Manners, or lack of them, seem to be in the news. Sometimes, people may say things they don't mean because of badly-worded phrases but other times people are just plain rude. Last week I joined a gym and today was my first induction appointment to have my 'baseline assessment' and be shown how to use the equipment but I ended up feeling offended.
I arrived at 10.30am, the appointed time, and was greeted by the receptionist who talked to me last week. He told the trainer that I was here for induction and she took me round the equipment for 15 minutes. It was strange that the trainer didn't ask my name or tell me hers but she was pleasant enough. Until the end, when she asked if I'd thought of joining. I told her I had joined and this was my induction and baseline assessment. She expressed huge surprise and told me that she couldn't do the baseline assessment and I needed to make an appointment. Of course, I pointed out that I indeed had an appointment. Her riposte was that she hadn't ever seen me before and didn't know who I was, so how was she to know that I had an appointment? I was staggered. Did she really mean that there was no reason to know who I was and why I was there? I was made to feel that I was in the wrong but hang on a minute. I'd made an appointment for 10.30am. I'd arrived on time at 10.30am and I was justified in asking why the appointment could not go ahead. Why couldn't she do it? There was no explanation, just that she couldn't do it now and I'd have to come back. My gut reaction was to leave and take my custom elsewhere. But what would that have achieved? There isn't another gym. I've made an appointment with her for a week's time but my goodwill is 'sorely tried'.
Typing it up here, it seems even clearer to me that I was not in the wrong. On reflection, if she'd been polite, apologised and even explained the reason, I would (probably) have been forgiving, but there was no apology, it was made clear that the important consideration was never me, I was the one who would need to be flexible.
Have I over-reacted? Moi? Surely not!
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