Incompetent worker problem

[JPatrick]

whenever im feeling down about incompetent workers, I just go thru the local Chic-fil-a drive through and all becomes right in the world.

The Chic supervisors deserve a bunch of that credit.

 

[JPatrick]

My only issue with Amazon is if they send something and it doesn't get delivered. They don't have an easy option for that, just for returns. You can't return something you didn't receive. But you can work your way through it, it just takes time and effort.

When we bought our new townhouse a few years ago, DW started buying art to hang on the walls. I forget the company(ies) she was ordering from, but often (at least 1/3 of the time) the art would arrive with a blemish, or a lousy framing job, or something like that. Every single time they told us to keep the picture and they sent us a new one. So now we have duplicate pictures in the basement storage room. I haven't decided whether to try to fix the framing myself, or just give it to the church's White Elephant sale. But the markup on that stuff must be incredible, if they can just toss it away like that.

My experience was/is similar and dates back to April. I got my order, but it came with a mess on the financial side. Beware Amazon, I shall be the winner.

 

[retire to nature]

My experience was/is similar and dates back to April. I got my order, but it came with a mess on the financial side. Beware Amazon, I shall be the winner.

I was one winner by incompetent worker too. This year, I installed a pergola from Aldi. On the other day, there was the last one discounted from 125 to 89. Since I was trying to build a new deck, I bought it for my airbnb. The cashier registered for 125, so I claimed the price was decreased to 89, so the registered called a manager and he fixed to 49. So the registered asked back to the manager if it is 49, and he said yes, but I can see he was just busy or didnt think right.

 

[harley]

Interesting. That has not been my experience. When something is greatly delayed and not delivered, my order status has said something like "we do not know when this will be delivered", and I can select to request a refund on the web page. When something is running very late, on the order status there is an option to cancel the delivery, and they will provide a refund. The only times we have to call is when an empty package has been delivered.

That's not the same thing. I'm talking about when you order 4 of something and you only receive 3. They are actually very good at dealing with entire orders that didn't get delivered. And even then, they've got a pretty good system. It just takes awhile to work your way to the point of being able to talk to somebody.

 

[d.davis]

Went to a drive thru for a sandwich. The cost was $4.78. At the window I handed her $5.03 so I'd get a quarter back. She closed the window and then called three different people to the register to discuss something while looking down at the $5.03 I gave her.
After two minutes of discussions she opened the window and gave me two dimes and five pennies.

I won't do that again unless the register person is over 40.



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[jollystomper]

We have noticed his incompetence with the post office lately. Over the past 3 weeks, we received our neighbors mail 4 times. We called the Post Office and each time, they say they will pass the information along. Once we caught the mailman going back up the street and gave him a letter for a totally different street. Our #, but different street and he just said it’s the way they sort the mail. Yes, but you still delivered it.

The local post office has our number in their directory . Several times a quarter our mail is delivered to another address in the zip code - same house number, completely different street name, several miles away. I have mentioned it on this forum before - particularly the time when this happened several days in a row,when our mortgage bank was sending various papers and checks related to our mortgage payoff.

Ultimately I can be patience with "incompetent" workers, but will politely speak mind mind at times of incompetent and rudeness. In the case of the post office, after the third time they realized it was their problem, gave me many apologies, asked me to please call if it happens again. I have, and they do not question me, just deal with it swiftly. I would rather it not happen at all, but at least they recognize the problem.

Sometimes what one might view as "incompetence" is more "overworked and understaffed". Then again, no one ever said the "Peter Principle" would ever go away...

 

[Koolau]

Went to a drive thru for a sandwich. The cost was $4.78. At the window I handed her $5.03 so I'd get a quarter back. She closed the window and then called three different people to the register to discuss something while looking down at the $5.03 I gave her.
After two minutes of discussions she opened the window and gave me two dimes and five pennies.

I won't do that again unless the register person is over 40.



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Wow. I would have thought the register would have done that arithmetic for the window person. Most registers simply ask the cashier to enter "amount tendered" and then does the calculation of change to return.

 

[disneysteve]

Wow. I would have thought the register would have done that arithmetic for the window person. Most registers simply ask the cashier to enter "amount tendered" and then does the calculation of change to return.

Exactly. I don’t understand the stories of cashiers not knowing what to do. The register does that math for them. It’s been that way for a long time.

 

[harley]

Not using the register for the charge is a very old way of skimming money. But I prefer to believe the old saying - Never Attribute to Malice That Which Is Adequately Explained by Stupidity.

 

[punkinhead]

Exactly. I don’t understand the stories of cashiers not knowing what to do. The register does that math for them. It’s been that way for a long time.

A lot of people start handing the cashier a twenty then say, "wait a second, I have 3 cents" after the cashier has already typed twenty into the register.

 

[target2019]

Went to a drive thru for a sandwich. The cost was $4.78. At the window I handed her $5.03 so I'd get a quarter back. She closed the window and then called three different people to the register to discuss something while looking down at the $5.03 I gave her.
After two minutes of discussions she opened the window and gave me two dimes and five pennies.

I won't do that again unless the register person is over 40.

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Tap that credit card and our lives become simpler?

You could have been her first customer, so you're part of the training program.

 

[Time2]

whenever im feeling down about incompetent workers, I just go thru the local Chic-fil-a drive through and all becomes right in the world.

Except my local chic-fil-a dropped their large shake and raised the price on their medium shake. I don't go there very often anymore. I don't think they will notice.

 

[scrabbler1]

Anyone here remember using those Susie (Susan B. Anthony) dollar coins which came out circa 1979? They were silver and looked like quarters and were often confused for them.

Some years ago, they came out with those Goldies, dollar coins the same size as the old Susies but at least wouldn't be mistaken for quarters. I still got Susies once in a while as change from vending machines even though those same vending machines (LIRR, right, MarieIG?) did not accept them! When I tried to spend a Susie at the store, the cashier, someone around my age at the time (50s) and who was old enough to remember them, still didn't recognize it and thought I was trying to underpay the tab. I told her it was a dollar coin and she backed down. I imagine younger workers wouldn't recognize them at all.

 

[JoeWras]

I cashed all my Susan Bs. I was confused too. Trying to use one today would be tricky

I throw a new gold $1 every now and then and sometimes get a comment like "don't see too many of these", but never complete surprise.

 

[Koolau]

Not using the register for the charge is a very old way of skimming money. But I prefer to believe the old saying - Never Attribute to Malice That Which Is Adequately Explained by Stupidity.

I guess I try to assume the best of people until they prove otherwise. (Sometimes, I don't follow my own philosophy and am ashamed.)

We went to Wendy's today. Everything went well. The cashier did struggle to take our order as I was very specific about what I wanted on my burger. But, everything came out well (Excellent in the competence area.) Where they fell short was in friendliness. They neither thanked me for my order nor was there a single smile from any of the employees. Sad, really. If I couldn't smile at my j*b, I'd be looking for something else to do but YMMV.

 

[MichaelB]

I guess I try to assume the best of people until they prove otherwise. (Sometimes, I don't follow my own philosophy and am ashamed.)

We went to Wendy's today. Everything went well. The cashier did struggle to take our order as I was very specific about what I wanted on my burger. But, everything came out well (Excellent in the competence area.) Where they fell short was in friendliness. They neither thanked me for my order nor was there a single smile from any of the employees. Sad, really. If I couldn't smile at my j*b, I'd be looking for something else to do but YMMV.

Thanks for your post

 

[jurgs01]

whenever im feeling down about incompetent workers, I just go thru the local Chic-fil-a drive through and all becomes right in the world.

Agree. The top notch of our younger generation.

 

[Koolau]

Agree. The top notch of our younger generation.

That's got to be good training and rigorous selection.

 

[RetMD21]

I do a little vacation coverage work and found out the hospital has had to lower standards to get entry level clerical staff. Unfortunate but that's the way it is. I wish they would automate more

 

[Freedom56]

Watch Southpark Season 26 episode 5 for their take on work ethic today.


Plot

When fourth-grader Butters Stotch shows his friends the paycheck he earned at his new ice cream parlor job, a jealous Eric Cartman is spurred to get a job at the same shop. After a few hours there, in which he displays a poor work ethic, he decides he does not want to work for a business owner to profit from his labor...

 

[Winemaker]

Poor workmanship has been around for years. DD had her annual vehicle inspection done on her vehicle, a complimentary one from dealership. Her front wheel literally fell off 30' after leaving the parking lot....broken tie rod and steering arm. Damn glad she wasn't on interstate when it happened.

 

[disneysteve]

Poor workmanship has been around for years. DD had her annual vehicle inspection done on her vehicle, a complimentary one from dealership. Her front wheel literally fell off 30' after leaving the parking lot....broken tie rod and steering arm. Damn glad she wasn't on interstate when it happened.

Probably 10+ years ago, I picked up my car after having service. On the way home I suddenly heard a loud bang from under the hood and then the car died. Turned out the mechanic had left a wrench in the engine compartment. It dislodged while I was driving and knocked off a hose causing the car to stall. Fortunately this happened right by a shopping center with a Pep Boys. I walked over, bought a new hose clamp, reattached the hose, and was good to go - back to the service center to return their wrench and have them thoroughly examine the car to make sure nothing else had gotten damaged.

Incompetence isn’t new at all.

 

[Koolau]

Probably 10+ years ago, I picked up my car after having service. On the way home I suddenly heard a loud bang from under the hood and then the car died. Turned out the mechanic had left a wrench in the engine compartment. It dislodged while I was driving and knocked off a hose causing the car to stall. Fortunately this happened right by a shopping center with a Pep Boys. I walked over, bought a new hose clamp, reattached the hose, and was good to go - back to the service center to return their wrench and have them thoroughly examine the car to make sure nothing else had gotten damaged.

Incompetence isn’t new at all.

I'm sure everyone has a incompetent car repair story (or several). Here is just one of mine. I took my car in to replace the shocks. Driving out of the lot, I heard a lot of racket. I took the car back. The owner diagnosed that the mechanic had only attached the bottom end of the new shocks. The other end was left free. Fast forward: The mechanic attached the top end properly. Apparently, he had to take the shock out to do this. THEN he failed to attach the bottom end of the shock. The boss was livid and I was disappointed to the max. One more try and the mechanic got it right. THE BOSS watched the entire procedure - and I trusted the boss. Wild guess: The mechanic had to look for another j*b the next week but YMMV.

 

[folivier]

Not just a new thing. When I was a kid my dad brought the car to a friend's mechanic shop to have a trailer hitch welded on. On a trip to the beach I was standing up in the front seat, yeah way before seat belts, and asked dad where was our pop-up camper? Dad's friend had gotten distracted and had not finished welding the hitch! Found the camper a few miles back. Mom and I waited at a roadside fruit stand while dad found a welder and got it done right.

 

[Surewhitey]

Yeah, I am a DIY person too. I have changed side mirror, window lifter, trunk latch by myself with youtube. I have detached my other seats except the driver seat.

But I am still glad and thankful to the shop. Money is for like this kind case. And if there is no service I cant use my money anyway.

Yeah, I don't mind paying if it's something I really don't want to do. I'd much rather trade with the grease monkey types with custom cabinetry or something wood related. Also like to help a friend who just needs the work...

My last brake job was just this & didn't costs zip, except the pads.

Been doing lots of ticky tac repairs on the washer pumps, check valves & unplugging the moon roof drain (never knew this was a thing)... Still, averaging <$500 annually on 2 paid for cars is a great feeling.