J D Wetherspoon - Once a good chain, now just crap.

After a lot of thought I have decided that my money is going to be best spent supporting my local pub rather than the McDonalds of the beer world J D Wetherspoon.

The reasons for this are many and varied. One of which is the recent changes that this chain has been making and its affects on us the public - who pay the wages of the staff/management.

Now the main reason for this is the fact that I was given abuse off a member of staff - when I dared to complain about the tv volume being put upto a mere roar, without so much as a "by your leave" or a "would you mind" - I did consider a complaint to the manager of the TTL - here is a handy link to where not to get a drink in Newport. The Tom Toya Lewis a pub full of abusive/surley staff more interested in football than serving customers- but based on what I have been told by other people who have complained I realised that this would be a pointless exercise.

Main faults:

• family friendly pubs - sounds brilliant in theory, familys can bring the we little ones out with them to the local, have a bite to eat and a drink with out having to leave their offspring behind. In reality it has filled the pub up with screaming brats - who stray outside of designated areas - and not a hope that some manager will dare tell the assorted Sharons and Tracys to control their offspring. Yes a lot of the parents do control their young ones but the small minority are not corrected and spoil this for the rest of us.
  
• Upperty staff - now I have pulled many a pint myself in days gone by and done the usual thing of having a chat and a laugh with even the most annoying of customers, after all the pub was paying me a wage in order to do so. Yet it seems that some members of staff in the chain lack manners or even basic civility. The number of times I have had to call out to someone for service - even if no one else is awaiting being served - is beyond mention and to be greeted by a surly McWetherspoon oike giving it "Yeah wot?" is hardly cutting edge customer service.
• Creeping television - some of the chains pubs have had tv sets put in and most of the time they are there either off or with say BBC news on but the sound thankfully silent. Yet what happened the other night? Whilst the manager was away, the tv was turned up loud to blast out the "footie." Not so much a by your leave to the customers who were sat directly under the tv and when one of them dared to complain a member of staff gave the customer a mouthfull of abuse. (Yes Bryn Lloyd you have been named and shamed.)

As my father doesnt deserve to have his ears blasted out - maybe I should do a link to the damage that audio feedback and sudden noise can do? Or to have his - along with my - evening ruined by the shiftless and surly Mr Lloyd. Who when he does decide to serve a customer takes his good time about doing so, it has been noted by many a customer than the fastest we ever see Bryn move is when he spots a pair of breasts at the bar.

A copy of this has been sent to JD Wetherspoon and I await their feedback on this, an apology to my father would I feel be in order and I have provided the chain with a contact number for myself. If and when they decide to do that I will get them to contact him and apology - a simple call and a "We are sorry" will suffice and this post will then vanish and my money will once again pass over the bars of this chain.

Maybe a spot of "staff training" is in order, after all standards in this chain have slipped somewhat of late. All I can urge people to do is to check out the traditional UK boozer, a place where yes you may have to pay a few pence more for a pint of decent beer but you get the following added for free: good conversation and good service.

Latest bit:http://newportcity.blogspot.com/2006/07/j-d-wetherspoon.html

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