Yeah, abusing customers is no big deal. Suggesting you'd like to sling them under a train is ok.
Does that sit right with you?
Rude tube guy berates passenger
- Thread starter Giles
- Start date
Yeah, abusing customers is no big deal. Suggesting you'd like to sling them under a train is ok.
Does that sit right with you?
madzone
Physically unfavourable
^^^
This.
It doesn't matter how rude someone is to you, if your job is dealing with the public then you can't be rude and aggressive back. End of. Yes, people can be rude, ignorant cunts and if you can't deal with that profresionally don't take a job that involves dealing with people.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
Yes, he's clearly more suited for a TFL managerial role.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Nah. It is always the lowest paid, most powerless workers who have to front up to the public every day, yet they are the ones expected to take abuse and never give it back.
I'd turn it on its head. If you are rude and abusive to another person, regardless of whether or not that person is employed to help you, you can't expect anything other than rudeness and abuse back.
Of course, I've hated all the jobs I've had dealing with the public and I don't think I'm temperamentally suited to them. As I said before, it can only take one rude fucker to spoil your whole day.
madzone
Physically unfavourable
More fucking handwringing on behalf of all the lowly workers.
Really? You think it's acceptable for an employee of any level to be aggressive to the people they're paid to assist?
I'm not temperamentally designed to deal with the public at all but have had jobs where I've been 'frontline' dealing with them. I have never once been rude or aggressive as en employee. Once I did tell two miserable old beyatches to fuck off to primark when they were complaining about the price of my work but that was my own business, I wasn't an employee. You have to be able to switch off from people's rudeness or you shouldn't be in the job. To this day I can switch my head into professional mode when I'm having to deal with a tricky situation. It's not hard.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Acceptable? No. Understandable? Sometimes. And is it acceptable to be rude and aggressive to the people who are being paid to assist you?
The video and the blog that it came from suggests that wasn't the case here. The bloke's just bullying an old man.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
What have I said that isn't true? The dole office is the best example of this. Very, very badly paid front-of-house staff have to take flak from poor, often desperate people who feel they've been hard done by by the much more highly paid decision-makers who never, ever come in front of the public.
If that's handwringing, pass me the towel.
roryer
道可道非常道，名可名非常名
The pony tailed guy is clearly in the wrong, and TfL simply cannot allow this sort of behaviour from their staff, no matter what the circumstances are.
From reading the article in the Mail, it appears he was assigned to keep passengers behind the yellow line, which on a crowded tube platform is surely not an easy job, and after a few hours of it I can imagine losing my rag too.
However when trains are delayed, overcrowded, and we are late for something important, anyone would have an excuse for being less than cooperative.
Thus the law correctly protects front-line PT staff from customer abuse, therefore if TfL were to allow this type of abuse from staff on customers, it would undermine that principle.
So I think it is justified that the chap in question is suspended.
From reading the article in the Mail, it appears he was assigned to keep passengers behind the yellow line, which on a crowded tube platform is surely not an easy job, and after a few hours of it I can imagine losing my rag too.
However when trains are delayed, overcrowded, and we are late for something important, anyone would have an excuse for being less than cooperative.
Thus the law correctly protects front-line PT staff from customer abuse, therefore if TfL were to allow this type of abuse from staff on customers, it would undermine that principle.
So I think it is justified that the chap in question is suspended.
Open Sauce
Active Member
FFS, have you seen the video? This is not a frail old man. How many pensioners travel in a suit and carry a briefcase?
The guy looks just about in his fifties, the suit looks tailored and expensive. Not some poor little pensior.
Where "bullying", where is this happening? He is asked not to get on the train, the man ignored that request and walks off, hardly a victim in any form.
If the headline was "Arrogant City Banker/Middle class management type ignores safety instructions" - would your reaction be different.
From the daily mail, it looks as if the tube worker was enforcing safely, arrogant middle class management type did not like being told what to do by tube work
LU Bylaws...
"An authorised person may, in an emergency or in other circumstances in which he believes he should act in the interest of safety, issue instructions to any person on any part of the railway. No person, without good cause, shall disobey such instruction."
Jesus, talk about defending the indefensible with the nonsensical
I don't care what class the bloke was (cheers for bringing that in btw), nor whether he was a management type or qualified for his free travelcard as a fully fledged pensioner yet: nobody should be spoken to like that by a customer service employee.
There's a difference between an instruction and a jumped-up out of control tosser yelling abuse at an old man posing no threat to anyone. The bemused expressions of the bystanders and other passengers speaks volumes. Your attempt to make your kind of daft excuse for the guy's actions is pathetic frankly
Not once I'd seen the video and read the eyewitness account. Only on U75 could this somehow be about class rather than the bloke acting like a grade A prick.
Having watched it again the guy could easily of pensionable age.
bluestreak
HomosexualityIsStalin’sAtomBombtoDestroyAmerica
Apparantly te old guy had triedc to push onto the closing doors and got his arm stuck. and in need of rescue then tried to get in again. and then mr bollock really got angry.
Open Sauce
Active Member
Recognise a piss take when it greets you in the face FFS
Okay, why do you feel it is relevant to repeat that is was an old man. I'd suggest has was about 50 and looked fit and healthy. So why do you need to bring that up.
Also, why do you claim I am exusing anyone? I question why people need to make up stuff about him being a pensioner and being bullied - he was quite clearly neither.
I pointed out he was breaking LU bylaws hence we won't be hearing from him as a witness.
Still, can't see where I excuse the behaviour.
You are utterly deluded.
So you never watched the video first before commenting? (e2a: it wasn't you calling him a pensioner initially)
Where did I defend him.
Open Sauce
Active Member
There were two grade a pricks in the video, that is my point
Yes, I watched it. I watched it again and the guy might be a pensioner, I reckon.
You appeat to be defending by constructing a mitigation for his behaviour.
starfish2000
Well-Known Member
I work on the railways, a colleague of mine was assaulted by an angry passenger today after a service was cancelled, when the British Transport Police showed up other passengers were leaping to the offenders defence saying he didn't actually throw the first punch.....despite the whole incident on our CCTV system showing he did. So I think that says it all.
I've been photographed and videoed before,the last time was because my ticket machine rejected a guys credit card and he told me he had a journalist friend who'd loose me my job. I tend to get that once a week on average. I just shrug it off and smile. The secret is to never get personal
The guy in this video is too emotional and has lost control of the situation, but to be fair I wouldn't want to deal with those kinda passenger volumes every day in a rushed and stressful situation and I doubt many of you on here could get up at 3am and work a 12 hour shift and be pleasant to people day in day out. Customer service won't save you from being burned to death.
I'll loose my rag if its a safety issue and despite notices everywhere some of the travelling public do some very ill advised things, but I'll always ask politely 3 times, by then I know they are just taking the piss. I mean if you were in a train crash and all the emergency exits were blocked with luggage/pushchairs/bicycles etc you might think that the guard hadn't been doing his job.....if someone starts a fire, you might need those exits as although most of the carraige will be flame retardent....your luggage clothes and stuff won't be.
I can't judge this because its only one angle and we are not seeing the whole situation....does the man require another train perhaps....if you go to Platform 13 on manchester Picaddilly station people there just get on any train in a panic....often ignoring announcements/overhead notices and destination boards.
At the start of the video there is no train in the station and lots of people on the platform.
Something has clearly happened earlier (the paper says the chap got his arm stuck in a closing door).
At 00:20 a train arrives, the doors open and lots of people get on.
The staff member tells the old chap that he can't get on, and then starts with the abuse when the bloke rightly ignores him.
This isn't some kind of safety issue, the train is there, doors open, people in general are getting on.
What right has this staff member to tell this one man that he cannot get on the train? If it was me, I would have ignored him because the instruction is not valid and does not make sense. It isn't in any way a safety issue here.
Giles..
starfish2000
Well-Known Member
But thats the thing...you don't know cos we are seeing a 2 minute snippet out of a situation.
I think people bang on about class and that, but there is a contingent on here who really don't like us blue collar types.
If I show you 2 minutes of any situation how do you know anything?
I think the ponytail guy is stressed....maybe he needs a break....do you know if he's taken a break...do you know if he's perhaps forgone a break all day due to staff shortages?
Perhaps he's come in to work as a favour ( I did today) to get them out of a pickle
Im not defending him....Im saying we don't know the situation.
I think people bang on about class and that, but there is a contingent on here who really don't like us blue collar types.
If I show you 2 minutes of any situation how do you know anything?
I think the ponytail guy is stressed....maybe he needs a break....do you know if he's taken a break...do you know if he's perhaps forgone a break all day due to staff shortages?
Perhaps he's come in to work as a favour ( I did today) to get them out of a pickle
Im not defending him....Im saying we don't know the situation.
starfish2000
Well-Known Member
Thats a very rational response
Open Sauce
Active Member
Yes, the tailored suit and the brief case, the fit and healthy stance and the appearance of a 50 year old.
The bullying, where was that? He was receiving a stern talking to by the female member of staff, presumably for the previous violation reported elsewhere. Something was said that made pony tale loose it, old man walked off. Maybe he knew he had violated bylaws - possibly because the female SA already told him. That is not bullying by any means, it is crap 'policing' - it was beyond customer service then.
So, do you mean calling you on facts is mitigation. Pony tail was a twat I've never - despite you trying to put words into my mount, but the bloke is clearly not a poor little bullied pensioner. I ask again, why make up shit that is not there
The common usage of pensioner is someone of pensionable age. What has his suit or brief case got to do with it? The eye witness, in his blog, decribes him an elderly man. The video only shows the back of his head, his grey hair, thinning at the crown.
He is entirely passive, with a considerably younger, fitter man ranting at him and being abusive, concluding in a threat/wish to throw him under a train. It is bullying.
It is clearly nothing to do with safety and to claim it is preposterous.
I put no words into your mouth whatsoever. I've made nothing up.
I've got no agenda so I just see what's there. It's clear you can't say the same.
themonkeyman
WHOOO HOOOO !!!
Clearly there are two sides to every story, but I tend to agree with the side that says abusing people and shouting obsceneties is definitely not the way to go. I have worked in various high pressure roles where I have been on the front line of a job and a customer has got angry with me but I have never sworn at anyone, ever. This is uncalled for as is muttering "sling him under a train" surely that is a contradiction to the very helth and satety rules this guy is trying to enforce ?
Also has anyone read he blog of the eyewitness account, the same guy who took the video? He explainsthat there was a problem with a train and every one had to get off and the suited guy got his hand stuck. Also at no point int the video can you hear the old guy shouting.
Saying all this. It has got out of hand. The daily mail will never let it go and for Boris Johnson to get involved is ridiculous hasn't he got better things to do like designing a route master bus for example ?
There are much bigger issues out there. Let TFL's HR people deal with it, best as they see fit.
Also has anyone read he blog of the eyewitness account, the same guy who took the video? He explainsthat there was a problem with a train and every one had to get off and the suited guy got his hand stuck. Also at no point int the video can you hear the old guy shouting.
Saying all this. It has got out of hand. The daily mail will never let it go and for Boris Johnson to get involved is ridiculous hasn't he got better things to do like designing a route master bus for example ?
There are much bigger issues out there. Let TFL's HR people deal with it, best as they see fit.
