customers, as a general rule

[JP Dogberry]

Yay! I just got to deal with a student for one hour, mainly because they are incapable of following simple instructions on a sheet, and I get ot set it up for them.

Not speaking English is not an excuse.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

it seems to me that not understanding English is about the best excuse there IS for not being able to follow instructions written in English.

[JP Dogberry]

Not when you live in a country that speaks English.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

yet he still does not. So you want him to magically have an ability they didn't require for him to enter your country?

Yeah, me too, actually.

[Spriggan]

yet he still does not. So you want him to magically have an ability they didn't require for him to enter your country?

Yeah, me too, actually.

All they have to do is spend 2 skill points next time they level and problem solved!

[JP Dogberry]

Hey, it doesn't require magic. It requires learning the language.

I'm not talking about someone forced out of a third world country because of war. I'm talking about someone who chooses to study in Australia, probably because "Oh, it's so cheap over here."

I don't speak another language, but I'm not in another country.

Oh, and forget English, the instructions have pictures.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

well, see, now I need to ask. Does your nation have an "official" language. I don't know that about Australia. In the US, despite the fact that so many people insist it be a requirement, there is no official language (in the early days of our country, though, there were many movements for various official languages: including German and Hebrew). But there is not legally institutionalize national language in the US. So while it's frustrating to deal with a language gap here, it's a bit of a jump to say the person shouldn't even be there.

Australia may be different though.

However, even if you do have a national language, I still have to insist that while not speaking English may be a good reason for him not to be in your country, it hardly seems like a poor excuse for not understanding written directions. He doesn't speak English and you gave him written directions? Who's more the fool? The fool or the fool who expects him to do something he's obviously not capable of?

[JP Dogberry]

Yes, English is the official language of Australia, as far as I know. Now, I'm not saying someone with a poor grasp of English shouldn't be here no matter the situation. But if you're studying at a university (that is, doing something academic, difficult and with a lot of complex reading) I think it's fair to expect the ability to read somthing written at a seven year old level.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

the problem with expectations is they tend to produce disappointment.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

unless they are low.

[JP Dogberry]

Hence my philsophy of failureism. If you assume that you will fail everything to the point where taking a step makes you expect to trip over, crack your head open and die, even taking that step without falling over becomes a fantastic success.

[42]

Or you just give up on taking steps entirely and eventually starve.

Speaking of which, I have at least one customer at the moment who I wouldn't mind if he just died. He's whining that he won't have housecleaning on Thanksgiving. I've explained to him that all of our housekeepers are unavailable, and there is no one available to clean his room. So now he wants me to come in clean his room on thanksgiving. I am coming in on thanksgiving, but I'm not cleaning rooms. He said he'll take his business somewhere else, I told him to go ahead. Still waiting for him to leave.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

see, the proper response is not 'go ahead"

it's "Please do us all a favor and do so."

It's more polite, yet more in his face.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

... are pissing me off again. He says he sent something. I have the check in paperwork that says it never got here. I say I'll go check around to see if I can find it, but that it would be helpful if he would check his location as well, to double check.

He point blank tells me "No, I'm not checking."

****head. I have the paperwork that says it never got here. Damn me if I'm going to send you a replacement power cord for free when you're acting like that.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Ryu wins!

I made him buy the replacement. Now maybe my ulcer will go away.