The Service Industry in America
 

Shamelessly copied from another forum I visit. I thought you all might enjoy it.

Two Phrases That Destroyed American Culture
December 13th, 2006
Every time I promise myself that I will work on controlling my temper, I always end up making a scene.

This time, it wasn’t my fault. All I wanted was a bagel. A bagel, a cup of coffee, and perhaps a spot near a window where I could idly watch the traffic go by as I browsed through the newspaper and licked cream cheese from my fingers. But apparently the Gods were not on my side.

continues:
http://www.violentacres.com/archives...ican-culture?1

Very interesting. I completely agree re people in the service industry deserving good manners and respect.

So the next time I suffer lousy service (because The Customer Is Always Right doesn't apply here - not so much anyway) I will soothe myself with the idea that the opposite end of the scale would be far less palatable to me.

Lousy service is certainly on the other end of the continum.

Merc, from that same link there is an interesting article on training children. Since I don't have any children I don't know how effective the suggestions are, but I hope they're very effective, and, if so, I hope all parents in the world immediately implement these procedures.

It's a three-part article, starting here.

I thought parts 2 and 3 were the most useful. The links for those can be found at the end of the first article.

I hope someone with kids tries some of these techniques then reports back. It might improve your chances of getting your car fixed.

That was really good HLJ, I am going to forward that to a few friends who I know reward their kids with toys for good behavior.

Well I've only gotten halfway through, but this part

can sometimes be overridden, but is often painfully true.

If only all of those 'poor kids' behind the service counters realized that it's a money for work exchange, and not their private social club. No pity for junk service from me - been there, had to do that. OTOH, someone learning or trying to do the job deserves a generous spirit from customers. It's a tough career. The "hash brown" and "french fries" thing is a good example of customer jerkiness.

Heh! I like Violent Acres. lol! I spent a while there. But you know, of course I like it. I also like cala lilies. They're my favorite.
:)

Where exactly is this place where the customer is always right? I've heard rumors of it, but I've never been there.

They always seem to be right (up my a@#). Location found, and you don't want to go there.

I read through some of her rants and thought they might be Cicero under a different name.

lol! Nah, I can spell subtlety. But it does eerily remind me of me in other ways. I guess it's because I thought it was a male writer at first and couldn't tell it was a woman. Must be all that "vitriol". Uuugh.
lol!


And all my rants about how buying a cup of coffee is not a heavy damned negotiation and/or transaction.
:)

Ah, her writing style just reminded me a lot of you. Sort of eloquently biting, at times? She is definitely more surly, though. Eh, well. It was meant as a compliment. :)

Yea. Like I said, that does remind me of me too, so you couldn't be that far off!
:)
And I will take any compliment you would like to hand out. Thanks! (running)

I always end up at the place (everywhere) that the customer has a valid complaint that the service desk can't resolve for 15 minutes, that the manager can't resolve for another half hour, that the corporate helpdesk can't resolve until Monday, and that the manager of the corporate helpdesk eventually admits to being able to resolve in about 15 seconds -- but here's the catch: IT WILL NEVER, EVER GET RESOLVED UNLESS I FVCKING YELL AT EACH ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE FOR X AMOUNT OF MINUTES UNTIL THEY PASS ME ON. The system is designed so that YOU HAVE TO YELL AT PEOPLE or else nothing gets done EVER. The system is designed so that 99% of people will give up before getting what they rightfully deserve when the store is clearly at fault (and they don't even deny being at fault! they just say it's "not our policy" to fvcking do anything about it).

It's not the fault of the employee, and it's NOT the fault of the customer. It's THE POLICY that is designed to make it impossible to resolve anything.

Well, guess what? I'M NOT LEAVING THIS GODDAMN STORE UNTIL SOMEBODY FIXES THIS FOR ME! IF I HAVE TO FVCKING YELL AT YOU AND YOU AND THE NEXT MOTHERFUVCKER FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS, EVENTUALLY YOU WILL HAVE TO FIX THIS FOR ME. . . .YOU. WILL. FIX. THIS.

I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU FIX THIS!!! . . . That's what you have to do. They MAKE YOU DO IT.

Case, you didn't even need to read that article. You've already got a perfect child.

Hmmmmm intriguing!

As a service industry worker for 5 years, I'd have to say...international service is 10x better than anything i've experienced in the States. Recently, I was just on that Cozumel cruise and the crew service staff was mostly international, from Europe, Asia and Latin America and I have to say it was VASTLY superior to any sort of service I've received in the states.

But I guess that's not the service industry in America...shit.

Well there is good and bad everywhere you go. I did not feel that service was any better in the UK than in the US and we are expected to tip in the US. But if you eat in a 4 or 5 star rated place in any country the service is most likely to be much better. That has been my experience. Pay the workers better, the bill is higher, the tips are bigger as a percentage of the bill, the service is usually better.

Well... I've never been to anywhere that is set up so that the customer has to be aggressive towards staff in order to resolve an issue.

However I have worked in many places where an obnoxious customer is eventually given something they are not entitled to, or is given special treatment at a Manager's discretion because it is not fair on the staff involved to make them deal with this person.

It's always saddened me when this happens, because the arsehole goes away with the impresion that they were right all along, and that all the staff have just been lying, creating obstacles and being difficult. It encourages this behaviour next time and ensures that the highest level of customer care goes to a customer you would be happy never to see again.

I'm sure the above doesn't apply to you of course Flint.

I, gulp, agree with Flint.

You tell me, SG. Tell me what I did "wrong" here:

I register at Target for our baby shower, and somebody buys me a rainforest jumperoo off my Target registry. Later, after we go into labor, have the baby, come home from the hospital, recover, and eventually unpack our baby shower gifts and start setting them up, we discover that our "new" rainforest jumperoo has VOMIT STAINS ALL OVER IT. This item was purchased by my mother-in-law, and I guarantee that she did not VOMIT ALL OVER IT before giving it to our baby.

So, we box it back up, pack the toddler and the new-born baby into the car and all head down to Target to exchange our "new" rainforest jumperoo for one that doesn't have VOMIT STAINS ALL OVER IT. We even log on to our gift registry and print a copy that show that this item was purchased at this store.

We arrive at the service desk with our item, our proof of purchase, and explain the situation. It is confirmed that the item had been PREVIOUSLY RETURNED to the store and put back on the shelf. It was re-packaged before it purchased as "new" -- this is the store's fault for not checking the item, NOT THE CUSTOMER'S FAULT FOR ASSUMING THAT A "NEW" ITEM WILL NOT BE COVERED IN VOMIT STAINS.

What was our "unreasonable" request? Simply to exchange this item, directly, for another identical item from the shelf. Not a used, re-packaged item, but a NEW non VOMIT-STAINED item.

The answer: IMMEDIATE AND TOTAL STONEWALL. ABSOLUTE REFUSAL TO REMEDY THE SITUATION.

The reason: Nobody denies wrongdoing on the store's behalf, nobody denies that the item was purchased here (we have proof), nobody denies that the item was re-shelved with VOMIT STAINS on it. The reason that our situation can't be remedied is "Corporate Policy" regarding returns.

Neither of the service desk girls can do anything, but they won't get their manager until we throw a fit. The service desk manager can't do anything, but she won't get the store manager until we throw a fit. Ths store manager can't do anything, but he won't call corporate until we throw a fit. The corporate heldesk can't do anything, but they won't get their manager until we throw a fit. The corporate helpdesk manager won't do anything until we throw ONE final fit, and then, AS IF BY MAGIC, she can IMMEDIATELY and EASILY remedy the situation.

I packed my whole family in the car with this big, bulky, defective item, and came down here simply wanting an exchange. Nobody denies that the store is at fault, but nobody can do anything about it. Well, I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL THIS GETS REMEDIED. PERIOD. YOU ARE AT FAULT AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR INTERNAL POLICIES ARE; THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM. THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO DO IS FIX THIS SITUATION, BECAUSE I'M NOT LEAVING. I WILL STAY HERE ALL DAY UNTIL YOU FIX THIS.

Now WHY oh WHY do I have to tell that to five different people for an hour-and-a-half before ANYTHING GETS DONE ABOUT IT?

The short answer is, I don't give a shit! Because I'M NOT LEAVING THIS STORE UNTIL THIS GETS FIXED. FIX IT NOW OR FIX IT AN HOUR FROM NOW, I WILL BE HERE THROWING A FIT UNTIL IT GETS FIXED. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR POLICY IS. FIX IT.

And, guess what? IT WAS EASY TO FIX, AFTER ALL. It would have been a whole HELL of a lot easier to just go ahead and do it as soon as I showed up.

And that makes ME the asshole? THEY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM UNTIL YOU REPEATEDLY REPEATEDLY REPEATEDLY DEMAND, LOUDLY, ANGRILY, AND WITHOUT BACKING DOWN THAT YOU! WILL! FIX! THIS!

THEY MAKE YOU DO IT. The only alternative is NOT having your problem fixed. Not acceptable.

Just because I have kids doesn't mean I don't get irritated at the way other people's kids behave. ;)

That's the problem.

Yes, but it's not MY problem. I don't write shitty policy for Target. That's TARGET'S problem. They wanted it to become my problem, by refusing to remedy the situation, but guess what? That's right: I'm not leaving until you fix this. And they did. EVENTUALLY.

I didn't want to yell at people all day, but if they refuse to do anything, and yelling is the only thing that pushes the process along (and it was--they'll stand there and blankly stare you in the face waiting for you to walk away, they'll simply say they can't do anything, they'll give you an 800 number that you can't call until Monday, they won't DO ANYTHING), then yelling is what they get.

The system is designed to discourage 99% of people with a total stonewall. YELLING is what breaks down that wall.

How long was it between purchase and return?
In this country it is understood that you have a "reasonable time" to examine goods after purchase. If they prove to be damaged/ faulty after that then any returns/ refunds are at the store's discretion.

I wouldn't be surprised if store policy reflected the law in that the service desk have a policy to follow which sets out the store's definition of a "reasonable time". I appreciate you might not have the same laws there.

Over here, the law is there to protect consumers and retailers both. After all if stores have to constantly swallow losses for damaged goods then it's customers who pay in the end.

If I get very, very calm then it is time to get very, very scared. I ask for not one, but two people to listen, and I write down both names, ask if that is enough identification or if I need to get their employee ID's, and ask them to verify the date and time that I presented my complaint to them. I am very polite but I have shark eyes on. I ask for written proof of any policies. As long as I am convinced I am right (and vomit covered 'new' gifts would make me believe so) then I'm there. Oh, and after the problem is resolved, I often write it to the Big Offic to thank the one who fixed it but suggest they revise their practices.

I didn't purchase it. I have no idea when it was purchased, could have been any time within the last NINE MONTHS that we were pregnant with the baby that this registry was for.

Bottom line: it was purchased as a NEW item. NOT a USED item that was COVERED IN VOMIT STAINS. The store was at fault for re-shelving an item that should not have been re-shelved. PERIOD.

STORE IS AT FAULT. STORE WILL FIX. PERIOD.

Being calm didn't work. Taking names is of no interest to me because I don't want to "report" people, I just want my issue resolved. I don't care what your policies are because you ADMIT that you are at fault, and you WILL FIX THIS.

I don't go immediately into yelling; first I present the facts of the case, clearly. Having stated the facts, I give them an opportunity to do the right thing. If I have to, I make it absolutely clear what needs to be done. If I have to, I let them know that I will not settle for anything less than WHAT IS RIGHT.

IF, and only if, you have to be yelled at in order to get motivated, than YOU WILL GET YELLED AT. That is YOUR CHOICE.

Eventually the problem gets fixed. YOU introduced the necessity of yelling into the equation.

Part of the problem is that with national chains, policies really are set at the top, and the local managers literally have no ability to make the "unallowable" return in the computer--and they can't just do it without entering it into the computer, because shrink is investigated, and they will assume an employee is stealing. Target in particular has cracked down on returns recently because they are getting scammed left and right. They should obviously let you talk to corporate immediately without having to yell, but they really can't do anything about it themselves without risking their jobs.

It's not like I'm so dense that I blame the employee for Corporate Policy, or expect them to be able to circumvent it. Once they tell me what the policy constraints are, I wish to be directed to someone who can override that policy.

BUT THEY DON'T DO THAT.

They stonewall me; and when pressed, pass me on to another person so that THAT person can tell me that they can't do anything. I KNOW YOU CAN DO SOMETHING. When pressed, THAT person passes me on to ANOTHER person who ALSO CAN'T do anything.

You're wasting your time! I'M NOT LEAVING!

Each person tries to END the process, without my issue being resolved. They are ACTIVELY PREVENTING ME from getting access to somebody who CAN fix the problem. I'm certain that this is what they are directed to do. As the customer, I have to deal with a SERIES of human beings in order to navigate the policy. Each one of these people is DEDICATED to seeing my problem NOT GET FIXED.

Each person in this series POINT BLANK REFUSES to escalate my issue UNTIL FORCED TO DO SO. I am put in the situation of applying that force. The AMOUNT of force needed is beyond my control. JUST PASS ME THROUGH!

Telling me that you "can't do anything" will NOT "get rid of" me. It WILL get you YELLED AT.

This is the truth. Jewel-Osco employee for 3 years (a supermarket in the midwest US).

Back to my original post:
It's unfortunate that the first-line employee (and second and third and fourth) are discouraged from directing you towards someone who can fix the problem. I don't want to yell at them any more than they want to get yelled at. But if they think I'm leaving without getting my issue resolved, then there WILL BE some yelling.

I don't claim to know consumer law in the US, but in the UK you would not be covered. It is at a store's discretion to refund or exchange for anyone other than the original customer. And it is a store's discretion to refund an item that has been in a customer's possession for beyond a reasonable amount of time given to check the item.

Bottom line is you (your family) could easily have been responsible for the vomit stains. Hell, the person who bought it up to 9 months ago could have given it to someone else before you. Stores are entitled to protect themselves and their profits against fraudalent returns.

You got what you wanted (not what you were entitled to) by yelling.

Yes I can see where the store was at fault for not checking the item before it was returned to the shelf. And it was very bad luck that the person who bought this item was someone who didn't need to use it immediately and therefore it went unchecked. But apart from showing you more courtesy there wasn't much that could be changed in the encounter given the facts.

I disagree - the correct outcome was achieved - unfortunately not until after a bunch of yelling took place. They sold a "defective" product and it was replaced - period. Thats what should have happened from the beginning - and with a smile and a thank you.

So out of curiosity, do you (classicman or Flint) think there should be any statute of limitations on defective product returns?

UK and US consumers laws and normal practices are so far removed from one another it's bizarre. Consumers here (US) have very little legal protection comparitively, and what they do have is hard to pursue, but most stores offer an extremely lenient return policy and it is expected by customers. In the UK there are many legal protections, but stores rarely go beyond those requirements.

For example, in the UK, if a clothing store has a fitting room available, the store is not obliged to offer any form of refund or exchange for an item returned because it doesn't fit, even if the tags are still on and the customer has a receipt. Most will offer an exchange, some won't. if you push them they might refund. But they don't have to and you willprobably have to work for it. Here in the US, you'd get a refund without question for up to 90 days after purchase without even being asked for a reason beyond stating whether the item is faulty or not. but there's no law enforcing that. legally, you bought it, it's yours, pretty much. The requirement of having a receipt has only really been introduced in the 7 years we've been here. And it's still not entirely necessary, even for stuff you've just "changed your mind about".

At first I thought stores here were crazy, but...

in the UK, I maybe returned one thing a year, if that. here, I'll return several at the same time. Why? because I can. I probably spend more as a result. Beest needs a new shirt -I'll buy several and return all the ones he doesn't like. No hassle and the store gets the sale. If I didn't know I could return the rejects, I'd probably look, go home, tell him about them and maybe not come back. no sale.

What he said, but thinking you're picking out the wrong part -it's not the Target bit that's the mistake....

more from Violent Acres on this idea...

Depends on the type of product, how long, if at all, it was used.... there are many variables. Too many to answer with a simple yes or no.

If you're going to provide a BABY REGISTRY service, to attract customers and their dollars, and you expect to reap the profits from offering this service, then you need to provide the LOGISTICAL BACK-END SUPPORT for this venture, i.e. familiarize yourself with the biologically-mandated timeframe within which a human pregnancy occurs, and adjust your policies accordingly. Otherwise, DON'T offer the service, DON'T attract the customers and their dollars, and DON'T reap the profit, IF you CAN'T provide the necessary support. That's called THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.

you're shouting again......



;)

It's a BABY REGISTRY. It's DESIGNED NOT TO BE purchased for the original customer. They reap the profit of offering this service.
No. they admitted that the item had been restocked. THEY ADMITTED THAT THE ITEM HAD BEEN RESTOCKED. THEY ADMITTED FAULT. And the customer isn't entitled to protect themself against purchasing a NEW ITEM from a retail store and receiving a VOMIT-STAINED, USED ITEM? If I wanted a used, vomit-stained item, I could buy it for $10 at the thrift store.

BULLSH!T. I "got" a NEW rainforest jumperoo. I (the customer) PAID FOR a NEW rainforest jumperoo. I "got" what I PAID FOR. You seriously don't think I'm "entitled" to GET WHAT I PAID FOR? THEY HAD MY MONEY, I JUST WANED A RAINFOREST JUMPEROO. A NEW ONE, NOT A USED ONE. NOT A VOMIT-STAINED ONE.

BULLSH!T. It wasn't "bad luck" at all. It was purchased under a BABY REGISTRY. That's HOW they work. IT WAS INTENDED TO BE purchased for someone who "didn't need to use it immediately" -- that's HOW they MAKE MONEY by offering a BABY REGISTRY.

shhh.....

i thought it was a gift....what's all this 'MY MUNNY' bizness?

Shush. He's on a roll.

I have always found it extremely easy to return stuff at Target. I am sorry for your pukey stain experience, Flint.

Okay, so... ten months then? Not really reasonable to expect a woman just out of the hospital to go jaunting off to return things, so make it an even year?

We had (undisputed) proof that this item was purchased at this store on their baby registry. The day we recieved the gift, we went into labor, then had the baby, then returned home, then eventually opened the box and found the VOMIT STAINS.

We packed up a newborn, a year-old, and a c-section recovering wife into the car with this big-ass box, and brought it down there and just wanted a non VOMIT-STAINED baby bouncer.

This is what they wanted us to do:

#1: Pack the newborn, year-old, c-section recovering wife, and big-ass box BACK into the car, drive across town to visit the person that purchased the item and ask them if they have the receipt from however many months ago; or have them drive down to Target and meet us while we wait around with a screaming newborn and year-old.

or

#2: Call the Corporate helpdesk and try to get a ticket number for the issue, over the sound of two screaming kids, at which point they wouldn't be able to do anything until Monday, and we'd have to pack everybody back in the car and take the VOMIT-STAINED item back home with us.

NO. We're here NOW. Fix it NOW. We're NOT getting back in the car, we're not going ANYWHERE until we exchange this "new" item for an ACTUAL, NEW ITEM (THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR!)

Just TAKE THIS ONE BACK and GIVE US A NEW ONE. It was good enough for YOU to sell to US, so it should be good enough for you to take back.

I don't give a flying fvck what your fvcked-up internal policies are on the subject. You sold me vomit-stained item and I want a non vomit-stained one. PERIOD. Somebody can override this policy and I want to talk to that person NOW, NOT AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF LATER; BECAUSE IF I HAVE TO STAND HERE FOR AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF ARGUING WITH YOU ABOUT THIS--YOU. WILL. GET. YELLED. AT.

In answer to your question; perhaps if a gift is purchased on a BABY REGISTRY then the 90 days should START when the BABY is BORN.

The baby can't use the item if he/she DOESN'T EXIST YET.

That's a decent idea. Anything you can show was purchased off a registry has a different return policy. That is something that a corporation could actually implement on a wide scale.

When I worked in a baby store we used to advise our customers not to pick up their pushchairs until after the baby was due (we were open 7 days a week). We advised them to take the carseats 2 weeks before the due date, or earlier if they wished.

Why?
Because the mid-range pushchairs came with a manufacturer's guarantee valid from the day that the item left the store. The higher end ones offered their own guarantees which ran for longer, and Stokke (for example) offered repairs and replacements practically for the life of the chair if the customer could prove to be the original purchaser.

BTW Flint, do you think a court of law would uphold the verdict that the store was at fault? Given that they are likely to have a policy of checking returned goods? Don't you think this points the finger more squarely at either you or the person who purchased it for you being the vomiter?

"Yes it was returned your honour, but it was clean, otherwise we wouldn't have restocked it. Therefore this man, who refuses to complain from the comfort of his own home but instead drags a woman and two minors, includnig a newborn, out to watch him shout at strangers, is most likely the perpetrator"...?

You don't know what a Baby Registry is, do you?

Also, did I mention that the store admitted fault,
i.e. admitted that they did not check the item before re-stocking it with vomit stains? I could have sworn I mentioned that one or ten times.

Let's re-visit your court scenario: "Yes, your honor, we admitted that we re-stocked a vomit-covered item, but, uh, I guess we were just kidding when we said that. Yeah, that was a little joke we told, but, seriously, we think this man's mother-in-law probably unpacked this baby bouncer and covered it in vomit stains before giving it as a gift to her grandchild. Your honor, this man simply enjoys yelling at people for no reason."

I don't know... Don't you think this discussion is making you look like a total cunt?

I wasn't there to complain. I was there to exchange the item, and then do some grocery shopping with my family.

I mentioned what we used to advise out customers as an aside - we don't have Baby Registries in this country, but I know what they are because we have Wedding Registries.

Different country, different laws and different customs. To be honest I was only playing along to see if your head was actually going to explode. Next best thing to seeing someone naked apparently.

Recently during the course of our move, I needed to transfer all our telcommunications over to the new address, namely being two mobiles, a home phone, internet and also cable tv. This proved to be a very difficult process, and after about two weeks of emailing and trying to call, I finally got the shits about it, so I rang up one morning, and got transferred to about 4 or 5 different 'service areas' to finally be cut off during the course of another 'transfer'. So i called back on the main number and this is what I said to the first person to answer the phone, "You don't get paid enough to deal with the amount of abuse I have to give someone from your company, so please put me through to your supervisor at least".

The girl was silent for a moment or two, and then she said, "I might be able to help you if you tell me what the problem is", to which I responded, "I doubt that will be the case because you wont have the authority to make all my dreams come true today". She didn't seem to have a response to that, so she said, "Please hold the line for a moment", I said, "Please don't do anything with the line. Please go and get your supervisor and don't you dare press the hold button". It was at this point that she finally realized I was at my wits end and off she went to find some superior being to deal with the crazy lady on the phone.

Anyway, in the end, the chick who came to the phone managed to make all my dreams come true, and she phoned me with updates right through the whole process. Ultimately I didn't abuse anyone, but I did tell her that the systems the company has in place for dealing with multiple queries is not satisfactory and it needs fixing by someone who actually knows what customer service is all about.

I called the company afterwards and told them what a great job Marie did for me and that the world would be a better place if all their staff were as efficient as she was.

Service people across the board are generally not well trained and are left to the mercy of the customers good humour or lack there of. I don't think this is good management practice, and many businesses would do well to improve in this area.

I wish I had that kind of patience and self-control. I've been trained, my whole life, that causing a catastrophic, near day-ruining scene is the only thing that gets an issue escalated. The preponderance of evidence in your favor, the sheer moral rightness of your position -- these things bear NO WEIGHT. So, barring some kind of Jedi mind trick (as in Ali's example) the only way to break down the stonewall of illogical service practices is to throw a royal, foaming-at-the-mouth hissy fit until you are routed to someone who can solve your issue. And another thing I've learned: there is always someone that can solve your issue. If you think there isn't, you didn't throw a big enough fit.

It certainly isn't fair to the frontline employee, but... well, I'm not walking away without my problem solved.

Sorry. Sorry that you work here. I guess that's part of the job. All I want is the product or service I've exchanged my money for.

I know you didn't write these policies, and I know you can't do anything about them. I know you've been instructed not to help me, and to prevent me from gaining access to help. The sequence of events that will result in a fair outcome for me, the customer, isn't going to be an enjoyable experience for you. However, this does not deter me. I have a valid issue, the facts are on my side, and I WILL have it resolved, completely, before I leave.

btw:
I have another one...

"The story of the take-out chicken soup that was RANCID when we got home."

With me that day the force was.

Perhaps the power you too shall weild also one day, my apprentice. ;)

Don't you think that was a tad over the top?

No. I don't accidentally type things.

Now who wants to hear my "rancid take-out soup" story?

Over the top that comment was my young apprentice.

If the force were with you that day, that comment you would not have made. ;)

Perhaps your words tell us that to the dark side you have gone?

I didn't ask if it was accidental.