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Visited Cheltenham last Friday and went to the Portakabin they use for the ‘walk-in’ tickets.
I asked for two tickets. “That’ll be fifty pounds please”, said the ticket lady “and would you like a race card?”
“Yes please” says muggins.
“That’s fifty-three pounds then”
“Oh, sorry I thought you meant they were free. I won’t bother in that case.”
“OH FOR GOD’S SAKE!” says woman, flicks her eyes heavenward and virtually slings the two tickets towards us.
I was with my ex, who was going racing for the first time in her life. “What an unbelievably rude woman”, she said.
Welcome to racing, dear. Welcome to racing…
Mike
Oh dear sorry to hear about your unhappy experience at Cheltenham Mike, but don’t let one unfortunate incident make you give up on racing. There are plenty of courses whom I’m sure would make your day at the races much more welcome and enjoyable.
Mike,
Suggest an email to:
<edward.gillespie@jockeyclubracecourses.com>
I don’t think he’ll be any happier than you were.
AP
Mike, I suggest you don’t take your ex to the races again. Take your current bird mate.
As for the email to Gillespie, forget it.
To cut a long story short I did some research regarding ‘complaints’ some years ago. A genuine compplaint to Gillespie (even though we had fake scenarios should they be required) was met with a, "Unless you can prove it we can’t do anything" response.
Can you prove that the ticket clerk got the hump with you? If not, then let bygones be bygones.
I’m very sorry to hear of your experience.
Just the sort of thing that we don’t need as sadly it is the one thing the lady will remember.I would email Cheltenham and tell them.
Rudeness in any form is unforgiveable. As the person who was selling you your entrance ticket was representing Cheltenham they should know that not everybody who attends that venue is happy with the welcome they receive. If we don’t tell them how on earth can they improve their service to us? You might not get much of a response but again that is their mistake not yours.
I for one dislike the snobby attitude that I’ve encountered on courses towards non members, they have to remember that the bulk of their money comes from the daily visitor and they should treat everybody with the same respect.
When I’ve come across this attitude and I’ve almost courted it on some courses to see how they deal with it, I then communicate with the course concerned and tell them. Before anybody has a go at me for being a troublemaker, I only do it when visiting courses in my ‘official’ role. I mostly just want to enjoy my racing in peace!
In contrast at Newbury yesterday customers were greeted with a smile, a mince pie and a mulled wine! (And the racecards are cheaper!)
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Sorry to hear of your expierance Betlarge but this is what happens at the majority of National Hunt tracks who’re run by old blooded coporates who like their toffs and people to be well spoken.
If you’d want a better expierance then get yourself to Epsom or Sandown, basically any major flat track as their more in tune with the times and understand what a racegoer wants respecting them at the same time.
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Yup listen to Mr Wilson he knows everything there is to know about being a rude ignorant *******
Sorry to hear of your expierance Betlarge but this is what happens at the majority of National Hunt tracks who’re run by old blooded coporates who like their toffs and people to be well spoken.
If you’d want a better expierance then get yourself to Epsom or Sandown, basically any major flat track as their more in tune with the times and understand what a racegoer wants respecting them at the same time.
http://hippiekiller.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/troll.jpg
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
If we ignore the fact that this was just bloody rude, my main concern from a racing marketing point of view is that this sort of thing makes all other efforts worthless.
We live in an era of RFC, Bens and Brians, focus groups and customer-orientated pleasure facilitation. All of which would be knocked into a cocked hat by a smile, a pleasant ‘hello!’ and giving the impression that you genuinely are pleased to see the customer.
And the most ludicrous thing is that being polite is both free and damn easy to do!
Mike
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Graysoncollum it’s the second time you’ve posted that picture in some thread, either you got a fetish for toys or you becoming bitter in your old age – regardless it hasn’t had the effect you wanted .
If you want to make me a social outkast for what ever reason then let me know through pms, save the forum from your useless vendetta you mug.
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If we ignore the fact that this was just bloody rude, my main concern from a racing marketing point of view is that this sort of thing makes all other efforts worthless.
We live in an era of RFC, Bens and Brians, focus groups and customer-orientated pleasure facilitation. All of which would be knocked into a cocked hat by a smile, a pleasant ‘hello!’ and giving the impression that you genuinely are pleased to see the customer.
And the most ludicrous thing is that being polite is both free and damn easy to do!
Mike
Yes Mike manners cost nothing and what makes it so sad is it’s not just in racing where staff have no time for people who don’t keep their life simple.
I don’t know if you have been in the USA but if you were buying an ice cream and chosing a flavour, you could change your mind 6 times and the girl will still give you a smile and say Have a nice Day because thats how they are trained. They are there to sell and get repeat business.
Here in Thailand you walk into 7 Eleven and you are greeted with Good day and welcome and never ever are you served without a smile.
Having lived most of my life in the UK I was shocked when I first came here because the difference in people working with the public is unreal.
Sure there are a lot of nice people work with the public in the Uk but way too many wouldn’t last two minutes outside of the UK.
You could contact them and complain but I wouldn’t personally do that without knowing who else it might affect. Could be a single mother having a bad day or she’s worried about some personal problem and you just happen to get the backlash. Who knows?
The picture is of a Troll. He’s appeared quite a few times on here in the last few years. HTH.
Meanwhile, back at the conversation, I’d not be in any hurry to discourage Mike from raising the matter further. A course as prominent and as much a showcase for the sport at large as Cheltenham is likely to be media savvy enough to know that issues of rude staff aren’t certain to pass by quietly on TRF, the
Post
‘s letters page, Facebook, or wheresoever else.
I’m not sure if any of the likes of Edward Gillespie, Andy Clifton, etc. have ever posted on TRF, much less whether they’re actual members, but it would surprise if nobody on the communications side of things at Cheltenham is at least a lurker.
I’m very mindful of Fist’s considered opinion of what sort of extenuating circumstances the worker in question might have been enduring prior to her outburst to Mike and partner, though; so the hope would naturally be that the flagging of the incident would serve as a reminder of all such staff’s duty of service to paying customers, rather than as the catalyst for censure of the individual concerned. We all gotta work.
Not that receptiveness to a complaint is necessarily dependent on the stature of the racecourse involved, of course. The nicest response I ever had back as a result of any such came after I’d mentioned online of my being overcharged at a Point-to-Point in the south of England. Needless to say, I’ve been happy to go back to that course since.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
The first person you either meet or speak to makes you form an opinion of the place or business you’re dealing with, and for that reason they should be polite and cooperative. If they’re not, a complaint should certainly be made. By the same token, not enough people write and praise good service, and we should all make more of an effort to do so. Sadly it is an English disease imo. I was brought up to say please, thank you and, most importantly, sorry if neccessary, and a smile doesn’t cost anybody anything.
Write and tell ’em, if you have her name of course. She’s doing a bad job and will keep doing a bad job until she is stopped. What you describe isn’t a mistake that you could put down to worries or illness, it’s an attitude problem. If you are in a public facing role it is part of your job to leave bad attitude behind and act in a professional manner. If she can’t do that there are plenty people around who can.
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Graysoncollum it’s the second time you’ve posted that picture in some thread, either you got a fetish for toys or you becoming bitter in your old age – regardless it hasn’t had the effect you wanted .
If you want to make me a social outkast for what ever reason then let me know through pms, save the forum from your useless vendetta you mug.
You have some neck on you asking anyone to keep a vendetta to PM’s. You have done nothing but go out of your way to post provocative crap for weeks aimed at I suspect trying to get my back up.
The only PM you should get is from Corm telling you to get your act together and stop being a moron.
Plenty of us have our differnces on here but at the end of the day we sweep it under the carpet and get on with it, but you just keep coming back for more.
This is a great place to be but continue on your current path if history is anything to go by you will not survive trust me.
Why u bringing ur Ex to the races mate and paying for her ticket. Did she not cost you enough cash before she was your ex!! I know its not the point but you should of got her to pick up the £3 racecard haha!!
I feel your anger though, it was the same at punchestown this year on champion hurdle day, i brought my missus and it cost me a fortune for the day even with a couple of winners!! To start two reserved encolsure tickets, about 80 quid i think to get through the gate if i remeber correctly. At the time i was finishing my last degree so i had a student card, therefore i enquired if there was a 10% student discount as for the normal passes and the old fella on the gate looked at me as if i had ten heads and was truly rude to the point i got quite worked up myself and my missus had to push me through the gate before i lost it with him. A simple ‘no sir im afraid not’ would of sufficed instead of insinuating i was cheap or not worthy of a reserved enclosure ticket!! I think the racecards where 2 or 3 euro extra aswell!! It wouldnt put me off going again as its a day out and a good laugh but it certainly didnt get the day off and the right note nor did the fact that the whole racecourse had sold out of bulmers (magners) cider before the biggest day of the meeting. All that was on offer was sour guinness or warm plastic bottles of carlsberg for 5 euro a pop each!!
You expect to pay a little more for a beer at events but you should at least be able to enjoy it somewhat or at least have a good selection so you can order what you want!!
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