Post your Gripe

[cerelife]

I've run across this in a few online small businesses, usually with a message about how times are hard and tips would be greatly appreciated. This is a little frustrating when buying from a new company - like "I get where you're coming from, but what if I hate your product?" And this has happened; paid full price + shipping + tip for an inferior product. But I would have felt like a troll if I hadn't tipped! I would prefer if they just added the extra cost to the item so I could make a decision if I liked the higher price without guilt involved at checkout.
I kind of have to agree with @linne1gi on the chain restaurants who ask for a tip upfront when there is no wait service. Even Subway does this - I stand in line to order my sandwich to go and am asked for a tip at checkout. The workers in these places are making at least minimum wage (as opposed to server wages) and while they certainly deserve a higher wage I wonder if they actually get a percentage of those 'tips'.
Which leads me to another disturbing tendency I've noticed post-Covid with more 'fine-dining' privately owned restaurants. We've noticed recently that a 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill even for a party of 2 (myself and my husband) almost everywhere. We don't really check our bill closely, so we were tipping another 25& on top of that for a 45% tip! Yeah, I know we're clueless since it took me complaining at work about how much the prices had gone up and someone telling me about the added gratuity. When we went back and checked out receipts, yep...that was the problem!

 

[Whillow]

Same experience here I have had this on a parrot food store locally for me. The thing is; I order online, pay on line and then pick up. Not sure why it automatically comes up. Parrot food is expensive LOL. I should actually go in and purchase it, I wonder if it would automatically come up on the card reader like it does for restaurants. I do understand he is a small business and it is a little niche-y, so I will tip him so he stays in business and I don't have to go to a big box store, but I do resent it... Thought it was just me that experienced this.

 

[Kiti Williams]

The only problem with that is I wouldn't want to leave a negative review - they are all good companies with excellent products and services. Also very small businesses and I don't think my review would be anonymous to them. I also don't think there is a general review for the company and it would have to go under the product itself - which I am more than happy with. I hate it when I'm looking at something on Amazon and see 'one star' reviews, only to read that the reviewer is rating the Amazon driver that ran over the petunias rather than the product they received. So I wouldn't consider leaving negative comments for any of these vendors. They have made a business decision for reasons of their own. I was just wondering if anyone else has been encountering this and if I am feeling a bit annoyed alone or with company.


You were just charged a tip without your knowlege?

Yes, they did. I was added into the price and didn't show as a tip until I got my order confirmation. I will not be ordering from them again.

 

[earlene]

I hate that when I go to Panera Bread, they literally ask for a tip every time. You go to the counter to order your food, pick it up when it’s ready, and bus your table. How is a tip justified?

Not all Panera's are 100% self serve & self bus. I don't recall which states, exactly, but there is at least one state where I've been to Paneras that bring the food to the table. I was quite surprised. But for the most part, most of them that I visit are always as you describe.

I had that happen on my last mail order, 15% tip, listed after the amount charged for the brackets!

Why would purchasing brackets be a tippable purchase!?! I would have complained, possibly contacted the company via phone or online chat, whatever was available. I would probably look more closely at their website for any statement that tips are automatically added, and if there is not such statement on the site, I'd probably challenge the charge with my credit card company, too.

ETA: I also meant to say that tipping is a unique practice more common in the US that in some other countries. If the employers pay a livable wage, which is rare in restaurants in the US in many states, then tips would not be necessary for those employees to live above poverty level.

I learned long ago that tipping is supposed to be a reward for good service, not a right by virtue of being employed in a service industry. That is still the way I look at what tipping is meant to do, and I really hate it when tips are automatically suggested at percentages higher than I believe is warranted by the service I received. I also hate it when tips are calculated based on the entire bill, taxes included. That is just wrong! I was taught the tip is calculated based on the price of the food pre-taxes, but so many restaurants are now figuring those percentages based on the after taxes bill. I won't pay tips based on anything other than the service I received and the base price of the food.

And to tip an employee who works at a retail store and goes and gets the product I requested (say for example when I go to an auto parts store & need something that they keep in the back and not out on the shelves) there is absolutely no justification for expecting a tip for that service. That is part of their job; it is one of the duties expected of them by their employer and is most likely written into their job description (I used to participate in writing or updating job descriptions, so I know a bit about them).

When stores went from open to the public pre-CoVid, to placing online orders & picking up in the parking lot while an employee brought the item out to the customer, the company may have suffered and so, too did some employees. But those employees who were pulling the product and taking it out to the car to the customer were still being paid their regular wage, were they not? Why would a customer have to tip a retail store employee? They aren't paid a sub-standard wage that relies on tips like in the restaurant business. (Speaking of the US only because I know it is not the same all over the world when we talk about how restaurant workers are paid.)

 

[Kiti Williams]

@earlene Why would purchasing brackets be a tippable purchase!?! I would have complained, possibly contacted the company via phone or online chat, whatever was available. I would probably look more closely at their website for any statement that tips are automatically added, and if there is not such statement on the site, I'd probably challenge the charge with my credit card company, too.

I didn't catch it right away, by the time the confirmation came, it was a week after the funds were debited. I will keep an eye out for this next time.

 

[Kiti Williams]

Same experience here I have had this on a parrot food store locally for me. The thing is; I order online, pay on line and then pick up. Not sure why it automatically comes up. Parrot food is expensive LOL. I should actually go in and purchase it, I wonder if it would automatically come up on the card reader like it does for restaurants. I do understand he is a small business and it is a little niche-y, so I will tip him so he stays in business and I don't have to go to a big box store, but I do resent it... Thought it was just me that experienced this.

I use mail order for my parrot's food. I purchase from the Mazuri site. Yes, it is expensive, but worth it to keep them in ultimate health.

 

[TheGecko]

I'm supposed to be on vacation. It's been on the calendar since October. Was planning on visiting my oldest daughter until she texted on Friday that her partner had just tested positive for Covid. $200 for late cancellation on the hotel.

So okay...staycation. NOT! I'm going into work because our receptionist needs to take her dog to the vet so she won't be in. And our office manager was up until 3am helping his girlfriend find her dog so he won't be in. Accountant "K's" husband can't drive her to work so she won't be in. Accountant "B" won't be in because he and his girlfriend are looking at wedding venues in the afternoon. Accountant "Z" won't be in because it's the third week of her vacation that she scheduled a few months ago.

And Accountant "K" is big time on my poop list for texting me at 9:34 last night about dental insurance that we JUST signed her up for on Friday!!! I told her on Friday that it would be a week before we got a number for her and I told her again that it would be a week, but she wants details so she can follow up and schedule an appointment. What the heck?!? What part of I'm on vacation, it's holiday, and it's 9:30pm do you NOT understand?!?

I am so pissed off right now. The receptionist whined back: "My dogs health is very important to me and my son. I don't have anyone to help me out here in Oregon." Really? What about your live-in boyfriend who knocked you up?

Accountant "B" is coming in...he'll just meet his fiancé at the venue.

UPDATE

Accountant "B" apologized for not managing his schedule better. Accountant "Z", who was supposed to be 'working from home' this week since her vacation overlapped mine and mine was scheduled first is still out of state and won't be home until Thursday...they decided to extend their stay. I had a feeling that things weren't going to work out which is why I spent four hours yesterday afternoon doing payroll. If my vacation had gone as planned, there wouldn't have been anyone to do payroll.

Had a closed door meeting with the boss. He is pretty pissed at the situation too, asked me if I wanted him to fire the receptionist over 'oh woe is me'...I said no because I'm on vacation, but we definitely need to make some changes...he'll leave the details to me.

I also told him that I was mad him too, that he needed to start reading my emails. He looked blank until I reminded him that he called me this morning about how I made a mistake on someone's payroll blah blah blah and had he read my email, he would have KNOWN that I hadn't made a mistake, that in fact I hadn't run the payroll because there was some confusion. I told him, if I send you an email there is a **** good reason for it. He apologized.

All my time is to be entered as Overtime. I don't have to come in until next Tuesday and all my time off is covered (I was going to be short on my PTO).

 

[lenarenee]

I just received a delivery from BB, in which the mica jars had opened and the FO bottles had leaked. I wrote them and send pictures of the mess, and they are sending out replacements.
But what I would like to gripe about is, why do FO and EO manufacturing companies not seal bottles under the caps like cooking oil companies do?? I mean even if you wrap up the bottles with electrical tape, if the bottle wants to leak, it’s gonna leak.
Sigh.

I wonder if the type of seal they use on lotions and stuff would disintegrate because of the fragrance oil; fragrances are known to eat through a lot of plastics.

 

[TheGecko]

I wonder if the type of seal they use on lotions and stuff would disintegrate because of the fragrance oil; fragrances are known to eat through a lot of plastics.

BB packages their FOs/EOs in glass and then seal the caps with electrical tape. My guess is that that package was heavily abused. It should be noted that BB now has stoppers in their bottles.

 

[TheGecko]

$264 for a new battery!!! I have a ‘15 Kia Optima…Thursday and today it would start, all indications a bad battery. Checked online and stopped at O’Reillys; $229 because it;s a special battery. I’m not liking it, but I pull out my card and ask it they can go ahead and install it? On no, it’s a difficult install and I need to take it to a ‘professional’ and they start to ring me up and I’m like…NO. I’m not buying a battery and then having to haul it around. I’m figuring I’ll have to go to a Kia dealer since it’s so ‘difficult’…they said to call Battery X-Change. Yes, they have my battery in stock…$264. Can you install it? Yes, we can for……no, if you’re going to charge me to install it, then I just pay $229 at O’Reillys. No ma’am, there will be no additional charge.

It was THREE nuts…one on each post and the tab. That was the ‘difficult’ install. I’m calling O’Reillys tomorrow or Tuesday when the manager is in.

 

[Catscankim]

I have so many gripes right now LOL. I haven't posted any in a while, so this might be long because I have a tendency to be long winded.

My biggest gripe right now...

So when my boss was retiring, it was already known that I was taking her place. I jumped right in and did what I knew to do. But the thing is, she knew she was retiring and didn't keep up on anything. Like a lot of IMPORTANT things. More on that later maybe.

My point of telling you that is that it is keeping me really busy.

Backing up, we will call him Bob lol. So this tech Bob is about 3 years out of school, but brilliant. A trauma surgeon walked past us one day and called us the dream team (gave bob a huge head). He works just like me (I trained him). He is fast and completely great at scanning.

So I tell "the people" (what we call management), that I want him to take my place when I take MY bosses place. The people are like no. He isn't experienced enough, and has a bit of a temper (so do I, like I said we are exactly alike). I fought tooth and nail. Finally got the ok, but as fate would have it, his wife was having a baby and was high-risk. She definitely wears the pants in the family...although she doesn't work nor has held a formal job outside of making custom cups. I'm not gonna go into all of that. So he calls me while he is on baby leave "so is this lead tech thing really a thing? Cause its not even posted." Like really pissy and tells me he can get a job anywhere. Have to have the conversation that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.... I tell him that the position being held back, because he cannot apply for a position while he is on FMLA. I'm basically keeping the department short by one tech until he comes back.

So he comes back from FMLA, becomes lead tech like I promised. PERFECT...I am taking off a few days. I haven't had any time off in ummmm.....years. I worked overnight on my last night before my mini stay-ca, and he walks in in the morning and blasts me that now he has to do MY job and he isn't getting paid for it yet (because our HR is so slow). I said it will catch up, I didn't get paid for it yet first either, but got back pay. Be patient etc....

He called me so many times while I was off. "I can't decipher the script" "The supplies order didn't come in yet"...oh wait, I found it. Then my director called me that he went in and blasted her that he's not getting paid to do my job. He had to pick up contrast from the pharmacy and bitched and whined on the phone with me the entire time on his walk to the girls office to pick it up (I had to stay on the phone with him to give him directions to the pharmacy).

So back to my boss leaving a mess when she left. I have an accreditation coming up. Unknowingly, we were already in the middle of it when I took over so there is no time. I have to do a lot of work for it in a really short time. I have an office, but mind you, I have not used it until now because I work on the floor a lot. I don't even have to. I just jump in...make sure everybody gets lunches. I have my eye on the queue at all times and if its busy I jump in. I pick up shifts that I don't necessarily want because we are short. I'm literally up and down the stairs. I will do anything to keep my department running smooth. He will not work weekends anymore. If I ask, he's like "hell no, I have a baby at home". Which means I go in.

This week, I'm like I have ACR due NEXT week and I have nothing done for it. "I am unavailable...I need to sit in my office and get it done". I literally said this in a meeting last week. I know everybody is used to me jumping in, but it really need to get this done. Deadline is October 30. I run out of my office to go to the scan room to get the serial number off the machine because my old boss put in the wrong number last time...

Bob is walking out of the room as I am walking in at 3:12 pm, shoves a script at me, and says "theres a head CT outpatient, you need to do it, I didn't get lunch yet" and walks away...like not listening to me for an answer or anything (because there are 5 techs downstairs, why didn't you call one of them?). Sooo disrespectful.

OK, so at that time, I was on a call with somebody on our portable phone trying to figure out what to do about the mis-matched serial number on the scanner from our last application three years ago, and I get a script shoved at me and he walks away and is ignoring me as I am trying to talk to him. I have to hang up the phone and scan the pt. WHICH btw, took me over an hour because it was a very needy patient. Nobody is in the office, so I had to sit down to make a disk. Bob is getting paid very well right now, so it has nothing to do with him doing MY job without being paid for it. And lunch? I asked him to go to lunch with me hours earlier and he said no, he wasn't hungry yet.

That whole crappola set me back over an hour and I didn't get out of there until 5 (supposed to be done at 3). Can't get back on the phone with the person i was talking to, and ended up working from home all night trying to get protocols made and printed, because for some reason my old boss never did it, and now I need it all by next week. I still don't know what to do about the serial number.

This morning he confronts me "did you have a problem doing a lousy 2 minute head ct yesterday?" Calm isn't my norm, but I calmly said to him..."I didn't have a problem doing the scan, its the way you talked to me and didn't give me a choice when there were all those other techs down stairs that I have a problem with." Then I told him about me being on the phone and the serial numbers on the scanner etc. I'm like I was really busy with something super important. If we don't have our accreditation, then we can't scan, do you understand? He got a little humble. I says "I don't need to explain my time to you".

I just don't understand. I have so much support from the rest of the department. I have hired 4 new techs since July, and have managed to keep our travelers while the new techs get trained (which I had to fight the people for), got students, extra transporters, I WORK. I pick up shifts that nobody wants. I FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT the people and everybody knows it. The whole hospital feels the difference and keeps telling me and sending emails to my director and our COO.

We have never even had meetings in our department until now. I did a whole whiteboard, hand outs ...everything that everybody needs to know meeting, with a meeting already scheduled for next month and daily huddles. 100% transparent. People are just really excited that I am so involved. I split our meeting up into shifts so people didn't have to come in early or stay late. He was in the first meeting and I made an announcement that he was the new lead tech yeah congrats, blah blah. He was just miserable in that first meeting. I even took everybody on a road trip etc. Like tried to make it fun. Meeting lasted like 20 minutes. He just brought it all down. The second shift meeting? It lasted over an hour and a half. Everybody was so excited and talking, asking questions..wanted to know stuff, wrote down suggestions for the next meetings topics. It was just so exciting and things got done and talked about.

Why is he giving me such grief?? He used to be my partner in crime.

 

[linne1gi]

I have so many gripes right now LOL. I haven't posted any in a while, so this might be long because I have a tendency to be long winded.

My biggest gripe right now...

So when my boss was retiring, it was already known that I was taking her place. I jumped right in and did what I knew to do. But the thing is, she knew she was retiring and didn't keep up on anything. Like a lot of IMPORTANT things. More on that later maybe.

My point of telling you that is that it is keeping me really busy.

Backing up, we will call him Bob lol. So this tech Bob is about 3 years out of school, but brilliant. A trauma surgeon walked past us one day and called us the dream team (gave bob a huge head). He works just like me (I trained him). He is fast and completely great at scanning.

So I tell "the people" (what we call management), that I want him to take my place when I take MY bosses place. The people are like no. He isn't experienced enough, and has a bit of a temper (so do I, like I said we are exactly alike). I fought tooth and nail. Finally got the ok, but as fate would have it, his wife was having a baby and was high-risk. She definitely wears the pants in the family...although she doesn't work nor has held a formal job outside of making custom cups. I'm not gonna go into all of that. So he calls me while he is on baby leave "so is this lead tech thing really a thing? Cause its not even posted." Like really pissy and tells me he can get a job anywhere. Have to have the conversation that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.... I tell him that the position being held back, because he cannot apply for a position while he is on FMLA. I'm basically keeping the department short by one tech until he comes back.

So he comes back from FMLA, becomes lead tech like I promised. PERFECT...I am taking off a few days. I haven't had any time off in ummmm.....years. I worked overnight on my last night before my mini stay-ca, and he walks in in the morning and blasts me that now he has to do MY job and he isn't getting paid for it yet (because our HR is so slow). I said it will catch up, I didn't get paid for it yet first either, but got back pay. Be patient etc....

He called me so many times while I was off. "I can't decipher the script" "The supplies order didn't come in yet"...oh wait, I found it. Then my director called me that he went in and blasted her that he's not getting paid to do my job. He had to pick up contrast from the pharmacy and bitched and whined on the phone with me the entire time on his walk to the girls office to pick it up (I had to stay on the phone with him to give him directions to the pharmacy).

So back to my boss leaving a mess when she left. I have an accreditation coming up. Unknowingly, we were already in the middle of it when I took over so there is no time. I have to do a lot of work for it in a really short time. I have an office, but mind you, I have not used it until now because I work on the floor a lot. I don't even have to. I just jump in...make sure everybody gets lunches. I have my eye on the queue at all times and if its busy I jump in. I pick up shifts that I don't necessarily want because we are short. I'm literally up and down the stairs. I will do anything to keep my department running smooth. He will not work weekends anymore. If I ask, he's like "hell no, I have a baby at home". Which means I go in.

This week, I'm like I have ACR due NEXT week and I have nothing done for it. "I am unavailable...I need to sit in my office and get it done". I literally said this in a meeting last week. I know everybody is used to me jumping in, but it really need to get this done. Deadline is October 30. I run out of my office to go to the scan room to get the serial number off the machine because my old boss put in the wrong number last time...

Bob is walking out of the room as I am walking in at 3:12 pm, shoves a script at me, and says "theres a head CT outpatient, you need to do it, I didn't get lunch yet" and walks away...like not listening to me for an answer or anything (because there are 5 techs downstairs, why didn't you call one of them?). Sooo disrespectful.

OK, so at that time, I was on a call with somebody on our portable phone trying to figure out what to do about the mis-matched serial number on the scanner from our last application three years ago, and I get a script shoved at me and he walks away and is ignoring me as I am trying to talk to him. I have to hang up the phone and scan the pt. WHICH btw, took me over an hour because it was a very needy patient. Nobody is in the office, so I had to sit down to make a disk. Bob is getting paid very well right now, so it has nothing to do with him doing MY job without being paid for it. And lunch? I asked him to go to lunch with me hours earlier and he said no, he wasn't hungry yet.

That whole crappola set me back over an hour and I didn't get out of there until 5 (supposed to be done at 3). Can't get back on the phone with the person i was talking to, and ended up working from home all night trying to get protocols made and printed, because for some reason my old boss never did it, and now I need it all by next week. I still don't know what to do about the serial number.

This morning he confronts me "did you have a problem doing a lousy 2 minute head ct yesterday?" Calm isn't my norm, but I calmly said to him..."I didn't have a problem doing the scan, its the way you talked to me and didn't give me a choice when there were all those other techs down stairs that I have a problem with." Then I told him about me being on the phone and the serial numbers on the scanner etc. I'm like I was really busy with something super important. If we don't have our accreditation, then we can't scan, do you understand? He got a little humble. I says "I don't need to explain my time to you".

I just don't understand. I have so much support from the rest of the department. I have hired 4 new techs since July, and have managed to keep our travelers while the new techs get trained (which I had to fight the people for), got students, extra transporters, I WORK. I pick up shifts that nobody wants. I FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT the people and everybody knows it. The whole hospital feels the difference and keeps telling me and sending emails to my director and our COO.

We have never even had meetings in our department until now. I did a whole whiteboard, hand outs ...everything that everybody needs to know meeting, with a meeting already scheduled for next month and daily huddles. 100% transparent. People are just really excited that I am so involved. I split our meeting up into shifts so people didn't have to come in early or stay late. He was in the first meeting and I made an announcement that he was the new lead tech yeah congrats, blah blah. He was just miserable in that first meeting. I even took everybody on a road trip etc. Like tried to make it fun. Meeting lasted like 20 minutes. He just brought it all down. The second shift meeting? It lasted over an hour and a half. Everybody was so excited and talking, asking questions..wanted to know stuff, wrote down suggestions for the next meetings topics. It was just so exciting and things got done and talked about.

Why is he giving me such grief?? He used to be my partner in crime.

Sorry this is all happening to you. My only advice is to hang in there. Things will get better. And you’re right, the accreditation needs to be on the top burner or no one has a job, including this guy that seems to be really disrespectful to you.

 

[AliOop]

My guess would be problems at home with new baby and demanding wife. She doesn't sound like the type that he can stand up to, so he brings it to work and dumps it on you instead. Hopefully it levels out as baby begins sleeping through the night and his wife isn't as tired and grouchy.

 

[Mommawolfe]

I have so many gripes right now LOL. I haven't posted any in a while, so this might be long because I have a tendency to be long winded.

My biggest gripe right now...

So when my boss was retiring, it was already known that I was taking her place. I jumped right in and did what I knew to do. But the thing is, she knew she was retiring and didn't keep up on anything. Like a lot of IMPORTANT things. More on that later maybe.

My point of telling you that is that it is keeping me really busy.

Backing up, we will call him Bob lol. So this tech Bob is about 3 years out of school, but brilliant. A trauma surgeon walked past us one day and called us the dream team (gave bob a huge head). He works just like me (I trained him). He is fast and completely great at scanning.

So I tell "the people" (what we call management), that I want him to take my place when I take MY bosses place. The people are like no. He isn't experienced enough, and has a bit of a temper (so do I, like I said we are exactly alike). I fought tooth and nail. Finally got the ok, but as fate would have it, his wife was having a baby and was high-risk. She definitely wears the pants in the family...although she doesn't work nor has held a formal job outside of making custom cups. I'm not gonna go into all of that. So he calls me while he is on baby leave "so is this lead tech thing really a thing? Cause its not even posted." Like really pissy and tells me he can get a job anywhere. Have to have the conversation that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.... I tell him that the position being held back, because he cannot apply for a position while he is on FMLA. I'm basically keeping the department short by one tech until he comes back.

So he comes back from FMLA, becomes lead tech like I promised. PERFECT...I am taking off a few days. I haven't had any time off in ummmm.....years. I worked overnight on my last night before my mini stay-ca, and he walks in in the morning and blasts me that now he has to do MY job and he isn't getting paid for it yet (because our HR is so slow). I said it will catch up, I didn't get paid for it yet first either, but got back pay. Be patient etc....

He called me so many times while I was off. "I can't decipher the script" "The supplies order didn't come in yet"...oh wait, I found it. Then my director called me that he went in and blasted her that he's not getting paid to do my job. He had to pick up contrast from the pharmacy and bitched and whined on the phone with me the entire time on his walk to the girls office to pick it up (I had to stay on the phone with him to give him directions to the pharmacy).

So back to my boss leaving a mess when she left. I have an accreditation coming up. Unknowingly, we were already in the middle of it when I took over so there is no time. I have to do a lot of work for it in a really short time. I have an office, but mind you, I have not used it until now because I work on the floor a lot. I don't even have to. I just jump in...make sure everybody gets lunches. I have my eye on the queue at all times and if its busy I jump in. I pick up shifts that I don't necessarily want because we are short. I'm literally up and down the stairs. I will do anything to keep my department running smooth. He will not work weekends anymore. If I ask, he's like "hell no, I have a baby at home". Which means I go in.

This week, I'm like I have ACR due NEXT week and I have nothing done for it. "I am unavailable...I need to sit in my office and get it done". I literally said this in a meeting last week. I know everybody is used to me jumping in, but it really need to get this done. Deadline is October 30. I run out of my office to go to the scan room to get the serial number off the machine because my old boss put in the wrong number last time...

Bob is walking out of the room as I am walking in at 3:12 pm, shoves a script at me, and says "theres a head CT outpatient, you need to do it, I didn't get lunch yet" and walks away...like not listening to me for an answer or anything (because there are 5 techs downstairs, why didn't you call one of them?). Sooo disrespectful.

OK, so at that time, I was on a call with somebody on our portable phone trying to figure out what to do about the mis-matched serial number on the scanner from our last application three years ago, and I get a script shoved at me and he walks away and is ignoring me as I am trying to talk to him. I have to hang up the phone and scan the pt. WHICH btw, took me over an hour because it was a very needy patient. Nobody is in the office, so I had to sit down to make a disk. Bob is getting paid very well right now, so it has nothing to do with him doing MY job without being paid for it. And lunch? I asked him to go to lunch with me hours earlier and he said no, he wasn't hungry yet.

That whole crappola set me back over an hour and I didn't get out of there until 5 (supposed to be done at 3). Can't get back on the phone with the person i was talking to, and ended up working from home all night trying to get protocols made and printed, because for some reason my old boss never did it, and now I need it all by next week. I still don't know what to do about the serial number.

This morning he confronts me "did you have a problem doing a lousy 2 minute head ct yesterday?" Calm isn't my norm, but I calmly said to him..."I didn't have a problem doing the scan, its the way you talked to me and didn't give me a choice when there were all those other techs down stairs that I have a problem with." Then I told him about me being on the phone and the serial numbers on the scanner etc. I'm like I was really busy with something super important. If we don't have our accreditation, then we can't scan, do you understand? He got a little humble. I says "I don't need to explain my time to you".

I just don't understand. I have so much support from the rest of the department. I have hired 4 new techs since July, and have managed to keep our travelers while the new techs get trained (which I had to fight the people for), got students, extra transporters, I WORK. I pick up shifts that nobody wants. I FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT the people and everybody knows it. The whole hospital feels the difference and keeps telling me and sending emails to my director and our COO.

We have never even had meetings in our department until now. I did a whole whiteboard, hand outs ...everything that everybody needs to know meeting, with a meeting already scheduled for next month and daily huddles. 100% transparent. People are just really excited that I am so involved. I split our meeting up into shifts so people didn't have to come in early or stay late. He was in the first meeting and I made an announcement that he was the new lead tech yeah congrats, blah blah. He was just miserable in that first meeting. I even took everybody on a road trip etc. Like tried to make it fun. Meeting lasted like 20 minutes. He just brought it all down. The second shift meeting? It lasted over an hour and a half. Everybody was so excited and talking, asking questions..wanted to know stuff, wrote down suggestions for the next meetings topics. It was just so exciting and things got done and talked about.

Why is he giving me such grief?? He used to be my partner in crime.

Grief? Because, you are now the head babysitter! And, I might add the #1 enemy because you moved up the ladder. In my experience, when people are promoted, it is the first step out the door. That step may take a while, but your charges make life so difficult many people cannot take the BS, and go back to being a benign number worker bee. My best (and sympathy) to you and your situation!

 

[TheGecko]

Why is he giving me such grief?? He used to be my partner in crime.

You just said it...he USED to be your partner, now you are his boss. And because you ARE the boss, you need to sit his butt down in your office and have a 'come to Jesus' talk with him. He's NOT doing "your job"...he is doing HIS job. And the next time he disrespects you, he will be formally censored and if that isn't a big enough hint, you'll be accepting his two-week notice and letting him go early.

I have a fairly close relationship with my boss...he confides in me, his kids call me "Aunty", he's the same age as my youngest daughter, I have a lot of lead way, have 'perks' that no one else in the office has, and I'm the highest paid non-CPA. But at the end of the day he is STILL my BOSS...and so I don't take advantage of that relationship.

 

[Catscankim]

My guess would be problems at home with new baby and demanding wife. She doesn't sound like the type that he can stand up to, so he brings it to work and dumps it on you instead. Hopefully it levels out as baby begins sleeping through the night and his wife isn't as tired and grouchy.

Exactly

 

[Catscankim]

You just said it...he USED to be your partner, now you are his boss. And because you ARE the boss, you need to sit his butt down in your office and have a 'come to Jesus' talk with him. He's NOT doing "your job"...he is doing HIS job. And the next time he disrespects you, he will be formally censored and if that isn't a big enough hint, you'll be accepting his two-week notice and letting him go early.

I have a fairly close relationship with my boss...he confides in me, his kids call me "Aunty", he's the same age as my youngest daughter, I have a lot of lead way, have 'perks' that no one else in the office has, and I'm the highest paid non-CPA. But at the end of the day he is STILL my BOSS...and so I don't take advantage of that relationship.

I was his superior before when I was Lead Tech. He tells me all the time that I am "Making CT Great Again". Private joke. He tells me how everything is so great. The schedule is great, the holiday schedule is great. Everything is running smoothly....but then he can just screw up my mind in one minute that I feel like I failed.

I don't know what he thinks I am doing upstairs. I am certainly not sitting in my office the whole time, and my FEET HURT from running up and down the steps making sure everything is ok.

Then one of the other supervisors called me an enabler yesterday. He said to stop hovering/babysitting, and let them just work. So now there is a new layer of feeling like I am failing. Trying to keep people happy, then someone not being happy, then someone telling me to stop trying to make everybody happy.

After my accreditation is over next week, I think it will be better.

Seriously, my office is nothing but a desk, a computer, and a phone. I have been accumulating binders and paper everywhere in there. Its a weird office, reminds me of a telephone call center LOL. Long desk attached to a wall. There is a nice window, but it looks out over the new addition roof lol. It used to look over the garden that they ripped out to put in the addition.

Last week I was off Friday morning because I did Thursday overnight because we had a computer downtime. It gets really hairy when the whole system goes down. Like no overhead paging, no phones, radio silence. So I went in. I was told by the people not to, but I did anyway. Overnight tech was elated, because who wants to deal with that crap while also trying to scan, and kept telling me he never had support like this before...

Then "Bob" texts me in the morning that there is a staples order and its full of "crap" like wall files, a corkboard, and stuff. I'm like YAY!!! Its for my office, can you help me hang them next week, I can bring a drill/screwdrivers etc? (facilities is a nightmare to get things done, which is the proper way to have things hung, but it won't get done till next year). "Is this part of my new job?" REALLY??? He came over a couple of weeks ago and put a raised garden bed in my back yard for me, had a few beers and talked about what I'm going to put in the garden and the shade I will have when my fence gets installed...ask him to hang a corkboard or hanging file in my office is off limits.

Another tech said he is stressed out with the new baby and being up all night with her. Which I don't know why he is up all night with her, he is the only one who works and has to be up in the morning. Preaching to the wrong choir, I was a single mom. But I also don't think its the best way to raise a baby....I just don't want to hear how hard it is for you when I KNOW how hard it is first hand. Going to work was actually like "aaaahhhh, no kid" LOL.

Next week..Nov 5th I took another vacation while we still have travelers. I told Bob that I am getting another key made so he has access to my office, and leaving him my login for ordering supplies in case we run out of something, which we won't, because I always over order before I am off for more than a day.

I'm telling them all that I am out of town, which I am not. Its kind of DON'T CALL ME. I left that open the last time I was off and I got phone calls all day and night. He needs to step up and be the "second in charge" that he is supposed to be. If not, he is still under the 90 day orientation.

 

[Catscankim]

I'm supposed to be on vacation. It's been on the calendar since October. Was planning on visiting my oldest daughter until she texted on Friday that her partner had just tested positive for Covid. $200 for late cancellation on the hotel.

So okay...staycation. NOT! I'm going into work because our receptionist needs to take her dog to the vet so she won't be in. And our office manager was up until 3am helping his girlfriend find her dog so he won't be in. Accountant "K's" husband can't drive her to work so she won't be in. Accountant "B" won't be in because he and his girlfriend are looking at wedding venues in the afternoon. Accountant "Z" won't be in because it's the third week of her vacation that she scheduled a few months ago.

And Accountant "K" is big time on my poop list for texting me at 9:34 last night about dental insurance that we JUST signed her up for on Friday!!! I told her on Friday that it would be a week before we got a number for her and I told her again that it would be a week, but she wants details so she can follow up and schedule an appointment. What the heck?!? What part of I'm on vacation, it's holiday, and it's 9:30pm do you NOT understand?!?

I am so pissed off right now. The receptionist whined back: "My dogs health is very important to me and my son. I don't have anyone to help me out here in Oregon." Really? What about your live-in boyfriend who knocked you up?

Accountant "B" is coming in...he'll just meet his fiancé at the venue.

UPDATE

Accountant "B" apologized for not managing his schedule better. Accountant "Z", who was supposed to be 'working from home' this week since her vacation overlapped mine and mine was scheduled first is still out of state and won't be home until Thursday...they decided to extend their stay. I had a feeling that things weren't going to work out which is why I spent four hours yesterday afternoon doing payroll. If my vacation had gone as planned, there wouldn't have been anyone to do payroll.

Had a closed door meeting with the boss. He is pretty pissed at the situation too, asked me if I wanted him to fire the receptionist over 'oh woe is me'...I said no because I'm on vacation, but we definitely need to make some changes...he'll leave the details to me.

I also told him that I was mad him too, that he needed to start reading my emails. He looked blank until I reminded him that he called me this morning about how I made a mistake on someone's payroll blah blah blah and had he read my email, he would have KNOWN that I hadn't made a mistake, that in fact I hadn't run the payroll because there was some confusion. I told him, if I send you an email there is a **** good reason for it. He apologized.

All my time is to be entered as Overtime. I don't have to come in until next Tuesday and all my time off is covered (I was going to be short on my PTO).

OMG do you work in our cat scan department? LOL

The only legitimate call out I had these past few weeks is the guy that his uncle died. He gave me a full 1.5 week notice that he needed time off. I tell him he gets a full three days (24 hours, which I guess is two days for him) bereavement paid time off. He said no...he knows our staffing issues, he is only taking off friday night for his uncles funeral on saturday, then comes back in on saturday night (overnight).

One guy (my lead tech) called out for hurricane Ian because he couldn't leave his gf and baby at home because the lights keep "flickering" and he didn't feel safe, and it didn't sit right with him leaving them home alone...in the morning...from 7-3...daylight hours.

BTW, he is about 10 minutes from me. and btw, lights flicker around here all the time. Its Florida. I am constantly resetting clocks at home. We didn't get hit by the freaking hurricane. It was already past, just a few squalls passing by. We got a good storm with lots of lightening that I was sitting out on the back porch drinking a beer to watch the light show, sometimes running in when the rain came down sideways, when he called to say how bad the conditions were at his house. Then sent me a video of his banana tree swaying in the wind. OK dude. I have banana trees too. None of them fell over. My potted plants took a tumble off the table. Thats it.

Oh and btw, his gf posted on facebook how thankful she was that they didn't have any issues with the hurricane. "Marked Safe".

The day BEFORE (when we didn't know if we were getting hit by the hurricane or not) The People told me to go home because I am in a flood zone and my back yard was already under water from a storm the week before. You know what time I left? 2:30, scheduled till 3. And I only left because I am petrified of the high bridge that I have to cross on the turnpike in the wind. I was gonna stay in my office and camp out, but I left after I took care of stuff at work. I guess that meant he needed to call out the next day because I left 30 minutes early the day before (they told me to leave at 10, but I stayed....kind of coming apparent that we were out of the cone).

We are on the very east coast. We got storms, but nothing out of the norm for florida.... people took advantage of it. Not just him, but call outs, call outs, call outs. There was a tornado in Delray, I guess that sent ppl into a panic.

My aunt just moved a little north. Her old condo in Delray was the one that got hit by a tornado... weird thing...

Old job....I had a girl call me saying that she was on her way to work and had diarrhea in her car. I told her to go home and clean up and we will see her when she gets back

Another girl knows that I am petrified of getting pinkeye, calls and says she has pink eye. I'm like "you can go to employee health. Please clock in so you are compensated." It was a miracle that she recovered from pink eye the next day.

 

[TheGecko]

Then one of the other supervisors called me an enabler yesterday. He said to stop hovering/babysitting, and let them just work. So now there is a new layer of feeling like I am failing. Trying to keep people happy, then someone not being happy, then someone telling me to stop trying to make everybody happy.

Been there, done that.

What is that quote? "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of time."

As 'senior' Staff Accountant it is my responsibility to oversee the accountants and I will give them every tool they need to be successful, but from lessons learned, I will also allow them to fail. Not to the detriment of our clients of course and I am always happy to answer questions, but I won't do their work for them any more and I hold them accountable. As an example...one of our accountant was struggling to balance a client. As soon as he told me the problem was in payroll, I knew exactly what was wrong and asked him if he had gone through any of the payroll notices. FYI - It was a rhetorical question since I knew he hadn't because they were sitting untouched in his IN box. He of course responded that he hadn't found any notices. I then went through his box and found five for that account...one of which matched the exact amount he was off by. I then let him know that we can't bill the client for the hour he spent because he choose not to do what he was advised to do in the first place, but I would be noting the half hour we ALSO can't bill the client for my time to sort his choice.

Was that kind of mean...maybe, but then again, there is a difference between and honest mistake and willful ignorance.

 

[Misschief]

A few times over the last year or so, during the checkout for an order I've had a 'tip the staff' option pop up. I understand that many small businesses are struggling and maybe trying to offset their increased prices, but this is quite off-putting to me. Enough that I will look elsewhere for what I want before I order from that place again. Up until today, I've given a small tip - and felt resentful and a little taken advantage of for doing it. For the first time I didn't leave a tip for products I ordered and feel a little like a jerk for not doing it. I want to/try to support small business when I can, but if they need to raise their prices a little I would rather see that than be asked for a tip - charge what you need to and think is a fair price for your products. I'm just wondering if you all have seen this too, and what are your feelings about it? If you sell, is this something you would consider in lieu of raising prices and, if so, help me understand why.

It isn't just you.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/391746/Kelowna-man-surprised-by-tip-added-to-liquor-store-bill
I did add a tip request to one of my transactions but it was not intentional. My friend, however, added a $30 tip. It was appreciated, certainly, but completely unintentional. I let her know that but she didn't want it refunded.