Things about places you've worked at that they don't want the general public to know

Jen Pigs Fly

Work in a pet shop ... Let's just say sick or old animals are moved on very quickly, animals only sell when they're cute and small and most small animals for sale in pet shops are way to young and often die from stress related to their young age. Any animals that are around longer than a week or two have no chance, they get big and turn no one wants them, most develop aggressive tendencies or OCD issues such as pacing or chewing. They get moved back to the breeder who won't disclose how they dispose of them let's say.

And fish that are dying don't stand much chances ..... Can't leave a dieing fish in a sale tank unless it's worth enough money to move to a quarantine ....

IvaBigWun

Im about to watch this recent inside look at Amazon. Its a Panorama programme so Im expecting a) tabloid style sensationalism and b) the company to be painted in a very bad light by ex employees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELVNmxCFP8I

fussyonion

I've said this before in a previous thread, but while working as a deli assistant for a well-known supermarket, we were told to stir the ready-made coleslaw/egg mayonnaise/tuna & sweetcorn sandwich filler every few hours to stop a skin from forming.

At the end of the day, we had to cover them all with clingfilm and the next morning, uncover them and stir again.
This went on all week until it either smelt off or a new delivery came in.
The meat we sliced every day was kept in the big fridge until needed and a few times, whilst retrieving the meat to put on display, it would fall on the floor.

We were never to throw that out; it was simply put out on display.
I never get sliced meat from deli counters now.

RhubarbCrumble

campo wrote: »

I once worked for a company who sold bottled water , one day the machinery that filled the bottles with water broke down so the owner filled the bottles with tap water

Have my suspicions I know what company that was!

billie1b

The One Who Knocks wrote: »

Ryanair?

No, in Ryanair you're allowed join a union, he just doesn't recognize them

Cienciano

Worked in a large bookies head office. If odds were going to be reduced on something (due to irregular betting) all the lads would head down to a rival bookie and bet on it before they reduced their odds.
Not exactly insider trading on the stockmarkets, but best I've got

kinkygirl

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

Work in a pet shop ... Let's just say sick or old animals are moved on very quickly, animals only sell when they're cute and small and most small animals for sale in pet shops are way to young and often die from stress related to their young age. Any animals that are around longer than a week or two have no chance, they get big and turn no one wants them, most develop aggressive tendencies or OCD issues such as pacing or chewing. They get moved back to the breeder who won't disclose how they dispose of them let's say.

And fish that are dying don't stand much chances ..... Can't leave a dieing fish in a sale tank unless it's worth enough money to move to a quarantine ....

Just one of the zillion reasons I will never set foot in a pet shop. :mad:

bigron2109

Budget plans for certain electrical companies are not mad out to be what they are, as you usually get hit with a huge bill at the end of the year, even though your "budget plan " is meant to prevent this.

Hoop66

bigron2109 wrote: »

Budget plans for certain electrical companies are not mad out to be what they are, as you usually get hit with a huge bill at the end of the year, even though your "budget plan " is meant to prevent this.

As I understand it, from only anecdotal evidence mind, the electricity companies deliberately deflate bills at the start of the cold weather so that after the cold weather people are generally behind on their bills - we got a bill for over €1000 one year through "estimated" readings. This makes it more difficult for people to switch providers.

bigron2109

Hoop66 wrote: »

As I understand it, from only anecdotal evidence mind, the electricity companies deliberately deflate bills at the start of the cold weather so that after the cold weather people are generally behind on their bills - we got a bill for over €1000 one year through "estimated" readings. This makes it more difficult for people to switch providers.

No there is no way they can deflate bills in fairness . But what they do is estimates and the way they work is they go on your previous consumption. So if your bills are quiet low in the summer and there hasn't been a meter reading given in, in months or the person who comes to read your meter can't gain access to the meter, you or going to be charged roughly the same the whole time . Until some one gives in the meter reading and that's when you get the huge bill and you get all the bull **** that goes along with it.

mikemac1

+ 1 to the own brand milk being the exact same as the premium brand milk. The customers are only paying extra for the label

No big secret, already mentioned in this thread and lots of us got our first summer job in the local creamery.

renegademaster

newmug wrote: »

Nope. You would be very surprised though, a big name computer chip manufacturer. I'm not saying any more.

apparently if anybody upsets certain businesses worldwide some very nasty agencies from across yhe pond get to work to protect their cosy little profits by any means possible, there in lies the problem trying to get anyone to listen, they're either freaked about the men in black or most likely know what side their bread is buttered, the smart ones are both i bet

renegademaster

gw80 wrote: »

worked in a place that made parts for nato tanks, it was all hush hush, i think it had something to do with Irelands nuetrality.

dont think they were,nt allowed make the parts iust didnt want any hippy types giving out about it.

name it!!

arybvtcw0eolkf

gw80 wrote: »

worked in a place that made parts for nato tanks, it was all hush hush, i think it had something to do with Irelands nuetrality.

dont think they were,nt allowed make the parts iust didnt want any hippy types giving out about it.

Lots of Irish companies make component parts for NATO machinery.

There was also an Irish company making Head Up Displays (HUD) for Israeli F16 jets.

Jen Pigs Fly

kinkygirl wrote: »

Just one of the zillion reasons I will never set foot in a pet shop. :mad:

At least my one has someone who cares (me) who had changed my specific store quite a lot in regards to animal welfare. I have set up quarantine for sick small animals and am currently setting up an account with local vets for emergencies that normally were sorted out with a plastic bag and a freezer or a sole of a heavy boot

IvaBigWun

Taken from an unaired part of Stephen Fry's QI (unaired cos he'd sue)

Apparently Bernard Matthews was overfeeding his turkeys so much that they were unable to walk without falling over forward.

So he paid people to try and develop a turkey with a third leg in the middle to support it, and there'd also be another joint to eat as a bonus :pac:

feargale

Frynge wrote: »

Which of the rat pack was the rat?

Please! This is a serious thread and most useful.

feargale

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Name 5?

Leo Varadkar, Eamonn O'Cuiv, Joan Burton, Joe Higgins, Catherine Murphy, Roisin Shortall, Robert Dowds, Peter Mathews, Michael McNamara, Michael McGrath.

feargale

loveBBhate wrote: »

Name 4 so.

Four ministers that work hard, just that? Noonan, Shatter, Bruton, Varadkar.

feargale

Frynge wrote: »

Which of the rat pack was the rat?

Please! This is a serious thread and most useful.

Crea

Printer companies would happily give away consumer printers if they were allowed because they make all their money on the cartridges.

Seamus1964

+1
Lexmark printers used to cost next to nothing but price for ink was massively overpriced

loveBBhate

feargale wrote: »

Four ministers that work hard, just that? Noonan, Shatter, Bruton, Varadkar.

Nostalgia. Had to reel back the years to find my comment you quoted. But if u didn't gather it was a joke... Obviously if a previous poster asked for 5 to be named and there couldn't, asking for 4 and expecting a different outcome is pretty stupid, hence the joke.

pauldla

Seamus1964 wrote: »

+1
Lexmark printers used to cost next to nothing but price for ink was massively overpriced

I read somewhere that, by volume, printer ink is more expensive than Moet Champagne.

Hobbes

Goat the dote wrote: »

In a call centre when a supervisor or manager "isn't available" it means they've told the worker to say that, just to get them off the phone. So frustrating for the worker who's getting yelled at from an irate customer

Managers are normally busy. Here is what you do. You ask the persons name, the managers name and/or contact details and when is a good time to contact them back.

You document everything to date with dates/times/names, how each call was handled, expected outcome and what you got.

If you get no joy from support, then you forward that to Customer service complaints and CC Sales contact.

ShaShaBear

Did work experience in a place of animal care that reused needles.

Worked with a broadband company who rang customers to tell them they had reached their download limit when they had not and offered them an add on they didnt need to avoid getting their speeds capped. Our managers never took calls either, and I dealt with a few that could seriously have done with some managerial care.

Worked in a cinema, dont eat the picnmix. Or the popcorn. Or the Saharah nuts. Nachos are pretty safe though.

homeless student

Worked in a cinema, dont eat the picnmix. Or the popcorn. Or the Saharah nuts. Nachos are pretty safe though.[/QUOTE]

why?

tipptom

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Did work experience in a place of animal care that reused needles.

Worked with a broadband company who rang customers to tell them they had reached their download limit when they had not and offered them an add on they didnt need to avoid getting their speeds capped. Our managers never took calls either, and I dealt with a few that could seriously have done with some managerial care.

Worked in a cinema, dont eat the picnmix. Or the popcorn. Or the Saharah nuts. Nachos are pretty safe though.

What have you done to pick and mix?:eek:

Vojera

tipptom wrote: »

What have you done to pick and mix?:eek:

I doubt it's cinema-specific (although maybe there is a dark secret we don't know?) but if you watch pick and mix stands you generally see kids putting their fingers in their mouths and wiping their noses and then using their hands to pick out the sweets. Gross.

ShaShaBear

Vojera wrote: »

I doubt it's cinema-specific (although maybe there is a dark secret we don't know?) but if you watch pick and mix stands you generally see kids putting their fingers in their mouths and wiping their noses and then using their hands to pick out the sweets. Gross.

And not just kids. Ive watched adults take sweets out and take a bite out of them, only to put them back in when they realise they dont like them. We also got (area specific) a lot of kids from a... lets say apartment block for the underpriviliged, who used to FILL a bag and try to pay with 5c. We even had mammies come charging up to find out why they werent given the 11 euro bag of sweets. Guess where the unused bag went then? Yup, right back into the cases

username123

Vojera wrote: »

I doubt it's cinema-specific (although maybe there is a dark secret we don't know?) but if you watch pick and mix stands you generally see kids putting their fingers in their mouths and wiping their noses and then using their hands to pick out the sweets. Gross.

That goes for the tasty baked goods that SuperValus like to put on low tables near the front that people little darlings lick, wipe dirty hands on, take small bites out of etc...

Also same goes for LIDL baked goods that are within childrens reach - I once watched a child with a full gob of snot hanging onto his lips walk along taking a lick of each thing he could reach on the lower shelf, his father came along and grabbed him, but not before he had contaminated most of the stuff there - and the father never mentioned it to anyone. Disgusting.

Open bakery goods = sneeze food.

Babooshka

username123 wrote: »

Open bakery goods = sneeze food.

Euwwww, I always think of that at salad buffets, cakes and bread and any open foodstuffs....sneeze fest....I feel sick now.

foxy farmer

Bord Bia quality assurance is a laugh. Farm inspections usually result in farmers having to spend money on things not related to animal husbandry. Had 2 inspectors out one day 3 years ago. More interested in entrance gates closing properly. "Do those gates meet in the middle?" Cue search for measuring tape. Old tractor with a shagged gearbox in same spot during 3 inspections. Nowhere near animal facilities. "That has no business there". Animals are only a side show. No advice on how to improve quality. Gave up on it after that. Have no trouble with factories either.

username123

Babooshka wrote: »

Euwwww, I always think of that at salad buffets, cakes and bread and any open foodstuffs....sneeze fest....I feel sick now.

Yeah Id never touch any open foodstuffs in a supermarket. I worked in one for years, even when the stuff is only at adult level and gloves are provided, the amount of people who handle the stuff with bare hands or drop bits of hair/dirt/fluff in - gross.

miss no stars

ash23 wrote: »

I work in similar environment and we don't really care if we retain the customer who frequently complain. The amount of time spent with frequent complainers tends not to be worth the business.

Not saying that comes from above or or anything but I know I wouldn't try as hard to retain a customer where I could see there were frequent complaints or where they were telling me I had to offer a discount.

This just epitomizes the Irish attitude to 'service'. Customer is paying for something that, for whatever reason, they're not receiving properly so they ring up and try to get it resolved. Met with a lack of helpfulness from an agent who does nothing or doesn't have the power to do anything. After no improvement, i.e. customer still NOT getting what they're PAYING for, the customer rings up again and asks to speak to a manager. They're fobbed off, told the manager is busy and will call them back. Instead, another customer 'service' agent rings them back. Because they're equally as helpless as the first, the problem is still not resolved. So here we are, three phone calls in and nothing improved for the PAYING customer. Who calls back again, probably very annoyed at this stage and asks for a reason to continue to stay with the 'service provider'.

Customer is branded a serial complainant, when in fact the problem is that they're just trying to get what they're paying for. The string of complaints couldn't possibly have anything to do with poor service, could it? Nah, they're just a serial complainant. :rolleyes:

lucky333

Worked in a Chinese take away in Dublin.
Twice a week the uncooked chickens where delivered, brought in the back door and into the kitchen, trays of chickens emptied onto the floor. These chickens would stay on the floor most of the day even gettin walked on and kicked around until we got through them all to take the wings off them and such. Then they were put into the hot grease to cook, then taken out and placed straight into the freezer to be used again during the week. When they were taking out on another day they would sit defrosting , if they weren't used that day there were frozen again.
I'd say nearly all take aways would be closed up if the truth was known about them.

Gumbo

lucky333 wrote: »

Worked in a Chinese take away in Dublin.
Twice a week the uncooked chickens where delivered, brought in the back door and into the kitchen, trays of chickens emptied onto the floor. These chickens would stay on the floor most of the day even gettin walked on and kicked around until we got through them all to take the wings off them and such. Then they were put into the hot grease to cook, then taken out and placed straight into the freezer to be used again during the week. When they were taking out on another day they would sit defrosting , if they weren't used that day there were frozen again.
I'd say nearly all take aways would be closed up if the truth was known about them.

Hasnt there been a clamp down in recent weeks on this?
10 take aways were closed down last week alonf by the FSAI.

http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_release/enforcements_05122013.html

lucky333

I just checked and it's not listed, I guess they missed it lol

suicide_circus

foxy farmer wrote: »

Bord Bia quality assurance is a laugh. Farm inspections usually result in farmers having to spend money on things not related to animal husbandry. Had 2 inspectors out one day 3 years ago. More interested in entrance gates closing properly. "Do those gates meet in the middle?" Cue search for measuring tape. Old tractor with a shagged gearbox in same spot during 3 inspections. Nowhere near animal facilities. "That has no business there". Animals are only a side show. No advice on how to improve quality. Gave up on it after that. Have no trouble with factories either.

This does not surprise me. A lot of the meat I used to buy from supermarkets with the Bord Bia quality assurance mark was of atrocious quality. I now actively avoid it.

username123

lucky333 wrote: »

I just checked and it's not listed, I guess they missed it lol

I stopped using two of my local chinese takeaways (both same owner) after I received deep fried chicken with mold on it from one of them. It was actually visible mold. You could smell/taste it too - gross. Ive never ever been back.

Menas

Seamus1964 wrote: »

+1
Lexmark printers used to cost next to nothing but price for ink was massively overpriced

A common practice. Razor and razorblades analogy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freebie_marketing

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/razor-razorblademodel.asp

lucky333

Yuk.. It's terrible what they get away with..
Chinese take away...
Any food that was left would be heated and sold the next day, so trays upon trays of rice, chicken and beef curries.... Normally the food ordered in the first 2 hours of any day was food from the day before.

A cage door was fitted to try stop the rats getting in, they only ever closed it when they were tipped about inspectors and that.

There was nothing wasted or you would be sacked, drop beef on the floor- put it in a tray and cover with curry sauce.. Chicken found down back of shelf in freezer with a new planet growing on it- throw it into a chow mien or curry dish.

Iv so many stories about that place, it's still open and still doing the same!

username123

lucky333 wrote: »

Iv so many stories about that place, it's still open and still doing the same!

Would you not report them to FSAI?

miss no stars

lucky333 wrote: »

Yuk.. It's terrible what they get away with..
Chinese take away...
Any food that was left would be heated and sold the next day, so trays upon trays of rice, chicken and beef curries.... Normally the food ordered in the first 2 hours of any day was food from the day before.

A cage door was fitted to try stop the rats getting in, they only ever closed it when they were tipped about inspectors and that.

There was nothing wasted or you would be sacked, drop beef on the floor- put it in a tray and cover with curry sauce.. Chicken found down back of shelf in freezer with a new planet growing on it- throw it into a chow mien or curry dish.

Iv so many stories about that place, it's still open and still doing the same!

Report it?

Cunning Stunt

username123 wrote: »

Would you not report them to FSAI?

In fairness, they should be reported but I see the poster mentions that they get tipped off about inspections. :mad:

lucky333

I did after I left there. They were closed for a few days I heard. It's not the only one, there's a lot that do them same. I'd never eat out of take aways now
Come to think of it, they were reported a few times, the owner had a few places and I remember 1 been closed for a long time over the same thing

magicmushroom

Worked for a finance company where if you paid over the phone, your card details were added to a spreadsheet.
Then if you didn't pay again, the money could just be taken...very few people ever complained and if they did, we would just do a refund.

The staff all had laptops which could be taken home, used for personal use...the spreadsheets weren't even password protected.

Didn't think much of it at the time but it's pretty shocking!

miss no stars

magicmushroom wrote: »

Worked for a finance company where if you paid over the phone, your card details were added to a spreadsheet.
Then if you didn't pay again, the money could just be taken...very few people ever complained and if they did, we would just do a refund.

The staff all had laptops which could be taken home, used for personal use...the spreadsheets weren't even password protected.

Didn't think much of it at the time but it's pretty shocking!

Pay for what, out of interest? A once off thing that they'd double charge for or what?

ash23

miss no stars wrote: »

This just epitomizes the Irish attitude to 'service'. Customer is paying for something that, for whatever reason, they're not receiving properly so they ring up and try to get it resolved. Met with a lack of helpfulness from an agent who does nothing or doesn't have the power to do anything. After no improvement, i.e. customer still NOT getting what they're PAYING for, the customer rings up again and asks to speak to a manager. They're fobbed off, told the manager is busy and will call them back. Instead, another customer 'service' agent rings them back. Because they're equally as helpless as the first, the problem is still not resolved. So here we are, three phone calls in and nothing improved for the PAYING customer. Who calls back again, probably very annoyed at this stage and asks for a reason to continue to stay with the 'service provider'.

Customer is branded a serial complainant, when in fact the problem is that they're just trying to get what they're paying for. The string of complaints couldn't possibly have anything to do with poor service, could it? Nah, they're just a serial complainant. :rolleyes:

Have you ever worked in CS? If you have then you'd know that some people are just not happy no matter what you do and complain continuously over the most trivial things. As soon as you fix one issue they're back on with another. And I'm not talking about things related to what they are necessarily paying for.
I'm talking about the type of people who post something on a Friday and call on Monday morning expecting an answer. Or the people who ring and leave a message and call back within 10 minutes that you haven't called them back. The ones who complain about things that have nothing to do with us like things getting lost in the post (we're not An Post) or payments taking x days to process (we're not a bank).

So no, I consider our level of service to be excellent and have been told that time and time again. But there are always the crazies and the perpetual complainers and personally, I'd be happy enough to let them go so they'll frig off and annoy someone else for a while.

miss no stars

ash23 wrote: »

Have you ever worked in CS? If you have then you'd know that some people are just not happy no matter what you do and complain continuously over the most trivial things. As soon as you fix one issue they're back on with another. And I'm not talking about things related to what they are necessarily paying for.
I'm talking about the type of people who post something on a Friday and call on Monday morning expecting an answer. Or the people who ring and leave a message and call back within 10 minutes that you haven't called them back. The ones who complain about things that have nothing to do with us like things getting lost in the post (we're not An Post) or payments taking x days to process (we're not a bank).

So no, I consider our level of service to be excellent and have been told that time and time again. But there are always the crazies and the perpetual complainers and personally, I'd be happy enough to let them go so they'll frig off and annoy someone else for a while.

And yet you posted about serial complainants in response to someone who was at the end of their tether with UPC over service interruptions, which is within their remit. Yeah, there are crazies, but people having to ring over and over about things going wrong with what they're paying for aren't serial complainants, they're getting serially bad service.