Embarrassing moment

[hughnique]

I had a RDV at the clinic yesterday with the ophthalmic surgeon, it is a well known fact that you need to allocate at least 2 hours before you get out, but it was exceptionally busy. The taxi /ambulance came to get me at 16.15 for a 16.45 RDV, I actually came back through the front door at 19.45, so a right long stint. A gentleman? appeared about 30 minutes after me accompanied by his Taxi driver, and booked himself in, he seemed to be very unstable on his feet, in fact at first I thought he was hammered, however, it must have been a good hour and a half before he went, after me in to the watch the red star room, where they put those stinging drops in, and he came out to sit back in the waiting room. Then I went to see the surgeon and after that I was free, after paying to go home. The peace was shattered when he suddenly staggered across from his seat to the receptionist, and casually says he want's to make another RDV, and makes a big thing shouting out that he did not speak any French, but he knew what a Carte Vitale was, anyway they calmed him down and I left just as he was ushered in to see the surgeon. It made me proud to be English, totally cringeworthy, I do not have time for these sorts that expect all the French to speak English, he obviously was from a colonial era, my French is pretty poor but at least I try and I normally get through it all. If you are not prepared to at least try, then stay in the UK.

[Doug]

+1

[Bayleaf]

It sounds very similar to a story Mr Bayleaf came back with, after a RDV with his Doc in our village. A loud, unruly, self-opinionated Brit staggering around the waiting room demanding to see someone straight away, despite several other patients already waiting. Mr B kept his head down as he didn't want to look like he understood the english rantings going on.

Our Spanish Doc does speak good English though, and the new Receptionist is pretty good too - sad that they feel they have to accommodate the local "furriners", but it does help Mr B sometimes when he comes unstuck. She's never spoken English to me, so I'll take that as a compliment!

[Blaze]

There's never any excuse for bad manners. A friend of ours (she's Ukrainian) works as a receptionist in a hotel in Saint-Malo, not far from the port and she says by far the rudest customers are the Brits. She speaks fluent French but not a word of English but even if she did, she says it's far more effective to just say nothing, just smile and let them rant and rave !
A French friend has just got a job at the accueil at Brittany Ferries - it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about the customers ! He speaks English but he's not someone who suffers fools ... nor rudeness ....

[MAD87]

@hughnique I don't think I've ever witnessed such rude behavior, but I've certainly had some fairly contemptuous anti-French comments expressed to me, like "don't these people learn English at school?". I spoke to his widow a few months ago and she complained tha t the French gave her almost nothing as a pension (they'd been here nearly 40 years) whereas the "English" gave her a large monthly pension. I pointed out that it was based on contributions, as in the UK. Her husband had always worked on the black...

[ajm]

We used to have an annual wine fair which was for white wines only,especially coteaux de layon and bonnezeau. One time there was a very loud aggressive Brit demanding to be able to taste some red wine. Our friendly viticulteur asked me if I could sort it out and explain to the prat. He wasn't happy and stormed off which made us all feel a lot calmer.

[Hotrodder]

Good examples above of the infamous British exceptionalism, arrogance, privilege, colonial attitude. I have even read a post where someone stated that the French should be grateful of the Brits that spend so much money doing up old properties.
Maybe the French have noticed the money is spent in B&Q and brought in by ferry along with Brit workmen working on the black.

[Doug]

Having come here 35 years ago and being completely integrated we have more than once been called traitors turning our backs on the uk by some brits.
A number of times whilst in the checkout queue have seen someone getting very wild at the woman who doesn't understand, we usually step in, not to help the irate brit but the harrased woman on the till.

[exile]

Thankfully few fellow countrymen here and the few that are remain well behaved.
I wonder if some of the bad behaviour is fuelled by a semi-permanent state of alcohol intoxication. A bottle a night means they will not be alcohol free by the time the sun is over the yard arm and they start again.