Poor Customer Service

Poppyred you have the ability to make any queue you join judder to a halt. My DH can turn traffic lights red as he drives towards them. These are your superpowers! Sorry, you don’t get to choose which superpower you have, you can do nothing about it, it’s tough, get used to it.

Maybe go another time Cumbrianmale as you know it’s busy, particularly if you’re retired and can go during the week when others are at work.

I sometimes dread using the local Spar on a Sunday afternoon where there can be a very long queue and only one till switched on. It's petty and time consuming and smacks of poor customer service.

NanaPlenty

I’m normally the most patient person in the world but our local chemist causes everyone to complain. I went in today to pick up an urgent prescription and was second in the queue- the lady in front of me had been given what she came in for and then proceeded to ‘chat’ with the assistant . Their conversation about all sorts went on for ten minutes by which time there were ten people behind me all rolling their eyes! Why doesn’t the man who owns the shop say something ….I wasn’t rude but said to the lady excuse me there is now a queue back to the door! Apologies for the rant but really!

A Receptionist at my GP surgery does this. Last time I was there a queue formed and she nattered on and then the woman asked where the X-Ray Dept. at the local hospital was - as if there would not be directions and receptionists when she got there. By the time she left 15 people were waiting and the nurse was calling for those who had not 'signed in' saying that the Notice on the wall was there to remind people to inform Reception of their arrival. Several people said they were in the queue to do that and the nurse said they should do it immediately that they arrived. You could not make it up!

the issue about rude people hogging staff's time is a real problem. No doubt the same people who leave a shop but then stand in the doorway so nobody can enter or exit. the shop assistant should have said that there were other customers to serve

As for happy to chat benches these are so common . What is not so common is a cafe asking for people to sit at tables and chat to solo customers - refreshments provided .

It is always frustrating when others chat for ages when they’re at the front of the queue but I’m sure there are folks for whom it’s the only person they’ve spoken in that day or maybe all week. Happy to chat type benches etc would be great for those folks.

In a supermarket queue ask -in a loud voice- What should I do with this frozen food which is fast defrosting?
When I worked in a shop and a customer was on the phone ,I ignored them and went on to the next customer or put away the stock they were looking at.

JennyCee

This is really unsettling. No Pharmacists or only for a short time. And we don't always have access to a Doctor. What is our country coming to? A local GP’s, not mine, is now telling people to fill out a form online???????
This is disgraceful is it not?

I know people are often disgusted and unhappy that surgeries are putting some or lots of their business online and asking patients to use some form of electronic consultation as the first point of contact. I initially didn't like it when my surgery did it and actually emailed the Practice Manager asking if this is what primary care has come to.

However, I've come to realise that it's actually quicker and more convenient for most things.We can use e-consult at our own convenience for both medical advice / consultation request/ prescription request etc and in a separate section of the site, admin requests like sick notes / copies of test results etc. My surgery responds within 24 hours often by text message saying things like "we have printed your blood results. Please come into the surgery with some ID to collect them". It saves them and me time and unnecessary visits and also, really crucially, reduces the telephone enquiries queue, which benefits everyone trying to ring in, especially those wanting an urgent or on-the-day appointment.

If you want a routine appointment, they are released at certain days and times but you must complete an e-consult first. This allows the doctors and nurses to assess how important your issue is and what's the best route for you. I queried the dose of one of my meds and the surgery have arranged for a pharmacist to call me about it.

Of course I realise that if you don't have internet access you can't do an e-consult but the receptionists are all very pleasant and will complete an e-consult over the phone on behalf of anyone who can't navigate the app.

It's really working for everyone and I urge people who are resistant to this new way of working to give it a try and see how it can actually make life a lot easier. Why not contact your Practice Manager and ask for someone to "train" you on using the electronic service - I'm sure they'll be happy to help.

Apologies if this is somewhat off-topic but I wanted to respond to JennyCee and try to reassure her that this progress is actually beneficial. By the way, we can still see a doctor if necessary or requested but it's far from the only route to help now.

It has probably happened to most of us at some point whilst queuing in shops etc.

I get very fidgety if I have to queue for too long.
But if someone in front of me starts chatting for any length of time, I can feel my blood boil.
.
So many inconsiderate people around without any conscience at all.

I volunteer in our local hospital shop. Some customers want to stop and chat which is difficult if there is a queue. I usually say ‘can I just serve this customer ‘. Usually they stand aside and carry on chatting while I serve. They just want someone to talk to.

Whingey

Where I live there are happy to chat benches

Whingey, what a lovely idea. They should have them everywhere!

I always land up in the wrong queue at the supermarket! I take a good long look and decide which one will be the quickest (🙄)Low and behold the person in front of me will have a query, bringing something back or something else that involves me standing there for the next 10 minutes. I watch all the people from the other queues waltzing out with their shopping while I’m standing there fuming!

We do have a local pharmacist and I always get my prescriptions sent there electronically. However there is also a supermarket with an excellent, well-staffed pharmacy and I do wonder if the local pharmacy may not last.

Alison333

JennyCee

This is really unsettling. No Pharmacists or only for a short time. And we don't always have access to a Doctor. What is our country coming to? A local GP’s, not mine, is now telling people to fill out a form online???????
This is disgraceful is it not?

I was worried when our GPs made us fill out forms online, but it's turning out to be much better than hanging on a phone for ages in a queue at 8 am. The form gets read quickly and the surgery gets in touch by phone to give you an appointment with whoever is suitable.

However, if you do not have access to a computer or smartphone you can still phone the surgery and explain.

Yes, we have a system like this. In theory we could book an appointment online but there are never any appointments available. If I send a message they normally either call to give me an appointment or somebody medical calls for a telephone appointment.
A friend once worked as a GP's receptionist and she told me that they had the same group of people who demanded a weekly appointment but who didn't really have anything wrong with them at all.

JennyCee

This is really unsettling. No Pharmacists or only for a short time. And we don't always have access to a Doctor. What is our country coming to? A local GP’s, not mine, is now telling people to fill out a form online???????
This is disgraceful is it not?

I was worried when our GPs made us fill out forms online, but it's turning out to be much better than hanging on a phone for ages in a queue at 8 am. The form gets read quickly and the surgery gets in touch by phone to give you an appointment with whoever is suitable.

However, if you do not have access to a computer or smartphone you can still phone the surgery and explain.

At my local superstore the checkouts are all quite busy especially in the morning. There is one checkout where the cashier talks and chats about all and sundry to all the customers to the irritation of people waiting in the queue. I have noticed in the past two weeks that this checkout desk invariably has no-one queuing, seems we have all recognised the problem and give it a wide berth. I am surprised the supervisor assistants have not noticed.

I went to see the pharmacist for a spot beneath my lip. He told me it was an ingrowing hair causing the problem. Within a couple of weeks after a visit to my GP I was having it excised by the max.fax. surgeon at the local hospital, it was a squamous cell carcinoma, NEVER again will I ask a pharmacist for assistance.

Very nice when assistants acknowledge you with a greeting but some just don't seem to know what is and isn't appropriate like discussing a broken marriage as above. I'm generally patient if they are dealing with a very elderly person who needs help and wants a chat as I think that might be me in a few years but in any other case I do get annoyed.

I think I must have lost count of the times I've been stuck in a supermarket queue right behind a customer who - lo and behold - is a former neighbour/former school chum/long long distant relative of the checkout person. They haven't clapped eyes on each other since Queen Victoria was alive so there's plenty of catching-up to do.

And that's what they do........

This is really unsettling. No Pharmacists or only for a short time. And we don't always have access to a Doctor. What is our country coming to? A local GP’s, not mine, is now telling people to fill out a form online???????
This is disgraceful is it not?

Yes, I do realise it's a typo. Hope the old chap is ok though.

Primrose53

NanaPlenty

I’m normally the most patient person in the world but our local chemist causes everyone to complain. I went in today to pick up an urgent prescription and was second in the queue- the lady in front of me had been given what she came in for and then proceeded to ‘chat’ with the assistant . Their conversation about all sorts went on for ten minutes by which time there were ten people behind me all rolling their eyes! Why doesn’t the man who owns the shop say something ….I wasn’t rude but said to the lady excuse me there is now a queue back to the door! Apologies for the rant but really!

This happened to me in our local Post Office. The woman in front of me and the counter assistant were having a right old chap that lasted ages. I heard all about her leaving her husband, finding somewhere to live, him begging her to come back, her refusing etc etc. i just said “I’ll leave you to it. “ and walked out.

I then went to the next village where I knew the Manager would be and told him about it. He apologised and said he would speak to her. Now when I go in she is super polite and efficient.

I don’t mind a cheerful “good morning, how are you” but I don’t want to hear rubbish like that.

I realise this is a serious topic and it's wrong and inconsiderate for assistants to chat to customers ad infinitum, especially while there's a long queue, but this sentence made me smile ... "The woman in front of me and the counter assistant were having a right old chap that lasted ages"

oh gosh, thanks for this reminder, I can be a little guilty of trying to be pleasant at my local supermarket! thinking I am cheering the checkout operator up!

I'm not very good at queuing, especially when I'm behind somebody chatting away instead of moving the queue forward. I have been known to leave a whole shopping basket worth of goods on the conveyor belt and stomping out before when this has happened. On another occasion I said "Can you please stop chatting, some of us have things to be getting on with". And don't even mention the ridiculous queues to get into shops during Covid!

On a recent visit to A&E, though, which involved a 9-hour 'queue' it was my husband getting impatient. I was stunned into silence at the carnage going on around me.

Where I live there are happy to chat benches