is it just me or......................

[lurgi]

I work in commercial refrigeration, still learning, still a lot to learn. I service a large supermarket chain, and am disheartened by the sheer rudeness and lack of manners which SOME of the managers display. How does one deal with the almost tangible animosity displayed by some of these people. it's getting to the stage where things could get ugly pretty quickly the next time one of these bastards tries to treat me like crap. O is it just me?

[mccool]

I've ran into that with some managers also, they come off as completely disinterested in what you are there to do, even when you come to inform them of the need to spend several thousand. Most managers though who are keen and in touch with thier store know how important and costly their refrigeration is and like to be kept in the loop about what your doing.
So keep doing what your doing, inform the managers of whats going on and the need for this or that, most will appreciate the input, screw the others who dont recognize your talents and the need for them.

[lurgi]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm a recent immigrant to the US from Great britain, and still feel like an outsider, and these morons just make it harder for me.

[frozensolid]

Managers who are that rude and cranky, are managers who dont manage very well. This brings down upon them corporate pressure to perform better.

Even though they know their refrigeration is important. To them, you are a expense. You represent a decrease in their profits, and bonus. A big league ass chewing also.

The good ones, know a that a couple of thousand in refrigeration repairs today. Will prevent thiry thousand in lost product tommorrow. He realizes, when a case does not run, it does not sell.

Most times, bad managers don't usually last long. Alot of the time you get a new bad manager. Sooner or later you get a good one.

To me, this is why full service contracts are a wonderful thing. Both sides are happy. The managers love you so much, they even call you when a system is in defrost.

[bvzung]

If they are bitching, moaning tell them to call the office. Tell them you are here to fix their equipment not their attitude.

[R12rules]

Lurgi my friend, it is not just you.

Last weekend I was on call. I was sent out late to this market. When I arrived I found them filling shopping carts with defunct product.
I was so upset I could hardly thing striaght!

I carry a rope in my basket in case I had to drag up my tools into the motor room. (this store didnt have stairs).

As I was talking to this young woman, dept manager, I was looking up at the ceiling for a suitable spot to tie my rope off.
I was fixin to hang somebody for getting my here this time of day!


I seriously believe these corperate giants hire managers from "foodservice". People who used to say: "Would you like fry's with that?"


I havent laid into a manager in many, many years. The last time I did, and it was all true stuff I said... it had no lasting affect on anything but my contract.
Within thirty days .... I was outa there.

Thankfully, I was better off without working for that courperate giant.

However, now that I am employed by someone else, I need to honor and respect their wishes on how to interact with the management at the stores.

Just last week, I met with one of the people from my company's main office in Dallas.
I asked how to deal with these people. He told me to just be myself.

I laughed in his face and said: "Are you serious?"

[condenseddave]

Don't get mad, just get even.

Store managers and underlings can be held responsible for LOTS of problems.

Get to know and be friendly with THEIR superiors.

Trust me on this one.

It does take years of practice to become a feared entity, though, so don't just jump right into it.

[Dowadudda]

Just say,

"Look here You Bloody A$$ hole, I am God, and I am the only one who can save your a$$.."

Don't take no crap from no one.

I am kidding ofcourse. Best thing you can do to those kinds of people is simply figure a way to get a long with them and hopefully there dealings with you will be more civil. It's almost never your fault. A grocery store manager has a lot to deal with and when a section of cases goes down, he's already on edge, and so the case goes crazy, and that is just enough of a chaos to push him or her to the the brink of getting pissed at the world. A lot of times, you can make it a real civil conversation by just asking. "I bet you have had better days huh"

I like that part of what I do. I like to calm people down.

[cynic]

Frozensolid and Dave are right it not just grocery stores either

Had one manager a few weeks ago give me the "with one call I could get you fired" speech in front of a few of his employees. The look on his face when I handed him my cellphone was priceless dont get mad have fun with it

[refer dude 2479]

Originally posted by cynic
Frozensolid and Dave are right it not just grocery stores either

Had one manager a few weeks ago give me the "with one call I could get you fired" speech in front of a few of his employees. The look on his face when I handed him my cellphone was priceless dont get mad have fun with it

This is the approach I have taken too. I try to listen to thier problem and offer solutions. Realize that THEY are having a bad day when you get there. Let them say anything they want about the service they get from your company, or that the infamous LAST GUY did not fix the problem. Stand there and listen as long as they want to talk, cuz your on thier dime. Explain that in a nice way. If the persist listen some more. Where I draw the line is when the conversation turns to a personal attack on me. It is at that point that I will ask the manager if he would like me to call the office and have them send out another mechanic, that I would be happy to leave. Remember they called you for service not the other way around.

It took me several years to perfect this, but it is a great way of letting the manager know who really is in crisis, and who can really help.

[hvacbear]

Charge him more to be an @$$hole it is the only thing they understand. If we all did it then everyone would be nicer. That behavior is unacceptable.

The funny thing is with me (working for the government) the customer gets irate and calls some one of higher rank usually someone who really respects my opinion to complain. They cannot call another company to come fix their stuff so when they burn me they can think about their transgressions in the heat for a while until parts come in; if they are nice we find the parts in town and go get them.
I always get “You have been out her three times and it is still not fixed.” Then I politely remind them that I was never out there and I will fix it right this time.

[Edited by hvacbear on 05-22-2004 at 09:33 PM]

[Freezeking2000]

often times the truth is the company was out 3 times and every time the problem was different.

[frozensolid]

If the last three guys did not fix the problem, you need a new service manager.

If I were the store Manager or Director (as Albertsons calls them) I would be pissed too.

One guy getting it wrong is a mistake. 3 guys getting it wrong, is ignorance.