Get. Off. Your. Phone

[customersruinmylife]

I don't want to thread-jack, but the post about the rude lady who wouldn't stop calling Grape the Cat a loser reminded me of this.

I really need to remember that the parents at the school are not customers. Sometimes I am a lot nicer to them than the office staff would be.

A parent came into the school, and paced up and down the reception area repeatidly. She was on her phone talking the entire time, barely stopping for a breath. Each time she came near the desk, I could see that she was trying to catch one of our eyes. She finally went up to the desk and battered the little silver bell on top. I could hear her conversation.

P: ...yeah I'm at the school collecting Gracie now, but everyone seems to be ignoring me...anyway, so I said blah blah blah blah blah.

I stood up to approach her. The office manager grabbed my arm.

OM: Customersruinmylife! Don't you dare go near her until she is off her phone. Carry on with your work.

A couple of seconds later...

DING!

I ignored it.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!

P: ...they're just sat there! They are completely ignoring me...HELLLOOOOOO! Anyway blah blah blah blah....

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!

OM walked up to the desk, and simply stood there, staring with her hands on her hips, and eyebrows raised.

P: ....I'll call you back. *click* I'm here to collect Gracie. Why did no one come to the desk right away?
OM: We wouldn't respond to a child if they were at the desk, rudely battering on the bell while they were on the phone. So we certainly wouldn't respond to a grown adult who should know better.
P: .......*not getting it at all*
OM: Gracie is at football practice. I will let you through.

OM walked up to me.

OM: And that is how you deal with someone on their phone!

P walked out with her daughter a couple of minutes later, but she was back on her phone right away.

[Mr Hero]

And that's how I deal with cell phone people too. With all due respect, I would have thought you had a method for dealing with people who'd order drinks at the pub while on their phone.

[fireheart]

That, sir, is absolutely brilliant *golf clap*

I do the same thing as well. Unless you've got a business related issue on the phone or it's an emergency, keep it short.

[bainsidhe]

And that's how I deal with cell phone people too. With all due respect, I would have thought you had a method for dealing with people who'd order drinks at the pub while on their phone.

Yes, but telling them to F**k off and get the hell out doesn't generally fly in the school system. Oh there were times I longed for a cell-phone blocker.

[dalesys]

...Oh there were times I longed for a cell-phone blocker.

I want a remote control that converts *their* cell phone into a taser... lips to ear.

[RxBoy]

We have tried very hard to get management at my company to allow us to make customers lower their phones when we wait on them at the counter. Their response is that it would be "bad customer service" and they actually told us that the customers have the right to be on their phones while we wait on them. I'm still waiting for a customer in line behind a cell phone gabber to complain about being held up. I'm going to tell them exactly what management told us and advise them to call our corporate office.

[Android Kaeli]

I've asked mangement if I can just tell customers on their phones to step aside and finish their call before they get back in line. Got shot down.

If the parent was picking up their child but wanted information about their school work, it would probably violate some kind of rules and stuff if they were on the phone. Maybe privacy laws?

[RxBoy]

We brought up the issue of possible HIPAA violations if we wait on a customer talking on their phones. We were told by corporate that customers who choose to be on a phone while we wait on them are voluntarily waiving their privacy rights with regards to what that person might hear. They say it would be bad customer service to ask them to lower their phone, but they refuse to address the issue of the next person in line who is now pissed because they were held up.

As a result of that, I now have two people angry at me. The cell phone customer is mad because I have the "audacity" to keep interrupting their call by asking questions to verify that they have the right medication. The next customer in line is angry because I allowed the cell phone customer to hold them up. I wish a few of our top customers would call corporate and complain. Perhaps a few of our top spenders transferring their business somewhere else would make them decide it's not such a big deal to ask a few rude people to lower their phones for two minutes.

[Treasure]

at many of our local shops, there are signs saying no cell phones @ counter - talk to me making your drink/food, or the person on the phone, pick one.... unless you are getting their order...

and many of our chain locations have a sign by the order squawk box that say (basically) If you want your order right, put your call on hold. and i've been in locations where someone on the phone has been asked to step to the side so someone else can be helped.

I love Austin!

[Sleepwalker]

Or you can let them order, not input it, and say, sorry, I thought you were talking to the person on the phone I see by your ear.