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I hope you're proud of yourself.
This is a story from at least a year ago, when I was working at the front desk of a building I came to not-so-lovingly refer to as "The Nut House".
I was working on a Saturday, the 7am-3pm shift, and when I got to work there was an email from my boss telling me that we'd contracted the pool out for kid's swimming lessons on Saturdays, and there would be an instructor and 2 kids (and their parents) at today's lesson. Since the lesson was so small, the pool would remain open to the residents during the lesson- people would just have to share the space. This was something new, but it sounded like a good idea. Note: The kids at this lesson were 6 or 7 years old.
The instructor (a young woman of about 17-18) arrived, followed by the two kids and their mothers. I directed them to the pool and returned to the desk. About 45 minutes later, I got the following phone call.
Me=me
SC= A man in his late 50s/early 60s. NOT a nice guy- I'd had dealings with him in the past. Very picky and liked to yell when things didn't go his way.
Me= Thanks for calling *Nut House Apartments*, how can I help you?
SC= This is SC, and I'm up at the pool TRYING to swim, and there are people here who do NOT live here! There are KIDS! What is going on? This is ridiculous! I live here and I want to swim and I can't swim with these KIDS running around and blah blah blah angry yelling and screaming
Me= Well, we just began contracting the pool out for outside swimming lessons. That's why there are people at the pool who don't live in the building. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but they shouldn't be using the entire pool. If they are I'll come talk to them.
SC= I'M TRYING TO SWIM AND THERE ARE KIDS HERE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE? -More incoherent ranting, not answering my question or even listening to what I'm saying- I WASN'T TOLD ABOUT THIS SWIMMING LESSON THING! WHY WASN'T I TOLD?
Me= I'm very sorry about that, sir. I actually did not know about it until this morning. I'll definitely pass your concerns on to the building manager, and if you'll just give me a few minutes I'll come up to the pool and see what's going on.
SC= I PAY SO MUCH IN RENT AND THIS PLACE IS NOT WORTH IT! WHAT AM I PAYING ALL THIS RENT FOR IF I CAN'T SWIM? -More yelling and gnashing of teeth. I can tell he's not listening to a word I am saying. He hangs up.-
I secure the desk, put up the "back in 15 minutes" sign up, and go up to check out the pool. At this point, I was about 99% sure he was just being an ass, but I thought there was a possibility that the lesson had gotten out of hand or the kids were being truly disruptive. I get up to the pool, and SC is nowhere to be found. I look in through the glass door, and see what looks like a very calm swimming lesson, using only one corner of the pool. No running, screaming, excessive splashing, nothing. So I figure that SC was, in fact, just being a jerk, and go back down to the desk without disturbing the lesson. I send my boss a quick email telling him what happened, and think nothing more of it.
Later, as one of the moms is leaving, she stops by the desk.
Mom- "I just thought you should know- maybe you already do know- that there was a man up in the pool who got VERY angry with us for being there. I know it's not your fault at all, but he was screaming because one of the kids jumped in the pool a little too close to him. He was really upsetting- he scared the kids and the poor teacher was in tears. I know it's not your job to talk to him, but I think someone should, because he was really out of control. The kids were scared of him."
I turn about 14 shades of red, apologize profusely, and promise her that I will let my manager know right away. Luckily, she's cool, and keeps assuring me that it's in no way my fault, and she's not upset with me in the least, and she leaves.
Oh My God. I was in utter shock. I could not believe that Mr. SC would actually take it upon himself to scream at the children and the teenage instructor. I hope it made him feel like a big man to make kids cry. What an asshat.
I was working on a Saturday, the 7am-3pm shift, and when I got to work there was an email from my boss telling me that we'd contracted the pool out for kid's swimming lessons on Saturdays, and there would be an instructor and 2 kids (and their parents) at today's lesson. Since the lesson was so small, the pool would remain open to the residents during the lesson- people would just have to share the space. This was something new, but it sounded like a good idea. Note: The kids at this lesson were 6 or 7 years old.
The instructor (a young woman of about 17-18) arrived, followed by the two kids and their mothers. I directed them to the pool and returned to the desk. About 45 minutes later, I got the following phone call.
Me=me
SC= A man in his late 50s/early 60s. NOT a nice guy- I'd had dealings with him in the past. Very picky and liked to yell when things didn't go his way.
Me= Thanks for calling *Nut House Apartments*, how can I help you?
SC= This is SC, and I'm up at the pool TRYING to swim, and there are people here who do NOT live here! There are KIDS! What is going on? This is ridiculous! I live here and I want to swim and I can't swim with these KIDS running around and blah blah blah angry yelling and screaming
Me= Well, we just began contracting the pool out for outside swimming lessons. That's why there are people at the pool who don't live in the building. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but they shouldn't be using the entire pool. If they are I'll come talk to them.
SC= I'M TRYING TO SWIM AND THERE ARE KIDS HERE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE? -More incoherent ranting, not answering my question or even listening to what I'm saying- I WASN'T TOLD ABOUT THIS SWIMMING LESSON THING! WHY WASN'T I TOLD?
Me= I'm very sorry about that, sir. I actually did not know about it until this morning. I'll definitely pass your concerns on to the building manager, and if you'll just give me a few minutes I'll come up to the pool and see what's going on.
SC= I PAY SO MUCH IN RENT AND THIS PLACE IS NOT WORTH IT! WHAT AM I PAYING ALL THIS RENT FOR IF I CAN'T SWIM? -More yelling and gnashing of teeth. I can tell he's not listening to a word I am saying. He hangs up.-
I secure the desk, put up the "back in 15 minutes" sign up, and go up to check out the pool. At this point, I was about 99% sure he was just being an ass, but I thought there was a possibility that the lesson had gotten out of hand or the kids were being truly disruptive. I get up to the pool, and SC is nowhere to be found. I look in through the glass door, and see what looks like a very calm swimming lesson, using only one corner of the pool. No running, screaming, excessive splashing, nothing. So I figure that SC was, in fact, just being a jerk, and go back down to the desk without disturbing the lesson. I send my boss a quick email telling him what happened, and think nothing more of it.
Later, as one of the moms is leaving, she stops by the desk.
Mom- "I just thought you should know- maybe you already do know- that there was a man up in the pool who got VERY angry with us for being there. I know it's not your fault at all, but he was screaming because one of the kids jumped in the pool a little too close to him. He was really upsetting- he scared the kids and the poor teacher was in tears. I know it's not your job to talk to him, but I think someone should, because he was really out of control. The kids were scared of him."
I turn about 14 shades of red, apologize profusely, and promise her that I will let my manager know right away. Luckily, she's cool, and keeps assuring me that it's in no way my fault, and she's not upset with me in the least, and she leaves.
Oh My God. I was in utter shock. I could not believe that Mr. SC would actually take it upon himself to scream at the children and the teenage instructor. I hope it made him feel like a big man to make kids cry. What an asshat.
. NOW he won't be able to swim or harass people like that!
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