Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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#3105303 18-Jul-2023 08:04

More of a "I've not seen that before" than a W-T-F.

Mrs Floyd and daughter Floyd are heading to Queenstown for a break next month and while there want to go out for dinner with a friend who lives there. Mrs. F went to book a restaurant (through its website). This particular establishment asks for credit card details at time of booking and states that if you cancel or reduce the number of pax with less than 12 hours until your reservation, or are a no-show, they will debit your card at $45 per person.

I'm on the fence on this. It comes across as pretty arrogant yet I can understand that they don't want to have to turn customers away only to end up with potentially empty tables.

I've never come across this (and to be fair I don't get out much 🙃), is this the new normal?

(FWIW, she didn't proceed with the booking. The friend is not always the most reliable and is prone to last minute changes. The restaurant has potentially missed out on some custom.)

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

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#3105318 18-Jul-2023 08:18

kiwifidget:
Yesterday, after it happened, I 105'd it to someone who finally answered after nearly an hour, so I do actually have a report number.

They told me to go to a station on Monday and hand over my video.

The person I saw this morning refused to add any information.

They said they didn't even know why the 105 team had bothered to log it.

Their words: That because it was a non-injury accident the police would not investigate it.

They don't have the time or the resources to "investigate" this sort of incident.

Yes in theory they wouldn't know if there wasn't an injury unless they stopped but I think "whiplash" injury from minor incidents is a US phenomena. Your mistake was calling 105. An immediate call to 111 would have been your best chance but probably you would have got the same answer.

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#3105324 18-Jul-2023 08:27

floydbloke:
More of a "I've not seen that before" than a W-T-F.

Mrs Floyd and daughter Floyd are heading to Queenstown for a break next month and while there want to go out for dinner with a friend who lives there. Mrs. F went to book a restaurant (through its website). This particular establishment asks for credit card details at time of booking and states that if you cancel or reduce the number of pax with less than 12 hours until your reservation, or are a no-show, they will debit your card at $45 per person.

I'm on the fence on this. It comes across as pretty arrogant yet I can understand that they don't want to have to turn customers away only to end up with potentially empty tables.

I've never come across this (and to be fair I don't get out much 🙃), is this the new normal?

(FWIW, she didn't proceed with the booking. The friend is not always the most reliable and is prone to last minute changes. The restaurant has potentially missed out on some custom.)

If they are turning away customers good for them. I wouldn’t have accepted it and I would have told them why in a very direct way.

I don’t have to like their policies, they don’t have to like my feedback. It’s a value judgement for all concerned.

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#3105335 18-Jul-2023 08:33

floydbloke:

More of a "I've not seen that before" than a W-T-F.

Mrs Floyd and daughter Floyd are heading to Queenstown for a break next month and while there want to go out for dinner with a friend who lives there. Mrs. F went to book a restaurant (through its website). This particular establishment asks for credit card details at time of booking and states that if you cancel or reduce the number of pax with less than 12 hours until your reservation, or are a no-show, they will debit your card at $45 per person.

I'm on the fence on this. It comes across as pretty arrogant yet I can understand that they don't want to have to turn customers away only to end up with potentially empty tables.

I've never come across this (and to be fair I don't get out much 🙃), is this the new normal?

(FWIW, she didn't proceed with the booking. The friend is not always the most reliable and is prone to last minute changes. The restaurant has potentially missed out on some custom.)

I'd eat elsewhere.

We booked at a restaurant for 5 of us (3 kids) for a fixed time. We turned up 10 minute early.

After waiting for an hour at the bar, we walked out, told them why and have never been back. We just went to Pizza hutt and went home and ate it and chatted.
Nicer than a noisy crowded restaurant any day.

We have been told they do this as the real money is made through over priced drinks , and neither of us drink so that was never going to happen.

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#3105351 18-Jul-2023 09:25

Today's Whiskey Tango moment was the news item that the NZ Football Ferns are looking for Pay Parity with the All Whites (alongside other women's football teams in a WC year).

Don't get me wrong - I think Pay Parity in the workplace is great. There shouldn't be a gender pay gap in a normal working environment. But this is the entertainment business. It's not a normal working environment.

I think those that bring the income and entertainment should be paid for their contribution.

The Matildas, Lionesses and USWNT all deserve to be paid handsomely for their various contributions. They sell out stadia, they entertain millions and they generate income.
The Football Ferns, on the other hand? They struggle to entertain, which in turn (in a rugby mad country) makes it hard to get bums on seats at games, which means it's a hard sell on TV and therefore they generate less income - so theoretically they should be paid less.

The USWNT get bigger crowds than the USMNT at times, so they fully deserve to be paid more, in my opinion. They should be raking it in. The Lionesses (England) pack out football grounds as do the Matildas (AU Women's national team).

If they actually admit that they are in the entertainment business - which they are, then they should look at the examples of star power in the acting community. Temuera Morrison, though famous here in NZ, is not going to be able to say "I want pay parity with Brad Pitt. We do the same job". He'd get no work.

So...back to the All Whites vs the Football Ferns. The All Whites barely fill a ground - they don't deserve to be paid a fortune and I have no doubt they are not paid a fortune. But the Ferns garner even less support. It's not about skill (that's a whole other can of worms), but about acknowledging the income vs expenditure argument in the entertainment business.

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#3105359 18-Jul-2023 09:40

I understand from the restaurants perspective. They are trying to manage staffing, and food waste and resources generally. People cancel without a second thought these days. Most restaurants are fine with a genuine reason, and a rebooking.

Lots of restaurants have this now, especially the more expensive ones. I'd fight to the death over getting charged, if I rebooked, but otherwise, it's never bothered me.

For the business they lose, they are probably better off overall by managing their resources more carefully.

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#3105368 18-Jul-2023 09:52

networkn:

I understand from the restaurants perspective. They are trying to manage staffing, and food waste and resources generally. People cancel without a second thought these days. Most restaurants are fine with a genuine reason, and a rebooking.

Lots of restaurants have this now, especially the more expensive ones. I'd fight to the death over getting charged, if I rebooked, but otherwise, it's never bothered me.

For the business they lose, they are probably better off overall by managing their resources more carefully.

There was a post on Reddit about this very thing at a restaurant in Devonport, Auckland.

Apparently they're pretty clear that if the numbers are less than booked or you cancel inside 48hrs of your booking there's a $50 charge on every seat not taken.
They apparently also are quite well known for being a bit...unusual...with their customer service.

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#3105391 18-Jul-2023 10:43

Handsomedan:

Apparently they're pretty clear that if the numbers are less than booked or you cancel inside 48hrs of your booking there's a $50 charge on every seat not taken.

Makes me wonder whether they’re making a greater margin on the cancellations than they would if you had turned up and actually ordered something.

The $50/seat charge is likely pure margin - and then they get a chance of a second bite of the cherry if they fill the seats that you would have occupied.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

floydbloke

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#3105705 18-Jul-2023 18:35

Handsomedan:

Today's Whiskey Tango moment was the news item that the NZ Football Ferns are looking for Pay Parity with the All Whites (alongside other women's football teams in a WC year).

Don't get me wrong - I think Pay Parity in the workplace is great. There shouldn't be a gender pay gap in a normal working environment. But this is the entertainment business. It's not a normal working environment.

I think those that bring the income and entertainment should be paid for their contribution.

...

To be fair, Meikayla Moore did score a hattrick in a Football Ferns game last year. That was entertaining. (They may have all been own goals but meh, detail.)

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

Handle9

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#3105707 18-Jul-2023 18:55

Handsomedan:

Today's Whiskey Tango moment was the news item that the NZ Football Ferns are looking for Pay Parity with the All Whites (alongside other women's football teams in a WC year).

Don't get me wrong - I think Pay Parity in the workplace is great. There shouldn't be a gender pay gap in a normal working environment. But this is the entertainment business. It's not a normal working environment.

I think those that bring the income and entertainment should be paid for their contribution.

The Matildas, Lionesses and USWNT all deserve to be paid handsomely for their various contributions. They sell out stadia, they entertain millions and they generate income.
The Football Ferns, on the other hand? They struggle to entertain, which in turn (in a rugby mad country) makes it hard to get bums on seats at games, which means it's a hard sell on TV and therefore they generate less income - so theoretically they should be paid less.

The USWNT get bigger crowds than the USMNT at times, so they fully deserve to be paid more, in my opinion. They should be raking it in. The Lionesses (England) pack out football grounds as do the Matildas (AU Women's national team).

If they actually admit that they are in the entertainment business - which they are, then they should look at the examples of star power in the acting community. Temuera Morrison, though famous here in NZ, is not going to be able to say "I want pay parity with Brad Pitt. We do the same job". He'd get no work.

So...back to the All Whites vs the Football Ferns. The All Whites barely fill a ground - they don't deserve to be paid a fortune and I have no doubt they are not paid a fortune. But the Ferns garner even less support. It's not about skill (that's a whole other can of worms), but about acknowledging the income vs expenditure argument in the entertainment business.

International football in NZ isn't an entertainment business. It's the elite pathway for football and a promotional vehicle for the game. It's different to a club team.

It is very likely that both the All Whites and Football Ferns lose money, I'd assume the All Whites lose a lot more due to playing a lot more games with higher costs.

Edit: Looks like the football ferns have historically played more than the All Whites. It doesn't really change the balance of my point

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#3105708 18-Jul-2023 18:57

networkn:

I understand from the restaurants perspective. They are trying to manage staffing, and food waste and resources generally. People cancel without a second thought these days. Most restaurants are fine with a genuine reason, and a rebooking.

Lots of restaurants have this now, especially the more expensive ones. I'd fight to the death over getting charged, if I rebooked, but otherwise, it's never bothered me.

For the business they lose, they are probably better off overall by managing their resources more carefully.

If they are turning away bookings good for them. If they can't fill the restaurant then they would be stupid to have this sort of policy.

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#3105710 18-Jul-2023 19:08

Handle9:

If they are turning away bookings good for them. If they can't fill the restaurant then they would be stupid to have this sort of policy.

If they are doing well at the moment, then do less well but potential customers rule them out because of that policy, then they are very short-sighted. Goodwill is built slowly and destroyed quickly. People remember bad experiences.

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#3105711 18-Jul-2023 19:09

Rikkitic:

Handle9:

If they are turning away bookings good for them. If they can't fill the restaurant then they would be stupid to have this sort of policy.

If they are doing well at the moment, then do less well but potential customers rule them out because of that policy, then they are very short-sighted. Goodwill is built slowly and destroyed quickly. People remember bad experiences.

You can't eat goodwill. Policies can change with business demands.