Customers Who Don't Know What Words Mean: Restaurant Horror Stories

[stopbush]

30. You're right. And it's spreading to every walk of life.

Case in point: last fall, we held a huge marching band comp at our HS. The entire campus was closed for the day - city permitting would have it no other way. The tennis courts were being used by us to stage certain participants in the contest.

That didn't stop two dads and their teen-age sons from somehow getting on the campus, getting on the courts, tearing down the signs saying which groups of participants were to use the courts and proceeding to start hitting balls. I got a call on the walkie talkie and went over to check it out.

I explained to the situation to the fathers - that the campus was closed, that participants needed to use the tennis courts. I told him there were additional courts at the public park 2 miles from the school. First, they tried bargaining with me: oh, let us play for 40 minutes; for 20 minutes. This while participants were waiting patiently for them to leave. "I'm sorry, you have to leave, sir. The campus is closed and our city permit doesn't allow you to be here during this time."

"Well, I'm a tax payer and this is public property. So we're not going anywhere," says dad.

"Sir, this is government property, and you're no more allowed to use these courts whenever you like than you'd be able to schedule your own touch football game on our football field on a Friday night in the fall," says I. "Please leave."

Then, he turns around and says to his kids, "c'mon, let's play."

So, I walk out into the middle of the court on his side and say, "Excuse me, sir, but have you thought about the lesson you're teaching your son in defying my authority? Please leave before this escalates."

"Do what you have to do," says dad.

So, I got on the walkie talkie and called the sheriff - who was on-site for the event - to come over...at which point dads & sons SLOWLY packed up their things and left, all the time glaring at me and the participants waiting to use the courts.

"Thanks for nothing" he says as he's leaving. Well, I had about had it by then, "Sorry, but you were being a jerk," sez I.

"Hey, you don't talk to me that way in front of my kid!" says he.

Uh????

The customer's always right. NOT!