dublin=s**t (warning rant ahead)

Dyr

So I've finally come to accept it and it took playing host to bring it out.

This town is sh**. Sh** service, sh**t prices, sh** atmosphere. oh and sh*t service.

We were taking a few spanish lads out to show them dublin. the night started in a chinese on wicklow street, the I*****al. Its been a fair few years years since I was there and unfortunately it's gone down hill since then, crap quality, crap quantity and hugely overpriced. Plus the staff had a "here's your coat, whats your rush?" attitude. We decide to repair to H****s on georges street, walk in, get seated and when i go to the bar im told they're not serving anymore. Its 11 PM on sunday. F**K dat. Fine, i walk down to another spot on aungier street (C*****l) to see if they're still serving. Bouncer tells me they are so i say fine i'll get me mates. He gets shirty and tells me that if they're drunk or under 21 they wont get in, I say they're all over 30 and most of them dont drink, he comes out with the classic that they arent interested in letting people who dont drink in, so i walk off. In retrospect i should have told him to go f**k himself, the mouthy pr**k, a glass of coke costs twice as much as beer, you could do the maths yourself if you hadnt failed your leaving cert and ruined your chances of being a garda.

so we head down to The G***e. barman is too cool to use the phrase please or thank you. Or to serve a bottle of beer with a glass. We p**s off to The O** on Dame street. We ask when they serve until and are told 1 am. Bang on 1 am the ubiquitous fordin doorman starts asking people to move on. Nice. I go down to the jacks for a dump and some fella roars "YO!!" while im in the cubicle. I shout "yo" back and he tells me they're closing and to move. Like im gonna sh*t harder or something.


So heres the thing, why do we accept that if we've a few that we can be treated like s**t by staff when we're paying good money. I used to be a laid back sorta person who HATES when people give serving staff hassle but it took the embarrasment of having guests over to make me realise that this country has a major attitude problem when it comes to service in comparison to other european countries. We pride ourselves on craic and such ****e but the truth is ive alwayys had better times abroad because you're not treated like someones doing you a favour by taking your money for crap goods.

Xavi6

A very solid rant there and as much as I want to counter your points I really can't.

Ireland/Dublin has this reputation around the world as being this happy-go-lucky, really friendly country that welcomes visitors with open arms. The reality is completely different.

Have you seen Intermission where the girl constantly tuts behind the checkout when your one goes to buy a gift voucher? That right there sums up the Dublin attitude.

BraziliaNZ

The reason things are like this is because people put up with it. There are only a few places in Dublin I was bothered going to in the past and I went there because I knew the service and staff were good, be it a pub or restaurant. People whinge about prices all the time yet they still shop at Tesco instead of Lidl/Aldi etc. Use common sense and you can save a lot in Dublin. If everyone watched their finances prices would come down and competition would increase to attract customers. So it's Dubliners' own fault at the end of the day.

odyssey06

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

The reason things are like this is because people put up with it. There are only a few places in Dublin I was bothered going to in the past and I went there because I knew the service and staff were good, be it a pub or restaurant. People whinge about prices all the time yet they still shop at Tesco instead of Lidl/Aldi etc. Use common sense and you can save a lot in Dublin. If everyone watched their finances prices would come down and competition would increase to attract customers. So it's Dubliners' own fault at the end of the day.

(a) There are very good reasons why people would be prepared to pay more to shop in Tesco instead of Lidl\Aldi. Brand Names. Better locations. More customer service. Better surrounding facilities. But at least in the supermarket sector you have that choice between Tesco and Lidl\Aldi.
(b) Given that the number of pub licences is regulated by the government, shopping around won't do much for pub and nightclub competition. Unless you want to open up a shibeen. Which in effect, is what a lot of people are doing by going to off licences and drinking at home instead of pubs.

Jip

If you think you're going to be waited on hand and foot, have a choice of leaving one pub if you don't like the staff and having a large choice of others to go to or something simply like deciding on what type of food you want on a night out in a small country town you've got a big surprise heading your way.

Degsy

I agree with bambi.The prices are ****,the service is ****,the quality is **** and the attitude of a lot of people in the service industry stinks.I've told thi story before but will repeat it for the record.I was in Break for the border(an overpriced dump)at a social event one saturday.The pints were something like 5.40 when i got there,so far so expensive.At 11 o'clock i went to get another one and was told the price had risen to 5.70!I asked the bar manager why this was and he said."Well we're not the dearest palce in town you know.We have good music and good food too."I asked to see amenu and was told the food had finished at 9.The "music" was something by kylie Minogue.That was two years ago and i've no reason to suppose the prices have come down in that time.Oh yeah,this was after i had to answer a litany of questions from the doorman before he let me in.THE fact is that Dublin is an absolute shiithole to go out in,barmen behave as if they're dispensing divine unction not overpriced gassy water.Food is nearly allways overpriced in the extreme..12 euro for a burger anyone?Everybody spills out at the same time making it unsafe and hostile and then you've got to queue for bloody hours to be further ripped-off by a taximan.

Xavi6

IanCurtis wrote: »

If you don't like it, fcuk off - end of story.

These rants are totally pointless.

So let's just leave things the way they are yeah? Good idea :rolleyes:

Collie D

Degsy wrote: »

We have good music

In Break for the Border??

I never seem to understand why clubs seem to think they're doing you a favour. In restaurants, shops, etc. you're the customer and you are king. In these places, what they say goes. Complain in a restaurant and most of the time you'll get an apology and problem will be sorted. Do the same in a pub and you're quickly shown the door

DubArk

I’ve lived in New York and In London over 18yrs and I returned to Dublin in 2003.
I love Ireland but I’ll do everything in my power to keep out of Dublin City at the weekends.

It’s a mess. Service industries haven’t a clue about customer awareness!
It’ll always do so, as long as people return. I don’t and I chose to spend my hard earned cash in places that I’m treated well and made feel welcome.
Vote with your feet. Next time you have guests here in Ireland who don’t drink. Don’t take them to a pub in Dublin.

Take them for a meal in Co Dublin! Loads to choose from.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

IanCurtis wrote: »

If you don't like it, fcuk off - end of story.

These rants are totally pointless.

What you're basically saying is that his points are correct - Dublin IS ****, but complaining is pointless and we should really just bend over and accept the fvcking?

Fair enough. Let me know how that works out for you....

Degsy

Collie D wrote: »

In Break for the Border??

I never seem to understand why clubs seem to think they're doing you a favour. In restaurants, shops, etc. you're the customer and you are king. In these places, what they say goes. Complain in a restaurant and most of the time you'll get an apology and problem will be sorted. Do the same in a pub and you're quickly shown the door

I know..the irony of it!
I've often had barstaff get snotty with me when i've returned drink,one time i got a pint with alump of what looked like snot in it only to be told it was probabaly "a hop"!!I literally felt like somebody had pissed in my pocket and told me it was raining.Another place a gang of us used to frequent decided that instead of the kerrang channel(it was a rock bar) on the screen they were going to start showing football for the benefit of the barman.When i complained,an almighty row ensued to the extent that over 20 of us blanked the place for six months.Another time a bloke sufferd a heart attack outside the same pub and one of the guys having a smoke outside got him a stool to sit on while the ambulance was coming.The barman ran up the stairs,grabbed the stool and brought it back down with him
To The Neptune lounge in abbey street:..The reason nobody drinks there anymore is because your staff are arseholes who dont give a shiit about customers!

emoKILLER

Bambi wrote: »

barman is too cool to serve a bottle of beer with a glass.

here you go
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/350692308_5641ff038e.jpg

did you not ask for a plum floating in perfume, served in a mans hat

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Degsy wrote: »

I know..the irony of it!
I've often had barstaff get snotty with me when i've returned drink,one time i got a pint with alump of what looked like snot in it only to be told it was probabaly "a hop"!!I literally felt like somebody had pissed in my pocket and told me it was raining.Another place a gang of us used to frequent decided that instead of the kerrang channel(it was a rock bar) on the screen they were going to start showing football for the benefit of the barman.When i complained,an almighty row ensued to the extent that over 20 of us blanked the place for six months.Another time a bloke sufferd a heart attack outside the same pub and one of the guys having a smoke outside got him a stool to sit on while the ambulance was coming.The barman ran up the stairs,grabbed the stool and brought it back down with him
To The Neptune lounge in abbey street:..The reason nobody drinks there anymore is because your staff are arseholes who dont give a shiit about customers!

Demand exceeds supply... what can you do? If there IS a recession, numbers will probably drop and who knows... things might get better.

Collie D

****ing hell, that heart attack story is unbelievable. What a c*nt!

Regarding the tv on in the bar. I've had something similar in my local (not some faceless city centre club but a local where you expect to be treated with some manner of dignity).

12.30 on a Saturday afternoon, told my Mam I'd give her a hand with her shopping. Head over to boozer to watch the footie until she calls me. Place is nearly empty so buy myself a pint and plonk myself down on a stool with the paper and start watching the footie. Ask the barman can he turn up the commentary. There were literally two other people in the place. Barman heads off to get the remote control or so I thought and the ignorant prick turns up the music full blast.

EDIT This one barman is known for being a prick and there are other decent staff in the place. Example, knocking over a pint and asking for a cloth to clean up the mess. Barman cleans up the mess himself and gives me a new pint free of charge. This has actually happened more twice, both times due to my own clumsiness.

prendy

my biggest gripe and this isnt just Dublin but everywhere in Ireland is the attitude that doorstaff are doing you a favour by letting you in...im a paying customer and shouldnt have to be subjected to a multitude of questions just to go in and spend €6 a pint!
you would think that with all the complaining about the failing pub industry that the owners would cop on and improve the pub experience for the customer.

gucci

Yeah i totally understand the OPs original rant, a dump interrupted is totally disgusting, it would definitely ruin a full weekend for me......

I was in dublin at the weekend, just home from england where i now work, glad to see McDaids Guinness is still absolutely fantastic!!

Raekwon

Xavi6 wrote: »

Have you seen Intermission where the girl constantly tuts behind the checkout when your one goes to buy a gift voucher? That right there sums up the Dublin attitude.

+1

The overall attitudes in the service industry here are shocking, you would swear that you were doing people a favour by spending your hard earned money in their poxy over priced establishments.

It is getting more common too. I was told to "Hurry the f**k up!" by a butcher boy in Dunnes Stores a few weeks ago. He also added "We have bleedin' homes to go to ya' know?" because I was doing a quick bit of shopping and the store was closing in 15 minutes. He actually never saw the manager around the corner from me who heard everything so I dually threw my basket down and left the store in disgust and hopefully made a point of my dissatisfaction by being talked down too by some lowlife cretin.

Charlie

Having been fortunate enough to do a fair amount of travelling over the last 4 years I can safely say that, once I finish this shaggin Masters, i'm outahere. People go on about New York being expensive (which from having spent a summer there is certainly no more expensive than Dublin) but at least you get so much for you money there. The transport system, the culture, the nightlife, safety, everything. In Dublin, we have to pay world class city prices, and in return we get fook all in return.

Having just been over to Newcastle recently, that was a real eye opener. Doormen that are friendly and crack a joke with you, none of this FBI routine you get over here. Pubs and clubs that value their customers and keep prices ultra competitive, £1 drinks in a fare few places!!!:eek: To top it all off, the city has some brilliant architecture, great transport, and possibly the nicest people I have ever met. The most the average Dubliner will give you these days is a confused grunt.

IanCurtis

Sound to me that the OP went to a bad restaurant - we are not alone in this.

Then he tried to get served in a bar that closes at 11pm - clever.

Then he tried to get people who don't drink into a pub - it's not a drop-out centre, it's a business...clever again. Non-drinkers don't drink 4 pints of coke, so pub's not making the same money.

Then he gets hounded to get out at closing time - wow, that never happens anywhere!

He went out too late, simple as that

Tabnabs

For all those who think the grass is greener on the other side blah, blah, blah, you're in for a big shock. I have been on trips to London, Madrid and Paris this year already and whilst they make Dublin look like a small provincial town, they also make Dublin look like a budget destination.

I paid €6.80 for a pint (not even, 500cl!!) in a "locals" brasserie in Paris last weekend. Yesterday in Cookstown (NI) I paid just under a tenner (sterling) for a burger in a cafe/bar.

With customer service you get what you pay for. Go to a busy pub and you will get crap service, go to a quiet bar and they'll have time and a smile for you. Go to the four seasons and they will present the tab in a leather wallet and will only approach once they see money peeping from inside.

Paris is dirty and covered in graffiti, London is hugely expensive unless you want to wander around and find cheap places to eat and drink. Madrid is every bit as dear as Dublin and certainly no friendlier.

So for all the complaining, spend time in any city in any country and you'll come up with a list of things to whine about. Of course, complaining on boards.ie will make the service improve no end :rolleyes:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

IanCurtis wrote: »

Sound to me that the OP went to a bad restaurant - we are not alone in this.

Then he tried to get served in a bar that closes at 11pm - clever.

Then he tried to get people who don't drink into a pub - it's not a drop-out centre, it's a business...clever again. Non-drinkers don't drink 4 pints of coke, so pub's not making the same money.

Then he gets hounded to get out at closing time - wow, that never happens anywhere!

He went out too late, simple as that

Again, what you're saying is...
Bad restarauunts are common, we should just live with it
People who don't drink have no right to be allowed into a pub

Dyflin wrote:

For all those who think the grass is greener on the other side blah, blah, blah, you're in for a big shock. I have been on trips to London, Madrid and Paris this year already and whilst they make Dublin look like a small provincial town, they also make Dublin look like a budget destination.

I paid €6.80 for a pint (not even, 500cl!!) in a "locals" brasserie in Paris last weekend. Yesterday in Cookstown (NI) I paid just under a tenner (sterling) for a burger in a cafe/bar.

With customer service you get what you pay for. Go to a busy pub and you will get crap service, go to a quiet bar and they'll have time and a smile for you. Go to the four seasons and they will present the tab in a leather wallet and will only approach once they see money peeping from inside.

Paris is dirty and covered in graffiti, London is hugely expensive unless you want to wander around and find cheap places to eat and drink. Madrid is every bit as dear as Dublin and certainly no friendlier.

So for all the complaining, spend time in any city in any country and you'll come up with a list of things to whine about. Of course, complaining on boards.ie will make the service improve no end


I paid €6.80 for a pint (not even, 500cl!!) in a "locals" brasserie in Paris last weekend. Yesterday in Cookstown (NI) I paid just under a tenner (sterling) for a burger in a cafe/bar.

With customer service you get what you pay for. Go to a busy pub and you will get crap service, go to a quiet bar and they'll have time and a smile for you. Go to the four seasons and they will present the tab in a leather wallet and will only approach once they see money peeping from inside.

Paris is dirty and covered in graffiti, London is hugely expensive unless you want to wander around and find cheap places to eat and drink. Madrid is every bit as dear as Dublin and certainly no friendlier.

So for all the complaining, spend time in any city in any country and you'll come up with a list of things to whine about. Of course, complaining on boards.ie will make the service improve no end

€14? For a burger? And you paid it? Sucker! When I was in Paris recently theer was a large range in prices. Usually in the same bar.

Custoemr serivce is the problem here. I liked Copenhagen. Yes, it's expensive, but by God do you get treated with respect. They have this weird idea tat the customer is a human being irrerspective of how much is in his wallet. We should really put that into practice here. And you can easily got a drink, alcoholic or otherwise, without someone monaing at you. And at any hour in the morning (beacuse the Danes can generally be trusted to control themselves after a few drinks). Most of the German towns I've been in were freidnlier, one of which even brought out three crates of free beer the night Germany beat portugal in the World Cup. Think you'd get that in Celtic Tiger Ireland??!

The grass is most certainly greener anywhere I've been in Europe.

Tabnabs

I've spent some time in Southern Denmark in Åbenrå and the service there was very iffy. We had to end up going to a student bar as that was the only place anywhere near friendly.

Den Helder in Holland, ridiculous money for a beer on the beach front bar during the summer. The town itself was hit and miss.

Go to Norway and see how the Scandinavian's really drink. Like it's their last day on earth!

Newcastle? Try the Ocean Road in Shields on a Saturday night, makes Dublin look like a pioneer's gathering.

Been there seen that, every place you go has as much or as little to offer as auld Dublin.

(Or Cork for that matter, we regularly got free food in a bar in Cork city when we arrived as a group of eight/ten students on a Tuesday afternoon for "just a couple").

Latchy

Reminds me of the last time i was in my home city Dublin and waiting in da Q with a mixture of locals and tourists for my weekly bus ticket in busaras office (or whatever it's called now ) i politley asked this young thing in front of me if i could borrow her pen ? Well i might as well of asked her for her purse with the look :eek: she gave me and reluctantly gave me her pen .Then on my turn to purchase ticket , mary for Dunloe behind ticket desk decided it was time to have a personall chat with rose from skibbereen something along the lines of ' arent these tourists a pain '' ? :rolleyes:.

Also that day went to remove my ticket for the luas only for a girl to screech ' hey ,dat's my tickeah '' .(she wrongly assumed i was after her ticket :rolleyes: ) Just as well i am a dub and used to our mannerisims of sorts ,good and bad but i might add customer service irish style needs to get it's act together and get rid of the ' what do we care as long as we have yer money attidtude ''. in my book i dont care weather you are from dub 4 or dublin 10 .Good manners cost nothing and all these good little things we do go a long way .

Dirk Gently

IanCurtis wrote: »

Sound to me that the OP went to a bad restaurant - we are not alone in this.

Then he tried to get served in a bar that closes at 11pm - clever.

Then he tried to get people who don't drink into a pub - it's not a drop-out centre, it's a business...clever again. Non-drinkers don't drink 4 pints of coke, so pub's not making the same money.

Then he gets hounded to get out at closing time - wow, that never happens anywhere!

He went out too late, simple as that

I have to agree with the poster quoted above.

Generally I agree whole heartily that service in Dublin (and the country as a whole tbh) is terrible, and prices are too high, and I agree with the comments made by other posters but specifically in the OP's case I think he just planned his night badly and his lack of local knowledge let him down.

IanCurtis

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

People who don't drink have no right to be allowed into a pub

I wouldn't let them in unless they were spending money.

Was in a pub in town a few weeks ago on a Friday evening and there were a table of Spanish fellas playing cards sharing one coke, while we had to stand.

Quick word with the barman and they were out the door...happy days.

estebancambias

There is many problems with Dublin. A lot of the things the OP mentioned are not a problem IMO.

I don't like the way people here are so forcefully nice. People aren't natural. People have lost confidence. People walk with their head down. I was in New York, and damn the people are so vibrant. Nobody gives a **** about being Irish anymore.
The Goverment stops immigrants from coming in, who could give the country something fresh. A new lease of life.

Its not an individual thing, but collectively the city sucks, but at the same time I love it. I would prefer a bigger urban population.

There is no place to just sit out at 11.30pm and just chill out with friends.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

IanCurtis wrote: »

I wouldn't let them in unless they were spending money.

Was in a pub in town a few weeks ago on a Friday evening and there were a table of Spanish fellas playing cards sharing one coke, while we had to stand.

Quick word with the barman and they were out the door...happy days.

Wasn't Moe's in Springfield was it?!

estebancambias

IanCurtis wrote: »

I wouldn't let them in unless they were spending money.

Was in a pub in town a few weeks ago on a Friday evening and there were a table of Spanish fellas playing cards sharing one coke, while we had to stand.

Quick word with the barman and they were out the door...happy days.

:eek:

Here is the problem.

LaVidaLoca

is that Dublin is a minor provincial city with the ego of a major international capital.

A whole truckload of money just flew in on top of us over the past 15 odd years for no good reason other than we happen to speak English and be passably educated. We're not particularly hard-working or efficient, and a moderately specced business park in Hyderabad could probably accomplish what we like to think we have.

Thus, as a city it is rather like a poor black guy from inner-city America who suddenly makes it big as a rap star. The pimped out car, and the diamond studded bracelets and the tricked-out hoes bouncing along beside him just scream at you "I grew up poor! And Ive got a complex about it!"

Dublin is about as important/influential/interesting as, say, Leeds, or , at a push, Sheffield, and we KNOW it. And yet, we need to keep telling ourselves we've made it (even though only a small amount of us have -the rest of us cant even afford a house), so we effect an exclusive attitude, try our best to forget what we once were and above all, stay as drunk as we possibly can.

estebancambias

LaVidaLoca wrote: »

Thus, as a city it is rather like a poor black guy from inner-city America who suddenly makes it big as a rap star. The pimped out car, and the diamond studded bracelets and the tricked-out hoes bouncing along beside him just scream at you "I grew up poor! And Ive got a complex about it!"

Perhaps the best thing I have ever read.

Nolanger

Always ask for a receipt in the Dublin shops because usually the staff don't know how to print one from the cash register. Or even better they forgot to put a roll of paper into the machine. Very funny when they have to get the manager with a queue of customers watching.