The general decline in standards today

[jamespowers]

I work with gov't employees, and for the most part the majority of them are NOT what you see in that video.
They are dedicated, and concerned about the public's view of them.
That being said, there are a few "rogues" out there that just have to act up.
It's something in their coffee I guess.

My father worked for the Federal Government for over 35 years. I went with him to work several times. Suffice it to say that your experience was in the minority. His favorite saying was that it took an Act of Congress to fire someone there. lol lol lol

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

My father worked for the Federal Government for over 35 years. I went with him to work several times. Suffice it to say that your experience was in the minority. His favorite saying was that it took an Act of Congress to fire someone there. lol lol lol

Then there's government families where practically EVERYBODY: parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all work for either the federal, state or local government.

 

[Stray Cat]

I have never had a problem with a snow plow driver here. Not even once.

Yeah.. now tell the folks where you live, James.

I
They are dedicated, and concerned about the public's view of them.

..but the majority of GPP ("general people personality") tend to whine the moment they step inside the office.

His favorite saying was that it took an Act of Congress to fire someone there.

Same here.
Once you're in - it'll take a LOT of effort to take your grandchildren out.

Then there's government families where practically EVERYBODY: parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all work for either the federal, state or local government.

Oh, yeah!
Your best man wife's second cousin's friend needs a job? lol


...
This is how it goes down here:
You need a place to shake off the anger and disappointment you've gathered over the week - step right in, sir. We're payed to listen to you, and when you're done, all we're allowed to tell you is: "Have a nice day :doh:

 

[jamespowers]

Then there's government families where practically EVERYBODY: parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all work for either the federal, state or local government.

Makes sense. My father made sure----no Nepotism in his department.

 

[jamespowers]

This is how it goes down here:
You need a place to shake off the anger and disappointment you've gathered over the week - step right in, sir. We're payed to listen to you, and when you're done, all we're allowed to tell you is: "Have a nice day :doh:

Sort of the same thing here except in reverse. You walk into a government office and they make you listen to them and when they are done then they might actually do what you wanted them to do twenty minutes ago. lol lol They don't even say have a nice day at the end. They just yell: "Next!"

 

[sheeplady]

I had a very very frustrating experience today.

My husband and I have Triple A (roadside assistance). Needless to say, I'm pretty darned sure we have a family plan. But regardless, I called them when I locked myself and my seven month old daughter out of the car in 50 degree weather at a local YMCA. (The diaper bag, bottle, and extra clothes were all in the car along with my cell phone. I've been driving for 15 years and this is the first time I've ever locked myself out of the car.)

So I called up Triple A, and the conversation went something like this:
Me: I locked myself and my baby out of the car. My husband is the primary.
Lady: We'll have to call your husband to verify. Or we need your member number.
Me: My husband isn't reachable by phone. He works two hours away... I've got a baby without extra diapers or food. All my stuff is locked in the car, I don't have access to anything.
Lady: I'm sorry I can't help you.
Me: We have triple A, why can't you help me?
Lady: We need permission from your husband.
(Go over this several more times being told she can't help me, me pleading my case, and then me getting p*ssed.)

Finally I got so pissed that I said to the lady, "I hope someday that if someone you love or yourself has cancer, is going through treatment, has a small infant, and they need help, I hope you get as much help as you gave to me so you can know exactly what it feels like to be this overwhelmed and no one wants to help you."
To which she replied: I can't help you.

So I repeated it. Finally I must have worn her down or pissed her off or maybe she got some sympathy for me, but then she says to me: "I can do a one-time courtesy call."

Yeah... so in other words, all that "I can't help you" was basically a bunch of bull. Because she could help me. But I had to pull the cancer treatment excuse.

On the bright side of humanity, the gentleman who came from Triple A was wonderful. I had a wonderful woman clerk at the Y who handled dialing all the calls for me, including helping me find people who had diapers they could loan my daughter. She even offered to get the keys and "steal" some of the formula and a bottle from the daycare facility for my daughter. I had two wonderful people, a woman and a man who were members at the Y, who each offered me diapers. The Y let me check my daughter into the YMCA drop-off childcare so I could wait by my car and let my daughter stay inside. And the woman who offered me diapers saw me in the parking lot and offered to let me wait in her warm car until AAA arrived.

So while my faith in the goodness of people has been reaffirmed, my faith in AAA was kind of gutted.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I'm glad a bad situation turned out good for you.

Oh nepotism in gov't, don't get me started.
Stray Cat, YOU might be paid to listen to others complain, but my job description doesn't say that.
My customers are internal, within our agency.
To an extent, I'm a version of AAA unless you are a button pusher or repeat offender.
Repeat offenders CONSTANTLY do things without thinking, while I have 60 other people that go about their business day after day and only need me when they have a real emergency.
It's these people that keep me busy, in addition to my other duties not related to vehicles.
I do on occasion help customers to our agency, if they've locked themselves out of their car.
It's an awful feeling Sheeplady, I know.
And it's easy to get in a hurry and have this happen.
I realize this and try to be understanding.
Unless you drive one of my cars.

 

[Stray Cat]

Sort of the same thing here except in reverse. You walk into a government office and they make you listen to them and when they are done then they might actually do what you wanted them to do twenty minutes ago. lol lol They don't even say have a nice day at the end. They just yell: "Next!"

Is there a way for me to come over and work?
(just for a while.. I so long to yell "Next!" to folks)

 

[Stray Cat]

I had a very very frustrating experience today.
But I had to pull the cancer treatment excuse.

Oh, my..
I hope every thing's all right now... and I do understand the amount of frustration you might have.

Stray Cat, YOU might be paid to listen to others complain, but my job description doesn't say that.
I'm a version of AAA

Are you "the voice from the machine"?
I'd like to, sometimes, be just the voice (but not all complaints come over the phone). Then againn, you wouldn't believe how much courage the "let's just phone" people have - the things they tell me over the vire..
:nono:
It's harder to be that nasty in person.
Because, then they get to see I'm just a clerk wearing vintage clothes.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The AAA situation is a classic case of procedural requirements overcoming common sense -- which creates a worker who is unable to depart from the prepared script in any way. I run into this with call-center people sometimes when they insist on having my cell number. I tell them I don't have a cell number. They tell me they need my cell number. I tell them I don't have, have never had, and don't expect ever to have a cell number. They tell me "but we need to have it" and I tell them, in my Scary Authority Figure Voice, to just put the same number as my home number and they go "oh, I guess we can do that." Twenty seconds of my life I'll never get back.

It helps to develop a Scary Authority Figure Voice for dealing with call centers, if you haven't already done so, one which makes it clear you aren't going to argue or debate or plead or wheedle.

 

[Edward]

The AAA situation is a classic case of procedural requirements overcoming common sense -- which creates a worker who is unable to depart from the prepared script in any way. I run into this with call-center people sometimes when they insist on having my cell number. I tell them I don't have a cell number. They tell me they need my cell number. I tell them I don't have, have never had, and don't expect ever to have a cell number. They tell me "but we need to have it" and I tell them, in my Scary Authority Figure Voice, to just put the same number as my home number and they go "oh, I guess we can do that." Twenty seconds of my life I'll never get back.

I used to have the same problem in reverse - at the time I had only my field telephone, and (oh, very bliss!) no much-hated landline. The number of times I booked tickets for gigs or the theatre months in advance, and a mobile wasn't good enough.... They insisted on a landline. In the end I just gave them my parents' number. In Ireland. No idea what good that would do them, but it kept them happy at least.

 

[GHT]

I had a very very frustrating experience today.
My husband and I have Triple A (roadside assistance). Needless to say, I'm pretty darned sure we have a family plan. But regardless, I called them when I locked myself and my seven month old daughter out of the car in 50 degree weather at a local YMCA.

We have an expression for that bureaucratic attitude. Arseholes like that are known as: "Jobsworths." Because they usually answer your insistence with a long suck of breath through the teeth, and say: "It's more than my job's worth!"
So glad that you gave her both barrels, and as a result, got the help you needed.
For future reference, if you should lock your key in the car, this might help, but you do need to carry something around that might be hard to explain as to why it's in your possession.

You need a length of that plastic banding that you often find around parcels, and it helps if you have a small rubber wedge, the sort you jam under a door to keep it open. One other thing, this might cost you a fingernail or two.

Grip the top of the car door, pulling it hard, so that the tiniest gap appears, jam in the rubber wedge. Fold the banding in half, to create a loop.
Feed the banding through the gap and down to the internal handle, using your fishing skills, hook the banding onto the handle, and pull. Eh voila!
Ahem, if you ever get caught, tell them that some dodgy bloke in London felt sorry for a damsel in distress, it's all his fault.

 

[Dragon Soldier]

I used to have the same problem in reverse - at the time I had only my field telephone, and (oh, very bliss!) no much-hated landline. The number of times I booked tickets for gigs or the theatre months in advance, and a mobile wasn't good enough.... They insisted on a landline. In the end I just gave them my parents' number. In Ireland. No idea what good that would do them, but it kept them happy at least.

No good to them whatsoever except filling the "Insert valid land line telephone" box on the phone-drone's screen.... Without which they genuinely can't complete your booking.

Most of them have a phone script and a check based system to go through on their computers, the computer won't allow them to skip steps and deviation from the script is misconduct.... So they've very little latitude.

Utterly detestable job.

 

[sheeplady]

The AAA situation is a classic case of procedural requirements overcoming common sense -- which creates a worker who is unable to depart from the prepared script in any way. I run into this with call-center people sometimes when they insist on having my cell number. I tell them I don't have a cell number. They tell me they need my cell number.

How were you able to guess that an entire 5 minutes of my conversation entailed:
Rep: I need a cell phone number.
Me: My cell phone is locked in the car.
Rep: I need a cell phone number.
Me: You're not going to get one.
Rep: Give me a number.
Me: I don't have one.
Rep: Will you be at this number?
Me: No, because you told me to go outside and wait by my car.

This, of course, is the short version.

So glad that you gave her both barrels, and as a result, got the help you needed.
For future reference, if you should lock your key in the car, this might help, but you do need to carry something around that might be hard to explain as to why it's in your possession.

I really got p*ssed and I was very happy that although I sounded quite angry, I didn't start swearing at her or be nasty to anyone else. And I did sincerely thank her when she finally relented.

That is a good idea. I'm wondering if I could wire something like that to the bottom of my car inside the drop down spare. I know some people wire keys to their cars, but I'm pretty sure the key would rust to the car.

 

[jamespowers]

Is there a way for me to come over and work?
(just for a while.. I so long to yell "Next!" to folks)

If you come here illegally, I am sure they would hire you. lol lol

 

[jamespowers]

Oh, my..
I hope every thing's all right now... and I do understand the amount of frustration you might have.


Are you "the voice from the machine"?
I'd like to, sometimes, be just the voice (but not all complaints come over the phone). Then againn, you wouldn't believe how much courage the "let's just phone" people have - the things they tell me over the vire..
:nono:
It's harder to be that nasty in person.
Because, then they get to see I'm just a clerk wearing vintage clothes.

If they are going to be that surly then they need

 

[jamespowers]

For future reference, if you should lock your key in the car, this might help, but you do need to carry something around that might be hard to explain as to why it's in your possession.

You need a length of that plastic banding that you often find around parcels, and it helps if you have a small rubber wedge, the sort you jam under a door to keep it open. One other thing, this might cost you a fingernail or two.

Grip the top of the car door, pulling it hard, so that the tiniest gap appears, jam in the rubber wedge. Fold the banding in half, to create a loop.
Feed the banding through the gap and down to the internal handle, using your fishing skills, hook the banding onto the handle, and pull. Eh voila!
Ahem, if you ever get caught, tell them that some dodgy bloke in London felt sorry for a damsel in distress, it's all his fault.

Sounds like someone has done this a few times before. lol lol

 

[jamespowers]

That is a good idea. I'm wondering if I could wire something like that to the bottom of my car inside the drop down spare. I know some people wire keys to their cars, but I'm pretty sure the key would rust to the car.

You can always use one of these:

They have a strong magnet that you can stick behind the bumper or some such place you can access easily.

 

[GHT]

That is a good idea. I'm wondering if I could wire something like that to the bottom of my car inside the drop down spare. I know some people wire keys to their cars, but I'm pretty sure the key would rust to the car.

Years ago, my wife had a car that had a starting problem. Just occasionally, and for no apparent reason, you could turn the key, and nothing. It went back to the dealer, time and time again. I showed my wife how to hotwire the car, and thus start it.
Next time it went back, she showed them how her husband starts her car whenever it plays up. Instead of trying, yet again, to fix it. The garage made an easy to use terminal so that she didn't get her hands dirty whenever she had to hotwire it. One morning, she reversed out of the garage, having forgot something, she switched off, dashed into the house, came back, car wouldn't start. Just then, our neighbour was getting into his car, saw my wife in difficulties, came over to offer assistance, saw her hotwire it and said: "Wow, can I come and steal cars with you!"

 

[GHT]

James, I have a fleet of slamlock vans. They have to be slamlock because that's the client's stipulation. The contract is the carriage of pharmaceuticals, some of which are controlled drugs. There is a locker for the controlled drugs within the van, but the insurers insist on slamlocks. Number of times I have had to rescue one of my drivers.