I'm sure everyone here who has ever been involved in a service industry has
their own horror stories to tell but my personal nastiest happened a couple
of days ago. Ray and I were walking down one of the paths when our dogs
raced off, round a corner and started a lot of barking and general hurling
of abuse. Sure enough, someone had brought a dog in. We decided to ignore
it 'just this once' until we realised that the dog was off the lead and by
now causing something of a ruckus with ours. Both of us politely pointed
out to this great slob of a yob and his vacuously grinning wife and child
that there was a notice up saying "no dogs". They answered that they had
come in via the churchyard where there is no notice because it's rarely
used. Fair enough. So again, very nicely, I said to the man "I'm sorry but
we don't allow dogs in the nursery, please would you put yours back in your
car". He muttered something at me which I didn't hear and when I asked him
to repeat it, he turned and walked off back towards the church. I'd noticed
their dog was absolutely soaking wet but hadn't thought much of it until we
walked up past the fishpond and noticed huge puddles of water lying all
around it, over the flagstones. I pointed this out to Ray and for the first
time in 5 years I saw my husband thoroughly lose his temper - he is the most
equable of men. He stormed after slob-yob and castigated him for so
mistreating our home and thicko replied that the dog had really enjoyed its
swim, had probably eaten a couple of the goldfish, asked Ray how long he's
had the nursery because 'it's really gone downhill since the last bloke
left' (R has been here nearly 23 years and it wasn't a garden plant
nursery!) He told Ray that I'd sworn at him - and honest, gentle reader I
didn't - though now I wish I'd let fly with all the words I know and a few
I'd made up and then, for some bizarre reason, aggressively asked Ray
"wherejoo tek yer O levels then". Ray's answer was something to the effect
that this would have been in the Parachute Regiment, where he also learned a
lot about the effects of granite headstones on peoples' faces. Slob-yob and
family did a hasty about turn and beat it to their car.
I've only just stopped seething about this and Ray still has the odd dark
mutter - but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone in
someone else's garden! For a moment we were looking for the Candid Camera,
so astonished were we at this outrageous behaviour. Luckily, it's the only
time anything *quite* as nasty as this has happened and I hope it's the
last!
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

I've only just stopped seething about this and Ray still has the odd dark
mutter - but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone in
someone else's garden! For a moment we were looking for the Candid Camera,
so astonished were we at this outrageous behaviour. Luckily, it's the only
time anything *quite* as nasty as this has happened and I hope it's the
last!


I think you can blame the education system. A significant proportion
of at least one generation from the late '70s and '80s grew up
seemingly in a complete vacuum re. social mores, and with little or no
grounding about our particular society, and I mean particluarly
England and/or Great Britain. I believe a social experiment has been
carried out in order to produce a population which has no "baggage"
from the past. We seem to have produced some people who are empty
vessels in regard to "fitting in" and perhaps even in regard to basic
knowledge. Now, I am trying to understand this for what it is, because
in the other direction, education can and has been used for propaganda
purposes, but there has to be some sort of happy medium, in which
people learn to have certain "standards" but can question them in a
rational way, rather then simply not understand, or be plain ignorant.

This is very complicated and you could get into all sorts of areas re.
"the establishment" and its traditional disdain, and therefore lack of
thought regarding educating the masses or not. It used not to matter
whether we were educated or not, because the same people held sway
over us. That has changed, thankfully, but perhaps it went too far the
other way, and some sort of order needs to be regained now. Perhaps a
start has been made with "citizenship" classes.

Rather too many "" in this piece I am afraid but I haven't really
planned this response. It's been a sort of stream of conscience. Sorry
about that.

John
In limine sapientiae

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
I'm sure everyone here who has ever been involved in a service industry
has
their own horror stories to tell but my personal nastiest happened a
couple
of days ago.

snipped

Dreadful!
Since you run a nursery there may be a little ruse you know about.... but
then maybe not.
Customer drives in and when no ones looking, put a plant/slab/whatever into
car boot, but leaves boot open and seeks attention.
When attention is gained, customer points into boot and has a right good
moan about what ever idiot is responsible for deliveries.
"I asked for a bag of cobbles to be delivered, and what do I get?!!! A bag
of bark mulch!!!" (or something along those lines)
levels of irritation been vented thwart the inclination of request for
evidence delivery, eg receipt, delivery docket.
Attendant profusely apologies for the error and lifts said bag of mulch out
of the boot. Goes off, gets bag of cobbles, the cleanest one, then gently
and oh so carefully places it into boot with further apologies and requests
for anything else customer might like done for him (usually male).
Customer feigns understanding and more down-to-earth mannerisms before
happily driving off.

Just thought you might like to watch out for it.

Patrick

In message , Sacha
writes
snip horror story
I've only just stopped seething about this and Ray still has the odd dark
mutter - but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone in
someone else's garden!

Welcome to my world Sacha. I sympathise. We seem to have a lot of such
'adults' here in this part of south London and it distresses me to think
that they will be raising their children to behave with the same level
of disregard for others' property and feelings.

--
dave @ stejonda

"To materialist eyes, India is a developing country;
to spiritual eyes, the United States is a developing country."
Ram Dass (an optimist)

"dave @ stejonda" wrote in message
...
In message , Sacha
writes
snip horror story
I've only just stopped seething about this and Ray still has the odd dark
mutter - but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where
their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone
in
someone else's garden!

Welcome to my world Sacha. I sympathise. We seem to have a lot of such
'adults' here in this part of south London and it distresses me to think
that they will be raising their children to behave with the same level
of disregard for others' property and feelings.

--
dave @ stejonda


Sorry to hear about your bad experience Sacha, unfortunately West London has
its share of idiots too. I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his
dog to foul the public footpath to no avail.
what can you do?
Still... Ray's answer to where he did his A levels was cool!

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:04:21 +0100, "homer"
wrote:

I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his
dog to foul the public footpath to no avail.
what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?

"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:04:21 +0100, "homer"
wrote:

I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his
dog to foul the public footpath to no avail.
what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?

Thus starting a feud you may live to regret. If there are 'dog fouling'
by-laws in the area, you might try following the proper channels.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 08:46:35 +0100, Derek Turner
wrote:

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:04:21 +0100, "homer"
wrote:

I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his
dog to foul the public footpath to no avail.
what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?

put in brown paper bag on his door step, set alight, ring doorbell...

Subject: OT Customers from hell
From: Sacha
Date: 11/05/2004 16:57 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

- but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone in
someone else's garden!

For that we can say "Thank You Mrs Thatcher", who taught us all that other
people don't count, there is no such thing as society, and of course, as long
as I get my fun noone else matters.
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net

".......I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his dog to foul the
public footpath to no avail.what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?..."


No,No, No, No, No.

Yes you pick it up into a poly bag then follow to get his address, then put
the sealed bag into a jiffy bag (That doesn't have your name or address on
it) and post it to him forgetting to put on stamps, that way he has to pay
around £1.00 to get the dog mess back.
I have done this to people cleaning out their cars in my gateway and who are
stupid enough to dump things with their name and address on them (repeat
prescription forms, pay slip, expenses claim form and envelope) the latter
was from around 40 miles away so I wonder how it was explained to her
husband.
With it on plane paper a note just saying " Thought you might like these
things of yours back as I have no use for them".


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Rhiannon S12/5/04 1:01

Subject: OT Customers from hell
From: Sacha
Date: 11/05/2004 16:57 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

- but I cannot begin to imagine what gets into people or where their
wits are, if they think this is any way to behave *anywhere*, let alone in
someone else's garden!

For that we can say "Thank You Mrs Thatcher", who taught us all that other
people don't count, there is no such thing as society, and of course, as long
as I get my fun noone else matters.
--

I don't think so. Mrs Thatcher was very punctilious from what I recall.
She was very squashing to a radio interviewer who suggested that she didn't
say "good morning" to each of her interlocutors so as to 'save time'. Her
view appeared to be that time spent on small courtesies wasn't wasted!
Had she been here on Sunday this bloke would have been handbagged into the
pond himself!

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Wed, 12 May 2004 15:49:40 +0100, "David Hill"
wrote:

".......I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his dog to foul the
public footpath to no avail.what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?..."


No,No, No, No, No.

Yes you pick it up into a poly bag then follow to get his address, then put
the sealed bag into a jiffy bag (That doesn't have your name or address on
it) and post it to him forgetting to put on stamps, that way he has to pay
around £1.00 to get the dog mess back.

Nowadays if they so much as think that that there is insufficient
postage, the item is sent on a world tour via an alternative route. A
PC posted in UK 1 April 2004 arrived in NL 150 miles away on 3-May
2004. In fact the amount of postage was correct, there was no
surcharge. We know the postage was correct, because the post card was
posted in a post office and the post person chose and stuck on the
stamp.

I have done this to people cleaning out their cars in my gateway and who are
stupid enough to dump things with their name and address on them (repeat
prescription forms, pay slip, expenses claim form and envelope) the latter
was from around 40 miles away so I wonder how it was explained to her
husband.
With it on plane paper a note just saying " Thought you might like these
things of yours back as I have no use for them".

In article , David Hill david@abacus
nurseries.freeserve.co.uk writes
".......I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his dog to foul the
public footpath to no avail.what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?..."


No,No, No, No, No.

Yes you pick it up into a poly bag then follow to get his address, then put
the sealed bag into a jiffy bag (That doesn't have your name or address on
it) and post it to him forgetting to put on stamps, that way he has to pay
around £1.00 to get the dog mess back.

He doesn't *have* to pay.
And according to the little slip they send you, if you haven't turned up
at the sorting office clutching your £1.04 (in exact money) and suitable
identification within three weeks, they return the package to sender :-)


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On Wed, 12 May 2004 17:34:18 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , David Hill david@abacus
nurseries.freeserve.co.uk writes
".......I've tried confronting the 'adult' who allows his dog to foul the
public footpath to no avail.what can you do?

pick it up, follow him home and push it through his letter box?..."


No,No, No, No, No.

Yes you pick it up into a poly bag then follow to get his address, then put
the sealed bag into a jiffy bag (That doesn't have your name or address on
it) and post it to him forgetting to put on stamps, that way he has to pay
around £1.00 to get the dog mess back.

He doesn't *have* to pay.
And according to the little slip they send you, if you haven't turned up
at the sorting office clutching your £1.04 (in exact money) and suitable
identification within three weeks, they return the package to sender :-)

"That doesn't have your name or address on
it" :-)

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:204293

Yes you pick it up into a poly bag then follow to get his address, then
put
the sealed bag into a jiffy bag (That doesn't have your name or address on
it) and post it to him forgetting to put on stamps, that way he has to pay
around £1.00 to get the dog mess back.
I have done this to people cleaning out their cars in my gateway and who
are
stupid enough to dump things with their name and address on them (repeat
prescription forms, pay slip, expenses claim form and envelope) the latter
was from around 40 miles away so I wonder how it was explained to her
husband.
With it on plane paper a note just saying " Thought you might like these
things of yours back as I have no use for them".



I had just walked into a pedestrian precinct and saw a woman sitting on the
seat drop something. I picked it up and said 'I think you have dropped
something' and handed it to her. "Oh it's rubbish" (I could see that, it was
the finished chocolate wrapper) 'Wouldn't it be better in the rubbish bin at
the end of the seat you are sitting on?'. Hopefully, fully embarrassed she
said yes, took it off me and put it in the rubbish bin.

I regret to say she was of the Senior Citizen age, not a kid.

Another one I have no hesitation in using is, I hold a door open for someone
and they walk straight through. "Sorry what did you say?" I ask, 'I didn't
say anything', "Oh I thought you said Thank You"
I am afraid that this is once again, usually the Senior Citizen.

I find the politest people are the children of about 7 - 9ish years, hold
the doors and say thank you and pardon, then it goes to pot :-((

Mike