Disgusting standards of hygiene in pubs

Kathleen W, of course we 'do' banking literally but figuratively we haven't done it very well at all and with our S&P triple 'A' rating still hanging in the balance, London's status may go the way of the car industry.

I totally agree with you that people get bad service because they can't be bothered to get good service, or they don't want to make a scene. But standards have been sliding for years and many people now are just used to poor service because they've never experienced service done consistently well.

"As a paying customer, you are often expected to behave as the worker would expect and accept from her personal friends. If not, then you are unreasonable and obviously need to be put in your place."

That's really true. To make matters worse, (like the fingers in the glass example) bystanders for some unknown reason, often offer helpful resolutions like, "'er 'ands is clean, init. Nuffin to worry about, mush. She's over 'er bout o' typhoid." Rather than presenting a unified front for their own sake with something like, "Yes, I would like to drink in a hygienic environment, too."

anon

Britain doesn't "do" banking?

London ranks only second to New York in the list of the 45 most important financial centres.

I would agree though that many service industries are very bad at service but I think it is largely the fault of customers because they will grumble among themselves or moan to their friends later but will not take the trouble to effectively complain.

I am one of the many people who loathes piped music in shops and restaurants, and when I have done a quick straw poll I have found that most people agree with me. If I then say why not phone, write or email to tell head office or the parent company how you feel, they either say that they can't be bothered or that they don't like to be seen as a moaner!

I think it is pathetic and spineless.

The English don't do service particularly well, in fact it's downright poor compared to many other countries both near and far. Unfortunately, pointing out to a sloppy service industry Brit that she is underperforming in any way often results in an 'attitude'. As a paying customer, you are often expected to behave as the worker would expect and accept from her personal friends. If not, then you are unreasonable and obviously need to be put in your place. So, Britain can't do industry or service and it certainly can't do tech or banking...so what is there to do well? Sign on?

The times I have to tell the barman, please watch you fingers on the top of my glass,last week I had to tell this very nice bargirl to give me a fresh glass, she had long slender fingers but they were all over the top of my glass.

This bar down the Waterfront in Nottingham seems to have new staff every week, I get sick and tired of telling them, I told this barman this week to watch his fingers then from behind this woman piped up saying That's what your immune system is for, then when I went outside with the drink she started telling her boyfriend but very loadly hoping I was hearing her.

By the way the bar is not Wetherspoons they are trained to hold the glass the correct way...

Mr Toast
not all Londoners are cockneys and what a stupid prejudiced thing to say. If you have nothing intelligent to say why not say nothing?

Last night I was at a pub where the barmaid simply rinsed glasses and lightly rubbed her fingers over the rim (no soap!). Then used them to serve people drinks in. Disgusting!

I'm not surprised, it's rare to see people was their hands properly after going to the loo in London.

Think yourself lucky, many years ago most pubs were 'men only' and the urinal was the bar itself, check out some of the older untouched traditional bars, where there is a trough at the base of the bar for the urine to run down.

I complained once to the landlord of my local that mice were running over the feet of customers
in his bar.He replied that the mice enhance the character of his pub and that most customers dont even notice them.In the same pub the barstaff often put their dirty footwear on the same shelf where clean glasses are kept.The staff used the customers toilets,but no soap or handtowels in sight.One barman had been eating his dinner at the bar and served customers inbetween leaving his barbecue chicken fingerprints on customers glass.

The worst bit is the men's loos. Pee all over the floor. Those ridiculously small Armitage Shanks urinal bowls. What do they think the men of this country have? Tiny Tim's tackle? Shake a leg!

Let's tip-toe through the slime and muck on the floor!

hi all, could you tell me why when im in a pub I can not have the glass I have drank from refilled? I was told that the bar person serving could get fined? as the glass I have used would then be touching the nozzle, and therefore germs from my glass could pass to the nozzle, and so on to the next glass and person, etc.

I think this griper has hygeine issues bordering on OCD, and should be cut some slack. Although it appears the gripe is over-the-top, he actually makes some perfectly valid points about transmission of germs. That said, it's a pub, not a hospital ward, and the griper must learn to accept that germs are sometimes unavoidable in public spaces. Hygeine is a good thing to be obsessed with anyway. This morning as I sat in the car park, I wiped down the interior of my car with anti bacterial wipes!