Abusive Bouncers

Dr McManus

poisonated wrote: »

Hi I was in GPO in Galway earlier and the door man took it on himslef to abuse me. I am not usualy one to cause trouble but he was completely taking the p.iss. Drinks were 3 euro. I told this lad if he gives me 5 euro, I will give him 2 euro and I will get his drink. The door man saw him giving me 5 euro and takes it upon himself to acuse me of robbing 5 euro off that lad. I told him I didn't but he stilll abuses me. The who gave me the 5 euro came up and told him the arrangement but he still abuses me. I try to fight back but he says if I do that again he will call the police. May I please get opinions?
Thanks

Doormen (and women) have a difficult job.
Many years ago I worked as a doorman in London.
I have worked with the best, and worst doormen over the years.
I have worked in bars, nightclubs, private gentleman's clubs. I have experienced the best and worst of customers behaviour.
After seeing a good friend of mine glassed in the face, I decided it was time to retire from the profession. It is not until you have done the job yourself, that you will understand how hard it is. Doormen are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job. Yes, sometimes they get it wrong. They are human, and make mistakes just like everyone else. If you have had a bad experience with a doorman at GPO, then complain to the Manager of GPO. Complaining on a public forum is not the place to do it. If you are not happy about the way you were treated, then you have the option to go somewhere else.
I have the greatest respect for all the doormen who give up their free time, and do a tough job, so that we can all enjoy ours, safely.

Fey!

Sniipe wrote: »

Quiet the opposite. I never ever drink to excess, my body is a temple. I look quiet young and wouldn't be tall at 5foot 7. So Fey! you are way out. I'm not one of the I know the law/rights people either. But I do have a lot of empathy and I would like people to treat others with respect at all times.

In that case you must be the exception.

Dr McManus wrote: »

...Doormen are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job...

That quote sound VERY familiar, I think from you on a thread about Gardai!

chuckliddell

just buy your own drinks in the future, save ya the bother

thelongfellow

Fey! wrote: »

That quote sound VERY familiar, I think from you on a thread about Gardai!

You should declare shenanigans!

Doormen are trained to judge people on their looks. And we all know that doesn't work.

TerrorFirmer

I don't think I've ever had a problem with a single bouncer in Galway, in any club. They're always pretty polite and I only ever see them involved when there's a genuine need. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I really think as far as dodgy doormen go, Galway really doesn't have a problem to any extent; and I've seen some seriously dodgy bouncers in other places at home and abroad; I can't help but feel that there's a little bit more to this story, I really can't imagine a bouncer would go out of his way to harass you in a busy nightclub just because he, as you say, saw one lad innocently giving another lad a five euro note.

Dr McManus

Dr McManus wrote: »

I have the greatest respect for all the doormen who give up their free time, and do a tough job, so that we can all enjoy ours, safely.

You'd swear they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts the way youre going on about them.

Dr McManus

Deleted User wrote: »

You'd swear they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts the way youre going on about them.

Doormen work for money. That is a given.
But when you look at the sacrifices they make, for what they get paid; and what they put up with, they deserve every cent.
I have done it, earned good money, and enjoyed it all on balance. For many it is a means to an end. They don't choose it, they have to do it to make ends meet.
There is a big difference between the attitudes of those who choose to do the job, and those who don't want to but get in the money trap so keep doing it.
It is easy for you to judge, but when you have actually done the job, you might have a different opinion.
Personally I am in no position to judge anyone. All I am saying is my opinion, for what it is worth. After 7 years of my life working some of the toughest doors in London, I think I am in a position to have an (informed) opinion.

harryd2

In my experience doormen are often thugs on power trips.
Thankfully, however, I haven't experienced any like that in Galway

JJayoo

After 7 years of my life working some of the toughest doors in London, I think I am in a position to have an (informed) opinion.

Your also in the position to have a biased opinion.

brianthebard

JJayoo wrote: »

Your also in the position to have a biased opinion.

lol did someone get denied entry to a club lately?

JJayoo

Actually about 2 months ago i was in town very early, and was talking to a girl i know that gives out stamps for cps, and she told me to check it out as they have changed it. So i was gonna kill some time and get a drink. I was stopped for being under age:mad: I had my passport but was told it was clearly fake. Im 24 and my passport and was still stopped from going into cps for being underage lol good times.

If i go out i will usually go to cuba, just because i think the bouncers are pretty sound. Have found most pub doormen are fairly sound as well.

Well thats my biased opinion :pac:

Eman Resu

Bouncers are like another group i.e. drunk people, guards, travellers, the clergy and yes even bankers, in that the actions of the minority tarnish the rest. Most bouncers are sound, it's the d1ckh3ad though that will stand out in your memory.

whadabouchasir

A lot of bouncers seem to do this in Galway and I don't get it,They ask you "How much have you had tonight?" or "where have you been before this?".Do they not realise that al most everyone is going to lie to them?

Eman Resu

It's more how you answer than what you answer, it's getting you to talk so they can guage how much you've had, I'm presuming.

big b

Am I the only one thinking that, if I were the drunk guy seen handing over cash to someone, I might be glad a bouncer was looking after me?

The bouncer handled the situation pretty badly, but at least he was aware of it. Someone else may be glad of that one day.

myironlung

I was in Club K last night. I never go there usually because personally I think its pretty rubbish. But last night my friends decided to go somewhere different for a change. Anyway, we ended up in the bar out the front, Kennedys, as we didn't really like the crowd in the main club. We were sitting at the bar all night, having drinks and chatting. Before we realised it the club was finished and we were locked into the pub. My flatmate decided to go smoke, so we headed out to the alleyway (which is the main exit for Club K) with our full drinks. Immediately when we got out a bouncer angrily asked us why we were still there long after the club closed. We explained that we had been in the adjoining pub and hadn't realised. He told us we had to leave immediately. When I asked could we bring our drinks he said no, we had enough time to drink them. Again we explained that we hadn't known. He ushered us towards the main exit, at the same time we tried to drink our drinks as fast as we could, we had paid for them after all with our hard earned money. My friends finished theirs and went out. As I had two full drinks in my hand still I stopped and tried to drink them. The bouncer started angrily telling me to get out. I calmly replied that I needed a moment to drink them and it was only fair that he give me a minute. Again he got angry and started barking that I had had loads of time. I then said that taking the drinks off me then and kicking me out the door was the same as stealing and was surely against the law. He didn't like that and came right up to me and started roaring in my face that he knew the law and to get out. I said that he couldn't treat a paying customer like that. He then grabbed my neck in one hand, squeezing so I couldn't breath and shoved me out the the door.
I feel this was totally unneccessary physical abuse. I was in no way being an ass. Yes I was drunk, but I was calm and polite the whole time. I never got agressive. I'm not that type. All I did was try and explain a totally reasonable situation. Is it right that this meathead on a power trip can do this? I know they have to take a lot of crap but surely that doesn't excuse behaviour like that. I want to complain to Club K but I'm not sure what good that will do. What do you reckon I should do? Have I any way to teach them a lesson that you can't treat people like that?
And before anyone says I was probably acting a drunk ass, I wasn't. I was perfectly reasonable and calm.

Jarren

hmmm . do you have any witness to back up your story?

myironlung

Unfortunately not really unless you count my friends seeing me being pushed out the door.

dolphin city

report it in writing.

you don't know - that bouncer could have people already reporting him and be on warnings. Just because they are bouncers does not mean the can manhandle people when the feel like it. If you don't report it and it happened as you say, he could go further next time and injure someone.

he's a bouncer - he works late at night - there is no excuse for him being abusive - he knows the job he is in - if he cannot handle it without manhandling somebody who shows no threat to him, then he should not be in that line of business.

Melion

Oh look, another bouncer thread :rolleyes:

I love that you "calmly replied" Or did you say "Yeah im going" while still standing in the same place?

myironlung

Melion wrote: »

Oh look, another bouncer thread :rolleyes:

I love that you "calmly replied" Or did you say "Yeah im going" while still standing in the same place?

I did calmly reply, I didn't say it aggressively or anything. I tried to explain the situation. No I didn't say "Yeah im going" while still standing in the same place. But even if I did, do you think that gives him the right to do that!?
Isn't it a bad sign if there are a lot of bouncer threads like this? It says a lot!

ch252

Sure report it to the Private Security Authority....but in fairness you were drunk and you have no witnesses so it wouldn't take a genius to simply say it never happened.

myironlung

ch252 wrote: »

Sure report it to the Private Security Authority....but in fairness you were drunk and you have no witnesses so it wouldn't take a genius to simply say it never happened.

Yeah I know, but even if the management learned about it and told the bouncer it wasn't proper behaviour it'd be something.

biko

You can't get legal advice here OP if that's what you're looking for.
I suggest you speak to the manager as soon as you can.
Or if you have a solicitor you can speak to them.

There are more bouncer threads if you want to have a read.

How come you had 2 full drinks when the place had closed?

irisheddie85

After closing time there is only about half an hour to drink up. if anyone is on the premises drinking after this the premises is breaking the law. Doesnt matter if you buy 20 drinks just before closing time that doesnt give you the right to stay there drinking them or wander on to the street drinking which is also against the law.

Having said that if the bouncer put his hand on your neck that is completly out of order report him to the management and if you want to go further the gardai. Very little chance of anything being done as you were drunk and admit it but if more people report the same bouncer something may be done

myironlung

myironlung wrote: »

He then grabbed my neck in one hand, squeezing so I couldn't breath and shoved me out the the door.

So he was effectively choking you for a few seconds ? Sounds like complete and utter horsesh1t to me.

TouchingVirus

You were insisting that you be allowed time to drink when (I assume) the 30 minutes allowed by law was already used up. If this assumption is correct, you were consuming alcohol illegally on the premises and the club could be done for it. You might have been polite, but you were disobeying a direction to leave the premises by somebody authorised to act on behalf of the management. Your "tantamount to stealing" comment was rather ill thought out.

But you are right in that there was no reason to man handle you in that manner. Surely your arm or body should be the first place to go to if they want to remove you from a premises. His actions were dangerous to be honest, and you should bring it up with the management.

myironlung

biko wrote: »

You can't get legal advice here OP if that's what you're looking for.
I suggest you speak to the manager as soon as you can.
Or if you have a solicitor you can speak to them.

There are more bouncer threads if you want to have a read.

How come you had 2 full drinks when the place had closed?

I had ordered them while the bar was still serving but was just chatting away so I hadn't drank them yet. A bottle of miller and a jack daniels and coke as far as I remember. I bought the miller, then decided I wanted the jd first. Thats why I had two. Tbh I had drank maybe half of the jd by the time I went to the alleyway.

Acoshla

The bouncers are earning quite a reputation for themselves, OP I believe every word of what you said because just last week a friend of mine was held by his neck and then had his hand twisted so badly by the bouncer that he broke it in two places. He was refused re-entry after popping outside, he told me exactly what was said between him and the bouncer and it didn't warrant what he got. A few months back he was pushed to the ground and a bouncer kicked him in the face, there were witnesses to that incident.

Even if the OP was in the wrong nothing warrants the abuse they dole out. Those bouncers are reknowned for their abusive treatment of customers, it's ridiculous. And I know this'll get locked soon etc but yeah, they hire all the crazy powertrippers.

OP go to the Guards first, not the club management, my friend made that mistake the first time. The Guards will hear you out, trust me on that one.

myironlung

Yeah, I agree I might have been in the wrong about the drinks, I'm not sure if it was past the 30 min or not. All I know is we walked out and were surprised that we hadn't noticed the place was after closing up. We didn't notice the time going. But like ye said, the way I was treated was completely wrong. Thats the point I'm getting at, not that I should have been allowed drink them or whatever.