Friday, September 28, 2007

HOW TO GET THROWN UNDER THE BUS IN A MILLION WORDS OR LESS:

A person has been bawling like a wean-sick calf about a minor amenity in his apartment that does not function up to his high standards. Mind you, 5 other dwellers have a similar amenity and one has an identical item and they all are satisfied with the performance. This is real prince-and-the-pea-type shit. You'd think this ruined his life. Yeah, it may have been less-than-ideal if you're enough of a milquetoast to notice an unsatisfying level of froth from your Mr. Bubble product, but a regular guy wouldn't see this as a malfunctioning feature. (A real man would never even use this feature - so says my ruggedly heterosexual Marine brother-in-law)

Anyway, he complained in June about this feature, and I lined up technicians for repair just to assuage his tender sensibilities. One tech threw it over to another and the complainant said he wanted to coordinate the repair. I let him, and the he - the complainant - dropped the ball - the tech didn't show, and he didn't bother to tell anyone in the office until 6 weeks later. July 31 (hello - remember that some stressful shit compromised my immune system and I got pneumonia? THIS is part of the reason why) I arranged once and for all for a new tech to come finish it. I told the receptionist on the phone "I AUTHORIZE you to do whatever is necessary to complete this repair, regardless of price."
Little did I know I'd be in hospital the day repair was taking place. They went to the office for authorization ANYWAY after I'd greenlighted it on the phone in advance, and the price of repair was daunting to my temp replacement so she threw it up the chain of command in the company where it landed with the owner who kiboshed the repair. Owner then proceeded to do nothing to find an alternative solution to the problem, leaving the person stewing and getting all the more angry at me for the ensuing 3 weeks until I returned to work.

Flash forward, and the person now blames me for every time this was not completed (even though I was out of the office/in the hospital/sick for an entire month of the ordeal) and went directly to the owner of the company (who conveniently failed to mention that he personally ash-canned the last repair attempt when I had it set up 8 weeks ago). Owner called me up and proceeded to bawl me out about not fulfilling my responsibilities saying that I need to learn to deal with people and not just hand problems over to other people to solve. Throwing me under the bus, in other words and acting like some big hero to the gasbag. When owner called me Friday, he knew I was in the office with new prospects and was not free to respond frankly. Actually, I should have, but I can't stand dragging people into a ridiculous stink like that - it's a toxin that ruins the day of anyone it touches.

What can you do? Thank goodness I have options and an exit strategy planned, but for now, it's a steaming plate of nastiness I'd rather not be served. Watch this space. Oh honey, I could tell you some things. I've seen shit that'll turn you white.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did I mention how much I hate people? A

Christina RN LMT said...

Yes, A., you've mentioned it before!

;)

Phlegm, wow.

It sounds like you're surrounded by idiots.

So, do you have everything documented, such as dates/times/attempts made/ messages left, etc.?

That would make things much easier for you, especially if you plan on leaving with a "bang".

Especially since the tenant is obviously one of those people who only hear what they want to hear, and like to rewrite history. (Hate those people, ugh!)

BTW, what's the feature, a bidet?!

The property owner sounds like a real winner, too. Not letting you reply when he knew he was in the wrong.

And, WTF? Does everything go to hell when you're gone?

That's total bullshit!

Yeah, let's leave everything for Phlegm to take care of when she comes back from the HOSPITAL.

Morons.

So, here's my totally lame suggestion:

Write everything down concisely and objectively, strictly documentation, like a police report. Also, since douchebag owner wouldn't let you talk, write him a letter, registered mail with return receipt. Or, make an appointment to talk to him when you know there will be no interruptions and lay everything on the line. At the very least you'll be able to get all this off your chest to one of the people directly involved (or rather, one of the people responsible for the whole pile of crap!).

I think this will cover your ass, especially if you remember details of all the arrangements you made for the assho-, uh, I mean tenant.

Anywho, I hope my blathering helps a little, nothing you haven't thought of yourself, I'm sure!

Just try not to let it get you down, you don't want to relapse!

Anonymous said...

So, is this guy's bidet fixed yet?

Regards,
Rabbit.

DBA Dude said...

Glad to hear that you have an exit strategy - your owner sounds like a real "head up his ass" fecker.

Forget them and go out tonight and have a great time with your sister.

phlegmfatale said...

A - Um, maybe once...

christina - excellent suggestions, all, yes, I'm going to put in some long hours at the office this week, and I'm going to de-construct the whole shebang and take some documentation home. It just makes sense to do so. I was baffled when I heard about him shit-canning the repair and then doing NOTHING to arrange and alternative. Anyway, anyone that comfortable with lying to people is going to have no compunction about firing me, obviously, so it's cya time. Und I will, dahling.

rabbit - I LOVE you and christina for thinking of it. Yes, it was a bidet.

dba dude - yeah, I've run my course with this degree of bullshit. And anyone - employer or resident - who would abuse my abundant good nature - has to be a total colostomy bag. Time to get the feck out of there. We WILL have a great time, thanks!

Anonymous said...

(A real man would never even use this feature - so says my ruggedly heterosexual Marine brother-in-law)

If this device is what I think it is, then it can be used to give a quick and hygienic swirly.

Anyhoo, seems to me if a supervisor won't go to bat for you over a minor plumbing issue, he'll throw you under the bus for anything. I'll wager this isn't the first time.

However, I'd lean more towards trying to defend against future bus-throwings rather than getting a new position. A job in hand and all that. Sadly, this may mean giving the whiners more than their fair share of attention.

Oh well, management always gets what they measure!

Anonymous said...

WTF kinda twink uses an ass-shower?

Does your exit plan include spending as much of the companies funds as you can on minor shit just before you exit?

And do you have your exit speech prepared in which you tell your soon to be ex-boss exactly what you think of him and to take a flying fuck? I thought so.

phlegmfatale said...

pdb - *L* No, even though I said so a while ago in comments, it is NOT a bidet. It's not my supervisor - my immediate boss is a total advocate for me --it's the company owner who is such a wanker. Well, I've been planning to leave in the next few months, anyway.

phlegmfatale said...

myron - I LURVE the way your mind works...

SpeakerTweaker said...

Gotta love management (and I use that term LOOSELY) like that.

Sucks bad being in the middle of that type of dumbassery. Can you believe that some brain surgeon decided to invent medication for that sort of stress? I know, chemicals of today's world and all...

...they're called Margerita's;)



tweaker

Christina RN LMT said...

Well, Phlegm.

If it's not a bidet, it SHOULD be one...the tenant is such a pussy, it would make a perfect bathtub for him!

I'm glad you're covering your ASSets, not that I expected anything less of you...

:)

Anonymous said...

D'ya think your ace maintenance guys could replumb it to the mains so the water pressure could cut plate steel? I'm sure they could come up with a fine needle nozzle somewhere the day after you leave.

That'll fix those hemorrhoids. Enough pressure it'll lobotomize him as well. WHiny little bitch-boy.

Regards,
Rabbit.

Lin said...

Phlegmmy, do you know how much these work-rhoids you deal with make me appreciate being in the middle of nowhere? Fellow burn-outs always welcomed for R&R, of course.

I like Rabbit's idea!

phlegmfatale said...

speakertweaker - I haven't had a margarita - oh, probably in YEARS. I suppose that's what I've been doing wrong all this time.

christina - you pegged him/her/it!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!

rabbit - I SO love how your brain works. Oh, if only I could...

lin - Yup. It's amazing how one person who sets their cap to be a burr under the saddle can spoil so much. Like I said - he's a toxic person, and I'll bet everyone he ever deals with ends up hating him. I feel sad for him, because he's never going to have a meaningful relationship because he does nothing but use people. He'll deserve whatever misery comes his way. I'll be thrilled when my dealings with him are at an end, though.

Rabbit's ideer was pure genius!

Meg said...

A bidet? I was wondering what it was.

I vote for Rabbit.

Unknown said...

Ugh, how frustrating! I can't get over a guy (and esp. in Texas) that would be in such a huff over a...bidet?!

sorry to hear that your boss is such an asshat. Nothing causes me to lose respect more for someone than an under-the-bus thrower.

phlegmfatale said...

meg - well, not a bidet, quite... Rabbit's da man - he has brilliant ideers. I want Rabbit to run for president.

becky - what can I say? He's a total pussy - everybody says so.