Harassed BY GW Staff on facebook for leaving hobby

[Max Jet]

I can't see what the staffer did wrong.

He was acting unprofessionaly, that is all. Previous posters have pointed out where the staffer took his job too far and where he misunderstood his duties. Nothing emotional or moraly wrong, just plain unprofessional acting.

[Xarius]

As thr OP, I'd like to clarify a few things:

We were, as stated on multiple occassions, not friends or in contact with each other in any way outside of the store.
Neither have i ever 'liked' or subscribed to anyhting GW related on facebook that would have given him my information.

My use of 'harrassment' relates to being contacted on a service i use for leisure and to keep in contact with friends by someone who was not my friend.

His 'friendly greeting' as some put it, related to my political beliefs (not communist) and as I am heavily involved in politics locally, i am fairly visible to the public and anyone that knew me/knew of me would know i had those beliefs. That was not somethign only my friends would know.


Yes, my reply to his original message was fairly blunt but we are both very blunt people and though we were NOT friends, i respected him enough to tell him the truth. I dont' lie or sugar coat things on principle. He contacted me using his personal account and it was my view that his reaction was out of order.


I now feel genuinely uncomfortable about going back into the store in case he is working at the time.

[Autumn Leaves]

Xarius, that guy was just out right rude, he would definitely get a disciplinary hearing and get raked over the coals for that use of language and for that tone as well.
GW management do not take kindly to staff becoming adversarial with customers.
It never goes anywhere good for the sales targets.

I worked for GW retail for several years and I used to run the most successful vets night in the UK for retail stores.
I kept a data base of numbers for the store regulars and those who looked like they might be keen to join in.
I kept them informed by telephone, the shops phone or my own mobile.
It was paramount that interaction was always polite, cordial and positive.
If players dropped away I would give them a friendly call or drop them a text to let them know what event was coming up and remind them they were always welcome.
That guy has crossed the line and deserves to be reported, his comments are way out of line and are ultimately only going to harm his store and the hobby in general.
I'd report him in a heartbeat so he doesn't think it's ok to do it again.

[Jedi152]

I wouldn't have replied properly at the start, i'd just have said that it was extremely unprofessional to contact you through another medium. Seriously, a stranger contacting you (obviously on behalf of the store) to basically ask why you weren't spending money there any more? Shocking.

To the people who think it's ok: If Facebook is fine, where is the line? GW staffers knocking on your door to ask where you are?

[Morkash]

Well, a friend of mine whose kids often are at the local GW store was called a few weeks ago where the kids are because they were not showing up frequently in the last time. I told her a while ago that it may be unwise to leave children (14 & 12) alone in that store if they have any pocket money with them, but after that "incident" she is now alot more careful as well.

Could be just me, but calling me at home would cross a higher border than contacting me on Facebook. Especially because it was targetted at kids this time. I fully understand why she was furious.

This case is obviously different, but it is hard to tell from the messages alone. (therefore my rather crude analysis a few posts ago) One does need more information on the level of social interaction and the people involved to interpret such a situation adequately.

[lbecks]

Calling at home is creepy. I think GW can learn something from the whole Target/pregnancy thing that happened here in the US. That is, if you're going to get personal try to make it look as impersonal as possible.

[Liber]

@the OP: all I wanna know is why are you a Commie?



LOL, just kidding, not sure how it is in the UK but here in America even in *jest* that is quite an insulting thing to call somebody...unless they are of course of Communist inclination (the only time its really used anymore is in very conservative political circles to label and insult those that are more liberal leaning)

The bottom line is that the GW staffer was out of line, I think his intentions were pure, and that he was coming from a place of "caring too much" but his actions (and actions are all that matter really) were over the top and most definitely not thought out at all. I suspect he had a few beers or something. But thats just conjecture. Not everyone reacts well to criticism, even indirect constructive criticism like was the case here. Honestly as others have said he should not have contacted you on facebook to begin with, the rude manner in which he did it just set this up for disaster.


I don't see anything sinister here, just some unfortunate events, try and let it pass Xarius.

[theunwantedbeing]

Yes, my reply to his original message was fairly blunt but we are both very blunt people and though we were NOT friends, i respected him enough to tell him the truth. I dont' lie or sugar coat things on principle. He contacted me using his personal account and it was my view that his reaction was out of order.

The problem is what you did was akin to greeting somebody by kicking their dog and then shaking their hand, then saying "you have an awesome dog".

You wouldn't like that, so neither did he.

[Liber]

The problem is what you did was akin to greeting somebody by kicking their dog and then shaking their hand, then saying "you have an awesome dog".

You wouldn't like that, so neither did he.

What? C'mon man be serious. I pointed out (the post right above yours) that the GW employee (the one who initiated everything) started the convo off by calling this person (who is politically active) a Communist. The OP is entirely free of blame, the GW employee took the first step in finding him on facebook and eliciting this conversation, which was a bad idea and the first step into this silly situation.

When we were in kindergarten teachers always said "it doesn't matter who started it" but that is a lie. It does matter who started it. The GW staffer tracked this guy down on facebook with the sole intention of confronting him for his absence (I shouldn't have to repeat how inappropriate this is) and to top it all off he starts off with "hey you commie". When the OP was honest (yet polite and not personal in his criticism) the GW staffer took it badly and ended up *blocking him* which shows very poor judgement and a lack of maturity.

[Night Bearer]

I have to agree with the comments that if you open up an unsolicited message on FB with someone you're not FB friends with (let alone real life friends) with a jovial "hey commie", you are forfeiting any potential goodwill to receive a civil response from your target. The whole idea of "I'll say what I want and then hide behind a 'I was just teasing ya" is BS, even moreso if you are in any remotely possible way trying to start a work-related conversation.

Which this was. Yes it's one personal FB account to another, but he's not pining on about the OP missing his bday shindig at the pub. He wants him at the store. Where he works. To sell him things.

And yes, if you ask someone's opinion about a retail store you work at, your job itself may come under criticism, not just the far-off corporate policies that no one likes and winks an eye at. Again, OP didn't print out a rage-email and staple it to the store's windows. He didn't track down this employee on FB and PM'd him a "hey fascist, when ya going to make GW Wettingham-upon-Shire worth my time again?!!"

Most GW stores should have enough churn (by design, even) that there was no need for an employee to get (condescendingly) sentimental about an old regular no longer showing. But even so, if you're not even FB friends, let alone RL friends, shoot him a non-chatty FB message "Hello, I'm Nigel Clive from GW Downton Abbey. Didn't know if you've been caught up in RL of late, or moved out of the hobby, or if perhaps we've done something inadvertently to lose your business. If the latter, I'd certainly like to know what we may have done and what we could do to restore you as a valuable customer of ours. Also, I dunno, crisps and puddings, God save the Pistols and all that."

*Please note my attempts at English dialogue are "drunk late night BBC America viewing" at best.

[Jedi152]

@the OP: all I wanna know is why are you a Commie?

What? C'mon man be serious. I pointed out (the post right above yours) that the GW employee (the one who initiated everything) started the convo off by calling this person (who is politically active) a Communist.

I kind of took the staffer's side and guessed that OP is an IG player and it's short for commissar. Maybe.

[Hellebore]

Still not getting this support for the staffer. HE went looking for a confrontation, the OP did not. If I don't like you anymore I'm not necessarily going to call you out in front of your kids or stand outside your door calling you names and telling people how much I hate you. I'll just stop interacting with you. If you then start chasing me to find out why I'm no longer around anymore, then I'll tell you that you're a ******* and I don't want to be around you anymore. In this scenario I made no attempt to attack this person, they chased me and caused a confrontation. Had they simply let me alone they wouldn't get their feelings hurt.

It's completely irrelevant what the staffer said or what the OP said. The OP was not the aggressor, he didn't initiate discussion with the staffer. He didn't provocatively walk into the store and start badmouthing GW or the staff. He did nothing at all offensive, unless you count not showing up to a retail shop offensive. The staffer went chasing the OP. He could have left it alone, but he didn't. Then he got told the reason and he got pissy about it. The reason is the reason is the reason, whether you agree with it or not that's why the OP was no longer showing up. It may not be accurate, but it's how the OP saw things and that's all that matters to stop him showing up. The staffer can't convince him he's wrong about how he feels.

The OP couldn't say 'I don't like the atmosphere any more or the prices' etc any differently - those things (subjectively) were the reasons he hadn't been going. But rather than stand around in the store vociferously whinging about it, he simply decided not to go anymore.

You know the expression 'if you can't say something nice' ? Well not hanging out with someone and lying about enjoying it is the practical application of this. I won't lie, I don't like you so there is no reason for me to be anywhere near you. Why should I have to be nice to you when I've already been nice enough not to hang around you either lying to your face or calling you names?

This seems like the same psychology where people feel they shouldn't be punished if they confess to something. Just because the staffer asked the OP doesn't give them any special right to be treated nicely. The very act of not going into the store and calling them a ******* and complaining about the place WAS treating them nicely.

If you don't want the truth, don't ask.

Hellebore

[Satan]

I wouldn't have replied properly at the start, i'd just have said that it was extremely unprofessional to contact you through another medium. Seriously, a stranger contacting you (obviously on behalf of the store) to basically ask why you weren't spending money there any more? Shocking.

To the people who think it's ok: If Facebook is fine, where is the line? GW staffers knocking on your door to ask where you are?

The entire conduct on part of the staffer is NOT OK AT ALL in any conceivable scenario unless the customer was being willingly obtuse and particularly rude.

[Sleazy]

I have to agree with the comments that if you open up an unsolicited message on FB with someone you're not FB friends with (let alone real life friends) with a jovial "hey commie", you are forfeiting any potential goodwill to receive a civil response from your target. The whole idea of "I'll say what I want and then hide behind a 'I was just teasing ya" is BS, even moreso if you are in any remotely possible way trying to start a work-related conversation.

Which this was. Yes it's one personal FB account to another, but he's not pining on about the OP missing his bday shindig at the pub. He wants him at the store. Where he works. To sell him things.

And yes, if you ask someone's opinion about a retail store you work at, your job itself may come under criticism, not just the far-off corporate policies that no one likes and winks an eye at. Again, OP didn't print out a rage-email and staple it to the store's windows. He didn't track down this employee on FB and PM'd him a "hey fascist, when ya going to make GW Wettingham-upon-Shire worth my time again?!!"

Most GW stores should have enough churn (by design, even) that there was no need for an employee to get (condescendingly) sentimental about an old regular no longer showing. But even so, if you're not even FB friends, let alone RL friends, shoot him a non-chatty FB message "Hello, I'm Nigel Clive from GW Downton Abbey. Didn't know if you've been caught up in RL of late, or moved out of the hobby, or if perhaps we've done something inadvertently to lose your business. If the latter, I'd certainly like to know what we may have done and what we could do to restore you as a valuable customer of ours. Also, I dunno, crisps and puddings, God save the Pistols and all that."

*Please note my attempts at English dialogue are "drunk late night BBC America viewing" at best.

Brilliant English-isms there, made me chuckle.

[logan054]

What? C'mon man be serious. I pointed out (the post right above yours) that the GW employee (the one who initiated everything) started the convo off by calling this person (who is politically active) a Communist. The OP is entirely free of blame, the GW employee took the first step in finding him on facebook and eliciting this conversation, which was a bad idea and the first step into this silly situation.

Looks like a lighthearted comment to me, might just be me but the whole thing seems like he s just curious what happened to the guy, who knows, maybe he actually liked him? stranger things have happened right, I think you have some serious issues if you take offense to someone like that and then believe its a totally acceptable reason to give someone abuse, I mean the whole thing about the atmosphere "this isn't aimed at your but it really **** in your store" lovely, all the guy wanted to know what happened to the guy from the OP! I don't like you shop because you try and sell me things? the OP knows he's in a shop right? a shop that needs to stay sell things in order to remain open and allow people the use of tables, regardless of our views of pricing its what he is paid to do, anything else is a added bonus.

.It's completely irrelevant what the staffer said or what the OP said. The OP was not the aggressor, he didn't initiate discussion with the staffer. He didn't provocatively walk into the store and start badmouthing GW or the staff.

Get off you high horse, talk about making a mountain out of a ant hill, I don't think the staff is in the right per say for messing him, if it was me I would have just left it alone, I think people forget that the people who work in the stores are also people who play the games, he didn't ask why he stopped buying stuff, he just asked if he was still involved in the hobby, who knows maybe he would have asked him if he wants a game sometime at a club, round someone's house? When your out of working hours and not wearing the uniform you don't represent the company, because a job isn't something that defines you, its something you do to pay the bills or buy toy soldiers.

[Galfinnan]

I was sure I had posted in this thread but my post seems to have disappeared and the one following it. Is there any record kept of this or any explanation given ?

[reds8n]

To the people who think it's ok: If Facebook is fine, where is the line? GW staffers knocking on your door to ask where you are?

It's well known that if you persist in playing with an older rules edition when a new one is released Jervis Johnson will throw a brick through your front window, then whilst you're distracted he ninjas down t'chimney and has away with them, forcing you to buy the latest edition.

The bastards.

[Jedi152]

I once played 40k second edition and was met by Tom Kirby wielding a snooker ball in a sock in a dark alleyway.

Never made that mistake again.

[xxRavenxx]

Just to comment on the "commie" situation. People outside the uk (especially americans, who seem to be a "communist phobic" nation at times) should realise that no rational person in the UK takes offence at the term communist. I see some people trying to discuss political motives in this thread, and I really felt the need to correct that.

Calling someone a communist is flippant, but inoffensive. Its like calling them a hippie, or any other irreverent label.

I imagine the comment came from the OP possibly making comments about not purchasing or similar. "Spend some money you dirty communist" is a term I have used several times in friendly company, because y'know, people (should) have a sense of humour.

The staff guy should still have not contacted the OP though, as its unprofessional. Though this doesn't make either party right in the bickering that followed. Fact is both people should have been mature enough to say "I'm not doing this.", turned on their message privacy, and just walked away. That it came to a 4 page warseer thread is a sorry state of affairs for an event which shouldn't have happened in the first place.

[Liber]

I imagine the comment came from the OP possibly making comments about not purchasing or similar. "Spend some money you dirty communist" is a term I have used several times in friendly company, because y'know, people (should) have a sense of humour.

Interesting, I was hoping someone from the UK would comment on this. It is certainly very different here in the States, and take it from me: refrain from the 'dirty hippie/commie' language...its definitely treated very lightheartedly by some here, but many still take it as an insult and you just can't be sure till you know someone very well how they feel about that kind of language.

Still though my gut feeling says that comment was definitely politically motivated (even if in jest) as the OP specifically emphasized how politically involved his life is and that the GW employee knew it. Most likely the OP has more liberal leanings and therefore the Commie remark was aimed at satirizing that. Thats how I (from a US perspective) would interpret it.