Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Yet another business is selling up near to us and its not because business is bad.

Its because the owners can no longer handle the backstabbing, lies and nitpicking by other english people.This is whats making their life a misery.

This has happened on other occassions around here where there are very few brits compared to other areas of Spain.

And if anyone has read my other recent thread we are now victims of what can be only described as cyberstalking - but we know whos doing it as we were their customers and they live near us.

What is wrong with some people? Arent they happy living their spanish dream like we are trying to do?

My question is what on earth is it like in areas where there are lots of brits all living close to each other?

Some people def have too much time on their hands.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Does this happen??? I cant imagine I would even notice. Its best to just live in your own little world and let trouble carry on around and not get involved???? - You can tell I havent a clue - probably a good thing :confused::blink::rofl:

Jo xxx

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Do not know what to say to you about this, do not understand the mentality of that type of person at all. We decided to live well away from other Brits and it is stories like this that make us glad that we did. I am sure that there will be a great deal of posts from people who live in areas where there are a lot of Brits saying that they have no experience of this type of behaviour and possibly just as many posts from people stating that they have had difficulties too.

Rosemary

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

All businesses suffer from disgruntled customers to a degree and if they are successful and good at what they do, they deal with the complaint(s) and continue in business.

I have never heard of anyone shutting down a successful business because of name calling.

However, if for instance, businesses make distorted claims as to what they do or size of business for instance they will eventually get found out and the stuff will hit the fan.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Before we moved to Spain in 2006 and I was following the forums there was one that appeared to be centred on Lliria that made us think twice about moving to Spain. If my memory serves me correctly there seemed to be two factions and much of the forum was centred on the nastiness of the two groups. I was a member but just ignored the forum eventually, it was also one of the reasons that we decided to live with the Spanish.

Graham

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Why are people so surprised, the same thing happens in Spain with Spanish busineess as well, is that so hard for anyone to fathom out?

I have known new business start up and demand that wholesalers do not deal anymore with a smaller, long established company, if they want to have their custom, and the wholesaler has caved in to the demands.

I have known a decorating company that consistanly put in low quotes to force the competition out of business, and then when they were left with the monopoly, then, changed their pricing, as they had been losing money with the low quotes.

All this happened with Spanish companies, and sure it happens in the UK too, it is not a practice that only expats are doing to eachother.

Sadly it seems to be part and parcel of being in business, and always will be, which includes bad mouthing, undercutting, dirty tricks etc

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

All peaceful and quiet around here. :)

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Standard practice with the supermarkets in GB and no doubt elsewhere. It is the reason that many people decry capitalism as being totally immoral. The problem as with liberal democracies, IMHO, for all of their faults no-one has thought up more successful systems for all their failings.

Graham

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Too right, there have been reports of some supemarkets selling items at less than cost price, mainly to stuff the competition, and smaller business cannot hope to compete.

In fact quite a lot of TV ads recently, are not just stating the price of their own goods, but telling the public how much cheaper it is compared to the main competitors.

At one time that would have been considered unethical, but now its common place.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Surprised that you havnt connected some of the main players on that forum with some of the members here, same style and even same user names !

It´s a very small forum world.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Not just in Spain... why do you think I am back in Norfolk?

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Coz it bootifull.....:D

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Yeah... that as well.... pffft!

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

As Winston Churchill famously said:-

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

As said, I'm not sure why the surprise.

When I lived in the UK I chose my friends carefully. When I came to Spain I chose in the same way .... on the basis that if I didnt want to mix with that kind of person in the UK, why do it here!

Our friends here are French, Spanish and English. None stab backs, and all are just content just to enjoy each others company

If I'm sitting in a bar and some English twit stars gobbing off or being annoying I simply move away or just dont go there again :)

Frankly people should have better things to do with their time than backstab or snipe, and imho that applies to both forums and real life :lol: Lifes too short .... honest!

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I'm with you Mitz. Choose your friends carefully and ignore anyone who seems intent on spoiling things.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

It must be nice to have that option...:(

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Ahhh ... of course ... I guess you have to be nice to everyone. You must have to bite your tongue sometimes

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Yeah, for a business it can be very hard at times. We were lucky. We had a lot of customers all paying us a comparatively small amount of money, and the loss of a couple wouldn't kill us.

I only ever said to a couple 'I'm sorry, but you don't reach the standards we require from our customers.'

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Being this side of the bar has been quite an eye-opener. I never realised that people talk complete bollocks when they are pissed but they do you know - utter rubbish (not that I ever did as a customer;).)

It's actually quite disappointing - usually I like people and people like me but I see the worst in some people when I'm doing this job.

Some come in with the quite deliberate aim of winding me up - I'm not being paranoid here - other people have seen it happen. It doesn't bother me overmuch but I find it disappointing that some people think that to try to upset people is their night's entertainment.

Luckily there are far more nice people than nasty.

I actually love what I am doing.:) It was a good move.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Drunks are less amusing than they think.

We had far, far more decent ones than idiots.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Some people are nice others are not. I try to spend time with those who I can get along with and try to ignore those who I don't.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Most people I meet in business are fine , both Spanish and English , you do seem to get the same ratio of ***kers in all nationalities .

If you start thinking everyone is a ***ker then its time to get yourself checked out:rofl:

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

When you're in business you've got to be nice to people, whether you like it or not. I've got the choice of many supermarkets where I live and I now shop at a branch of Mercadona where everybody is friendly and polite (they've all been on a course), and I seldom use Carrefour where the assistants badly need to go on a course.

I seldom go in English bars, but I walk past two next to each other on a regular basis. One has a surly owner and a For Sale sign, the one next door has a friendly owner and gets packed.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I think one of the main secrets is to find time to give everyone a warm friendly welcome ASAP after they walk through the door.

Another is to try to agree with punters opinions as far as possible or at the very least least humour them, no matter how stupid or ill-mannered they seem to be.

I had a lady friend used to run a bar in the Canaries and some punters were a right pain in the ass.
Everyone once in a while she'd disappear out the back out of earshot and let rip with a stream of Fs and Bs before returning behind the bar with her usual cheerful smile.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Very very true.

MY OH uses that technique whilst working as a Funcionario - it works so well that many people will wait an extra hour or two just be dealt with by him.

A friendly smile and the ability to make everyone feel important and special makes his job much easier.

People can be so angry when they arrive, with all that pent up energy, ready to attack. He dis-arms them very effetively.

Some interesting remarks from his customers...........
A man from Sth America, almost in tears, saying that it was the first time he's been treated like a human, whilst in Spain.
An old woman asks.......Why are u so happy ?........you're always smiling.....don't you have problems.



Goes to show that the public like to be treated with respect and kindness, even if they do not always get what they came for.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

People deserve politeness and a degree of respect. It works wonders.

We hate going into Dia because almost without exception the staff are miserable skanky bitches who couldn't smile if their lives depended on it.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

At our local Consum it was get down on your knees and be grateful that we "serve" you. In came a new manager and low and behold he turned the place around, I do not know whether he used the carrot or the stick or both but it certainly worked. One particular person who works the till started to say bon dia to everyone, the management should really have had medical staff on site to look after the locals who could not believe it.
Our nearest Mercadona has the happiest staff of any supermarket I have ever been in they chatter away, laugh and joke with us customers, I would love some of what the manager puts in their morning coffee.;)

Graham

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Does it cost that much to smile and say hello? Other supermarkets manage it, but not Dia.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

As my old man always used to say, "It costs nothing to be civil".

I have on the odd occasion or two, seen similar attitudes in Lidl.

Not sure if it's the case, but I get the impression that their staff are under pressure to fly around all day like blue-assed flees and possibly not for the best pay packet in the World.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I find Lidl staff better than Dia, but nowhere near as pleasant as Mercadonna or Supersol.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I've been here 11 years now and many many times I have been embarrassed to be English!

A year or so ago me and the OH decided to cut anyone out of our lives who were part of 'a click' ...... you know the kind that are only happy when slagging off someone else, we now get invited to a hell of a lot less bbqs but we're definately happier!

Today is a bad day, so probably not the best day to take part in a Brits verses debate! A British family has done a runner from a house in our urb. and returned to the UK owing rent and bills, taking the owners belongings with them and worse of all they left cats and 3 x 3/4 week old kittens in the porch area of the house and 1 cat actually trapped in the house which we managed to get out.... no-one would have been any the wiser if the owner hadn't asked me to go and check if the shutters were down!

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Cliques are a bugger, and for sure, when you aren't there it'll be you they are slagging off.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I wondered why my ears were burning. ;)

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Anyone that gossips to you, Will gossip about you.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

Believe it or not, an ex member of this forum did that to another member of this forum a while back, in Torrevieja.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I live in the Torrevieja area and keep well clear of the cliques, of which there are many. There are literally hundreds of clubs catering for all tastes and sorts of expat activity, from the British Legion to sewing circles. They serve a useful purpose to enrich the social lives of the 100,000 expats living in the area, but the downside is the inevitable, destructive gossip that pervades it all, Eastenders and Corrie brought to life right before your eyes.

People suddenly leaving, leaving pets and debts behind, is an every-day occurrence, reading the police reports involving expats is unbelievable, and the local prison in Alicante has a sizeable British contingent.

To be honest, it's much the same as being back home.

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

I dare say these experiences aren't confined to Spain. Anywhere where sizeable expat communities pop up can be like this.

I live in Cairns, Australia and there's a big expat community here as you can imagine. Most are absolutely fine; some are good friends, but there will always be a clique who bitch and moan and whinge and are downright mean to other expats who don't see their little corner of 'paradise' in the same way as they do.

I get around it by having plenty of Aussie, American (there's a big American community here), and European friends (Swiss, German, Greek etc) in fact anyone who just happens to be a nice person. The 'nasty' contingent will be nasty whether they live in Spain, Australia or the Moon; and in business will be particularly ruthless. They want to do down the competition after all...

Re: Why do the brits do it to each other?
 

That sort of thing even happens in the UK, where I was working we had a chap left work Friday evening, didn't come in Monday morning, no indication he was ill or anything, by Tuesday someone went round to his house, it was empty, no furniture or anything. We hard nothing until a local bank contacted work to see if we could shed any light on this person who had just stopped paying his mortgage or loans, and had emptied his bank accounts.
We found out, many months later, that he was in Australia, where he had worked previously.