her way that she simply couldn't relax and enjoy her spa day.
Then a group of three women came in together who were scheduled for massages, pedicures, and manicures. The leader of the three tried to tell me that she had booked specific packages that were to include facials. And she insisted that she told the woman she spoke to on the phone when setting these appointments up that she was booking specific packages. What she didn't realize is that it was ME she had spoken to, and that I confirmed the appointment details for all three women before I hung up the phone with her back when she booked them. Oh, she didn't like that very much at all. "Are you SURE there isn't any space for facials for at least two of us?" Yes, I'm sure. Our schedule has no wiggle room today no matter how much you beg and get pissy with me. And then she threw out the spa manager's name, as if that was going to magically create space for even one facial. I told her that if there was room I would happily have booked those facials, but seeing as how our schedule is packed it wasn't going to happen. Once they got out of my face I let the spa manager know what was going on just in case she got a complaint. And to top things off, one of the ladies in this group couldn't get the manicure anyway - she actually needed a gel nail fill, which we couldn't accommodate today anyway. But apparently that was also my fault somehow?
After that was the missus who walked in randomly and expected us to be able to take her in for a massage. No appointment, nothing. And then got angry that we couldn't fit her in. Apparently we'll be hearing from our local ombudsman for discriminating against her. WTF?!
Then there was the guy I had to deal with via our chat program who got angry that we have no availability for a couples massage on a Saturday until the middle of January. Even if he were to book a room at the attached hotel. He didn't like being told that hotel guests do not get to jump the queue and bump other spa clients out of their appointments. When he asked to have somebody at the hotel call him about this I somehow managed not to laugh when I told him that he'd still end up talking to me as I handle calls for both the spa and the hotel, and I'm in management to boot.
Final call of the day was dealing with a massage client that will be told that she needs to find a new massage therapist as none of ours will treat her any longer. It takes a LOT for us to fire a client, but apparently this lady has pushed it entirely too far now. Between no-showing for appointments, demanding that her preferred therapists come in on their days off to treat her, treating them all as if they were less than dog shit, arguing with treatment strategies, and so much more, it has been decided to fire her. But before we can flat out tell her that she will no longer been seen by any of our massage therapists we have to issue her a professional letter stating why she will no longer be permitted to book massages with us, and that if she continues that same behaviour with our estheticians that she will no longer be able to book anything with us and will be prohibited from setting foot in any of our owner's other facilities, including the hotel and other accommodations. She was less than impressed when we told her that we had to cancel her massage tomorrow because the therapist is out due to illness (she's not sick, but she will not be on the premises while this client is there), and that of the other two therapists that she demanded we book her with that one has left the company close to a year ago and the other is already booked solid for the day. Even if that wasn't true, nobody will see her anyway. She said she was going to show up tomorrow anyway and demand that she get her massage...and I calmly told her that if she caused a scene or even so much as raised her voice tomorrow that I would be calling the police to escort her off the property.
And as I was getting ready to leave for the day, one of the staff asked to speak to me in private. For this girl to complain you just know it's serious, and sure enough what she told me is a very serious matter indeed. What it boils down to is that we have an immature staff member, who refuses to take ownership of her own fuck up for not clocking in and out each day or at least telling somebody in management that she couldn't only to have her last pay shorted by several hours, telling our newest staff member (it was only this girl's third shift today!) that she had to track all her hours because we couldn't be trusted to pay people correctly, and that all the management is just out to scam the employees, and basically stirring up shit. I'd been hearing murmurs of this ISM saying and doing stuff that was questionable, but what I was told today pretty much confirms everything I'd been hearing. This means that tomorrow I've got to talk to the spa manager first thing in the morning about what has been going on, and then speaking to both staff members about it all. Of course the new girl will be encouraged to speak to myself or any other member of management if she has any concerns, and it will be explained that the only reason the other person had any issues with her pay is because she was having issues clocking in and out but not telling anybody who could do something about it until it was too late. And then ISM will be told to stop running her mouth and reminded that the payroll issue was her own doing, which she had been told in the first place, and that if she keeps filling the new employee's head with such garbage that it could lead her being shown the door.
I think now I need a stiff drink and a cuddle with a cat while I read a book.
The day started with one of our registered massage therapists calling out sick. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't one of the ones we usually expect to call out. Thankfully, we managed to cover all her massages except one, but such is life sometimes. That one client though...she was irate and couldn't understand why she couldn't be fit in with somebody else. Y'see, we tried to see if it was possible before we called her to cancel, but we simply had no more room to put her. At least we called her before she showed up, right? Apparently, that wasn't good enough because we should have known the day before - a holiday when there was nobody working at the spa in the first place - and called her then. Yeah. No.
Then a missus came in and was upset that she couldn't get her massage when she wanted it. As in first thing that morning. Even though it had been scheduled for the afternoon after the rest of her services had been completed. It took the spa manager stepping in and explaining to her that we would not rearrange an entire day's schedule just to fit what she was demanding. She managed to get all her services but still left angry with us. I guess she was pissed off over not getting her way that she simply couldn't relax and enjoy her spa day.
Then a group of three women came in together who were scheduled for massages, pedicures, and manicures. The leader of the three tried to tell me that she had booked specific packages that were to include facials. And she insisted that she told the woman she spoke to on the phone when setting these appointments up that she was booking specific packages. What she didn't realize is that it was ME she had spoken to, and that I confirmed the appointment details for all three women before I hung up the phone with her back when she booked them. Oh, she didn't like that very much at all. "Are you SURE there isn't any space for facials for at least two of us?" Yes, I'm sure. Our schedule has no wiggle room today no matter how much you beg and get pissy with me. And then she threw out the spa manager's name, as if that was going to magically create space for even one facial. I told her that if there was room I would happily have booked those facials, but seeing as how our schedule is packed it wasn't going to happen. Once they got out of my face I let the spa manager know what was going on just in case she got a complaint. And to top things off, one of the ladies in this group couldn't get the manicure anyway - she actually needed a gel nail fill, which we couldn't accommodate today anyway. But apparently that was also my fault somehow?
After that was the missus who walked in randomly and expected us to be able to take her in for a massage. No appointment, nothing. And then got angry that we couldn't fit her in. Apparently we'll be hearing from our local ombudsman for discriminating against her. WTF?!
Then there was the guy I had to deal with via our chat program who got angry that we have no availability for a couples massage on a Saturday until the middle of January. Even if he were to book a room at the attached hotel. He didn't like being told that hotel guests do not get to jump the queue and bump other spa clients out of their appointments. When he asked to have somebody at the hotel call him about this I somehow managed not to laugh when I told him that he'd still end up talking to me as I handle calls for both the spa and the hotel, and I'm in management to boot.
Final call of the day was dealing with a massage client that will be told that she needs to find a new massage therapist as none of ours will treat her any longer. It takes a LOT for us to fire a client, but apparently this lady has pushed it entirely too far now. Between no-showing for appointments, demanding that her preferred therapists come in on their days off to treat her, treating them all as if they were less than dog shit, arguing with treatment strategies, and so much more, it has been decided to fire her. But before we can flat out tell her that she will no longer been seen by any of our massage therapists we have to issue her a professional letter stating why she will no longer be permitted to book massages with us, and that if she continues that same behaviour with our estheticians that she will no longer be able to book anything with us and will be prohibited from setting foot in any of our owner's other facilities, including the hotel and other accommodations. She was less than impressed when we told her that we had to cancel her massage tomorrow because the therapist is out due to illness (she's not sick, but she will not be on the premises while this client is there), and that of the other two therapists that she demanded we book her with that one has left the company close to a year ago and the other is already booked solid for the day. Even if that wasn't true, nobody will see her anyway. She said she was going to show up tomorrow anyway and demand that she get her massage...and I calmly told her that if she caused a scene or even so much as raised her voice tomorrow that I would be calling the police to escort her off the property.
And as I was getting ready to leave for the day, one of the staff asked to speak to me in private. For this girl to complain you just know it's serious, and sure enough what she told me is a very serious matter indeed. What it boils down to is that we have an immature staff member, who refuses to take ownership of her own fuck up for not clocking in and out each day or at least telling somebody in management that she couldn't only to have her last pay shorted by several hours, telling our newest staff member (it was only this girl's third shift today!) that she had to track all her hours because we couldn't be trusted to pay people correctly, and that all the management is just out to scam the employees, and basically stirring up shit. I'd been hearing murmurs of this ISM saying and doing stuff that was questionable, but what I was told today pretty much confirms everything I'd been hearing. This means that tomorrow I've got to talk to the spa manager first thing in the morning about what has been going on, and then speaking to both staff members about it all. Of course the new girl will be encouraged to speak to myself or any other member of management if she has any concerns, and it will be explained that the only reason the other person had any issues with her pay is because she was having issues clocking in and out but not telling anybody who could do something about it until it was too late. And then ISM will be told to stop running her mouth and reminded that the payroll issue was her own doing, which she had been told in the first place, and that if she keeps filling the new employee's head with such garbage that it could lead her being shown the door.
I think now I need a stiff drink and a cuddle with a cat while I read a book.
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