Causing a fit over such a small problem. (long)

[Lingering Grin]

Ok, the easiest way to tell this story is by telling the dialog. So I'll cut to the chase


Me:
SC:
A: Coworker
M: Manager
C: Cop


SC: "Yeah I need to add 4 more games to lane 19."
Me: "Sure no problem."
Me: *look down and notice that lane 19 is on time, not games*
Me: "Sir! I can't add games to lane 19, it's by time, and I can't mix time and games."
SC: "What!? I bought the quarter game deal!"
*Look and see he's wearing a bracelet, which means he DID get the deal*
Me: "Ok, but lane 19 is on time, I can't add individual games."
SC: "I was on lane 32, it broke down and you moved me to 19! I bought the quarter mania deal!"
Me: "Yes, but lane 19 is on time, whoever paid for the lane is going by the hour, not by games."
SC: "I paid for the lane!"
Me: "Are you sure you're on lane 19?"
SC: "YES!"
Me: "ok, lane 19 is on TIME, I can't add games."
SC: "Why would I pay $15 for the Quartermania if I was paying time?"
Me: "I don't know."

*Coworker notices the arguement and steps in to help*
A: "What's the problem?
SC: "I wanna add 4 games to lane 19!"
A: "Ok, let me look..... ok Lane 19 is on time, we can't add games."
SC: "That's bullshit! I paid for the quatermania, I want to add games."
A: "Yes, but the lane is on time, we can't add agmes to a lane that is on time."
SC: "You don't have to be rude."
A: "I'm not being rude, I'm just explaining what's going on."
SC: "NO! You're being rude!"
A: "I'm being rude? Ok fine." *Grabs the microphone for the PA* "M to the front desk!"
A: "Ok, you can speak with my manager."
SC: "B....."
A: *interrupts* "No, I'm done serving you, you can discuss this with my manager."

M walks up with the cop following him.

M: "What's going on?"

A explains the situation

SC: "We were opn lane 32, it was breaking down so we were moved."
M: "Ok."
Me: "Oh, yeah, I remember that. I moved them. Lane 32 wasn't scoring."
M: "What's the problem?"
Me: "He wants to add games to his new lane, but they're by time, it won't let us do that."
M: "Oh ok... yeah sorry, but we can't add games to a timed game."
SC: "But I got the quartermania! Why would I pay for the wristband but then by time!
Me: "Are you sure it's lane 19?"
SC: "YES!"
C: "Has anyone physically gone down to the lane and checked?"
SC: "I'm with the girl in the blue tank-top over there!"
C: "No, settle-down, take me to the lane..."

They walk away to the lane and then come up.

C: "They're on lane 18, not 19"
Me: "OH! Ok, that is by the game, we can do that."

Then the SC turns to my coworker A and says very softly
SC : "That's better, I was gonna jump over this counter in a second."
A: "What!? Go ahead! Jump the counter! Try it!"
SC: *backs down and mumbles something*

A (to me): "Man he just said he was gonna jump this counter on me."
Me: "What!? Oh hell no..."

I then turned his lanes off (he had lanes 17 and 18). I do this and then the SC's friend (SCF) comes up.

SCF: "Why are our lanes off?"
Me: "Because you're friend threatened my friend here and was saying he was gonna jump the counter."
SCF: "No he didn't"
A: "Yes he did, he said he was gonna jump the counter... he said it right to my face."
SCF" He didn'ty say that."
Me: "I don't care if you say he didn't... I'm not turning your lanes back on until he apologizes."

SCFG walks away... then a girl from their group comes up.

NC = Nice Girl
(She was really nice and understanding about it... kinda cute too... I liked her)

NC: "What happened to the lanes?"
Me: "I paused them, because your friend threatened my coworker."
NC: "What?"
Me: "Yup, he threatened to jump this counter, and I want him to apologize to my coworker."
NC: "Hold on."

She walks away and approaches the SC from before (I assume she was bitching him out)... I don't know what she said, but he just kinda huffed and walked away.

A (to Me): "Turn the lanes back on. They can finish what they got but no more... I'm not gonna sit here and deal with this crap."
Me: "Ok."


Me, A, the Cop, and the Manager were talking about it for like 15 minutes after the fact. It's funny, if he had just went and double checked what lane he was on, instead of throwing a shit-fit. None of this would have happened.

Best part, during this whole event we had at least 5 other customers come up to us, and we were the nicest people on the face of the planet to them. Which just goes to chow, we will do everything we can fgor you... but once you start threatening us... that's it... you get nothing.

[Bright_Star]

Once he threatened your co-worker then he should have been thrown out.

[Lingering Grin]

Oh trust me, I was going to.

My coworker is pretty chill though and just dropped the whole thing, and we didn't hear a word out of him (the SC) the rest of the night.

The fact that the cop stepped in probably helped a bit too.


It was weird, we usually do have a cop there on wednesday nights, but tonight it was a different guy. He even walked me to the office when I went to deposit my cash in the safe (I was carrying about $1300 in cash on me, and another $200 in credit card slips... which all have the card number written in em)

I didn't ask him to either. I DID make a joke, and said "Now this is the point where I try not to get robbed." He laughed at it, and said he'd go with me just to make sure. I like him.

[Ree]

Sometimes, the way a complaint is handled is what ends up escalating the situation.

The guy was sucky and flew off the handle pretty quickly, but it seems to me a quick check to confirm which aisle the guy was on would have prevented the whole thing in the first place.
(Which is what happened in the end and the problem was resolved in only a few seconds.)
Then there wouldn't have been a chance for the guy to fly off the handle or for your coworker to get upset by the threat, resulting in more confrontation.

In my mind, when he said he had been moved to a new lane because of a malfunction and obviously had the bracelet showing he had paid by the game, then I would have been questioning staff as to why they had put him on a timed lane in the first place.

[Lingering Grin]

Oh I did...

I figured that someone came in and bought by time, but then he came later and bought the bracelet so he could get the cheap beer.

We have a Quartermania deal on Wednesdays. (Well... it's actually called "Wacky Wednesday" now... but that sound stupid so we still call it Quartermania.

It's $15 cover charge per person. Then you get 25 cent games, hotdogs, popcorn, french fries, and 50 cent beers (10oz beers too). It's a great deal if you drink.


and I agree, if he had just went and double checked his lane, none of it would have happened... thing is we have so many people, we cannot keep track of what lane people are on. So we have to take their word for it.


We get people all the time telling us something like "I need 4 more games on lane 47". I look down and notice that 47 isn't even turned on, but 48 IS. So I ask... "Are you sure it's 47? or are you on 48?"

Usually, they just say... "oh, um, let me check!" They jog over, check, jog back... "Yeah! It is 48!".

They give me a dollar, I set em up, and it's all good. This guiy though insisted he was right, even though he was wrong... at that point, there's nothing you can do.

[Becks]

The guy was sucky and flew off the handle pretty quickly, but it seems to me a quick check to confirm which aisle the guy was on would have prevented the whole thing in the first place.
(Which is what happened in the end and the problem was resolved in only a few seconds.)

I see your point, but...

I think it's the customer's part to know what lane they're using, especially if they want to add to their game.

I think that the OP and assorted coworkers asking the customer if he's SURE it's lane 19, many times, counts.

But that's just me.

[BaristaTrav]

Another gem who qualifies for my word of the day:

http://www.answers.com/topic/jackass

[Sliceanddice]

wait where did the cop come from

[bainsidhe]

Hmm, I think I'm with Ree on this one. Was the guy sucky? Sure. Was he rude and obnoxious? Yup. Did he threaten you? Yeah, that's what he said. Did you and your coworkers escalate the situation? From the way I read it, yeah I'd say so.

Were your feelings justified? Absolutely. It's impossible to face suckiness from customers and not be affected at all. But sometimes it's better to bite back that anger and get the SC out of your face and stop the situation before it progresses. I can't blame you for the way you handled it, but I think much of the drama could have been avoided, IMO. That said, I'm basing my opinion on how I read the post. I wasn't there and didn't have this jerk spouting off in my face. Hopefully his friend/co-bowler lit into him and embarressed him into better behavior in the future (we can hope, right?)

[mattm04]

I can see both sides of it. Could you have checked to made sure he could read, yes. Should he have know what lane he was on, yes. If I were the customer and they said it was a time lane, I would have made sure I told them the correct lane before going ballistic. That's just me.

[Ree]

I think it's the customer's part to know what lane they're using, especially if they want to add to their game.

We all know customers screw up and won't admit it.

I think, in that position, the first thing that would cross my mind is, "Hmmm...that's a timed lane, so why would someone put him on that lane if he's got the pay per game option? He's obviously wrong, so I'll go check for myself."

The guy was an idiot, no contest. I'm just saying, after almost 30 years dealing with them, I have learned to pick my battles. It makes my life easier. (I have enough grief dealing with managers and coworkers. )

[Lingering Grin]

wait where did the cop come from

On Wednesday night we have an off-duty cop that hangs around in full uniform... he acts like security.

Basically his job is to just break up fights and bust under-age drinkers.



He just happened to be talking with the manager when we called him over. So the cop followed him and decided to step in to help calm the situation.

[Imogene]

wait where did the cop come from

*giggles to herself* Whenever you've written yourself into a corner, have someone burst through the door waving a gun around.

Thank you, oh Irregular Webcomic, for that particular quote.

[Primer]

Ya know, if Lane 19 had been able to accept extra games, that guy would have paid for somebody else's games, and would really have gone off the edge when his "extra" games didn't come up on his own lane.